PSALM 107 THE ARGUMENT The most of the Psalms have a peculiar respect unto the church or people of God, or to some eminent members thereof; but there are some few Psalms which have a more general respect to all nations, of which number this is one; wherein the psalmist discourseth of the merciful pr... [ Continue Reading ]
THE REDEEMED OF THE LORD; all they whom God hath redeemed, as it is expressed in the next clause, or delivered from all the following calamities. SAY SO, to wit, that _the Lord is good_, &c., as it is PSALMS 107:1. OF THE ENEMY; of such as had taken them captives, either in battle, or in their trave... [ Continue Reading ]
Bringing them into their own land, out of the several quarters of the world into which they had been carried. FROM THE SOUTH, Heb. _from the sea_; which in Scripture commonly notes the west, because the great midland sea was on the west of Canaan; but here, as it appears from the opposition of this... [ Continue Reading ]
THEY WANDERED IN THE WILDERNESS; mistaking their way, which they might easily do in the vast and sandy deserts of Arabia. NO CITY TO DWELL IN; or rather, _no city or town inhabited_, where they might refresh themselves, as travellers used to do; for they did not go into the wilderness to seek for a... [ Continue Reading ]
Partly for want of necessary provisions, and partly through anguish of spirit.... [ Continue Reading ]
UNTO THE LORD, Heb. _unto Jehovah_, to the true God. For the heathens, of whom he speaks, had many of them some knowledge of the true God, and did in their manner worship him with and in their idols; and especially in their distresses, when they discovered the impotency of their idols, they did dire... [ Continue Reading ]
LED THEM FORTH out of the wilderness, where they had lost their way, PSALMS 107:4. A CITY OF HABITATION: SEE POOLE ON "PSALMS 107:4".... [ Continue Reading ]
OH THAT MEN WOULD PRAISE! Heb. _Let them praise_. Or, _They shall praise_, i.e. they are highly obliged to praise. TO THE CHILDREN OF MEN; not only to his peculiar people, but to all mankind, to whom he is very kind and bountiful.... [ Continue Reading ]
THE LONGING; either the thirsty, opposed to the hungry here following; or the hungry, as this general phrase is limited and expounded in the next clause. WITH GOODNESS; with the fruits of his goodness; _with good things_, PSALMS 103:5; with food and gladness, ACTS 14:17; with that good which they wa... [ Continue Reading ]
IN DARKNESS AND IN THE SHADOW OF DEATH; in a disconsolate and forlorn condition, in dark prisons or dungeons. IN AFFLICTION AND IRON; with afflicting or grievous irons. Or, _in the cords of affliction_, as they are called, JOB 36:8, and particularly in iron fetters.... [ Continue Reading ]
AGAINST THE WORDS OF GOD; against God's commands, made known either, 1. By his written word delivered to the Jews, of which the Gentiles were not ignorant, which therefore they should have diligently inquired after and searched into, as the queen of Sheba came from the ends of the earth to hear the... [ Continue Reading ]
THEIR HEART; the pride, and rebellion, and obstinacy of their hearts. WITH LABOUR; or, _with trouble_ or _troubles_. They fell into their enemy's hands, and into hopeless and remediless miseries.... [ Continue Reading ]
No text from Poole on this verse.... [ Continue Reading ]
No text from Poole on this verse.... [ Continue Reading ]
No text from Poole on this verse.... [ Continue Reading ]
He restored them to liberty in spite of all impediments and oppositions.... [ Continue Reading ]
FOOLS, i.e. wicked men, whom he calls _fools_, because of the mischiefs which through their own folly they bring upon themselves. BECAUSE OF THEIR TRANSGRESSION, Heb. _because of the way of their transgression_, i.e. their custom and course of sinning, as the word _way_ is used, PSALMS 1:1 PROVERBS... [ Continue Reading ]
_ Their soul_; either themselves with all their soul; or their appetite, as the soul is taken, JOB 33:20 ISAIAH 29:8. _Abhorreth all manner of meat_; which is a Usual effect of great sickness. _They draw near unto the gates of death_; they are sick well nigh unto death.... [ Continue Reading ]
No text from Poole on this verse.... [ Continue Reading ]
HIS WORD; his command, or his blessing, which came with power.... [ Continue Reading ]
No text from Poole on this verse.... [ Continue Reading ]
SACRIFICES OF THANKSGIVING; either properly so called; or praises and thanksgivings to God, which in Scripture are called sacrifices, because they are no less acceptable to God than costly sacrifices.... [ Continue Reading ]
GO DOWN TO THE SEA; he saith _go down_, either because the sea or the shore of it is commonly lower than their habitations from whence they come, or than the natural or artificial banks which are raised to prevent the inundation of the waters; or because the sea is lower than the earth, as may be ga... [ Continue Reading ]
His wonderful works, either, 1. Of creation, fishes of various kinds and shapes, and some of prodigious greatness, which are unknown to other men. Or, 2. Of providence, in raising and laying storms, of which he speaks in the following verses... [ Continue Reading ]
The winds and storms come not by chance, but by the disposition of Divine Providence.... [ Continue Reading ]
TO THE DEPTHS; towards the bottom of the sea. BECAUSE OF TROUBLE; through the perplexity of their minds, and fear of sudden and violent death.... [ Continue Reading ]
STAGGER LIKE A DRUNKEN MAN; not so much from the giddiness of their heads, which is not usual in persons accustomed to the sea, as through the violent and various motions of the sea and the ship.... [ Continue Reading ]
No text from Poole on this verse.... [ Continue Reading ]
No text from Poole on this verse.... [ Continue Reading ]
No text from Poole on this verse.... [ Continue Reading ]
No text from Poole on this verse.... [ Continue Reading ]
In the congregation of the people; not only in their own hearts and families, but even in public assemblies, and before all persons, as they have opportunity. IN THE ASSEMBLY OF THE ELDERS; the magistrates or rulers; who are here opposed to the people. The sense is, Let them not be ashamed nor afrai... [ Continue Reading ]
RIVERS; either, 1. Properly so called; which he can divert or dry up when he pleaseth, as sometimes he hath done. Or rather, 2. Those grounds which are well watered, and therefore very fruitful, as the next verse explains this. And so THE WATER-SPRINGS, here and PSALMS 107:35, and _the standing wa... [ Continue Reading ]
INTO BARRENNESS, Heb. _into saltness_, which procures barrenness. See DEUTERONOMY 29:23 JUDGES 9:45. FOR THE WICKEDNESS OF THEM THAT DWELL THEREIN; he doth not inflict these judgments by choice, or without cause, but for the punishment of sin in some, and the prevention of it in others.... [ Continue Reading ]
INTO A STANDING WATER; into a well-watered and fruitful land.... [ Continue Reading ]
THE HUNGRY; poor people; who could not provide for themselves, or were banished from their own land by potent oppressors, and were driven into wildernesses, like them JOB 30:3, which God in pity to them made fruitful.... [ Continue Reading ]
MAY YIELD, Heb. and _they shall make or procure_ from their fields and vineyards. FRUITS OF INCREASE; such fruits as they use to produce.... [ Continue Reading ]
Preserves them from abortion and deadly diseases, and on the contrary causeth them to increase, as he said in the former branch, which is here repeated in other words, after the sane manner.... [ Continue Reading ]
THEY, these poor men, who, when they are exalted and blessed by God, kick at him, and grow insolent and secure, as the returner of men is, ARE MINISHED AND BROUGHT LOW; are by God's just judgment diminished in their numbers and in their blessings. THROUGH OPPRESSION, AFFLICTION, AND SORROW; or, _thr... [ Continue Reading ]
HE POURETH CONTEMPT UPON PRINCES; those who were honourable and adored like gods by their people, and terrible to all their enemies, he renders them despicable to their own subjects, and to other nations; and this he doth suddenly, abundantly, and unavoidably, as this phrase of _pouring_ it _out upo... [ Continue Reading ]
YET SETTETH HE THE POOR ON HIGH: and whilst he bringeth down great potentates, at the same time he advanceth those who were obscure and contemptible. Like a flock, which increase very much in a little time.... [ Continue Reading ]
SHALL SEE IT; or rather, _these things_, as it is expressed in the next verse. They shall diligently observe these wonderful works of God's mercy and justice. REJOICE; not only in the mercies of God vouchsafed to them and to other persons in want and misery, but also in God's judgments upon his impl... [ Continue Reading ]
WHOSO IS WISE, AND WILL OBSERVE THESE THINGS; or, _who_ (for the Hebrew particle _mi_ is interrogative) _is wise_ ? _for_ (as the conjunctive particle is frequently used) _he will observe these things_. All who are truly wise will consider all these events, and lay them to heart, as being very usefu... [ Continue Reading ]