III The faithful bewail their misery, ver. 1-21. They nourish their hope by considering the justice, providence, and mercies of God, ver. 22-36. They stir up themselves to repentance, patience, prayers and confidence of deliverance for themselves, and divine vengeance on their enemies, ver. 37-66.

Verse 1. I am the man - It seems, this is spoken in the name of the people, who were before set out under the notion of a woman.

Verse 4. Made old - All my beauty is gone, and all my strength.

Verse 5. Builded - He hath built forts and batteries against my walls and houses.

Verse 9. Enclosed - He has defeated all my methods and counsels for security, by insuperable difficulties like walls of hewn stone. Crooked - Nay, God not only defeated their counsels, but made them fatal and pernicious to them.

Verse 15. Wormwood - With severe and bitter dispensations.

Verse 16. Ashes - Mourners were wont to throw ashes on their heads.

Verse 19. Wormwood - Wormwood and gall, are often made use of to signify great affliction.

Verse 21. This - Which follows, concerning the nature of God, and his good providences.

Verse 23. Faithfulness - In fulfilling thy promises to thy people.

Verse 27. Bear - Quietly and patiently to bear what afflictions God will please to lay upon us. And if God tame us when young, by his word or by his rod, it is an unspeakable advantage.

Verse 28. Born it - That he keep his soul in subjection to God, because God hath humbled him by his rod.

Verse 29. In the dust - Both this and the former verses let us know the duty of persons under afflictions.

Verse 33. Willingly - Not from his own mere motion without a cause given him from the persons afflicted. Hence judgment is called God's strange work.

Verse 36. To subvert - Here are three things mentioned, which God approveth not.

Verse 37. Who - Nothing comes to pass in the world, but by the disposal of divine providence. This seems to be spoken in the name of the people of God, arguing themselves into a quiet submission, to their afflictions, from the consideration of the hand of God in them.

Verse 38. Evil - Doth not evil or trouble come out of God's mouth from his direction, and providence, as well as good?

Verse 39. Wherefore - The Jews, check themselves in their complaints from the consideration, that nothing had befallen them, but what was the just reward of their sins.

Verse 42. Thou - Thou hast plagued us according to the just desert of our sins.

Verse 49. Mine eye - The prophet speaks this of himself.

Verse 53. Dungeon - Dungeon seems here to be taken for the lowest condition of misery.

Verse 54. Cut off - I am undone, there is no hope for me.

Verse 56. Heard - In former afflictions. Hide not - Shew me now the same favour.

Verse 58. O Lord - Thou hast been wont to take my part against my enemies.

Verse 60. Seen - Thou hast been a witness to all their fury.

Verse 63. I am - At feasts, and at their merry meetings, I am all the subject of their discourse.