This Psalm presents, with singular force and pathos, the dilemma which must have perplexed many a pious soul in the Exile. On the one hand, the assured lovingkindness and faithfulness of God and His explicit promise of an eternal dominion to the house of David; on the other hand, the sight of the re... [ Continue Reading ]
God's lovingkindnesses and faithfulness are an unfailing theme for grateful song. The past lovingkindnesses of God are unalterable facts; His faithfulness to His promises is beyond question: thus in these opening verses the poet's faith rises triumphantly over the circumstances in which he is situat... [ Continue Reading ]
The Psalmist states his theme: the lovingkindness and faithfulness of Jehovah, which he is persuaded can never fail; and the promise of eternal dominion to the house of David.... [ Continue Reading ]
_For I have said_ -I have deliberately come to this conclusion." Thus emphatically the poet introduces the motive for his song. He is persuaded that one stone after another will continue to be laid in the building of God's lovingkindness till it reaches to heaven itself, even though it may now seem... [ Continue Reading ]
These verses contain the sum of the promise to David and his seed (2 Samuel 7:5 ff.) which is expanded in Psalms 89:19 ff. It is in relation to this promise in particular that the poet intends to sing of God's lovingkindness and faithfulness. Almost every word is taken from the narrative of 2 Samuel... [ Continue Reading ]
_The heavens_, in contrast to the earth, include the whole celestial order of being. Cp. Psalms 19:1; Psalms 50:6. _thy wonders_ The word in the Heb. is in the singular. It denotes not the _wondrousness_of God in the abstract, but His wonderful course of action regarded as a whole, of which His -wo... [ Continue Reading ]
Jehovah's incomparableness is ever being celebrated in heaven. The angelic beings, "who best can tell," as standing nearest to the throne of God, and partaking most of His nature, know that there is none like Him. (Cp. Milton, _Par. Lost_, Book 89:160, ff.).... [ Continue Reading ]
The adoring recital of God's attributes which follows here has a twofold purpose in relation to the subject of the Psalm. It is a plea with God, and it is an encouragement to Israel. His omnipotence guarantees His ability, His faithfulness is the pledge of His will, to perform His promises to David.... [ Continue Reading ]
For who in the sky can be compared unto Jehovah? Who is like Jehovah among the sons of God, A God greatly to be dreaded in the council of the holy ones, And to be feared above all that are round about him? God's nature is unique, incomparable. Even among celestial beings there is none that can b... [ Continue Reading ]
_God of hosts_ A significant title in this connexion. See 1 Kings 22:19; and note on Psalms 46:7. Who is a mighty one like thee, O Jah? And thy faithfulness is round about thee. Name and question both recall the great hymn of redemption, Exodus 15:2; Exodus 15:11. Cp. Psalms 68:4; 2 Samuel 7:22.... [ Continue Reading ]
Jehovah's incomparableness is manifested in nature and in history.... [ Continue Reading ]
In this and the following verses thou, thine are the emphatic words. _the raging_ Or, proud swelling. Cp. Psalms 46:3. The sea represents the most turbulent and formidable of the powers of nature. Cp. Psalms 93:3 f.; Job 38:11. From the sea of nature the poet turns to the sea of nations of which it... [ Continue Reading ]
THINE are the heavens, THINE also the earth: The world and the fulness thereof, THOU hast founded them. Cp. Psalms 24:1-2; Psalms 50:12; Psalms 78:69; Job 38:4; Proverbs 3:19.... [ Continue Reading ]
_The north and the south_ The furthest extremities of the world. Cp. Job 26:7. _Tabor and Hermon_ These mountains are named, not so much to represent the West and East of the land, as because they are the grandest and most conspicuous natural features of Palestine. Tabor is described as a "strange... [ Continue Reading ]
THINE is an arm with might. -Arm," -hand," -right hand" (terms frequently used in connexion with the Exodus, e.g. Exodus 15:6; Exodus 15:9; Exodus 15:12; Exodus 15:16) denote not merely power but the exertion of power; and the use of verbs in the second line, lit. _Thy hand sheweth strength, thy rig... [ Continue Reading ]
Righteousness and judgement are the foundation of thy throne: Lovingkindness and truth attend thy presence. The first line recurs in Psalms 97:2. Cp. too Psalms 33:5. _Righteousness_, or the principle of justice, and _judgement_, or the application of it in act, are the basis of all true governmen... [ Continue Reading ]
Happy the people that know the shout of joy, That walk, Jehovah, In the light of thy countenance. _Terû-âh_may mean the jubilant shouting with which religious festivities were celebrated (Psalms 27:6; Psalms 33:3; Psalms 81:1; Psalms 95:1-2; 2 Samuel 6:15); or the acclamation with which a king was... [ Continue Reading ]
Happy the people that have such a God, and whose King is the vicegerent of such a Sovereign. These verses form the transition to the second division of the Psalms, vv19 ff. From the praise of God it is natural to pass on to the felicity of His people, and from the mention of the people to the king w... [ Continue Reading ]
_shall they rejoice … shall they be exalted_ Render with R.V. do they rejoice … are they exalted. Jehovah's revelation of Himself is at once the source and the subject of their joy: His unswerving adherence to His covenant is the secret of their prosperity.... [ Continue Reading ]
Jehovah alone is the strength of which they boast. Cp. Psalms 44:6 ff. _in thy favour_ Cp. Psalms 44:3; Psalms 30:7. _our horn shall be exalted_ So the _Qrç_, with the LXX and Syr. The _Kthîbh_, with which agree Targ. and Jer., has _wilt thou exalt our horn_. Cp. Psalms 75:5; Psalms 75:10. By the... [ Continue Reading ]
For to Jehovah belongeth our shield; And our King to the Holy One of Israel. _Shield_, as in Psalms 47:9, is a metaphor for the king as the protector of his people. The king of Israel belongs to Jehovah, because he is appointed by Him to be His representative, as his title _Jehovah's anointed_test... [ Continue Reading ]
_Then_ On the well-known occasion already referred to in Psalms 89:3. _in vision_ See 2 Samuel 7:17. _to thy holy one_ Nathan, or more probably David, as the principal recipient of the message. So some MSS. But the traditional text, supported apparently by all the Ancient Versions, reads the plural... [ Continue Reading ]
The mention of the king in Psalms 89:18 naturally leads up to the covenant with David which was briefly alluded to in Psalms 89:3. The Psalmist now recites the promise in detail in a poetical expansion of the narrative in 2 Samuel 7.... [ Continue Reading ]
_I have found_ Sought out and provided. Cp. 1 Samuel 13:14; 1 Samuel 16:1; Acts 13:22. _David my servant_ See on Psalms 78:70, and cp. 2 Samuel 3:18; 2 Samuel 7:5; 2 Samuel 7:8. _have I anointed him_ 1 Samuel 16:1;... [ Continue Reading ]
_With whom_&c. My helping hand shall continually be with him: a stronger equivalent for "the Lord was with him," 1 Samuel 18:12; 1Sa 18:14; 2 Samuel 5:10.... [ Continue Reading ]
_shall not exact upon him_ Shall not oppress him as a creditor oppresses a debtor. But the sense is doubtful, and the word probably means _surprise him, fall upon him unawares_, as in Psalms 55:15. _nor the son of wickedness afflict him_ The phrase is taken from 2 Samuel 7:10, where however it is a... [ Continue Reading ]
But I will beat down his adversaries before him, And smite them that hate him.... [ Continue Reading ]
And my faithfulness and lovingkindness shall be with him.... [ Continue Reading ]
_in the sea … in the rivers_ R.V., on the sea … on the rivers; i.e. I will extend his dominion to the Mediterranean on the west, and to the Euphrates on the north-east, the boundaries of the land according to ancient promise. See Genesis 15:18; Exodus 23:31; Deuteronomy 11:24; 1 Kings 4:24; cp. Psal... [ Continue Reading ]
The promise made to David on behalf of Solomon is here extended to David himself. For _my God, and the rock of my salvation_cp. Psalms 18:2; Deuteronomy 32:15.... [ Continue Reading ]
I also corresponds to the emphatic _He_at the beginning of Psalms 89:26. It is God's answer to David's cry of filial love. The titles _son_and _first-born_applied to Israel (Exodus 4:22; Jeremiah 31:9) are conferred upon the king who is Israel's representative: and the promise made to Israel (Deuter... [ Continue Reading ]
The emphasis is on _for evermore_. The permanence of the promise is expressed in the strongest terms. Cp. 2 Samuel 7:13; 2 Samuel 7:16. Once more too the notes of lovingkindness and faithfulness are sounded, for the word rendered _shall stand fast_is from the same root as the word for faithfulness;... [ Continue Reading ]
The sins of David's descendants will bring chastisement to them, but they will not annul the promise to David. Man's unfaithfulness cannot make void the faithfulness of God, though it may modify the course of its working.... [ Continue Reading ]
_If they break_ Lit. profane.... [ Continue Reading ]
_The rod … stripes_ From 2 Samuel 7:14, where the fuller phrases _the rod of men … the stripes of the children of men_seem to mean correction such as even human parents know they must administer. The paternal relation involves the duty of chastisement (Proverbs 23:13 f.; Hebrews 12:9 f.).... [ Continue Reading ]
But my lovingkindness will I not break off from him, Neither be false to my faithfulness. The word rendered _break off_is an unusual one to apply to lovingkindness, and its form is anomalous. The change of one letter however gives the word used in 1 Chronicles 17:13, I will not take away, and this... [ Continue Reading ]
_break_ Lit. profane, as in Psalms 89:31. God's covenant, like His laws, is a sacred thing. Men may violate His laws, but He will not violate His covenant. _the thing that is gone out of my lips_ The word once spoken is irrevocable. The phrase is used of vows in Numbers 30:12; Deuteronomy 23:23.... [ Continue Reading ]
_Once_ Once for all (LXX ἅπαξ, Vulg. _semel_): or, _one thing_. _have I sworn_ Cp. Psalms 89:3. _by my holiness_ See note on Psalms 60:6. _that I will not lie_ R.V. omits _that_, and makes this clause parallel to, not dependent on, the preceding line.... [ Continue Reading ]
The irreversible nature of a promise confirmed by God's oath.... [ Continue Reading ]
Cp. Psalms 89:4_; Psalms 89:29_; Psalms 72:5; Psalms 72:7; Psalms 72:17.... [ Continue Reading ]
Construction and meaning are doubtful. (1) The original passage in 2 Samuel 7:16 is in favour of making _his throne_the subject to _shall be established_, and against the marginal alternatives of R.V., _As the moon which is established for ever, and as the faithful witness in the sky_: or, _and is a... [ Continue Reading ]
And THOU, thou hast cast off and rejected, Hast been enraged with thine anointed. The Psalmist has drawn out God's promise in the fullest detail, and now he confronts God with it: thou Who art omnipotent, faithful, and just; thou Who hast made this promise, and confirmed it with the most solemn oa... [ Continue Reading ]
But present realities are in appalling contrast to this glorious promise: the king is rejected and dethroned, his kingdom is overrun by invaders, his enemies are triumphant.... [ Continue Reading ]
Thou hast abhorred the covenant of thy servant: Thou hast cast his desecrated crown to the ground. _Thine anointed, thy servant_(cp. Psalms 89:20) include both David and the successor who represents him. The titles plead the claim which the king had on God's protection. The word _nçzer_means (1)... [ Continue Reading ]
Insensibly the king is identified with the nation whose head and representative he was. The first line is taken from the description of Israel as a vine in Psalms 80:12. _hedges_ Or, as R.V. in Psalms 80:12, fences.... [ Continue Reading ]
The first line from Psalms 80:12, with the substitution of _spoil_for _pluck_: the second from Psalms 79:4; cp. Psalms 44:13. The -neighbours" are surrounding nations, once tributary to Israel.... [ Continue Reading ]
_Thou hast set up_ R.V. thou hast exalted. Contrast Psalms 89:19_; Psalms 89:24_. _to rejoice_ The malignant delight of enemies is constantly deprecated as an aggravation of the bitterness of misfortune. Cp. Psalms 25:2; Psalms 30:1; Psalms 35:19; Psalms 35:24 ff.; Psalms 38:16; and the close parall... [ Continue Reading ]
Yea, thou turnest back the edge of his sword (R.V.): i.e. not as A.V. might seem to mean, bluntest it, but as the parallelism shews, makest it give way in battle. Cp. 2 Samuel 1:22.... [ Continue Reading ]
_his glory_ R.V. his brightness: the lustre of his kingdom.... [ Continue Reading ]
He is prematurely old. Cp. Psalms 102:23. The words might be figuratively applied to the nation (Hosea 7:9), or to the kingdom, prematurely brought to an end: but it is more natural to regard them as referring to the king himself. Jehoiachin was but 18 (2 Kings 24:8), or according to 2 Chronicles 36... [ Continue Reading ]
How long, Jehovah, wilt thou hide thyself for ever? (How long) shall thy wrath burn like fire? A repetition of Psalms 79:5, with slight variations.... [ Continue Reading ]
The Psalmist appeals to God to withdraw His wrath and remove this contradiction, pleading the shortness of life and the taunts of God's enemies as grounds for a speedy answer.... [ Continue Reading ]
Literally, if the text is right, _O remember what a fleeting life I am_! but it is possible that the letters of the word _chçled_have been accidentally transposed and that we should read _châdçl_, as in Psalms 39:4: _how frail_, or, _transitory, I am_. As in that Psalm (cp. Psalms 89:13) and in Job... [ Continue Reading ]
What man is he that shall live on, and not see death, That shall deliver his soul from the hand of Sheol? The word for _man_is _gĕbĕr_, -strong man," as distinguished from women, children, and non-combatants, as much as to say, What man is so strong that he shall live on and escape the iron grasp... [ Continue Reading ]
After an interlude of music the Psalmist resumes his prayer. He returns to the thoughts of God's lovingkindness and faithfulness, from which he started (Psalms 89:1). But His lovingkindnesses seem to belong to an age that is past and gone: have they vanished never to return? The faith which had to l... [ Continue Reading ]
_the reproach of thy servants_ The taunts which they have to bear as the servants of a God Who, say their enemies, cannot or will not help them. Cp. Psalms 74:10; Psalms 74:18; Psalms 74:22; Psalms 79:4; Psalms 79:10. _how I do bear_&c. The Massoretic text must be rendered, _How I do bear in my bos... [ Continue Reading ]
Cp. Psalms 79:12, of which Psalms 89:50 is also a partial reminiscence. _the footsteps of thine anointed_ They are like a rabble hooting and insulting him wherever he goes. Cp. Psalms 17:11; Jeremiah 12:6 (R.V.). May not the phrase have been suggested by the recollection of actual insults offered t... [ Continue Reading ]
The doxology marks the close of Book iii. Cp. Psalms 41:13; Psalms 72:18-19; Psalms 106:48. In P.B.V. it is joined, somewhat incongruously, to the preceding verse. But though it is no part of the original Psalm, it is entirely in harmony with the spirit of it, as an expression of the faith which can... [ Continue Reading ]