Psalms · Chapter 27

Verse 1. The Lord is my light and my salvation] This light can never be extinguished by man; the Lord is my salvation, my safeguard, my shield, and my defence; of whom then should I be afraid?

Verse 1. The Lord is my light — My counsellor in my difficulties, and my comforter and deliverer in all my distresses. David’s subjects called him the light of Israel; but he owns he shone, as the moon doth, with a borrowed light: the light which God communicated to him reflected upon them. God is our light, as he shows us the state we are in by nature and practice, and that into which we may and must be brought by grace, in order to our salvation. As our light, he shows us the way in which we must walk, and gives us comfort in walking therein: shows us the hinderances that are in our way, the difficulties, and enemies, and oppositions, we have to encounter, and how we may be enabled to overcome them. It is only in his light that we now proceed on in our Christian course, and it is in his light that we hope to see light for ever. And my salvation — In whom I am safe, and by whom I am and shall be saved. The Lord is the strength of my life — The protector of my exposed life, who keeps me from being slain, and the supporter of my weak and frail life, by whom I am upheld and preserved in being. God, who is a believer’s life, is the strength of his life: not only the person by whom, but in whom he lives.

1. Light… salvation… strength— “The triple shield against sundry terrors, as sufficient to ward them off.”—Calvin.

V. 2. Light-My counsellor in all my difficulties, and my comforter and deliverer in all my distresses. Strength-The supporter and preserver of my life.

Verse 2. When the wicked-came upon me] Near as I appeared to you to be in danger of losing my life, I was safe enough in the hands of the Lord; and those who thought to have eaten me up, stumbled, failed of their purpose, and fell; the Philistine lost his own life.

Verses 2, 3. When my foes came upon me to eat up my flesh — Greedy to devour me: aiming at no less than my utter destruction, and confident they should effect it; they stumbled and fell — Not, I smote them and they fell, but they stumbled, namely, of their own accord, without my lifting a hand against them; and fell — They were so confounded and weakened that they could not go on with their enterprise. Thus they that came to take Christ were, by a word of his, made to stagger and fall to the ground, John 18:6. The ruin of some of the enemies of God’s people is an earnest of the complete conquest of them all. And, therefore, these being fallen, he is fearless of the rest. Though a host should encamp, &c. — Though my enemies be numerous as a host; though they be daring, and their attempts threatening; though they encamp against me, an army against one man; though they wage war upon me, yet my heart shall not fear — Hosts cannot hurt us, if the Lord of hosts protect us.

2. To eat up my flesh—An image borrowed from the habits of beasts of prey. Job 19:22. They stumbled and fell—An evident recognition of a great victory over his enemies. See 2 Samuel 18. Instead of devouring him, they themselves fell.

V. 3. In this-That God is my light.

Verse 3. Though a host should encamp against me] I am so confident of the Almighty’s protection, that were I alone, and encompassed by a host, I would not fear. I am in the hand of God; and while in that hand, I am safe.

Verses 2, 3. When my foes came upon me to eat up my flesh — Greedy to devour me: aiming at no less than my utter destruction, and confident they should effect it; they stumbled and fell — Not, I smote them and they fell, but they stumbled, namely, of their own accord, without my lifting a hand against them; and fell — They were so confounded and weakened that they could not go on with their enterprise. Thus they that came to take Christ were, by a word of his, made to stagger and fall to the ground, John 18:6. The ruin of some of the enemies of God’s people is an earnest of the complete conquest of them all. And, therefore, these being fallen, he is fearless of the rest. Though a host should encamp, &c. — Though my enemies be numerous as a host; though they be daring, and their attempts threatening; though they encamp against me, an army against one man; though they wage war upon me, yet my heart shall not fear — Hosts cannot hurt us, if the Lord of hosts protect us.

3. Though a host—See Psalm 3:6, on same occasion. In this will I be confident—In spite of this, or for all this, I will trust. These first three verses are an outbreathing of the courage of faith.

V. 4. Dwell. &c.-Have opportunity of constant attendance upon God. To behold-That there I may delight myself, in the contemplation of thy amiable and glorious majesty, and of thy infinite wisdom, holiness, justice, truth, and mercy.

Verse 4. One thing have I desired] If I am grown too old, and from that circumstance unable to serve my country, I shall then prefer a retirement to the tabernacle, there to serve God the rest of my days. There I shall behold his glory, and there I may inquire and get important answers respecting Israel.

But though these words may be thus interpreted, on the above supposition, that David penned the Psalm on the occasion of his escape from the Philistine, and the desire expressed by his subjects that he should go no more out to war; yet it appears that they more naturally belong to the captivity, and that this verse especially shows the earnest longing of the captives to return to their own land, that they might enjoy the benefit of Divine worship.

Verse 4. One thing have I desired of the Lord — It greatly encouraged David’s confidence in God, that he was conscious to himself of an entire affection to him and his ordinances, and that he was in his element when he was in the way of his duty, and in the way of increasing his acquaintance with God. If our hearts can witness for us, that we delight in God above any creature, we may from thence take encouragement to depend upon him; for it is a proof that we are of those whom he protects as his own. That I may dwell in the house of the Lord — That I may have opportunity of duly and constantly attending on God in the public service of his house, with other faithful Israelites, as the duty of every day may require; all the days of my life — That I may not hereafter be disturbed in, or driven away from God’s sanctuary and worship, as I have been; to behold the beauty of the Lord — That there I may delight myself in the contemplation of his amiable and glorious majesty, and of his infinite wisdom, holiness, justice, truth, grace, and mercy, and other perfections, which, though concealed, in a great measure, from the world, are clearly manifested in his church and ordinances. To inquire in his temple — That is, in his tabernacle, which he here and elsewhere calls his temple; because his ordinances were there administered, as they were afterward to be in the temple. The word rqbl, lebakker, here rendered to inquire, properly signifies to search, or seek diligently, namely, to know the mind and will of God and his own duty; or, to behold the Lord’s beauty, last mentioned, and the light of his countenance, which is discovered more or less, as men are more or less diligent or negligent, in seeking or inquiring into it. When, with an eye of faith and holy love, we behold this beauty; when, with fixedness of thought, and a holy flame of devout affections, we contemplate the divine excellences, and entertain ourselves with the tokens of his peculiar favour to us, we observe in a still higher degree how infinitely amiable and admirable they are, till our hearts are ravished therewith, and we are lost in wonder, love, and praise.

4. One thing have I desired—One thing, as being the chief and ultimate good—the comprehensive unity in which all things else are included. House of the Lord—The house or place of worship was now a tent, although it is, in this and the following verses, called house, temple, and tent. All the days of my life—This is not to be taken literally, but as of spirit and fellowship, and as a constant habit of sanctuary worship. To behold the beauty of the Lord— “Beauty,” here, has the sense of grace, excellence, especially redeeming grace. See Psalm 90:17. The sense is the same as Psalm 63:2: “As I have seen thee in the sanctuary”—a spiritual discernment of God in his manifold grace to man. The original is peculiar. Construing the verb with the preposition b, (be,) it means to look upon, or into, the “beauty” or grace of Jehovah. The meditation on the moral import of the forms and symbols of the sanctuary and of sanctuary worship is not to be excluded. See in Hebrews 8:5; 9:2; 11:23, 24. These led him up to God. He saw and communed with God through them. Inquire in his temple—That is, to seek the knowledge of God only through the forms and methods which he has ordained, namely, by sacrifice, prayer, and asking counsel of the priest or prophet. See Deuteronomy 17:8-10.

V. 5. The secret-In his tabernacle, into which mine enemies cannot come. He alludes to the ancient custom of offenders, who used to flee to the tabernacle or altar. Rock-A place high and inaccessible.

Verse 5. He shall hide me in his pavilion] hksb besuccoh, in his tabernacle. I would make his temple my residence; I would dwell with God, and be in continual safety. Pavilion comes from papilio and papiliwn, a butterfly. It signifies a tent made of cloth stretched out on poles, which in form resembles in some measure the insect above named. In the secret of his tabernacle] Were there no other place, he would put me in the holy of holies, so that an enemy would not dare to approach me. He shall set me upon a rock.] He shall so strengthen and establish me, that my enemies shall not be able to prevail against me. He shall hide me where they cannot find me, or put me out of the reach of the fiery darts of the wicked. He who lives nearest to God suffers least from temptation. “Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to thee: resist the devil and he will flee from thee.”

Verses 5, 6. In the time of trouble he shall hide, or, hath hid me — Justly do I prize the house and service of God so highly, both because I am under such vast obligations to him for his former protection and favours, and because all my confidence and hope of security depend upon him; in the secret of his tabernacle — Into which mine enemies cannot come; or, as it were in the secret of his tabernacle he shall hide me — That is, in a place as safe as the holy of holies, termed God’s secret place, (Ezekiel 7:22,) into which none might enter but the high-priest, and he only one day in a year. He alludes to the ancient custom of offenders fleeing to the tabernacles or altars for safety. He shall set me upon a rock — Upon a place high and inaccessible, strong and impregnable, where I shall be out of the reach of mine enemies. The temple was thought a safe place for Nehemiah to lie hid in, Nehemiah 6:10; but the safety of believers is not in the walls of the temple, but in the God of the temple, and their comfort in communion with him. My head shall be lifted up above mine enemies — He will advance me above them, and give me a complete victory over them. Therefore will I offer sacrifices of joy — Hebrew, h[wrt, terugnah, of shouting, or resounding, that is, of thanksgiving and praise, which used to be accompanied with the sound of trumpets and other instruments.

5. Pavilion—The word means a covering, a tent, same as tabernacle in next line. Secret of his tabernacle—The covert, or hidingplace of his tent. The sacred tabernacle alone was God’s provided refuge for souls, and its inmost apartment, the “holy of holies,” the hidingplace of his tent, called Psalm 31:20, the “secret of thy presence.” The place of the divine presence was his refuge in trouble. The historic basis of the metaphor is found in the form of Oriental tents and encampments, where the emir has his tent in the centre of the camp, and the inner apartment of the tent reserved for himself. This was the place of honour and greatest safety. See on Psalm 61:4; 31:20. On the plan of encampment, see 1 Samuel 26:5, 7; 17:20; where “trench” means a rampart of military carriages.

Verse 6. Now shall mine head be lifted up] We shall most assuredly be redeemed from this captivity, and restored to our own land, and to the worship of our God in his own temple. There shall we offer sacrifices of joy; we will sing praises unto the Lord, and acknowledge that it is by his might and mercy alone that we have been delivered.

Verses 5, 6. In the time of trouble he shall hide, or, hath hid me — Justly do I prize the house and service of God so highly, both because I am under such vast obligations to him for his former protection and favours, and because all my confidence and hope of security depend upon him; in the secret of his tabernacle — Into which mine enemies cannot come; or, as it were in the secret of his tabernacle he shall hide me — That is, in a place as safe as the holy of holies, termed God’s secret place, (Ezekiel 7:22,) into which none might enter but the high-priest, and he only one day in a year. He alludes to the ancient custom of offenders fleeing to the tabernacles or altars for safety. He shall set me upon a rock — Upon a place high and inaccessible, strong and impregnable, where I shall be out of the reach of mine enemies. The temple was thought a safe place for Nehemiah to lie hid in, Nehemiah 6:10; but the safety of believers is not in the walls of the temple, but in the God of the temple, and their comfort in communion with him. My head shall be lifted up above mine enemies — He will advance me above them, and give me a complete victory over them. Therefore will I offer sacrifices of joy — Hebrew, h[wrt, terugnah, of shouting, or resounding, that is, of thanksgiving and praise, which used to be accompanied with the sound of trumpets and other instruments.

6. Now shall mine head be lifted up—His faith sees the coming exaltation and restoration to his throne. In his tabernacle—His acknowledgments for deliverance should not be private merely, but in the most public manner. Sacrifices of joy—Sacrifices of jubilation, or shouting, are such as were witnessed on the great occasions of their annual feasts, with full choirs of singers and bands of instruments.

Verse 7. Hear, O Lord, when I cry] This is the utmost that any man of common sense can expect-to be heard when he cries. But there are multitudes who suppose God will bless them whether they cry or not; and there are others, and not a few, who although they listlessly pray and cry not, yet imagine God must and will hear them! God will answer them that pray and cry; those who do not are most likely to be without the blessings which they so much need.

Verse 8. When thou saidst, Seek ye my face] How much labour and skill have been employed to make sense of this verse as it stands in our translation! The original words are the following, from which our Version has been forcibly extracted:— vqba hwhy Ëynp ta ynp wvqb ybl rma Ël lecha amar libbi bakkeshu panai; eth paneycha, Yehovah, abakkesh; of which I believe the true rendering to be as follows: “Unto thee, my heart, he hath said, Seek ye my face. Thy face, O Jehovah, I will seek. O my heart, God hath commanded thee to seek his face.” Then, his face I will seek. Which may be paraphrased thus: Unto thee, his Church, God hath said, Seek ye, all who compose it, my face. To which I, his Church, have answered, Thy face, O Jehovah, I will seek. On referring to Archbishop Secker, I find that he, and indeed Bishop Horsley, are of the same mind.

I had formerly proposed another method of reading this difficult verse. Suspecting that some error had got into the text, for ynp wvqb bakkeshu panay, “seek ye my face,” I had substituted Ëynp vqba abakkesh paneycha, “I will seek thy face;” or with the Vulgate and Septuagint, Ëynp ytcqb bakkesti paneycha, “I have sought thy face,” exquisivit te facies mea, exezhthsa to proswpon sou. And this small alteration seemed to make a good sense: “My heart said unto thee, I have sought thy face, (or, I will seek thy face,) and thy face, O Lord, I will seek.” I have not only done what it was my duty and interest to do, but I will continue to do it. Some have proposed to mend the text thus: ybl rma Ël Ël lech lecha, amar libbi, “Go to, saith my heart,” hwhy ynp vqbn nebakkesh peney Jehovah, “Let us seek the face of Jehovah.” This is rather a violent emendation, and is supported by neither MSS. nor Versions. The whole verse is wanting in one of Dr. Kennicott’s MSS. On the whole I prefer what is first proposed, and which requires no alteration in the text; next, that of the Vulgate and Septuagint.

The old Psalter paraphrases thus: Til the saide my hert, the my face soght: thy face, lord, I sal seke. “The gernyng of my hert that spekes til god, and he anely heres: saide til the my face, that es my presence soght the and na nother thyng. And fra now I sal seke thy face lastandly, til my dede; and that I fynd my sekyng:” i.e., To thee, said my heart; thee my face sought: thy face, O Lord, I shall seek. “The gerning of my hert, that spekes til God, and he anely heres, til the my face; that es, my presence soght the and no nother thyng: and fra now I sal seke thy face lastandly, til my dede, and that I fynd my sekyng:” i.e., The yearning strong desire of my heart, which speaks to God, and he alone hears; my face is to thee; that is, myself sought thee, and none other thing, and from now I shall seek thee lastingly till my death, and till that I find what I seek.

Verse 8. When thou saidst — Either by thy word commanding or inviting me so to do; or, by thy Spirit directing and inclining me; Seek ye my face — Seek my presence, and favour, and help, by fervent, faithful prayer; my heart said unto thee — My heart readily and thankfully complied with the motion; and upon the encouragement of this command, or invitation, I resolved I would do so, and I do so at this time. As the words, when thou saidst, are not in the original, and as the verse is rather obscure, some think that the word Elohim, God, should be inserted, and then it may be rendered, To thee, O my heart, God said, Seek ye my face; thy face, Lord, will I seek. Dr. Waterland and Houbigant render it, To thee, said my heart, Seek ye my face; thy face, Lord, will I seek.

8. The psalm here suddenly turns to a prayer for mercy. See the introduction. Seek ye my face—The voice of God inviting David to freely seek the divine favour and help. The first act of grace to every man is a call to seek God. Thy face, Lord, will I seek—A beautiful illustration of prevenient grace, and of the following of the obedient soul, is here given.

V. 9. Away-From thy face or presence, or from the place of thy worship.

Verse 9. Hide not thy face—from me] As my face is towards thee wheresoever I am, so let thy face be turned towards me. In a Persian MS. poem entitled [Persic] Shah we Gudda, “The King and the Beggar,” I have found a remarkable couplet, most strangely and artificially involved, which expresses exactly the same sentiment:—

[Persic]

[Persic]

One meaning of which is:—

OUR face is towards THEE in all our ways;

THY face is towards US in all our intentions.

Something similar, though not the same sentiment is in Hafiz, lib. i., gaz. v., cap. 2:—

[Arabic]

[Arabic]

How can we with the disciples turn our face towards the kaaba, When our spiritual instructer turns his face towards the wine-cellar? I shall subjoin a higher authority than either:—

JOti ofqalmoi Kuriou epi dikaiouv,

Kai wta autou eiv dehsiv autwn,

Proswpon de Kuriou epi poiountav kaka.

1 Peter 3:12.

For the eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous;

And his ears to their supplication:

And the face of the Lord is upon the workers of evil.

Verse 9. Hide not thy face far from me — Which, in obedience to thy command, I am now seeking. Let me never want the reviving sense of thy favour; love me, and give me to know that thou lovest me. Put not thy servant away in anger — Namely, from thy face or presence, or from the place of thy worship. Two ways God and he might be parted, either by God’s withdrawing himself from him, which he might do even in the place of his worship; or by God’s putting him away from the place of his worship. Against the first he seems to pray in the first clause, and against the latter in this.

9. The petitions and deprecations of this verse seem urged by a conscious dread of judgment now possible in view of past sin, and may have a silent pointing back to the one great offence of David’s life, recorded 2 Samuel 11.

Verse 10. When my father and my mother forsake me] Or, more literally, “For my father and my mother have forsaken me; but the Lord hath gathered me up.” My parents were my protectors for a time; but the Lord has been my Protector always. There is no time in which I do not fall under his merciful regards.

Verse 10. When my father and mother forsake me — That is, the nearest and dearest friends I have in the world, from whom I may expect most relief, and with most reason; when they either die, or are at a distance from me, or are unable to help me in the time of need, or are unkind to me, or unmindful of me, and will not help me; when I am as helpless as ever poor orphan was that was left fatherless and motherless, then I know the Lord will take me up, as a poor wandering sheep is taken up, and saved from perishing. His time to help those that trust in him is when all other helpers fail, when it is most for his honour and their comfort: with him the fatherless find mercy. This promise has often been fulfilled in the letter of it. Forsaken orphans have been taken under the special care of Divine Providence, which has raised up relief and friends for them that way that one would not have expected. God is a surer and better friend than our earthly parents are, or can be.

10. When my father… mother forsake me—The extremest case of abandonment is supposed, in order the more forcibly to illustrate the faithfulness of God. To such a one no human friends could be expected to remain. See Isaiah 49:15; Psalm 103:13. Take me up—Literally, gather me, as a parent gathers or takes in his arms and to his home the child that is in danger. See the sense in Deuteronomy 22:2: “Thou shalt bring it unto thine own house.” Isaiah 57:1: “The righteous is taken away”—preserved, rescued.

V. 11. Because of-That I may neither fall into their hands by my folly, nor give them any occasion of triumphing over me.

Verse 11. Teach me thy way] Let me know the gracious designs of thy providence towards me, that my heart may submit to thy will. And lead me in a plain path] In the path of righteousness, because of mine enemies, who watch for my halting.

Verses 11, 12. Teach me thy way — What course I shall take to please thee, and to discharge my duty, and to save myself from ruin; and lead me in a plain path — Of which see the note on Psalm 26:12; where the Hebrew words are the same; because of mine enemies — That I may neither give them cause to open their mouths against me or religion, by my misconduct, nor fall into their hands by my folly, nor afford them any occasion of triumphing over me. Deliver me not over unto the will — Hebrew, vpnb, benephesh, to the soul, that is, the lust, or desire, as the word here means; of mine enemies — Who watch for my halting, and seek my ruin; such as breathe out cruelty — Against me. He presses his request from the consideration of the quality of his enemies, who were both false and cruel, and in both respects hateful to God and men.

11. A plain path—This even or straight path is the Lord’s “way,” as in the preceding member of the verse. See Psalm 26:12. In it there are no dangers. Isaiah 35:8. Because of mine enemies—Who watch all my steps for evil.

Verse 12. Deliver me not over unto the will of mine enemies] To their soul vpnb benephesh; their whole soul thirsts for my destruction. Let them not be gratified. They have suborned witnesses against me, but they are false witnesses: unmask their wickedness, and confound their counsels.

Verses 11, 12. Teach me thy way — What course I shall take to please thee, and to discharge my duty, and to save myself from ruin; and lead me in a plain path — Of which see the note on Psalm 26:12; where the Hebrew words are the same; because of mine enemies — That I may neither give them cause to open their mouths against me or religion, by my misconduct, nor fall into their hands by my folly, nor afford them any occasion of triumphing over me. Deliver me not over unto the will — Hebrew, vpnb, benephesh, to the soul, that is, the lust, or desire, as the word here means; of mine enemies — Who watch for my halting, and seek my ruin; such as breathe out cruelty — Against me. He presses his request from the consideration of the quality of his enemies, who were both false and cruel, and in both respects hateful to God and men.

V. 13. The living-David was thus earnestly desirous of this mercy in this life, not because he placed his portion in these things; but because the truth and glory of God, were highly concerned in making good the promise of the kingdom to him.

Verse 13. I had fainted, unless I had believed] The words in italics are supplied by our translators; but, far from being necessary, they injure the sense. Throw out the words I had fainted, and leave a break after the verse, and the elegant figure of the psalmist will be preserved: “Unless I had believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living” —— What! what, alas! should have become of me! Dr. Hammond has observed that there is a remarkable elegance in the original, which, by the use of the beautiful figure aposiopesis, makes an abrupt breaking off in the midst of a speech. He compares it to the speech of Neptune to the winds that had raised the tempest to drown the fleet of Æneas.—Æneid. lib. i., ver. 131.

Eurum ad se zephyrumque vocat: dehinc talia fatur; Tantane vos generis tenuit fiducia vestri? James cœlum terramque, meo sine numine, venti, Miscere, et tantas audetis tollere moles? Quos ego-sed motos præstat componere fluctus. To Eurus and the western blast he cried, Does your high birth inspire this boundless pride? Audacious winds! without a power from me, To raise at will such mountains on the sea? Thus to confound heaven, earth, the air, and main; Whom I——but, first, I’ll calm the waves again. PITTS.

Verse 13. I had fainted — These words are not in the original, but are added to complete the sense. For the speech is abrupt and imperfect, as is very usual, not only with the inspired penmen, but many other authors, in all vehement passions or commotions of mind, such as David was in at this time. Having declared what perfidious and cruel enemies assaulted and encompassed him, he now subjoins what impression the thoughts thereof made upon him, and speaks like one that wanted words to express how sad and desperate his condition would have been, if he had not been supported by faith in God’s promises. Even the best saints are subject to faint when their troubles become grievous and tedious; their spirits are overwhelmed, and their flesh and heart fail; but then faith is a sovereign cordial: it keeps them from desponding under their burdens; it keeps them hoping, and praying, and waiting; it maintains in them honourable thoughts of God, and an expectation of relief in due time. But what was it, the belief of which kept David from fainting? That he should see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living — By which he means, not only a continuance of the mercy and grace of God to his soul which he already possessed, and which supported him under his trials, but that he should outlive his troubles, and see or enjoy in this life that deliverance from them, and from all his enemies, implied in the promise of the kingdom which God had given him. For, by the land of the living, he means this world, which is often so called in Scripture, and is opposed to the grave, which is the place of the dead. And David was thus earnestly desirous of this mercy in this life, not because he placed his portion in these things, but because the truth and glory of God were highly concerned in making good the promise of the kingdom to him. Heaven, however, is still more properly termed the land of the living; where there is no more death; this earth being rather the land of the dying. And nothing is so effectual to keep the soul from fainting under the calamities of this present time as the believing hope of seeing the goodness of the Lord in that world, with foresights of those glories, and foretastes of those pleasures, which are for evermore.

13. Unless I had believed—Faith in God saved him, and this is the testimony of every godly man in affliction. The original is abrupt and emphatic, omitting the consequence (by aposiopesis) that had followed had he not trusted in God, to be supplied by the imagination. Our English text supplies the omission by the words “I had fainted,” but, as “the land of the living” is the place where he had believed to see the goodness of the Lord, and as this is to be contrasted with sheol, or the place of the dead, we should rather read “I had perished, unless I had believed,” etc.

Verse 14. Wait on the Lord] All ye who are in distress, wait on the Lord. Take me for an example. I waited on him, and he strengthened my heart; wait ye on him, and he will strengthen your heart. You cannot be unsuccessful; fear not. Wait, I say, on the Lord; wait for his succour in doing his will. Age viriliter, says the Vulgate; act like a man, hope, believe, work, and fear not.

Verse 14. Wait on the Lord — O my soul, to which some think he now turns his speech: or rather, O reader, whosoever thou art, wait on God by faith and prayer, and in an humble resignation to his will. Hebrew, hwhy la hwq, kavveh eel Jehovah, look to, or hope for, or expect, the Lord. Be of good courage — Keep up thy spirits in the midst of thy greatest dangers and difficulties: let thy heart be fixed, trusting in God, and thy mind stayed on him, and then none of these things will move thee; wait, I say, on the Lord — Whatever thou doest, grow not remiss or careless in thy attendance upon God, but keep close to him and thy duty. “The psalmist here,” says Dr. Dodd, after Bishop Patrick, “admonishes any person who shall fall into such straits as his, to learn by his example not to be impatient, or to despond presently, much less to despair of relief, if God do not send it just when it is expected. There is no misery so strong and grievous, no devotion so fervent and powerful, as can bring God to article for the time of deliverance; if we will not wait, he will not come. It may be one of the greatest ends for which the affliction we labour under is applied to us, to reform and reduce us, and root out the passion and impatience of our nature; and God is too good a physician to remove the medicine before it hath wrought its effect, or to put us out of his hand before he hath cured us. Indeed, he hath greater reason to teach us this lesson thoroughly, since when he hath given us the deliverance we pray for, and all that we can desire in this life, there is still somewhat more, and of more value than that which he hath given us, which we must wait for:” we must wait “till the few and evil days of our pilgrimage pass away, and we arrive at the mansions prepared for us in the house of our heavenly Father; till our warfare be accomplished, and terminate in the peace of God; till the storms and tempests of wintry time shall give place to the unclouded calm and the ever-blooming pleasures of eternal spring.” — Horne.

14. Wait on the Lord— “Wait,” which is twice repeated for emphasis, has the sense of expect, hope, and hence to be ready for, and answers well to the New Testament word “watch,” (Matthew 24:42;) or, as Peter says, “Hope to the end for the grace.” 1 Peter 1:13.