INTRODUCTION TO PSALM 118 Kimchi says their Rabbins are divided about this psalm. Some understand it of David; others of the Messiah: but, with us Christians, there ought to be no doubt of its belonging to the Messiah; since our Lord has quoted a passage out of it, and applied it to himself, Psalm... [ Continue Reading ]
O GIVE THANKS UNTO THE LORD,.... For all his mercies, temporal and spiritual; as all should, who are partakers of them: this should be done always, and for all things, in the name of Christ; it is but reasonable service; FOR [HE IS] GOOD; in himself, and to others: is essentially and diffusively go... [ Continue Reading ]
LET ISRAEL NOW SAY, THAT HIS MERCY [ENDURETH] FOR EVER. Let such who have had an experience of it acknowledge and declare it to others; not only believe in it with their hearts, and privately give thanks for it, but with the mouth make confession of it to the glory of divine grace; not only literal... [ Continue Reading ]
LET THE HOUSE OF AARON NOW SAY, THAT HIS MERCY [ENDURETH] FOR EVER. The priests and Levites that blessed the people, and taught them the knowledge of divine things; but not these literally, at least not only these, since the priesthood of Aaron is changed, and the law of it abrogated, and all believ... [ Continue Reading ]
LET THEM NOW THAT FEAR THE LORD SAY, THAT HIS MERCY [ENDURETH] FOR EVER. Not the proselytes to the Jewish religion only, but all that feared the Lord among all people, as Aben Ezra observes; such as fear the Lord and his goodness, and have had an experience of his grace and mercy, which has caused t... [ Continue Reading ]
I CALLED UPON THE LORD IN DISTRESS,.... Or "out of that strait" q; when David was encompassed by Saul and his men, or when at the court of Achish, or when his own people talked of stoning him. As this may respect the Messiah, it may design his distresses in the garden, when surrounded with sorrow, a... [ Continue Reading ]
THE LORD [IS] ON MY SIDE,.... Or "for me" s; he was on the side of David, hence all his prosperity and victories, the wonderful things done by him, his exaltation to the throne, and the establishment of it; and so he was on the side of Christ, he was near unto him, at his right hand, to guide, direc... [ Continue Reading ]
THE LORD TAKETH MY PART WITH THEM THAT HELP ME,.... With the four hundred men that were with David, and stood by him in his troubles, 1 Samuel 22:2; see Psalms 54:4; and with those who ministered unto Christ as man, Luke 8:3. Or, "the Lord [is] for me, with" or "among my helpers" t; he is the princi... [ Continue Reading ]
[IT IS] BETTER TO TRUST IN THE LORD,.... This, with what follows in Psalms 118:9, is the conclusion from the above premises and experience; it is good to trust in the Lord; such enjoy peace, are in safety, shall not want any good thing, nor ever be ashamed and confounded: the Targum is, "it is bett... [ Continue Reading ]
[IT IS] BETTER TO TRUST IN THE LORD,.... The Targum is, "in the Word of the Lord.'' This is repeated for the sake of what follows: THAN TO PUT CONFIDENCE IN PRINCES; who have greater ability to help, and whose honour should engage them to keep their word; and yet it is better to trust in the Lord... [ Continue Reading ]
ALL NATIONS COMPASSED ME ABOUT,.... Not all the nations of the world, but all the neighbouring nations about Judea; as the Philistines, Moabites, Ammonites, Amalekites, and Syrians; and these not all at one time, but sometimes one, and sometimes another, whom David fought with and subdued: and these... [ Continue Reading ]
THEY COMPASSED ME ABOUT; YEA, THEY COMPASSED ME ABOUT,.... Which is repeated not only for the confirmation of, it, but to denote the frequency and fury of their attacks, and their obstinate persisting therein; Psalms 118:10; BUT IN THE NAME OF THE LORD I WILL DESTROY THEM; which also is repeated to... [ Continue Reading ]
THEY COMPASSED ME ABOUT LIKE BEES,.... In great numbers w; as a swarm of bees, which, being irritated and provoked, will fly upon persons in a body, and with great fury; to which the Amorites and the Assyrian army were compared, Deuteronomy 1:44. They will attack horses and kill them, as Aristotle x... [ Continue Reading ]
THOU HAST THRUST SORE AT ME, THAT I MIGHT FALL,.... Or "pushing, thou hast pushed me a, that I might fall": an apostrophe to some particular enemy, as Saul was to David; who thrust sore at him to take away his life, by casting a javelin at him; speaking to his servants to kill him; sending messenger... [ Continue Reading ]
THE LORD [IS] MY STRENGTH AND SONG,.... It being in the name of the Lord the enemies of the psalmist were destroyed; and having obtained help of him when sore thrust at, he gives him all the glory, and ascribes nothing to himself. It was the Lord that strengthened him, helped him, and gave him the v... [ Continue Reading ]
THE VOICE OF REJOICING AND SALVATION [IS] IN THE TABERNACLES OF THE RIGHTEOUS,.... In all the dwellings of good men, throughout the land of Israel, was heard nothing but the voice of joy, on account of David's accession to the throne; the deliverance of him from a persecuting Saul, and of them from... [ Continue Reading ]
THE RIGHT HAND OF THE LORD IS EXALTED,.... Lifted up, very eminent and conspicuous, easily to be observed in the instances before given, and become great and glorious in power; see Exodus 15:6. The power of God is superior to all enemies; and is beyond conception and expression; and is able to do fo... [ Continue Reading ]
I SHALL NOT DIE, BUT LIVE,.... Not that he should never die, David knew he should; but that his present afflictions would not issue in death; or he should not die by the hands of his enemies, he sometimes feared he should; but now believed he should live, as he did, to a good old age: he knew he sho... [ Continue Reading ]
THE LORD HATH CHASTENED ME SORE,.... Or, "in chastening hath chastened me" d. David was exercised with many afflictions; and though these were sore ones to the flesh, yet they were only the chastenings of a Father, and were all in love and for his good; as are all the afflictions of God's people; fo... [ Continue Reading ]
OPEN TO ME THE GATES OF RIGHTEOUSNESS,.... The doors of the sanctuary or tabernacle, so called, because none but righteous persons might enter in at them, or who were clean in a ceremonial sense; and because sacrifices of righteousness were here offered. The words are addressed to the porters, or Le... [ Continue Reading ]
THIS GATE OF THE LORD, INTO WHICH THE RIGHTEOUS SHALL ENTER. This seems to be spoken by some other person or persons, distinct from David and the Messiah, pointing at some particular and principal gate, upon hearing the above word: by which is meant, not the gate of the house of the sanctuary of the... [ Continue Reading ]
I WILL PRAISE THEE, FOR THOU HAST HEARD ME,.... Here the psalmist reassumes his part in this song, and determines to praise the Lord for hearing him when in distress, and when he was encompassed with his enemies, and for delivering him out of their hands; AND ART BECOME MY SALVATION; the author of... [ Continue Reading ]
THE STONE [WHICH] THE BUILDERS REFUSED,.... This is not Zerubabel, according to the sense of some Jews, as Theodoret suggests; nor the people of Israel, as Jarchi and Kimchi; nor David, as the Targum, which paraphrases the words, "the child the builders despised was among the sons of Jesse, and des... [ Continue Reading ]
THIS IS THE LORD'S DOING,.... This stone is from the Lord, Genesis 49:24; it is of his choosing, appointing, and laying: the rejection of it by the builders is through his permission and will; they did no other things than what his hand and counsel determined should be done, Acts 2:23; and the exal... [ Continue Reading ]
THIS [IS] THE DAY [WHICH] THE LORD HATH MADE,.... Famous and remarkable for the above events. Meaning either the day of Christ's entrance into Jerusalem, in order to be delivered up to the Jews, and suffer and die in the place of his people; to which the following words agree: or the day of his resu... [ Continue Reading ]
SAVE NOW, I BESEECH THEE, O LORD,.... Or, "we beseech thee"; for they are the words of the people, wishing all health and happiness to their king; and it is as if they had said, "vivat rex", that is, "let the king live", or, "God save the King": and no doubt these words were used by the people, when... [ Continue Reading ]
BLESSED [BE] HE THAT COMETH IN THE NAME OF THE LORD,.... These words were used by the multitude that followed Christ, as he went into Jerusalem, in order to eat his last passover, and suffer and die for his people, and are applied to him; as also by his disciples, who expressed them thus, "Blessed b... [ Continue Reading ]
GOD [IS] THE LORD, WHICH HATH SHOWED US LIGHT,.... These are the words of the people, acknowledging divine favours; particularly that the Lord had caused his face to shine upon them, as the priest wished for, Numbers 6:25. The Lord might be said to show them light, by sending the Messiah to them, wh... [ Continue Reading ]
THOU [ART] MY GOD, AND I WILL PRAISE THEE,.... These are the words of David, asserting his interest in God as his covenant God; and which is the great blessing of the covenant, and the greatest happiness of men, and will always continue; and for which there is abundant reason for praise: it is an in... [ Continue Reading ]
O GIVE THANKS UNTO THE LORD, FOR [HE IS] GOOD,.... And thus the psalm ends as it began; there having been given many instances of the divine goodness, in hearing and delivering the psalmist when in distress; saving him from his enemies, when compassed about with them; sparing his life, when in great... [ Continue Reading ]