Another Psalm of thanksgiving, probably intended, like Psalms 65, for use at the Passover, but evidently owing its origin to special circumstances which called for more than ordinary rejoicings. It consists of two parts, distinguished by the use of the first person plural (Psalms 66:1-12) and the fi... [ Continue Reading ]
_Make a joyful noise_ Or, as the word is rendered in Psalms 47:1, shout: greet Him with the acclamations which befit a victorious king. _all ye lands_ Lit. as R.V., all the earth, as in Psalms 66:4.... [ Continue Reading ]
All the earth is summoned to worship God and acknowledge the greatness of His power.... [ Continue Reading ]
_Sing forth the honour of his name_ Or, Hymn forth the glory Of his name: celebrate in a joyous psalm this fresh revelation of His character. _make his praise glorious_ Or, perhaps, _ascribe glory to praise him_.... [ Continue Reading ]
_How terrible_art thou in _thy works!_ Better as R.V., How terrible are thy works! Cp. Psalms 65:5; Revelation 15:3. _through the greatness of thy power_ Rather, of thy strength; cp. Psalms 46:1; Psalms 63:2; Psalms 68:33-34. _submit themselves unto thee_ Or, come cringing unto thee. The word, whic... [ Continue Reading ]
All the earth shall worship thee and hymn thee, Yea, hymn thy name. This verse is part of the address to God put into the mouth of the nations.... [ Continue Reading ]
_Come and see the works of God_ Cp. Psalms 46:8, the only other place where the word for _works_is found. he is _terrible_in his _doing toward the children of men_ The preposition _toward_implies supremacy _over_mankind. All men must fear Him (Psalms 64:9); but it depends on themselves whether they... [ Continue Reading ]
The nations are invited to contemplate God's mighty works for His people in the past, and to learn that the sovereignty to which they bear witness is eternal and universal.... [ Continue Reading ]
The passage of the Red Sea and the crossing of the Jordan are referred to as the most notable of His terrible acts (Psalms 65:5). Cp. Psalms 74:13; Psalms 78:13; &c. _Flood_, as in Joshua 24:2-3; Joshua 24:14-15, is an archaism for river (R.V.). _there did we rejoice in him_ At the Red Sea and the J... [ Continue Reading ]
_by his power_ By his might (R.V.), as Psalms 65:6. _for ever_ What is true for the past is true for the present and the future. God's sovereignty is eternal. Cp. Psalms 145:13; Jeremiah 10:10. _his eyes behold the nations_ Better, as R.V. renders the word in Proverbs 15:3, keep watch upon. He is t... [ Continue Reading ]
_ye people_ Ye peoples (R.V.). The nations, not Israel, are still addressed. Conscious of Israel's mission to the world, the Psalmist can call upon them to give thanks for Israel's preservation to fulfil its work for them.... [ Continue Reading ]
A renewed call to the nations to praise God for His deliverance of Israel from dangers which menaced the very existence of the nation.... [ Continue Reading ]
Who hath set our soul in life, And not suffered our foot to be moved. The nation was on the point of death and ruin, but God preserved and upheld it. The tenses indicate that the words are not the statement of a general truth (as A.V. renders them), but refer particularly to the deliverance from t... [ Continue Reading ]
_proved us … tried us_ Words used of testing precious metals, and smelting away the dross (Psalms 17:3; Psalms 26:2; Proverbs 17:3; Jeremiah 9:7; Zechariah 13:9; Malachi 3:2-3). God had declared His intention of smelting out the dross from His people by the Assyrian troubles (Isaiah 1:25).... [ Continue Reading ]
_Thou broughtest us into the net_ God had deliberately brought them into the power of their enemies, to punish them for their sins. Cp. for the figure Job 19:6. Some commentators render _into the dungeon_, a figure for the loss of freedom (Isaiah 42:22), but the usage of the word is not in favour of... [ Continue Reading ]
Better: Thou didst cause … we went … but thou hast brought us out. The figure in the first line is clearly that of the vanquished flung down upon the ground, and trampled remorselessly under the horsehoofs or crushed by the chariot wheels of their conquerors. Cp. Isaiah 51:23. Representations of a c... [ Continue Reading ]
_I will go_ R.V. I will come, the usual word for approaching God in the sanctuary (Psalms 5:7; Psalms 42:2; Psalms 43:4; Psalms 65:2; &c.). The transition from the plural in Psalms 66:1 (-we," -us," -our") to the singular is more naturally explained by supposing that the king comes forward to speak... [ Continue Reading ]
The people's leader and representative enters the Temple to pay the vows which he made in the hour of national distress.... [ Continue Reading ]
Wherewith my lips opened, And which my mouth spake, when I was in distress. For the first line cp. Judges 11:35 f; but there is no reason to suppose that rash vows are here meant.... [ Continue Reading ]
Burnt offerings of fatlings will I offer unto thee, Together with incense of rams. -Incense of rams" denotes the sweet savour of the sacrifice ascending as it was consumed by fire. Cp. perhaps, though the meaning is not certain, Isaiah 1:13. The cognate verb is used of burning the victim or the fat... [ Continue Reading ]
_all ye that fear God_ The whole drift of the Ps., especially Psalms 66:1_; Psalms 66:5; Psalms 66:8_, is in favour of extending the phrase to include all who fear God wherever they are to be found, whether Israelites, or non-Israelites who have been won to worship Him by the sight of His works, rat... [ Continue Reading ]
All who fear God are bidden to hear what He has done for the speaker. He had prayed in expectation of a favourable hearing, knowing that sincerity is the necessary condition of prayer; and the answer to his prayer had attested his sincerity. In conclusion he blesses God for this continuance of His l... [ Continue Reading ]
_and_he was _extolled with my tongue_ Better as R.V. marg., and high praise (Psalms 149:6) was under my tongue. Even while he prayed, he had praises ready, so sure was he of an answer. Cp. Psalms 10:7, though (see note) the idea there may be different.... [ Continue Reading ]
If I had regarded iniquity in my heart, The Lord would not hear: But verily God hath heard. Hypocrisy disqualifies the suppliant, but he is confident that he is no hypocrite, and the answer to his prayer justifies him. There is no self-righteousness in this, but the simplicity of "a conscience vo... [ Continue Reading ]
_Blessed be God_ Cp. Psalms 28:6; Psalms 31:21; Psalms 68:19; Psalms 68:35. _nor his mercy from me From me_must belong to this clause only. It is forced to explain -who has not removed my prayer and His loving-kindness from me" to mean -who has not deprived me of the power to pray or of the blessing... [ Continue Reading ]