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Commentary Critical and Explanatory

Psalms 11:4

The LORD is in his holy temple, the LORD's throne is in heaven: his eyes behold, his eyelids try, the children of men.

The reply of the righteous.

The Lord (is) in his holy temple - i:e., in heaven. The holiness of His abode shows His will to take cognizance of all that is holy and unholy on earth.

The Lord's throne is in heaven. The majesty of His exalted abode shows His power to do so. Compare Psalms 102:19, "From heaven did the Lord behold the earth; to hear the groaning of the prisoner."

His eyes behold, his eyelids try, the children of men. This thought of faith keeps the godly from despair. His piercing glance searches out every act, word, and thought of the ungodly; their seeming impunity is only temporary: at last they must pay the full penalty of their wickedness. The Septuagint and Vulgate read, 'His eyes behold the poor' [`aanaay, which may have slipped out, after the similar word `eeynaayw (H5869)]. No Hebrew manuscript supports this.

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See also Psalms 11:4 in other biblical comments:

  • Adam Clarke Bible Commentary

    Verse Psalms 11:4. _THE LORD_ IS _IN HIS HOLY TEMPLE_] He is still to be sought and found in the place where he has registered his name. Though the priests be destroyed, the God in whose worship they...

  • Albert Barnes' Bible Commentary

    THE LORD IS IN HIS HOLY TEMPLE - Hebrew, “Jehovah is in the temple of his holiness.” That is, he is in heaven, regarded as his temple or dwelling-place. This is the answer of the psalmist to the sugge...

  • Annotated Bible by A.C. Gaebelein

    Psalms 11 __ 1. Faith's resources in the day of trouble (Psalms 11:1) 2. The recompense for the righteous and the wicked (Psalms 11:5) Psal

  • Arthur Peake's Commentary on the Bible

    XI. YAHWEH THE SURE REFUGE. Psalms 11:1. The problem stated. The wicked are bold: the righteous cannot meet their attack. They can but flee like a little bird (the habitual meaning of the word transla...

  • Bullinger's Companion Bible Notes

    EYES... EYELIDS. Figure of speech _Anthropopatheia_. App-6. CHILDREN. sons. MEN. Hebrew. _'adam._ App-14....

  • Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

    David's answer, justifying his rejection of his friends" advice. They look to earth alone; he looks up to heaven. They judge by the appearance of the moment; his faith beholds the righteous Governor o...

  • Coke's Commentary on the Holy Bible

    THE LORD IS IN HIS HOLY TEMPLE— As much as to say, "Though all human hope and assistance should fail me, yet I have the strongest confidence in the interposition and protection of that Almighty, who,...

  • College Press Bible Study Textbook Series

    PSALMS 11 DESCRIPTIVE TITLE Faith's Brave Answer to the Counsels of Fear. ANALYSIS Stanza, Psalms 11:1-3, Counsels of Despair, with an Expression of Surprise Refused. Antistanza, Psalms 11:4-6,Conf...

  • Darby's translation notes (1890)

    11:4 temple (l-5) Or 'palace;' and so Psalms 18:6 ; Psalms 45:8 ,Psalms 45:15 , &c....

  • Dummelow's Commentary on the Bible

    of the Messianic hope in Psalms 2, 20, 28,, 40. The following Pss. are either quoted from or distinctly referred to in NT.: 2, 4, 5, 8, 10, 14, 16, 18, 22, 24, 32, 34, 40, 41. In several instances the...

  • Dummelow's Commentary on the Bible

    God is the great Reality whom such pleadings leave out of account. HIS HOLY TEMPLE] the heavenly sanctuary. TRY] test, as precious metals are tested....

  • EasyEnglish Bible Commentaries

    Psalms 1:41 _GORDON CHURCHYARD_ Words in boxes are from the Bible. The notes explain some of the words with a *star by them. Tap the * before a word to show an explanation. The translated Bible tex...

  • Ellicott's Commentary On The Whole Bible

    _(_4_)_ TEMPLE. — Here, plainly from the parallelism, not any earthly building, but _the heavenly palace of the Divine King._ One thought of God’s supreme righteousness, high above earth’s anarchy and...

  • ETCBC data on Hebrew bible

    יְהוָ֤ה ׀ בְּֽ הֵ֘יכַ֤ל קָדְשֹׁ֗ו יְהוָה֮ בַּ †...

  • Expositor's Bible Commentary (Nicoll)

    Psalms 11:1 The correctness of the superscription is, in the present case, defended by Ewald and Hitzig. Delitzsch refers the psalm to the eve of Absalom's conspiracy, while other supporters of the Da...

  • Frederick Brotherton Meyer's Commentary

    GOD OUR REFUGE AND DEFENSE Psalms 11:1; Psalms 12:1 The first of these is a debate between fear and faith, and dates from Saul's persecutions. Timid friends, anxious for David's safety, urged him to...

  • G. Campbell Morgan's Exposition on the Whole Bible

    This psalm is the answer of faith to the advice of fear. Both are alike conscious of immediate peril. Fear sees only the things that are near. Faith takes in the larger distances. If the things fear s...

  • Geneva Study Bible Commentary

    The LORD [is] in his holy temple, the LORD'S throne [is] in heaven: his eyes (d) behold, his eyelids try, the children of men. (d) Though all things in earth are out of order, yet God will execute ju...

  • George Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary

    _Lips. "The saints do not curse, but foretell what will happen." (St. Jerome) --- Hebrew, "the Lord will destroy" the deceitful, (Berthier) who mean to injure men; (Haydock) and the proud, who attack...

  • Hawker's Poor man's commentary

    Reader, it is very true that Jehovah, in his threefold character of person, Father, Son and Holy Ghost, seeth, and knoweth all the concerns of his redeemed, and his eyes are upon them for good. But is...

  • John Calvin's Bible Commentary

    4._Jehovah is in the palace of his holiness. _In what follows, the Psalmist glories in the assurance of the favor of God, of which I have spoken. Being destitute of human aid, he betakes himself to th...

  • John Darby's Synopsis

    What the righteous remnant are to do when the power of evil is thus dominant in Emmanuel's land, Psalms 11 treats of. Psalms 11-15, as I have already remarked, give the thoughts and feelings of the re...

  • John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible

    THE LORD [IS] IN HIS HOLY TEMPLE,.... Not in the temple at Jerusalem, which as yet was not built; nor in the temple of Christ's human nature; but rather in the church, where he dwells, which is an hol...

  • John Trapp Complete Commentary

    The LORD [is] in his holy temple, the LORD'S throne [is] in heaven: his eyes behold, his eyelids try, the children of men. Ver. 4. _The Lord is in his holy temple_] _i.e._ In heaven, and there hence...

  • Joseph Benson’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

    _The Lord is in his holy temple_ The psalmist, having, in the first verse, declared that his trust was in Jehovah, and having mentioned the advice of his friends, is supposed to be now proceeding to s...

  • Kretzmann's Popular Commentary of the Bible

    The Lord is in His holy Temple, on the throne of His palace, His heavenly Temple: THE LORD'S THRONE IS IN HEAVEN, all the earth is absolutely under His government. HIS EYES BEHOLD, HIS EYELIDS TRY, wi...

  • Kretzmann's Popular Commentary of the Bible

    DAVID'S REFUSAL TO FLEE WHEN IN DANGER OF LIFE. There was a time when David's throne was in danger, when Absalom was scheming to usurp the royal power in Israel, when David's very life was no longer s...

  • Matthew Poole's Concise Commentary On The Bible

    THE LORD, to whom I appeal from men's unjust tribunals, IS IN HIS HOLY TEMPLE; either, 1. In his tabernacle, which is sometimes called his temple, as 1 Samuel 1:9, 1 Samuel 3:3 Psalms 18:6,...

  • Patchworkid's Personal Study Bible Notes

    Psalms 11:4 LORD H3068 holy H6944 temple H1964 LORDS H3068 throne H3678 heaven H8064 eyes H5869 behold H2372 ...

  • Peter Pett's Commentary on the Bible

    ‘YHWH is in his holy temple, YHWH, his throne is in heaven, His eyes behold, his eyelids try, The children of men. The psalmist now turns from the challenge that has been put to him and the reply h...

  • Sermon Bible Commentary

    Psalms 11:3 In the eleventh Psalm we have a description of a faithful heart in time of trial declaring itself resolved to trust on God alone, when some would advise it to fly or to draw back. I. If o...

  • Summarized Bible Commentary

    CONTENTS: The doom of the wicked. CHARACTERS: God, David. CONCLUSION: If we get the vision of God on His throne, governing all creatures, rendering to all according to their works, we shall then see...

  • Sutcliffe's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

    Psalms 11:1. _Flee as a bird to your mountain,_ the hill country of Judea. When hiding from Saul, and when the wicked bent their bow against him, it was prudent to shun the snares. Psalms 11:3. _If th...

  • The Biblical Illustrator

    _The Lord is in His holy temple._ THE EARTHLY TEMPLE How are we to be assured of the truth that the Lord is in His holy temple? We have no visible sign; but He reveals Himself in our hearts, and req...

  • The Biblical Illustrator

    _If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do?_ CHRISTIAN FIRMNESS IN EVIL TIMES We have here a description of a faithful heart in time of trial declaring itself resolved to trust on Go...

  • The Biblical Illustrator

    _In the Lord put I my trust._ JEHOVAH THE PROTECTOR AND AVENGER OF THE PERSECUTED SAINT The Psalmist, beset by malicious foes, is warned by some of his adherents to seek refuge in flight. The Psalm i...

  • The ESV Global Study Bible's Study Notes

    PSALM PSALM—NOTE ON PSALMS 11:1. This psalm describes the confidence that the faithful may have, even in times of severe crisis. ⇐...

  • The ESV Global Study Bible's Study Notes

    PSALM—NOTE ON PSALMS 11:4 HIS HOLY TEMPLE probably refers to God’s heavenly dwelling, rather than his earthly temple. But one should not draw too much of a distinction between the two: in the OT, God’...

  • The Preacher's Complete Homiletical Commentary

    INTRODUCTION “The friends of David advise him in this psalm to flee unto the mountainous parts of the land of Judah, in order to avoid the danger which was threatening him, should he remain in the pla...

  • The Pulpit Commentaries

    EXPOSITION ASCRIBED to David in the "title," this psalm is almost universally allowed to be his. It "has all the characteristics of the earlier Davidic psalms." No allusion enables us to assign it to...

  • Through The Bible C2000 Serie by Chuck Smith

    Psa 11:1-7 is to the chief musician. It is a psalm of David. In the LORD put I my trust: how do you say to my soul, Flee as a bird to your mountain? (Psalms 11:1) My trust is in the Lord. Why should...

  • Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

    1 Chronicles 17:5; 2 Chronicles 16:9; 2 Thessalonians 2:4; Acts 7:49;...

  • Wesley's Explanatory Notes

    Temple — In heaven; which is mentioned as an evidence of his glorious majesty, of his sovereign power and dominion over all men and things, and of his accurate inspection into all men and their action...

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