Psalms 138:1

I will give thanks unto thee with my whole heart Cp. Psalms 9:1. There is no need for the Psalmist to mention the name of Him Whom he addresses. The Ancient Versions, however, insert O Lord, after thee, and the P.B.V. follows them.

before the gods The Psalmist stands face to face with the might of the heathen world, apparently under the patronage and protection of powerful gods, but the sight does not shake his fidelity to Jehovah. It is not to be supposed that he would have admitted that these gods had a real existence; he speaks of them only as they existed in the minds of their worshippers; practically it is before those worshippers that he proclaims his faith. Cp. Psalms 95:3; Psalms 96:4-5. The LXX, probably fearing to seem to attribute a real existence to heathen gods, renders Elôhîmby angels(cp. Psalms 97:7); but beautiful and solemn as is the thought that the angels are spectators of man's worship, Elôhîmcan hardly bear that meaning here. The Targ. renders it judges, the Syr. kings, giving a good sense (cp. Psalms 119:46); but though the title Elôhîmis applied to judges in Psalms 82:1; Psalms 82:6, where they are spoken of as representatives of God, there would be no special fitness in the use of the word here.

will I singpraise] will I make melody: sing psalms of praise, as in Psalms 101:1, and elsewhere. Some texts of the LXX, and the Vulg., add because thou hast heard the words of my mouthafter the first line, others at the end of the verse. It is a gloss suggested by Psalms 138:4.

2 a. A reminiscence of Psalms 5:7.

andgive thanks unto thy name … for thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name By the accomplishment of His promises Jehovah has surpassed all previous revelations of Himself. The expression, however, is a strange one; possibly thy wordis a gloss, and we should read thou hast magnified thy name above all things[85]. The P.B.V., thou hast magnified thy name and thy word above all things(derived from Münster, -Magnificasti supra omnia nomen tuum et eloquium tuum") involves a harsh asyndeton.

[85] The reading of the Massora, כֹּל־ not כָּל־, is a reminiscence of this construction of the sentence. The Maqqçph should be omitted.