This psalm purports, by its title, to have been written by David, and there is no reason to call in question the correctness of the inscription. It is not probable that the title was given to the psalm by the author himself; but, like the other inscriptions which have occurred in many of the previou... [ Continue Reading ]
I WILL BLESS THE LORD - I will praise him; I will be thankful for his mercies, and will always express my sense of his goodness. AT ALL TIMES - In every situation of life; in every event that occurs. The idea is, that he would do it publicly and privately; in prosperity and in adversity; in safety... [ Continue Reading ]
MY SOUL SHALL MAKE HER BOAST IN THE LORD - I myself will rejoice and exult in him. The word “boast” here refers to that on which a man would value himself; that which would be most prominent in his mind when he endeavored to call to remembrance what he could reflect on with most pleasure. The psalmi... [ Continue Reading ]
O MAGNIFY THE LORD WITH ME - This seems to be addressed primarily to the “humble,” those referred to in the previous verse. As they could appreciate what he would say, as they could understand the nature of his feelings in view of his deliverance, he calls upon them especially to exult with him in t... [ Continue Reading ]
I SOUGHT THE LORD, AND HE HEARD ME - That is, on the occasion referred to in the psalm, when he was exposed to the persecutions of Saul, and when he sought refuge in the country of Abimelech or Achish: 1 Samuel 21:1. The idea is, that at that time he did not confide in his own wisdom, or trust to an... [ Continue Reading ]
THEY LOOKED UNTO HIM - That is, they who were with the psalmist. He was not alone when he fled to Abimelech; and the meaning here is, that each one of those who were with him looked to God, and found light and comfort in Him. The psalmist seems to have had his thoughts here suddenly turned from hims... [ Continue Reading ]
THIS POOR MAN CRIED - The psalmist here returns to his own particular experience. The emphasis here is on the word “this:” “This poor, afflicted, persecuted man cried.” There is something much more touching in this than if he had merely said “I,” or “I myself” cried. The language brings before us at... [ Continue Reading ]
THE ANGEL OF THE LORD - The angel whom the Lord sends, or who comes, at his command, for the purpose of protecting the people of God. This does not refer to any particular angel as one who was specifically called “the angel of the Lord,” but it, may refer to any one of the angels whom the Lord may c... [ Continue Reading ]
O TASTE AND SEE - This is an address to others, founded on the experience of the psalmist. He had found protection from the Lord; he had had evidence of His goodness; and he asks now of others that they would make the same trial which he had made. It is the language of piety in view of personal expe... [ Continue Reading ]
O FEAR THE LORD - Reverence him; honor him; confide in him. Compare Psalms 31:23. YE HIS SAINTS - His holy ones. All who profess to be his friends. This exhortation is addressed especially to the saints, or to the pious, because the speaker professed to be a friend of God, and had had personal expe... [ Continue Reading ]
THE YOUNG LIONS DO LACK AND SUFFER HUNGER - That is, they often do it, as compared with the friends of God. The allusion is especially to the “young” lions who are not able to go forth themselves in search of food. Perhaps the idea is, that they are dependent on the older lions - their parents - for... [ Continue Reading ]
COME, YE CHILDREN - From persons in general Psalms 34:8 - from the saints and the pious Psalms 34:9 - the psalmist now turns to children - to the young - that he may state to them the result of his own experience, and teach them from that experience how they may find happiness and prosperity. The or... [ Continue Reading ]
WHAT MAN IS HE THAT DESIRETH LIFE? - That desires to live long. All people naturally love life; and all naturally desire to live long; and this desire, being founded in our nature, is not wrong. Life is, in itself, a good - a blessing to be desired; death is in itself an evil, and a thing to be drea... [ Continue Reading ]
KEEP THY TONGUE FROM EVIL - From speaking wrong things. Always give utterance to truth, and truth alone. The meaning is, that this is one of the methods of lengthening out life. To love the truth; to speak the truth; to avoid all falsehood, slander, and deceit, will contribute to this, or will be a... [ Continue Reading ]
DEPART FROM EVIL - From all evil; from vice and crime in every form. AND DO GOOD - Do good to all people, and in all the relations of life. SEEK PEACE - Strive to live in peace with all the world. Compare the notes at Romans 12:18. AND PURSUE IT - Follow after it. Make it an object of desire, and... [ Continue Reading ]
THE EYES OF THE LORD ARE UPON THE RIGHTEOUS - This is another of the ways in which the psalmist says that life will be lengthened out, or that those who desire life may find it. The Lord will be the protector of the righteous; he will watch over and defend them. See the notes at Job 36:7. AND HIS EA... [ Continue Reading ]
THE FACE OF THE LORD - This phrase is synonymous with that in the previous verse: “The eyes of the Lord.” The meaning is, that the righteous and the wicked are alike under the eye of God; the one for protection, the other for punishment. Neither of them can escape His notice; but at all times, and i... [ Continue Reading ]
THE RIGHTEOUS CRY, AND THE LORD HEARETH - That is, one of the advantages or benefits of being righteous is the privilege of crying unto God, or of calling on his name, with the assurance that he will hear and deliver us. No one has ever yet fully appreciated the “privilege” of being permitted to cal... [ Continue Reading ]
THE LORD IS NIGH UNTO THEM THAT ARE OF A BROKEN HEART - Margin, as in Hebrew: “to the broken of heart.” The phrase, “the Lord is nigh,” means that he is ready to hear and to help. The language is, of course, figurative. As an Omnipresent Being, God is equally near to all persons at all times; but th... [ Continue Reading ]
MANY ARE THE AFFLICTIONS OF THE RIGHTEOUS - This is not intended to affirm that the afflictions of the righteous are more numerous or more severe than the afflictions of other men, but that they are subjected to much suffering, and to many trials. Religion does not exempt them from suffering, but it... [ Continue Reading ]
HE KEEPETH ALL HIS BONES - That is, he preserves or guards the righteous. NOT ONE OF THEM IS BROKEN - Perhaps there is a direct and immediate allusion here to what the psalmist had himself experienced. In His dangers God had preserved him, so that he had escaped without a broken bone. But the statem... [ Continue Reading ]
EVIL SHALL SLAY THE WICKED - That is, his own wicked conduct will be the cause of his destruction. His ruin is not arbitrary, or the mere result of a divine appointment; it is caused by sin, and is the regular and natural consequence of guilt. In the destruction of the sinner, there will not be any... [ Continue Reading ]
THE LORD REDEEMETH THE SOUL OF HIS SERVANTS - The literal meaning of this is, that the Lord rescues the lives of his servants, or that he saves them from death. The word “redeem” in its primary sense means to let go or loose; to “buy” loose, or to ransom; and hence, to redeem with a price, or to res... [ Continue Reading ]