Psalms · Chapter 116

Verse 1. I love the Lord because he hath heard] How vain and foolish is the talk, “To love God for his benefits to us is mercenary, and cannot be pure love!” Whether pure or impure, there is no other love that can flow from the heart of the creature to its Creator. We love him, said the holiest of Christ’s disciples, because he first loved us; and the increase of our love and filial obedience is in proportion to the increased sense we have of our obligation to him. We love him for the benefits bestowed on us. Love begets love.

Verses 1, 2. I love the Lord — Hebrew, I love, because the Lord hath heard my voice. “The soul, transported with gratitude and love, seems, at first, to express her affection without declaring its object, as thinking that all the world must know who is the person intended. Thus Mary Magdalene, at the sepulchre, though no previous mention had been made of Jesus, says to one, whom she thought to be the gardener, Sir, if thou hast borne him hence, &c. John 20:15. And ought not the love of God to be excited in all our hearts by the consideration, that when we were not able to raise ourselves up to him, he mercifully and tenderly inclined and bowed down his ear to us?” — Horne. Therefore will I call upon him as long as I live — Hebrew, arqa ymyb, bejamai ekra, in my days, that is, as long as I have a day to live, as this phrase is used 2 Kings 20:19; Isaiah 39:8.

1. I love the Lord—Hebrew, I love, because Jehovah will hear, etc. The object of “love” is not expressed, but logically determined to be He who answers prayer, as if the author’s eye was on Deuteronomy 6:5. The future form of the verb will hear, is more comprehensive than the preterit, because it expresses now a settled confidence in God for all coming time, while the recent answer takes the past tense.

Verse 2. Because he hath inclined his ear] The psalmist represents himself to be so sick and weak, that he could scarcely speak. The Lord, in condescension to this weakness, is here considered as bowing down his ear to the mouth of the feeble suppliant, that he may receive every word of his prayer.

Therefore will I call upon him] I have had such blessed success in my application to him, that I purpose to invoke him as long as I shall live. He that prays much will be emboldened to pray more, because none can supplicate the throne of grace in vain.

Verses 1, 2. I love the Lord — Hebrew, I love, because the Lord hath heard my voice. “The soul, transported with gratitude and love, seems, at first, to express her affection without declaring its object, as thinking that all the world must know who is the person intended. Thus Mary Magdalene, at the sepulchre, though no previous mention had been made of Jesus, says to one, whom she thought to be the gardener, Sir, if thou hast borne him hence, &c. John 20:15. And ought not the love of God to be excited in all our hearts by the consideration, that when we were not able to raise ourselves up to him, he mercifully and tenderly inclined and bowed down his ear to us?” — Horne. Therefore will I call upon him as long as I live — Hebrew, arqa ymyb, bejamai ekra, in my days, that is, as long as I have a day to live, as this phrase is used 2 Kings 20:19; Isaiah 39:8.

2. Will I call upon him—Literally, I will call; the verb, here, as in “I love,” (verse 1,) bring without its object expressed. The language is impassioned, and supposes the connexion or occasion to sufficiently explain it. As long as I live—Hebrew, In my days. Not only his life long, but as his daily habit.

V. 3. The sorrows-Dangerous and deadly calamities. Pains-Such agonies and horrors, as dying persons use to feel.

Verse 3. The sorrows of death] twm ylbj chebley maveth, the cables or cords of death; alluding to their bonds and fetters during their captivity; or to the cords by which a criminal is bound who is about to be led out to execution; or to the bandages in which the dead were enveloped, when head, arms, body, and limbs were all laced down together. The pains of hell] lwav yrxm metsarey sheol, the straitnesses of the grave. So little expectation was there of life, that he speaks as if he were condemned, executed, and closed up in the tomb. Or, he may refer here to the small niches in cemeteries, where the coffins of the dead were placed. Because this Psalm has been used in the thanksgiving of women after safe delivery, it has been supposed that the pain suffered in the act of parturition was equal for the time to the torments of the damned. But this supposition is shockingly absurd; the utmost power of human nature could not, for a moment, endure the wrath of God, the deathless worm, and the unquenchable fire. The body must die, be decomposed, and be built up on indestructible principles, before this punishment can be borne.

Verses 3, 4. The sorrows of death compassed me — Dangerous and deadly calamities as bitter as death: Hebrew, twm ylbj, cheblee maveth, the cords, or bands of death: see note on Psalm 18:4, 5. The pains of hell — Or of the grave, or of death; either cutting, killing pains, or such agonies and horrors as dying persons often feel within themselves; gat hold upon me — Hebrew, ynwaxm, found me, that is, surprised me. Having been long pursuing me, at last they overtook and seized upon me, and I gave up myself for lost. Then called I upon the name of the Lord — Being brought to the last extremity, I made use of this, not as the last remedy, but as the old and only remedy which I had found, a balm for every wound.

Verse 3. The sorrows of death. See Psalm 18:4.

3. Sorrows of death—Hebrew, Cords of death, in allusion to the use of “cords,” or ropes, for leading animals, binding prisoners, punishment by strangulation, etc., in all which the idea of abject and helpless submission is conveyed. See 1 Kings 20:31, 32. Cords of death denote that the subject is condemned to die. See on Psalm 118:5. The verse is a quotation from Psalm 18:4, 5. Pains of hell—Hebrew, straits of sheol, rxm, (metzar,) radically means a compressed, narrow place, a strait, where a fugitive is easily captured, and figuratively, distress. The straits of sheol had shut him in; a proverbial phrase for the environments of death. The word occurs literally Lamentations 1:3, and figuratively Psalm 118:5. In the text it is parallel to “cords of death,” in previous member.

Verses 3, 4. The sorrows of death compassed me — Dangerous and deadly calamities as bitter as death: Hebrew, twm ylbj, cheblee maveth, the cords, or bands of death: see note on Psalm 18:4, 5. The pains of hell — Or of the grave, or of death; either cutting, killing pains, or such agonies and horrors as dying persons often feel within themselves; gat hold upon me — Hebrew, ynwaxm, found me, that is, surprised me. Having been long pursuing me, at last they overtook and seized upon me, and I gave up myself for lost. Then called I upon the name of the Lord — Being brought to the last extremity, I made use of this, not as the last remedy, but as the old and only remedy which I had found, a balm for every wound.

4. Then called I—At a moment when my case was beyond all human help. Upon the name— “A stronger expression than merely to call upon the Lord,” (Hengstenberg,) for it supposes the supplicant’s faith to rest assuredly on the historically manifested character of God.

Verse 5. Gracious is the Lord] In his own nature. And righteous] In all his dealings with men. Our God is merciful.] Of tender compassion to all penitents.

Verses 5, 6. Gracious is the Lord — Therefore he will maintain my just cause against my unrighteous oppressors, will perform his promises, and save those who faithfully serve and trust in him. The Lord preserveth the simple — That is, those who are upright and sincere, and make use of no crafty arts or counsels, no indirect or unlawful means for their deliverance; who, as the original word implies, depend wholly upon God, as little children do upon their parents. I was brought low — Plunged into the depth of distress and misery; and he helped me — Patiently to bear what was laid upon me, and to hope for deliverance at the proper time.

5. Righteous… merciful—Righteous in keeping his covenant, merciful in making and adapting it to man.

Verse 6. The Lord preserved the simple] פתאים pethaim, which all the Versions render little ones. Those who are meek and lowly of heart, who feel the spirit of little children, these he preserves, as he does little children; and he mentions this circumstance, because the Lord has a peculiar regard for these young ones, and gives his angels charge concerning them. Were it otherwise, children are exposed to so many dangers and deaths, that most of them would fall victims to accidents in their infancy.

Verses 5, 6. Gracious is the Lord — Therefore he will maintain my just cause against my unrighteous oppressors, will perform his promises, and save those who faithfully serve and trust in him. The Lord preserveth the simple — That is, those who are upright and sincere, and make use of no crafty arts or counsels, no indirect or unlawful means for their deliverance; who, as the original word implies, depend wholly upon God, as little children do upon their parents. I was brought low — Plunged into the depth of distress and misery; and he helped me — Patiently to bear what was laid upon me, and to hope for deliverance at the proper time.

Ver. 6. The Lord preserveth the simple. Hebrews µyatp pethayim, the hasty, or those who offend, not through malice, but frail impetuosity. Parkhurst. The Versions read, “the little ones,” the weak of his flock, whose angels do always behold the face of their Father in heaven. Matthew 18:10.

6. Simple—Not here such as want understanding. (as Proverbs 1:4, 22,) but such as are of pure, unmixed, guileless hearts, to whom the promise is always due, (Psalm 19:7; 119:130;) the childlike spirit. Psalm 8:2; Matthew 11:25. Brought low—Reduced to wretchedness, as in verse 3; Judges 6:6; Psalm 79:8.

V. 7. Rest-Unto a chearful confidence in God.

Verse 7. Return unto thy rest, O my soul] God is the centre to which all immortal spirits tend, and in connexion with which alone they can find rest. Every thing separated from its centre is in a state of violence; and, if intelligent, cannot be happy. All human souls, while separated from God by sin, are in a state of violence, agitation, and misery. From God all spirits come; to him all must return, in order to be finally happy. This is true in the general case; though, probably, the rest spoken of here means the promised land, into which they were now returning.

A proof of the late origin of this Psalm is exhibited in this verse, in the words ykyjwnml limenuchaichi, “to thy rest,” and ykyl[ alaichi, “to thee,” which are both Chaldaisms.

Verses 7, 8. Return unto thy rest, O my soul — Unto that tranquillity of mind, and cheerful confidence in God’s providence and promises, which thou didst once enjoy. Repose thyself in God; seek not for that rest in the creature which is to be found only in the Creator. God is thy rest; in him only canst thou dwell at ease; to him therefore thou must retire. For the Lord hath dealt bountifully, &c. — Hath many ways expressed his bounty most liberally to thee, and provided sufficiently for thy comfort and refreshment. Thou hast delivered my soul — Myself; from death — From threatening and approaching death; or from spiritual death, the death of sin, and from eternal death, the death of hell. Thou hast caused me to pass from death unto life. Mine eyes from tears — That is, my heart, from inordinate grief. When God comforts those that are cast down, when he looses the mourners’ sackcloth, and girds them with gladness, then he delivers their eyes from tears; which yet will not be perfectly done till we come to that world where God shall wipe away all tears from our eyes, And my feet from failing — Namely, from falling into sin, and so into misery.

Ver. 7. Return unto thy rest. Be composed, after the storm of Absalom’s rebellion, and rest in the ample perfections of thy God. The temple was the rest which God had chosen. “To him shall the gentiles seek, and his rest shall be glorious.” Isaiah 11:10. David would approach with humility, and pay his vows to the Lord in Jerusalem, as in the following verses.

7. Thy rest—A soliloquy not unfrequent. Psalm 43:5; 103:1-5. “The rest for the soul is the land of the Lord, the temple, the building of which was just begun, the delightful home, with everything it affords for refreshment for the weary wanderer.”—Hengstenberg. This is in accordance with the use of the word, Deuteronomy 12:9; 132:8, 14; that is, a resting place, but the spiritual idea is always included. The “rest” stands opposed to Massah and Meribah—Temptation and Strife, (Psalm 95:8, 11,) but here, it is in contrast with “trouble and sorrow.” Verse 3. Hath dealt bountifully—If the verb be taken in the retributive sense, it should be rendered the Lord hath rewarded thee, or requited upon thee; namely, with good, and so it is rendered 1 Samuel 24:17; Psalm 18:20. But the radical sense should rather come out here, namely, to finish. perfect; and render, The Lord hath perfected toward me; that is, all his good pleasure. Comp. Psalm 138:8. God’s work in his salvation was complete.

8, 9. Quoted from David, Psalm 56:13.

Verse 8. Thou hast delivered my soul from death] Thou hast rescued my life from the destruction to which it was exposed.

Mine eyes from tears] Thou hast turned my sorrow into joy. My feet from falling.] Thou hast taken me out of the land of snares and pitfalls, and brought me into a plain path. How very near does our ancient mother tongue come to this:— [Anglo-Saxon]. For thou he nerode sawle mine of deathe, eapan mine of tearum; fet mine of slide. And this language is but a little improved in the old Psalter:—

For he toke my saule fra dede; my eghen fra teres; my fete fra slippyng.

Verses 7, 8. Return unto thy rest, O my soul — Unto that tranquillity of mind, and cheerful confidence in God’s providence and promises, which thou didst once enjoy. Repose thyself in God; seek not for that rest in the creature which is to be found only in the Creator. God is thy rest; in him only canst thou dwell at ease; to him therefore thou must retire. For the Lord hath dealt bountifully, &c. — Hath many ways expressed his bounty most liberally to thee, and provided sufficiently for thy comfort and refreshment. Thou hast delivered my soul — Myself; from death — From threatening and approaching death; or from spiritual death, the death of sin, and from eternal death, the death of hell. Thou hast caused me to pass from death unto life. Mine eyes from tears — That is, my heart, from inordinate grief. When God comforts those that are cast down, when he looses the mourners’ sackcloth, and girds them with gladness, then he delivers their eyes from tears; which yet will not be perfectly done till we come to that world where God shall wipe away all tears from our eyes, And my feet from failing — Namely, from falling into sin, and so into misery.

Verse 9. I will walk before the Lord] Ëlhta ethhallech, I will set myself to walk. I am determined to walk; my eyes are now brightened, so that I can see; my feet are strengthened, so that I can walk; and my soul is alive, so that I can walk with the living.

The Vulgate, the Septuagint, the Æthiopic, the Arabic, and the Anglo-Saxon end this Psalm here, which is numbered the cxivth; and begin with the tenth verse another Psalm, which they number cxvth; but this division is not acknowledged by the Hebrew, Chaldee, and Syriac.

Verse 9. I will walk — Hebrew, Ëlhta, ethhalleck, I will set myself to walk; before the Lord — I determine, in the strength of divine grace, to set him before me; to live as in his presence, and as under his eye; to speak and act in a manner becoming his presence, and the relation in which I stand to him as his servant and worshipper, his son and heir; to walk worthy of him unto all pleasing. It is the psalmist’s promise and resolution, in return for the blessings acknowledged in the preceding verse. In the land of the living — Among living men in this world. Observe, reader, the land of the living is a land of mercy, which we ought to be very thankful for; it is a land of opportunity, which we ought to improve; and the consideration that we are in this land should engage and quicken us to walk before God.

Ver. 9. I will walk before the Lord. I will be more circumspect than ever I was in former life.

Verse 10. I believed, therefore have I spoken] Distressed and afflicted as I was, I ever believed thy promises to be true; but I had great struggles to maintain my confidence; for my afflictions were great, oppressive, and of long standing.

It is scarcely worth observing that the letters called heemantic by the Hebrew grammarians, and which are used in forming the derivatives from the roots, are taken from the first word in this verse, ytnmah heemanti, “I have believed;” as the prefixes in that language are found in the technical words blkw hvm Mosheh vecaleb, “Moses and Caleb;” and the formatives of the future are found in the word איתנ eythan, “strength.”

Verse 10. I have believed — God’s promise of deliverance; therefore have I spoken — What I have now said; or, I have firmly believed, and trusted in God’s almighty power, and ever watchful providence, and therefore have addressed my prayer unto him with confidence in my greatest dangers and distresses. In this, or a similar sense, this clause is quoted by St. Paul, 2 Corinthians 4:13, with application to himself and his fellow-ministers, who, though they were exposed everywhere to sufferings for Christ’s sake, and were even in danger of being put to death wherever they came; yet were neither ashamed nor afraid to own him, because they confided in the promise he had made them of a blessed resurrection.

10. I believed, etc.—Literally, I believed, for I spoke. Quoted from the Septuagint, 2 Corinthians 4:13. The psalmist here casts his eye backward to the struggles of his soul described verses 3, 8. There, contending against the powers of this world, he believed in God against all conflicting opinions and events, and spoke as the fruit and expression of that faith. I was greatly afflicted—Greatly prostrated, humbled. This was his condition when he spoke. What he said is contained in the subsequent verses of the psalm.

Verse 11. I said in my haste] This is variously translated: I said in my flight, CHALDEE. In my excess, or ecstasy, VULGATE. In my ecstasy, ekstasei, SEPTUAGINT. [Arabic] tahayury, in my giddiness, ARABIC. In my fear or tremor, SYRIAC. [Anglo-Saxon], I quoth in outgoing mine, when I was beside myself, ANGLO-SAXON. In myn oute passyng, old Psalter. When passion got the better of my reason, when I looked not at God, but at my afflictions, and the impossibility of human relief. All men are liars.] כזב האדם lk col haadam cozeb, “the whole of man is a lie.” Falsity is diffused through his nature; deception proceeds from his tongue; his actions are often counterfeit. He is imposed on by others, and imposes in his turn; and on none is there any dependence till God converts their heart.

“O what a thing were man, if his attires

Should alter with his mind,

And, like a dolphin’s skin,

His clothes combine with his desires!

Surely if each one saw another’s heart,

There would be no commerce;

All would disperse,

And live apart.”

HERBERT.

To the same purpose I shall give the following Italian proverb:— Con arte e con inganno,

Si vive mezzo l’anno.

Con inganno e con arte

Si vive l’ altro parti.

“Men live half the year by deceit and by art;

By art and deceit men live the other part.”

Who gives this bad character of mankind? MAN.

Verse 11. I said in my haste — Yet once, I confess, I spoke very unadvisedly, through precipitation of mind, for want of due consideration, as the same phrase, yzpjb, bechophzi, is used Psalm 31:22. It may, however, be rendered, in my terror, or amazement, that is, when I was discomposed, and almost distracted with the greatness of my troubles. All men are liars — There is no credit to be given to their promises of deliverance; I am lost and undone. Thus understood, he questions the truth of God’s promises, yet so that he does not reflect directly on God, but only on the instrument by whom the promises were declared. Some render the clause, All men are a lie, or lies, are vain, a thing of nothing, a mere phantom without any solidity; all human help fails me; so that my case is desperate if God do not help me.

Ver. 11. I said in my haste. The LXX, ekstasei, exstacei, in the excess of my grief, depression and fear.

11. I said in my haste—The word “haste,” here, must take the sense of agitation, alarm; or of flight, hasty retreat. The last does not suit the historic relations of the psalm, though it does Psalm 31:22, which see. Agitation from fear and doubt is the idea, as Deuteronomy 20:3, where it is rendered tremble. All men are liars—Every man is false, deceitful. Thus it appeared from the standpoint of his distress. But “it is obvious that behind the negative there is concealed the positive—I place my confidence, not in deceitful men, but on my true and faithful God.”—Hengstenberg. In this sense it is parallel to Psalm 108:8. See Psalm 62:9; Romans 3:4.

Verse 12. What shall I render] byva hm mah ashib, “What shall I return?”

For his benefits] yhwlwmgt tagmulohi, “His retributions,” the returns he had made to my prayers and faith.

Verses 12-14. What shall I render unto the Lord — Yet, notwithstanding all my dangers, and my distrust of God also, he hath conferred so many and great blessings upon me, that I can never make sufficient returns to him for them. I will take the cup of salvation — Or of deliverance, as Bishop Patrick renders tw[wvy, thus interpreting the clause: “I will call my friends together to rejoice with me, and taking the cup, which we call the cup of deliverance, (because, when blessed and set apart, we are thus wont to commemorate the blessings we have received,) I will magnify the power, goodness, and faithfulness of God my Saviour before all the company.” The phrase is doubtless taken from the common practice of the Jews in their thank-offerings, in which a feast was made of the remainder of the sacrifices, and the offerers, together with the priests, did eat and drink before the Lord; and among other rites, the master of the feast took a cup of wine into his hand, and solemnly blessed God for it, and for the mercy which was then acknowledged, and then gave it to all the guests, who drank successively of it. According to Dr. Hammond, this cup, among the Jews, was two-fold; one offered in a more solemn manner in the temple, Numbers 28:7, the other more private in families, called the cup of thanksgiving, or commemoration of any deliverance received. This the master of the family was wont to begin, and was followed by all his guests. On festival days it was attended with a suitable hymn, such as that sung by our Lord and his disciples on the night when he advanced that cup into the sacrament of his blood, which hath ever since been to Christians the cup of salvation; and which all penitents should now receive in the church of Christ, with invocation, thanksgiving, and payment of their vows made in time of trouble.

12. What shall I render—From the memories of human faithlessness, which, if dwelt upon, would have awakened only censoriousness and bitterness, the psalmist turns to the deliverance wrought by his faithful God, and to his duty of love and praise.

Verse 13. I will take the cup of salvation] Literally, The cup of salvation, or deliverance, will I lift up. Alluding to the action in taking the cup of blessing among the Jews, which, when the person or master of the family lifted up, he said these words, “Blessed be the Lord, the Maker of the world, who has created the fruit of the vine!”

But it may probably allude to the libation-offering, Numbers 28:7; for the three last verses seem to intimate that the psalmist was now at the temple, offering the meat-offering, drink-offering, and sacrifices to the Lord. Cup is often used by the Hebrews to denote plenty or abundance. So, the cup of trembling, an abundance of misery; the cup of salvation, an abundance of happiness.

And call upon the name of the Lord.] I will invoke his name, that I may get more of the same blessings; for the only return that God requires is, that we ask for more. Who is like GOD? One reason why we should never more come to a fellow-mortal for a favour is, we have received so many already. A strong reason why we should claim the utmost salvation of God is, because we are already so much in debt to his mercy. Now this is the only way we have of discharging our debts to God; and yet, strange to tell, every such attempt to discharge the debt only serves to increase it! Yet, notwithstanding, the debtor and creditor are represented as both pleased, both profited, and both happy in each other! Reader, pray to him, invoke his name; receive the cup-accept the abundance of salvation which he has provided thee, that thou mayest love and serve him with a perfect heart.

Verses 12-14. What shall I render unto the Lord — Yet, notwithstanding all my dangers, and my distrust of God also, he hath conferred so many and great blessings upon me, that I can never make sufficient returns to him for them. I will take the cup of salvation — Or of deliverance, as Bishop Patrick renders tw[wvy, thus interpreting the clause: “I will call my friends together to rejoice with me, and taking the cup, which we call the cup of deliverance, (because, when blessed and set apart, we are thus wont to commemorate the blessings we have received,) I will magnify the power, goodness, and faithfulness of God my Saviour before all the company.” The phrase is doubtless taken from the common practice of the Jews in their thank-offerings, in which a feast was made of the remainder of the sacrifices, and the offerers, together with the priests, did eat and drink before the Lord; and among other rites, the master of the feast took a cup of wine into his hand, and solemnly blessed God for it, and for the mercy which was then acknowledged, and then gave it to all the guests, who drank successively of it. According to Dr. Hammond, this cup, among the Jews, was two-fold; one offered in a more solemn manner in the temple, Numbers 28:7, the other more private in families, called the cup of thanksgiving, or commemoration of any deliverance received. This the master of the family was wont to begin, and was followed by all his guests. On festival days it was attended with a suitable hymn, such as that sung by our Lord and his disciples on the night when he advanced that cup into the sacrament of his blood, which hath ever since been to Christians the cup of salvation; and which all penitents should now receive in the church of Christ, with invocation, thanksgiving, and payment of their vows made in time of trouble.

13. Cup of salvation—The special dispensations, or allotments, of God to men, whether of joy or sorrow, mercy or judgment, are represented often under the figure of a cup, the contents of which they are to drink. Thus, of good, Psalm 16:5; 23:5; Jeremiah 16:7: of wrath, Psalm 11:6; 75:8; Jeremiah 25:15, 17, 28; Ezekiel 23:31-33. But the allusion here would seem to be to the cup of libation, or drink-offering, which was ordinarily wine, and used in the daily sacrifice and in burnt offerings to indicate devotion to God in form of a covenant. Thus blood, the emblem of life, and wine, representing richness and acceptableness—the former for expiation and the latter for thanksgiving—made the offering complete.

Verse 14. I will pay my vows unto the Lord now in the presence of all his people.] He was probably now bringing his offering to the temple. These words are repeated, Psalm 116:18.

Verses 12-14. What shall I render unto the Lord — Yet, notwithstanding all my dangers, and my distrust of God also, he hath conferred so many and great blessings upon me, that I can never make sufficient returns to him for them. I will take the cup of salvation — Or of deliverance, as Bishop Patrick renders tw[wvy, thus interpreting the clause: “I will call my friends together to rejoice with me, and taking the cup, which we call the cup of deliverance, (because, when blessed and set apart, we are thus wont to commemorate the blessings we have received,) I will magnify the power, goodness, and faithfulness of God my Saviour before all the company.” The phrase is doubtless taken from the common practice of the Jews in their thank-offerings, in which a feast was made of the remainder of the sacrifices, and the offerers, together with the priests, did eat and drink before the Lord; and among other rites, the master of the feast took a cup of wine into his hand, and solemnly blessed God for it, and for the mercy which was then acknowledged, and then gave it to all the guests, who drank successively of it. According to Dr. Hammond, this cup, among the Jews, was two-fold; one offered in a more solemn manner in the temple, Numbers 28:7, the other more private in families, called the cup of thanksgiving, or commemoration of any deliverance received. This the master of the family was wont to begin, and was followed by all his guests. On festival days it was attended with a suitable hymn, such as that sung by our Lord and his disciples on the night when he advanced that cup into the sacrament of his blood, which hath ever since been to Christians the cup of salvation; and which all penitents should now receive in the church of Christ, with invocation, thanksgiving, and payment of their vows made in time of trouble.

14. In the presence of all his people—The occasion was one of public sacrifice: see verse 13, and introductory note.

Verse 15. Precious in the sight of the Lord] Many have understood this verse as meaning, “the saints are too precious in the Lord’s sight, lightly to give them over to death:” and this, Calmet contends, is the true sense of the text. Though they have many enemies, their lives are precious in his sight, and their foes shall not prevail against them.

Verse 15. Precious, &c., is the death of his saints — He sets a high price upon it: he will not easily grant it to the will of their enemies. If any son of violence procure it, he will make him pay very dearly for it. And when the saints suffer it for God’s sake, as they frequently do, it is a most acceptable sacrifice to him, and highly esteemed by him. Thus the blood of God’s people is said to be precious in his sight, Psalm 72:14. And in the same sense the life of a man is said to be precious in the eyes of him who spares and preserves it, 1 Samuel 26:21; 2 Kings 1:13. God’s people are precious in his eyes both living and dying, for, whether they live, they live unto the Lord, or whether they die, they die unto the Lord, Romans 14:8.

15. Precious… the death of his saints—The word yahkar, applied to things, denotes that which is of rare value, costly, “precious;” applied to persons, it means special honour, excellence, reputation. The “death of” God’s “saints” is distinguished from death as the common lot of man, in the eyes of God, by rare excellence and honour, not physically, but morally, considered. If there is any meaning in language, here is proof of a future life, and of future rewards and punishments.

Verse 16. I am thy servant] Thou hast preserved me alive. I live with, for, and to THEE. I am thy willing domestic, the son of thine handmaid-like one born in thy house of a woman already thy property. I am a servant, son of thy servant, made free by thy kindness; but, refusing to go out, I have had my ear bored to thy door-post, and am to continue by free choice in thy house for ever. He alludes here to the case of the servant who, in the year of jubilee being entitled to his liberty, refused to leave his master’s house; and suffered his ear to be bored to the door-post, as a proof that by his own consent he agreed to continue in his master’s house for ever.

Verse 16. O Lord, truly I am thy servant — This is a thankful acknowledgment of his great obligations to God, whereby he was in duty bound to be his perpetual servant. The son of thy handmaid — The son of a mother who was devoted, and did devote me to thy service. Thou hast loosed my bonds — Thou hast rescued me from my enemies, whose captive and vassal I was, and therefore hast a just right to me and to my service.

16. The son of thine handmaid—A form of speech describing a servant “born in the house,” and, therefore, perpetual, as distinguished from a hireling, or a servant bought with money. It is the language of endearment and of humility. See Genesis 14:14; 17:23; Psalm 86:16. Thou hast loosed my bonds—Emancipated me; set me free. The figure perfectly suits the condition of the newly-returned exiles. God had claimed them as servants born in his own house, and had now redeemed them from their bondage to the heathen. Compare Psalm 107:14. But the spiritual sense also belongs here. The psalm is highly spiritual. In this application, compare Romans 6:16-22; John 8:34-35.

Verse 17. I will offer to thee] As it is most probable that this Psalm celebrates the deliverance from Babylon, it is no wonder that we find the psalmist so intent on performing the rites of his religion in the temple at Jerusalem, which had been burnt with fire, and was now reviving out of its ruins, the temple service having been wholly interrupted for nearly four-score years.

17, 18. These verses clearly show that the occasion of the psalm was one of public thanksgiving and sacrifice after a great deliverance. Verses 14, 18, seem like a refrain, and their repetition indicates how sacredly the people hold their vows after so great a mercy.

17, 18. These verses clearly show that the occasion of the psalm was one of public thanksgiving and sacrifice after a great deliverance. Verses 14, 18, seem like a refrain, and their repetition indicates how sacredly the people hold their vows after so great a mercy.

Verse 19. In the midst of thee, O Jerusalem.] He speaks as if present in the city, offering his vowed sacrifices in the temple to the Lord. Most of this Psalm has been applied to our Lord and his Church; and in this way it has been considered as prophetic; and, taken thus, it is innocently accommodated, and is very edifying. This is the interpretation given of the whole by the old Psalter.

19. Courts of the Lord’s house—This does not necessarily prove the temple to be now standing, but the place of worship. In Ezra 2:68, and 3:8, the place where the temple formerly stood, though now covered with ruins, is called the “house of God.” So Bethel, (house of God,) when thus named, was only a “place” in the open field. Genesis 28:11, 19.