Psalms 71:21

Thou shalt increase my greatness, and comfort me on every side. THOU SHALT INCREASE MY GREATNESS - even to a greater height than it attained before. The Septuagint, Vulgate, Ethiopic, and Arabic translate, 'thy' instead of "my." So Hengstenberg understands it, 'Thou shalt multiply my great deeds' - i:e., the great deeds wrought by thee for me. Compare Psalms 71:19, end; Psalms 145:3; Psalms 40:5; and David's words, 2 Samuel 7:23, "God went ... to do for you great things." But the Chaldaic and Syriac support the English version. So the greatness of the Antitype, Messiah, was increased aft...

14-24 The psalmist declares that the righteousness of Christ, and the great salvation obtained thereby, shall be the chosen subject of his discourse. Not on a sabbath only, but on every day of the week, of the year, of his life. Not merely at stated returns of solemn devotion, but on every occasion, all the day long. Why will he always dwell on this? Because he knew not the numbers thereof. It is impossible to measure the value or the fulness of these blessings. The righteousness is unspeakable, the salvation everlasting. God will not cast off his grey-headed servants when no longer capable of labouring as they have done. The Lord often strengthens his people in their souls, when nature is sinking into decay. And it is a debt which the old disciples of Christ owe to succeeding generations, to leave behind them a solemn testimony to the advantage of religion, and the truth of God's promi...

Verse Psalms 71:21. _THOU SHALT INCREASE MY GREATNESS_] Thou wilt restore me to my throne and kingdom; and it shall be done in such a way that all shall see it was the hand of God; and I shall have the more honour on the account. _COMFORT ME ON EVERY SIDE._] I shall have friends in all quarters; and the _tribes_ on all sides will support me....

THOU SHALT INCREASE MY GREATNESS - Thou wilt not merely restore me to my former condition, but wilt enlarge my happiness, and wilt do still greater things for me. AND COMFORT ME ON EVERY SIDE - literally, “Thou wilt turn thyself; thou wilt comfort me.” The word also means to surround; to encompass Genesis 2:11, Gen 2:13; 1 Kings 7:24; Psalms 18:5; and the idea here may be that God would “go around him,” or encircle him, and would thus comfort him. This idea is expressed in our common version. It was the confident assurance of entire, or complete consolation....

EXPOSITION Psalms 71:1 is, like so many others, a psalm divided between complaint and praise. It is comparatively wanting in originality, being, to a very great extent, an echo of other psalms, especially Psalms 22:1, Psalms 31:1, Psalms 35:1, and Psalms 40:1. Complaint, mingled with prayer, occupies the first half (Psalms 40:1); praise and thanksgiving the second (Psa 40:14 -24). The authorship of the psalm is very doubtful, as it has no "title," and fe

THOU SHALT INCREASE MY GREATNESS,.... His temporal greatness, as he did, by crushing the rebellion of his son; returning him to his palace and family; and giving him rest from his enemies all around: and his spiritual greatness, by favouring him with his presence; by shedding abroad his love in his heart; by enlarging his experience; increasing his faith, causing his love to abound, and him to grow in every grace, and in the knowledge of Christ; AND COMFORT ME ON EVERY SIDE; by his Spirit, word, and ordinances; by his truths and promises; with his rod and staff; and with mercy, grace, and lovingkindness. The phrase denotes the abundance of comfort, which should come as it were from every quarter, and encompass him about....

This Psalm, written by an old man, is specially suitable for an old man. It is numbered seventy-one, and it may suit those who have reached that age; but it is also appropriate to us all in prospect of the days of feebleness that will come to us, sooner or later, if we are spared to grow old. Psalms 71:1. _In thee, O LORD, do I put my trust: let me never be put to confusion._ «Stand by me, O Lord, for I only stand as thou upholdest me; and if thou shouldest leave me, after I have trusted in thee, what could I say or do? Therefore, O Jehovah, since I put my trust in thee, ‘let me never be put to confusion.'» Psalms 71:2. _Deliver me in thy righteousness, and cause me to escape:_ «I am like a poor dove taken in a net, I cannot get away. Stretch out thine hand,

Psalms 71 Israel's Song of Hope _ 1. Declaration of trust (Psalms 71:1)_ 2. Anticipations of faith (Psalms 71:12) 3. Revival and victory (Psalms 71:19) This Psalm, which bears no inscription whatever, gives another prophetic picture of the faith and the anticipations of faith as found in the godly of Israel, when the salvation is about to come out of Zion. They look to Him who is all sufficient to deliver and to save them. The Psalm may well be called Israel's song of hope. It abounds in many beautiful, refreshing statements, equally precious to us....

LXXI. A PSALM OF GRATITUDE FOR GOD'S CONSTANT CARE OF HIS SERVANT FROM YOUTH TO OLD AGE. The Psalmist expresses himself in language borrowed from older sources. PSALMS 71:1. Quoted from Psalms 31. Use is also made of Psalms 22. But the Psalmist is a man of original power, and the Ps. has a definite character of its own. He has powerful enemies and has been brought to death's door, but he is full of trust that God, who has led him from his infancy, will lead him to the end. He is already growing old. The writer cannot be speaking in the name of Israel (see Psalms 71:9). Psalms 71:6_ c_. Read, my hope shall be continually in thee....

O mayest thou increase my greatness, And turn again and comfort me. Except in the Book of Esther the word for _greatness_is used of God's greatness or great deeds (Psalms 145:3; Psalms 145:6); and the LXX reads _thy righteousness_, or, according to some MSS. and the Vulg., _thy greatness._This may be right; but if the text is correct, the Psalmist thinks of himself as sharing in the honour of the resuscitated nation. He can hardly refer to personal dignity only. For _comfort_cp. Isaiah 12:1; Isaiah 40:1. The past tenses of the P.B.V. in this and the preceding verse are due to the influence of the Vulg....