Psalms 106:2-5

Who can utter the mighty acts of the LORD? who can shew forth all his praise? Praise ye the Lord - Hebrew, 'Hallelujah.' This connects our psalm with Psalms 105:45.

O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever. The call to praise in Psalms 105:1; Psalms 105:5 was on the ground of the Lord's 'deeds, His wondrous works, and the judgments of His mouth;' here it is on the ground of His goodness and "mercy."

Verse 2. Who can utter the mighty acts of the Lord? who can show forth all his praise? The higher Yahweh is raised above our powers of adequately praising Him, the more earnestly ought we to give Him the best praise we can (Psalms 40:5; Psalms 71:15).

Verse 3. Blessed are they that keep judgment, and he that doeth righteousness at all times - resuming from Psalms 105:45 the condition attached to the Lord's promise of blessing, (cf. Psalms 103:18; Psalms 101:1.) The same condition is recognized in Daniel's corresponding confession of sin about the same time, Daniel 9:4, "O Lord, the great and dreadful God, keeping the covenant and mercy to them that love him, and to them that keep His commandments."

Verse 4. Remember me, O Lord, with the favour (that thou bearest unto) thy people. The Psalmist, as representative of Israel, does not allow himself to be deterred by the consciousness of not having fulfilled the condition (Psalms 106:3) from seeking participation in the "mercy" of the Lord, which he had just praised (Psalms 106:1). God's "favour," not Israel's deserts, is his plea. "Remember me" is Israel's cry; because God seemed to have forgotten her. God's favour belongs to God's people by the right of His promise, and carries with it salvation; therefore she adds, "O visit me with thy salvation;"

Verse 5. That I may see the good of thy chosen, that I may rejoice in the gladness of thy nation, that I may glory with thine inheritance. The plea here is, notwithstanding all our past rebellion and perversity, we still are "thy chosen," "thy nation," and "thine inheritance" (Isaiah 43:20; Isaiah 45:4). This was Moses' plea in interceding for them when they had made the molten calf (Deuteronomy 9:29). "Nation" (Hebrew, Gowy (H1471)) is a term usually applied to the Gentile nations; but is sometimes (as Zephaniah 2:9) applied to Israel, when the usual Hebrew, `am (H5971), for the elect people, has preceded. If the term be intentional here, the meaning may be, Though we are to be classed with the nations by our sins, yet we are "THY nation."