A thanksgiving for recovery from an almost fatal sickness, and a reflection on the lessons which it was sent to teach. Cp. Psalms 119:67. The Psalmist praises Jehovah for preserving his life in answer to his prayer (Psalms 30:1-3), and calls upon the godly to join him in thanksgiving (Psalms 30:4-5)... [ Continue Reading ]
_I will extol thee_ Or, _exalt_, as the word is rendered in Exodus 15:2; Psalms 34:3; Isaiah 25:1; &c. The same word is used of God's exalting men to high estate (1 Samuel 2:7), or lifting them up out of danger into safety (Psalms 9:13; Psalms 27:5); and man's return is to exalt God by proclaiming H... [ Continue Reading ]
Thanksgiving for deliverance from death in answer to prayer.... [ Continue Reading ]
_healed me_ Best taken literally of restoration from sickness.... [ Continue Reading ]
So desperate was his sickness that his recovery was as life from the dead, a veritable resurrection from the grave. _from the grave_ R.V. from Sheol. See note on Psalms 6:5. Cp. 1 Samuel 2:6. _thou hast kept me alive that I should not go down to the pit_ Better, thou hast restored me to life from a... [ Continue Reading ]
_Sing_ Sing praise (R.V.); or, _sing psalms._ saints See note on Psalms 4:3. _at the remembrance of his holiness_ Lit. _to the memorial of his holiness_, and so virtually, as R.V., to his holy name. For His name is that which brings to remembrance all that He is and does. See Exodus 3:15; and cp.... [ Continue Reading ]
An invitation to the godly to join in thanksgiving, in view of those attributes of Jehovah of which the Psalmist has just had experience. Cp. Psalms 9:11; Psalms 22:23.... [ Continue Reading ]
Literally, _For a moment in his anger;_ life in his favour: which is generally explained to mean, as in R.V. marg., _For his anger is but for a moment;_ His favour is for a life-time: on the ground that the parallelism requires the contrast between _a lifetime and a moment_. But this is a maime... [ Continue Reading ]
Render with R.V. As for me, I said in my prosperity. The word translated _prosperity_includes the idea of careless security, resulting from uninterrupted good fortune. Comp. Proverbs 1:32; and for the carnal pride that is apt to spring from prosperity, see Deuteronomy 8:10 ff; Deuteronomy 32:15; D... [ Continue Reading ]
The Psalmist relates his own experience of the truth stated in the preceding verse. His presumption had required the correction of chastisement.... [ Continue Reading ]
R.V., Thou, Lord, of thy favour hadst made my mountain to stand strong; lit. _hadst established strength for my mountain_. Zion, strong by position and art, may be thought of, partly in itself, partly as an emblem of the Davidic kingdom. Fortress and kingdom alike derived their real strength from Je... [ Continue Reading ]
The tense in the original is inadequately represented by a simple perfect, though its precise force is not easy to define. It may express the frequent repetition of the prayer, or, like a historic present, it may set the action vividly before us as in actual progress (App., Note IV); or possibly thr... [ Continue Reading ]
By trouble he learnt whence his strength came, and betook himself to prayer. Psalms 30:9 are the words of his prayer.... [ Continue Reading ]
What advantage would it be to Thee to slay me? Nay, Thou wouldest lose Thy servant's praises. For the form of the question cp. Job 22:3. The same motive is appealed to in Hezekiah's prayer, Isaiah 38:18-19. Cp. Psalms 6:5; Psalms 88:10 ff; Psalms 115:17. On this gloomy view of death as the interrupt... [ Continue Reading ]
Better, Thou didst turn … didst loose … and gird. He looks back to the moment when his prayer was answered. _mourning … dancing_ The gestures of sorrow and joy are contrasted, for mourning means literally the beating of the breast (_planctus_). Cp. Lamentations 5:15. In place of the sackcloth which... [ Continue Reading ]
Prayer answered: life prolonged, and its purpose.... [ Continue Reading ]
my _glory_ My soul, as in Psalms 7:5 (note); Psalms 57:8. _for ever_ All the days of my life. See 1 Samuel 1:22 compared with 1 Samuel 1:28. But the Psalmist's words had a larger meaning than he could as yet know (Revelation 22:3 ff.).... [ Continue Reading ]