The title of this psalm is, “To the chief Musician, Maschil, for the sons of Korah.” On the phrase “To the chief Musician,” see the notes at the title to Psalms 4:1. On the term “Maschil,” see the notes at the title to Psalms 32:1. This title is prefixed to eleven psalms. It properly means, as in th... [ Continue Reading ]
AS THE HART PANTETH AFTER THE WATER-BROOKS - Margin, brayeth. The word rendered hart - איל _'ayâl_ - means commonly a stag, hart, male deer: Deuteronomy 12:15; Deuteronomy 14:5; Isaiah 35:6. The word is masculine, but in this place is joined with a feminine verb, as words of the common gender may b... [ Continue Reading ]
MY SOUL THIRSTETH FOR GOD - That is, as the hind thirsts for the running stream. FOR THE LIVING GOD - God, not merely as God, without anything more definitely specified, but God considered as living, as himself possessing life, and as having the power of imparting that life to the soul. WHEN SHALL... [ Continue Reading ]
MY TEARS HAVE BEEN MY MEAT - The word rendered tears in this place is in the singular number, and means literally weeping. Compare Psalms 39:12. The word meat here means literally bread, and is used in the general signification of food, as the word meat is always used in the English version of the B... [ Continue Reading ]
WHEN I REMEMBER THESE THINGS - These sorrows; this banishment from the house of God; these reproaches of my enemies. The verb used here is in the future tense, and would be appropriately rendered “I will remember these things, and I will pour out my soul within me.” That is, it is not a mere recolle... [ Continue Reading ]
WHY ART THOU CAST DOWN, O MY SOUL? - Margin, bowed down. The Hebrew word means to bow down, to incline oneself; then, usually, to prostrate oneself as in public worship; and then, to sink down under the weight of sorrow; to be depressed and sad. The Septuagint renders it, “Why art thou grieved?” - π... [ Continue Reading ]
O MY GOD, MY SOUL IS CAST DOWN WITHIN ME - This is the utterance of a soul in anguish, notwithstanding the purpose not to be cast down, and the conviction that hope ought to be cherished. The psalmist cannot but say that, despite all this, he is sad. His troubles come rushing over his soul; they all... [ Continue Reading ]
DEEP CALLETH UNTO DEEP - The language used here would seem to imply that the psalmist was near some floods of water, some rapid river or water-fall, which constituted an appropriate illustration of the waves of sorrow that were rolling over his soul. It is not possible to determine exactly where thi... [ Continue Reading ]
YET THE LORD WILL COMMAND HIS LOVING-KINDNESS IN THE DAYTIME - literally, “By day the Lord will command his mercy;” that is, he will so order or direct his mercy or his favor. The word “daytime” here refers evidently to prosperity; and the expectation of the psalmist was that a time of prosperity wo... [ Continue Reading ]
I WILL SAY UNTO GOD MY ROCK - I will appeal to God as my defense, my helper, my Saviour. On the word rock, as applied to God, see the notes at Psalms 18:2. WHY HAST THOU FORGOTTEN ME? - See the notes at Psalms 22:1. He had seemed to forget and forsake him, for He did not come to interpose and save... [ Continue Reading ]
AS WITH A SWORD IN MY BONES - Margin, killing. The treatment which I receive in their reproaches is like death. The word rendered “sword” - רצח _retsach_ - means properly killing, slaying, breaking in pieces, crushing. It occurs only here and in Ezekiel 21:22, where it is rendered slaughter. The Sep... [ Continue Reading ]
WHY ART THOU CAST DOWN, O MY SOUL? - This closes the second strophe of the psalm, and, with one or two slight and immaterial variations, is the same as that which closes the first Psalms 42:5. In this latter, the word “why” is inserted, and the expression “the salvation of my countenance” occurs ins... [ Continue Reading ]