Psalms 32:9

Be ye not as the horse, [or] as the mule, [which] have no understanding,.... The design of this exhortation is to direct men how to behave under the instructions given; not as brutes, which have no

Be ye not as the horse, or as the mule; be not such brutish and sottish creatures as I have been, not having reason or grace to govern yourselves, nor hearkening to the counsels and admonitions of others. Lest they come near unto thee; lest they should come too near to thee, so as to bite or kick thee. But neither is this the common practice of horses or mules, of which he seems to speak; nor is this the proper use of a bit or bridle, to keep them from so doing; but rather to bring them nearer to the rider for his use, and to keep them under his conduct and power, from whom they are otherwise apt to run away. The words therefore are and may be otherwise rendered, because they do not or will not come near unto thee, to wit, for thy service, unless they be forced to it by a bit or bridle. And so all the ancient translators understand it.

Psalms 32:9 Be ye not as the horse, [or] as the mule, [which] have no understanding: whose mouth must be held in with bit and bridle, lest they come near unto thee.Ver. 9. Be ye not as the horse, or as the mule] David having, according to the title Maschil, promised to teach, useth this preface to bespeak attention. Be not uncounsellable, irreclaimable, such as Basil (Ad Evag. Epist. 10) complaineth of, qui neque quid sit verum sciunt, neque sustinent discere, who neither knew, nor would be taught, what was true, and fit to be practised. Of the rhinoceros some write, that slain he may be, caught he cannot be. Others, that he is animal animo indomito, a most untameable creature; for if he be taken, he presently dieth of sullenness. Such spirits we meet with not a few, who yet would take it in foul scorn to be reckoned horses and asses, that have no understanding, neither will be taught any. To these the psalmist here saith, Ne obstupescite, et obbrutescite ad exercitationes Dei, &c. Be not as horse or mule, lest ye be led through a fool’ s paradise into a true prison. Be not headlong, headstrong, untameable, untractable, &c. The horse and mule are instanced, as well known among the Jews, and used to be ridden on. Which have no understanding] And yet the horse knoweth his owner, &c. Strange things are reported of Bucephalus, and Julius Caesar’ s great horse. Of the Egyptian Mamelukes’ horses it is reported, that they were so docible, that at certain signs or speeches of the rider they would with their teeth reach him up from the ground a lance, an arrow, or such like thing; and as if they had known the enemy, run upon him with open mouth, and lash at him with their heels; and had by nature and custom learned not to be afraid of anything. Whose mouth must be held in with bit and bridle] Lest they kick and bite thee, Ne mordeat nocentve tibi (Jun.). Such is the mad world’ s wages and usage of the most faithful preachers. B. Ridley lamented it in his time; the great ones spurned privily against those that went about most busily and wholesomely to cure their sore backs. As for Latimer, Lever, Bradford, Knox, saith he, their tongues were so sharp, they ripped in so deep to their galled backs, to let out the filthy matter, that they could never abide them. Thus he, and much more concerning King Edward VI’ s courtiers (Acts and Mon. 1616). The words may be read thus, Whose mouth, except it be held with bit and bridle, they will not come nigh unto thee, that is, thou wilt not be able to rule them. It is a good observation of a modern divine, Not the unruly colt only, but the horse that is broken, hath a bit and bridle also. So even the godly need the bridle of the law, ne spiritum sessorem excutiant, lest they cast their rider.

(9) Whose mouth.—Here the text has evidently suffered, and the exact meaning is lost. There are also verbal difficulties. The word translated “mouth” elsewhere (except Psalms 103:5, where see Note) means “ornament,” and the literal rendering of the text as it stands is, with bit and bridle his ornament to hold, not approaching to thee. This may mean that the animal is harnessed, either “that it may not approach,” or “because without harness it will not approach.” In either case the general application is the same. Horses and mules can only be rendered obedient by restraints that are unworthy of a rational creature. The LXX. and Vulg. have “jaws” instead of “mouth,” and Ewald follows them, and renders the last clause, “of those who approach thee unfriendly.”

Verse 9. Be ye not as the horse or as the mule] They will only act by force and constraint; be not like them; give a willing service to your Maker. "They have no understanding;" you have a rational soul, made to be guided and influenced by reason. The service of your God is a reasonable service; act, therefore, as a rational being. The horse and the mule are turned with difficulty; they must be constrained with bit and bridle. Do not be like them; do not oblige your Maker to have continual recourse to afflictions, trials, and severe dispensations of providence, to keep you in the way, or to recover you after you have gone out of it.

9, 10. A warning addressed to all not to resist God’s will, and neglect instruction. Be not like horse like mule with no understanding, With trappings of bit and bridle must they be curbed: Else will they not come near unto thee. The Heb. is obscure and possibly corrupt in some points; but the general sense is clear. Brute animals without reason must be controlled and compelled by force to learn to submit to man’s will. If man will not draw near to God and obey Him of his own free will, he lowers himself to the level of a brute, and must expect to be treated accordingly and disciplined by judgment (Isaiah 26:9-11). For the thought that man who will not listen to God’s teaching ‘becomes brutish’ see Jeremiah 10:14; Jeremiah 10:21; Psalms 49:10; Psalms 49:12; Psalms 49:20; Psalms 73:22. The word rendered mouth in A.V., trappings in R.V., is of doubtful meaning. Some explain, whose wild spirit must be curbed &c.; but this is less probable. The A.V. of the last line, lest they come near unto thee, to hurt thee, gives no suitable point of comparison, and must certainly be rejected.

Be ye not as the horse - The horse as it is by nature - wild, ungoverned, unwilling to be caught and made obedient.

9. Bit and bridle—That is, by harsh and forcible means. A different class is here addressed, and the language and figures are correspondent.