_A.M. 2962. B.C. 1042._ Though this Psalm has no title in the Hebrew, all the old versions, except the Chaldee, ascribe it to David: “and certainly,” says Dr. Dodd, “the thoughts and expressions of it throughout, and especially in the first part of it, are so lofty and grand, that it may well be su... [ Continue Reading ]
_O Lord my God, thou art very great_ As in thine own nature and perfections, so also in the glory of thy works; _thou art clothed _ Surrounded and adorned, _with honour and majesty_ With honourable majesty: _who coverest_, or _clothest, thyself with light_ Either, 1st, With that light _which no man... [ Continue Reading ]
_Who layeth the beams of his chambers His upper rooms_, (so the word עליותיו signifies,) _in the waters_ The waters that are above the firmament, (Psalms 104:3,) as he has founded the earth upon the seas and floods, the waters beneath the firmament. The Almighty is elsewhere said to make those _dark... [ Continue Reading ]
_Who maketh his angels spirits_ That is, of a spiritual or incorporeal nature, that they might be more fit for their employments; or who maketh them _winds_, as the word רוחות, _ruchoth_, commonly signifies; that is, who maketh them like the winds, powerful, active, and nimble in executing his pleas... [ Continue Reading ]
_Who laid the foundations of the earth_ Hebrew, יסד ארצ על מכוניה, _jasad eretz gnal mechoneah_, who hath founded the earth upon its own bases, or foundations, that is, upon itself, or its own centre of gravity, by which it is self-balanced, and by which it stands as fast and immoveable as if it wer... [ Continue Reading ]
_Thou coveredst it with the deep_ That is, in the first creation, of which the psalmist is here speaking, when the earth, while yet without form, was covered all over, and, as it were, clothed with the great deep, that vast expansion of air and waters; _the waters stood above the mountains_ Those wh... [ Continue Reading ]
_They go up by the mountains_ Rather, _They went up mountains: they went down valleys_, &c. They went over hill and dale, as we say; they neither stopped at the former, nor lodged in the latter, but made the best of their way to the place founded for them. The psalmist is “describing the motion of t... [ Continue Reading ]
_Thou hast set a bound_ Even the sand of the sea-shore, as is expressed Jeremiah 5:22. Which, though in itself contemptible, and a very poor defence to the earth against that swelling and raging element, yet, by God's almighty power and gracious providence, is made sufficient for that purpose, as th... [ Continue Reading ]
_He sendeth the springs_ “The waters of the sea are not only prevented from destroying the earth, but, by a wonderful machinery, are rendered the means of preserving every living thing which moveth thereon. Partly ascending from the great deep, through the strata of the earth, partly exhaled in vapo... [ Continue Reading ]
_By them_ By the springs of water in the valleys; _the fowls of the heaven have their habitation_ Delighting to build their nests, and _sing among the_ verdant _branches_ which conceal them from our sight. “The music of birds,” says Mr. Wesley, “was the first song of thanksgiving which was offered o... [ Continue Reading ]
_He watereth the hills_ Which most need moisture, and have least of it in themselves; _from his chambers_ From those chambers spoken of Psalms 104:3, _the beams_ of which _he lays in the waters_, those store- chambers, the clouds that distil the fruitful showers. _The earth_, &c. By this means all t... [ Continue Reading ]
_The trees of the Lord_ Trees which are not planted by the art, nor watered by the care of man, but by God's almighty providence, _are full of sap_ Being sufficiently supplied therewith through the rain, of the good effects of which he is yet speaking; for “the moisture of the earth, rarefied by the... [ Continue Reading ]
_Where the birds make their nests_ Taught by the wisdom and understanding imparted to them by the great Creator, which is indeed most wonderful, enabling them “to distinguish times and seasons, choose the most proper places, construct their nests with an art and exactness unattainable by man, and se... [ Continue Reading ]
_The high hills are a refuge for the wild goats_ As if he had said, “even those parts of the earth which may seem barren and useless, have yet their uses, and serve to shelter certain animals that are adapted to them.” The psalmist, having alluded to the force of what we call _instinct_ in birds, in... [ Continue Reading ]
_He appointeth the moon_, &c. “From a survey of the works of God upon the earth, the psalmist proceeds to extol that divine wisdom which is manifested in the motions and revolutions of the heavenly bodies, and in the grateful vicissitude of day and night occasioned thereby.” _For seasons_ For measur... [ Continue Reading ]
_Thou makest darkness_ Which succeeds the light, by virtue of thy decree and established order; _and it is night_ Which, though black and dismal, contributes to the beauty of nature, and is as a foil to the light of the day. _Wherein all the beasts of the forest do creep forth_ To seek their prey, w... [ Continue Reading ]
_The young lions_ Which can no more subsist, without Divine Providence, than those that are old and infirm; _roar after their prey_ They roar, as naturalists observe, when they come within sight of their prey, by which interpretation this place is reconciled with Amos 3:4, _Will a lion roar in the f... [ Continue Reading ]
_The sun ariseth_ For as he knows the time of _his going down_, so, thanks be to God, he knows the proper time of his rising, and then the wild _beasts gather themselves together_ Or, rather, _withdraw themselves_, or _retire_, as יאספו, _jeaseephu_, may be rendered; _and lay them down in their dens... [ Continue Reading ]
_O Lord, how manifold are thy works_ How numerous, how various! Of how many kinds, and how many of every kind. Thus, “transported with a survey of the wonders which present themselves in heaven above, and on earth below, the psalmist breaks forth into an exclamation, on the variety and magnificence,... [ Continue Reading ]
_These all_ Both beasts and fishes, _wait upon thee_ Expect supplies from thy providence: which is spoken of them figuratively, and with an allusion to the manner of tame beasts and fowls, which commonly look after and wait upon those persons who bring their food to them. _That thou mayest give them... [ Continue Reading ]
_The glory of the Lord shall endure for ever_ God will never cease to manifest his glorious wisdom, power, and goodness in his works; and creatures shall never be wanting to give him the praise and honour due unto his name. _The Lord shall rejoice in his works_ Shall continue to take that complacenc... [ Continue Reading ]
_He looketh on the earth, and it trembleth_, &c. Unable to bear his frown. This is a further illustration of God's powerful providence. As when he affords his favour to creatures, they live and thrive; so, on the contrary, one angry look or touch of his, upon the hills or earth, makes them tremble o... [ Continue Reading ]
_I will sing unto the Lord_, &c. Whatever others do, I will not fail to give to God his glory and due praises. _My meditation of him_ My praising of God concerning the glory of his works; _shall be sweet_ Either, 1st, To God; he will graciously accept it; praise being his most acceptable sacrifice,... [ Continue Reading ]
_Let the sinners be consumed_, &c. This speaks terror to the wicked. As if he had said, As for those ungodly creatures who do not regard the works of the Lord, nor give him the glory due to his name, but dishonour him, and abuse his creatures, and thereby provoke God to destroy the earth, and the me... [ Continue Reading ]