Psalms · Chapter 36

V. 1. No fear-When I consider the manifold transgressions of ungodly men, I conclude within myself, that they have cast off all fear of the Divine majesty.

Verse 1. The transgression of the wicked saith within my heart] It is difficult to make any sense of this line as it now stands. How can the transgression of the wicked speak within my heart? But instead of ybl libbi, MY heart, four of Kennicott’s and Deuteronomy Rossi’s MSS. have wbl libbo, HIS heart. “The speech of transgression to the wicked is in the midst of his heart.” “There is no fear of God before his eyes.” It is not by example that such a person sins; the fountain that sends forth the impure streams is in his own heart. There the spirit of transgression lives and reigns; and, as he has no knowledge of God, so he has no fear of God; therefore, there is no check to his wicked propensities: all come to full effect. Lust is conceived, sin is brought forth vigorously, and transgression is multiplied. The reading above proposed, and which should be adopted, is supported by the Vulgate, Septuagint, Syriac, Æthiopic, Arabic, and Anglo-Saxon. This latter reads the sentence thus: [Anglo-Saxon]; which I shall give as nearly as possible in the order of the original. “Quoth the unrightwise, that he do guilt in himself: is not fear God’s at fore eyes his.” That is, The unrighteous man saith in himself that he will sin: God’s fear is not before his eyes. The old Psalter, in language as well as meaning, comes very near to the Anglo-Saxon: The unrightwis saide that he trespas in hym self: the drede of God es noght before his een. And thus it paraphrases the passage: The unryghtwis, that es the kynde [the whole generation] of wyked men; saide in hym self, qwar man sees noght; that he trespas, that es, he synne at his wil, als [as if] God roght noght [did not care] qwat he did; and so it es sene, that the drede of God es noght by fore his een; for if he dred God, he durst noght so say.”

I believe these versions give the true sense of the passage. The psalmist here paints the true state of the Babylonians: they were idolaters of the grossest kind, and worked iniquity with greediness. The account we have in the book of Daniel of this people, exhibits them in the worst light; and profane history confirms the account. Bishop Horsley thinks that the word [vp pesha, which we render transgression, signifies the apostate or devil. The devil says to the wicked, within his heart, There is no fear; i.e., no cause of fear: “God is not before his eyes.” Placing the colon after fear takes away all ambiguity in connection with the reading HIS heart, already contended for. The principle of transgression, sin in the heart, says, or suggests to every sinner, there is no cause for fear: go on, do not fear, for there is no danger. He obeys this suggestion, goes on, and acts wickedly, as “God is not before his eyes.”

Verses 1, 2. The transgression of the wicked saith, &c. — When I consider the great and manifold transgressions of ungodly men, I conclude, within myself, that they have cast off all fear and serious belief of the Divine Majesty. For he flattereth himself in his own eyes — He deceiveth himself with vain and false persuasions, that God does not notice or mind his sins, or that he will not punish them. Until his iniquity be found to be hateful — That is, until God, by some dreadful judgment, undeceive him, and find, or make him and others to find by experience, that his iniquity is abominable and hateful, and therefore cannot, and does not, escape a severe punishment. “The last day,” says Dr. Horne, “will show strange instances of this folly.”

Verse 1. There is no fear of God before his eyes. David had some particular or general character of a wicked man before his eyes; a man who flattered himself as bearing an appearance of wisdom and virtue, till his real character was developed by his actions. Then he ceased to be accounted either wise or good.

1. Saith within my heart—Instead of the Hebrew suffix “my,” the Septuagint, Vulgate, Jerome, Syriac, and many other authorities, ancient and modern, have his, which, taking “saith,” µan, (neum,) in the sense of revelation, oracle, would give, “The wicked hath an oracle of transgression in his heart;” that is, his evil disposition, which he consults rather than the word of God, counsels him wickedly. Others, retaining the present Hebrew form, suppose the theme of the psalm to be here announced, and read, “An oracle concerning the transgression of the wicked is within my heart.” But usage is against this, and the former is preferable. The words “within his heart” are very emphatic, denoting with certainty both the original seat and the force of corruption. Matthew 15:18, 19. No fear of God—Contrast with Psalm 16:8. See, also, Romans 3:8.

V. 2. Flattereth-He deceiveth himself with vain persuasions, that God does not mind his sins, or will not punish them. Found-Punish, as the same phrase is used, Numbers 32:23.

Verse 2. For he flattereth himself] He is ruled by the suggestion already mentioned; endeavours to persuade himself that he may safely follow the propensities of his own heart, until his iniquity be found to be hateful. He sins so boldly, that at last he becomes detestable. Some think the words should be thus understood: “He smootheth over in his own eyes with respect to the finding out of his iniquity, to hate it. That is, he sets such a false gloss in his own eyes upon his worst actions, that he never finds out the blackness of his iniquity; which were it perceived by him, would be hateful even to himself.”—Bishop Horsley.

Verses 1, 2. The transgression of the wicked saith, &c. — When I consider the great and manifold transgressions of ungodly men, I conclude, within myself, that they have cast off all fear and serious belief of the Divine Majesty. For he flattereth himself in his own eyes — He deceiveth himself with vain and false persuasions, that God does not notice or mind his sins, or that he will not punish them. Until his iniquity be found to be hateful — That is, until God, by some dreadful judgment, undeceive him, and find, or make him and others to find by experience, that his iniquity is abominable and hateful, and therefore cannot, and does not, escape a severe punishment. “The last day,” says Dr. Horne, “will show strange instances of this folly.”

2. He flattereth himself—He has made it smooth to himself; that is, his false and hypocritical reasonings have made the way of transgression smooth by making sin a trifle. The character here portrayed is not only that of a bold, but crafty, offender. In his own eyes—He treats sin as it appears to “his own eyes,” through his deceitful lusts, not as it appears in the eyes of God and his law. Until his iniquity be found to be hateful—Literally, To discover his sin to hate it. There is nothing improper or unusual in this sense. God often suffers the plans of wicked men to succeed until their consequences develop their real badness, and they become hateful and horrible to themselves. This, if it do not lead to repentance, will become their punishment. We have given what we deem the meaning of these obscure verses.

V. 3. Left off-Once he had some degrees of wisdom, but now he is become an open apostate.

Verse 3. The words of his mouth are iniquity] In the principle; and deceit calculated to pervert others, and lead them astray. He hath left off to be wise, and to do good.] His heart is become foolish, and his actions wicked. He has cut off the connection between himself and all righteousness.

Verses 3, 4. The words of his mouth are iniquity and deceit — Are wicked and deceitful. He hath left off to be wise and to do good — Once he had some degrees of wisdom, and did things that were apparently good, and seemed to be under the government of religion: but now he is an open apostate from that which he once professed. He deviseth mischief upon his bed — Freely from his own inclination, when none are present to provoke him to it. He setteth himself in a way that is not good — He doth not repent of his wicked devices, but resolutely proceeds to execute them, and persists therein. He abhorreth not evil — Though he sometimes professes to feel remorse for his conduct, and desists for a time from his evil practices, yet he does not truly repent of, nor abhor them, and therefore is ready to return to them when any occasion offers itself.

3, 4. The words of his mouth—From the silent oracle of sin in the midst of his heart, (verse 1,) and the self-flattery of verse 2, the growth of sin has now put on the form of words, which, like his thoughts, are iniquity and deceit. His conversation and his objective rule of life conform to his evil heart. He deviseth mischief upon his bed—His retired and nightly hours are given to the concoction of schemes of wickedness. See Proverbs 4:16, and contrast Psalm 63:6. He hath left off… to do good—His sin at first manifests itself negatively. As his ultimate object of living is sinful, he has “left off” duty and the practice of virtue as not subservient to his plans. He setteth himself in a way… not good—He takes a firm stand in his evil course of life. The description is climactic, rising from listening to corrupt inclinations, to self-flattery, words, evil devisings, neglect of all virtuous life, confirmed habits of evil. Comp. Psalm 1:1.

V. 4. Deviseth-Freely, from his own inclination, when none are present to provoke him to it.

Verse 4. He deviseth mischief upon his bed] He seeks the silent and undisturbed watches of the night, in order to fix his plans of wickedness. He setteth himself] Having laid his plans, he fixes his purpose to do what is bad; and he does it without any checks of conscience or abhorrence of evil. He is bent only on mischief, and lost to all sense of God and goodness. A finished character of a perfect sinner.

Verses 3, 4. The words of his mouth are iniquity and deceit — Are wicked and deceitful. He hath left off to be wise and to do good — Once he had some degrees of wisdom, and did things that were apparently good, and seemed to be under the government of religion: but now he is an open apostate from that which he once professed. He deviseth mischief upon his bed — Freely from his own inclination, when none are present to provoke him to it. He setteth himself in a way that is not good — He doth not repent of his wicked devices, but resolutely proceeds to execute them, and persists therein. He abhorreth not evil — Though he sometimes professes to feel remorse for his conduct, and desists for a time from his evil practices, yet he does not truly repent of, nor abhor them, and therefore is ready to return to them when any occasion offers itself.

3, 4. The words of his mouth—From the silent oracle of sin in the midst of his heart, (verse 1,) and the self-flattery of verse 2, the growth of sin has now put on the form of words, which, like his thoughts, are iniquity and deceit. His conversation and his objective rule of life conform to his evil heart. He deviseth mischief upon his bed—His retired and nightly hours are given to the concoction of schemes of wickedness. See Proverbs 4:16, and contrast Psalm 63:6. He hath left off… to do good—His sin at first manifests itself negatively. As his ultimate object of living is sinful, he has “left off” duty and the practice of virtue as not subservient to his plans. He setteth himself in a way… not good—He takes a firm stand in his evil course of life. The description is climactic, rising from listening to corrupt inclinations, to self-flattery, words, evil devisings, neglect of all virtuous life, confirmed habits of evil. Comp. Psalm 1:1.

V. 5. Thy mercy-Mine enemies are cruel and perfidious, but thou art infinite in mercy, and faithfulness. Heavens-Is infinite and incomprehensible. Faithfulness-The truth both of thy threatenings against thine enemies, and of thy promises made to good men. The clouds-Is far above our reach, greater and higher than we can apprehend.

Verse 5. Thy mercy, O Lord, is in the heavens] That is, thou art abundant, infinite in thy mercy; else such transgressors must be immediately cut off; but thy long-suffering is intended to lead them to repentance.

Thy faithfulness reacheth unto the clouds] µyqjv d[ ad shechakim, to the eternal regions; above all visible space. God’s faithfulness binds him to fulfil the promises and covenants made by his mercy. Blessings from the heavens, from the clouds, from the earth, are promised by God to his followers; and his faithfulness is in all those places, to distribute to his followers the mercies he has promised.

Verses 5, 6. Thy mercy, O Lord, is in the heavens — Where it reigns in perfection and to eternity; and from whence it is extended to the sinful and miserable children of men, who peculiarly need it And thy faithfulness — The truth, both of thy threatenings against thine enemies, and of thy promises made to good men; reacheth unto the clouds — Is far above our reach, greater and higher than we can apprehend it. As if he had said, Mine enemies are cruel and perfidious, but thou art infinite in mercy and faithfulness, and in righteousness and lovingkindness, as it here follows: and, therefore, though I despair of them, yet I trust in thee, as other men do for these reasons. Thy righteousness — In all thy counsels and ways in the government of the world; is like the great mountains — Steadfast and immoveable: eminent and conspicuous to all men. Thy judgments — The executions of thy counsels, or the administration of the affairs of the world, and of thy church; are a great deep — Unsearchable as the ocean. O Lord, thou preservest man and beast — The worst of men, yea, even the brute beasts have experience of thy care and kindness, and therefore I have no reason to doubt of it.

Ver. 5. Thy mercy, oh Lord, is in the heavens, from which the sun and the rain descend in every token of mercy to man, and to the beasts of the earth.

5. From the revolting picture of depravity thus given, the psalmist turns, in this second strophe, (verses 5-9,) to elevating and comforting thoughts of God. Thy mercy… in the heavens… faithfulness… unto the clouds— “In” and “unto” are parallel here, so also “heavens” and “clouds.” The comparison is to that which, in our eyes, seems most lofty and honourable, contrasting with the low devices of wicked men.

V. 6. Mountains-Stedfast and unmoveable: eminent and conspicuous to all men. Judgments-The executions of thy counsels. Deep-Unsearchable, as the ocean. Man-The worst of men; yea, the brute-beasts have experience of thy care and kindness.

Verse 6. Thy righteousness is like the great mountains.] la yrrhk keharerey El, like the mountains of God; exceeding high mountains; what, in the present language of geology, would be called primitive mountains, those that were formed at the beginning; and are not the effects of earthquakes or inundations, as secondary and alluvial mountains are supposed to be.

Thy judgments are a great deep] רבה תהום tehom rabbah, the great abyss; as incomprehensible as the great chaos, or first matter of all things which God created in the beginning, and which is mentioned Genesis 1:2, and darkness was on the face, תהום tehom, of the deep, the vast profound, or what is below all conjecturable profundity. How astonishing are the thoughts in these two verses! What an idea do they give us of the mercy, truth, righteousness, and judgments of God!

The old Psalter, in paraphrasing mountains of God, says, Thi ryghtwisnes, that es, ryghtwis men, er gastly hilles of God; for that er hee in contemplacioun, and soner resayves the lyght of Crist. Here is a metaphor taken from the tops of mountains and high hills first catching the rays of the rising sun. “Righteous men are spiritual hills of God; for they are high in contemplation, and sooner receive the light of Christ.” It is really a very fine thought; and much beyond the rudeness of the times in which this Psalter was written.

Man and beast.] Doth God take care of cattle? Yes, he appoints the lions their food, and hears the cry of the young ravens; and will he not provide for the poor, especially the poor of his people? He will. So infinitely and intensely good is the nature of God, that it is his delight to make all his creatures happy. He preserves the man, and he preserves the beast; and it is his providence which supplies the man, when his propensities and actions level him with the beasts that perish.

Verses 5, 6. Thy mercy, O Lord, is in the heavens — Where it reigns in perfection and to eternity; and from whence it is extended to the sinful and miserable children of men, who peculiarly need it And thy faithfulness — The truth, both of thy threatenings against thine enemies, and of thy promises made to good men; reacheth unto the clouds — Is far above our reach, greater and higher than we can apprehend it. As if he had said, Mine enemies are cruel and perfidious, but thou art infinite in mercy and faithfulness, and in righteousness and lovingkindness, as it here follows: and, therefore, though I despair of them, yet I trust in thee, as other men do for these reasons. Thy righteousness — In all thy counsels and ways in the government of the world; is like the great mountains — Steadfast and immoveable: eminent and conspicuous to all men. Thy judgments — The executions of thy counsels, or the administration of the affairs of the world, and of thy church; are a great deep — Unsearchable as the ocean. O Lord, thou preservest man and beast — The worst of men, yea, even the brute beasts have experience of thy care and kindness, and therefore I have no reason to doubt of it.

Ver. 6, 7. Thy righteousness is like the great mountains, which nothing can remove. It is neither the roaring of the seas, nor the shaking of the tempest that can obstruct the constant streams of goodness that flow from thine inexhaustible fulness. Therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of thy wings. The latter words are expletive of the former; which is generally so in the metaboles, which abound in the psalms.

6. Righteousness— “Righteousness” allies with the holiness of God, and is manifested as well in punishing sin as in upholding the just. It is the guard of law. Great mountains—Hebrew, mountains of God, a Hebraism for greatness, strength, firmness. Judgments—Administrations, God’s pronounced sentences of justice and right. Deep—Same word as in Genesis 1:2. The abyss of the ocean: here meaning depths of wisdom and mystery. Preservest man and beast—God’s protective care, in connexion with his righteousness and judgments, is exhibited in his government over rational and irrational beings. There would thus seem to be an impressive moral in his treatment of the inferior orders. Cruelty to animals is a sin against God.

V. 7. Loving-kindness-Though all thine attributes be excellent, yet, above all, thy mercy is most excellent, or precious and amiable.

Verse 7. How excellent is thy loving-kindness] He asks the question in the way of admiration; but expects no answer from angels or men. It is indescribably excellent, abundant, and free; and, “therefore, the children of Adam put their trust under the shadow of thy wings.” They trust in thy good providence for the supply of their bodies; they trust in thy mercy for the salvation of their souls. These, speaking after the figure, are the two wings of the Divine goodness, under which the children of men take refuge. The allusion may be to the wings of the cherubim, above the mercy-seat.

Verses 7, 8. How excellent is thy loving-kindness — Or thy mercy: for it is the same word which is so rendered, verse 5. The sense is, though all thine attributes be excellent and glorious, yet, above all, thy mercy is most excellent, or precious and amiable, as being most necessary and beneficial unto us, poor sinful miserable men. Therefore the children of men put their trust, &c. — Cheerfully commit themselves to thy care and kindness, notwithstanding their own sinfulness, and the rage and power of their adversaries; against all which thy mercy is a sufficient security. They shall be abundantly satisfied — That is, those children of men who trust in thee, as he now said, though they are straitened, oppressed, and persecuted; yet they shall not only be protected and supported for the present; but in due time shall have all their wants and desires fully satisfied. Hebrew, ˆywry, jirvejun, shall be watered, or made drunk, that is, shall be, as it were, overwhelmed with the abundance of its blessings. With the fatness of thy house — With those rich and delightful provisions which thou hast prepared for them in the place of thy worship on earth, thy tabernacle, where thou displayest thy glory, communicatest thy blessings, and acceptest the prayers and praises of thy people. The benefit of holy ordinances is the fatness of God’s house here below, sweet to a sanctified soul, and strengthening to the spiritual and divine life; with this God’s people are abundantly satisfied; they desire nothing more in this world than to live a life of communion with God; and to have the comfort of the promises. But the full, the complete satisfaction is reserved for the future state, and the house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. Every vessel will be perfectly full there. Thou shalt make them drink of the river of thy pleasures — Pleasures that are truly divine; which not only come from thee, as the author of them, but which terminate in thee as the matter and centre of them; which, being purely spiritual, are of the same nature with those of the glorious inhabitants of the heavenly world, and bear some analogy even to the delights of the Eternal Mind. There is a river of these pleasures always full, always fresh, always flowing. There is enough for all, enough for each, enough for evermore, Psalm 46:4. God has not only provided this river for his people, but he makes them to drink of it; works in them a gracious appetite for these spiritual enjoyments, and, by his Spirit, refreshes their souls with them. In heaven they shall for ever drink of them, and shall be satiated with a fulness of joy.

Ver. 6, 7. Thy righteousness is like the great mountains, which nothing can remove. It is neither the roaring of the seas, nor the shaking of the tempest that can obstruct the constant streams of goodness that flow from thine inexhaustible fulness. Therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of thy wings. The latter words are expletive of the former; which is generally so in the metaboles, which abound in the psalms.

7. Shadow of thy wings—A strong anthropomorphism, indicating the protection of love and tenderness. Psalm 63:7; Matthew 23:37.

V. 8. Satisfied-Who trust in thee, as he now said. Fatness-With those delightful provisions, which thou hast prepared for them in heaven. The river-Which denotes both their plenty, and their perpetuity.

Verse 8. They shall be abundantly satisfied] ירוינ yirveyun, they shall be saturated, as a thirsty field is by showers from heaven. Inebriaduntur, they shall be inebriated.—Vulgate. That sal be drunken of the plenteuoste of thi house.—Old Psalter. This refers to the joyous expectation they had of being restored to their own land, and to the ordinances of the temple. Of the river of thy pleasures.] Ëynda ljn nachal adaneycha, (or Ënd[ edencha, as in four MSS.,) the river of thy Eden. They shall be restored to their paradisaical estate; for here is a reference to the river that ran through the garden of Eden, and watered it; Genesis 2:10. Or the temple, and under it the Christian Church, may be compared to this Eden; and the gracious influences of God to be had in his ordinances, to the streams by which that garden was watered, and its fertility promoted.

Verses 7, 8. How excellent is thy loving-kindness — Or thy mercy: for it is the same word which is so rendered, verse 5. The sense is, though all thine attributes be excellent and glorious, yet, above all, thy mercy is most excellent, or precious and amiable, as being most necessary and beneficial unto us, poor sinful miserable men. Therefore the children of men put their trust, &c. — Cheerfully commit themselves to thy care and kindness, notwithstanding their own sinfulness, and the rage and power of their adversaries; against all which thy mercy is a sufficient security. They shall be abundantly satisfied — That is, those children of men who trust in thee, as he now said, though they are straitened, oppressed, and persecuted; yet they shall not only be protected and supported for the present; but in due time shall have all their wants and desires fully satisfied. Hebrew, ˆywry, jirvejun, shall be watered, or made drunk, that is, shall be, as it were, overwhelmed with the abundance of its blessings. With the fatness of thy house — With those rich and delightful provisions which thou hast prepared for them in the place of thy worship on earth, thy tabernacle, where thou displayest thy glory, communicatest thy blessings, and acceptest the prayers and praises of thy people. The benefit of holy ordinances is the fatness of God’s house here below, sweet to a sanctified soul, and strengthening to the spiritual and divine life; with this God’s people are abundantly satisfied; they desire nothing more in this world than to live a life of communion with God; and to have the comfort of the promises. But the full, the complete satisfaction is reserved for the future state, and the house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. Every vessel will be perfectly full there. Thou shalt make them drink of the river of thy pleasures — Pleasures that are truly divine; which not only come from thee, as the author of them, but which terminate in thee as the matter and centre of them; which, being purely spiritual, are of the same nature with those of the glorious inhabitants of the heavenly world, and bear some analogy even to the delights of the Eternal Mind. There is a river of these pleasures always full, always fresh, always flowing. There is enough for all, enough for each, enough for evermore, Psalm 46:4. God has not only provided this river for his people, but he makes them to drink of it; works in them a gracious appetite for these spiritual enjoyments, and, by his Spirit, refreshes their souls with them. In heaven they shall for ever drink of them, and shall be satiated with a fulness of joy.

Ver. 8. They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of thy house. The peace-offerings of sheep and oxen, with cakes and wine, suggested this idea of spiritual and intellectual delight. When God is adored in the happy and appropriate language of prayer; when the law and the prophets are expounded, in connection with every associate idea of providence and grace, the soul is satisfied as with marrow and fatness, and delights to dwell in his courts. The garden of God is irrigated with rivers of pleasure, for with him is the fountain of life, ever flowing in plenitude of divine enjoyment.

8. Fatness of thy house—The Church, with her doctrines, ordinances, spiritual communions, is here compared to a house furnished with every luxury for the household. The word satisfied means to satiate the thirst, as being the strongest appetite of the body. River of thy pleasures— Denoting abundance and liberality. “The outward rites are here treated according to their spiritual significance, receiving the depth of meaning which radically belongs to them.”—Delitzsch.

V. 9. Life-It is in God as in a fountain, and from him is derived to us. But-Of that glorious and blessed, and endless life, which alone is worthy of the name. Light-In the light of thy glorious presence, which shall be fully manifested, when we see thee face to face. Light-Joy and comfort, and happiness: the word light is elegantly repeated in another signification; in the former clause it is light discovering, in this light, discovered or enjoyed.

Verse 9. For with thee is the fountain of life] This, in Scripture phrase, may signify a spring of water; for such was called among the Jews living water, to distinguish it from ponds, tanks, and reservoirs, that were supplied by water either received from the clouds, or conducted into them by pipes and streams from other quarters. But there seems to be a higher allusion in the sacred text. חיים rwqm Ëm[ yk ki immecha mekor chaiyim, “For with thee is the vein of lives.” Does not this allude to the great aorta, which, receiving the blood from the heart, distributes it by the arteries to every part of the human body, whence it is conducted back to the heart by means of the veins. As the heart, by means of the great aorta, distributes the blood to the remotest parts of the body; so, GOD, by Christ Jesus, conveys the life-giving streams of his providential goodness to all the worlds and beings he has created, and the influences of his grace and mercy to every soul that has sinned. All spiritual and temporal good comes from Him, the FATHER, through Him, the SON, to every part of the creation of God.

In thy light shall we see light.] No man can illuminate his own soul; all understanding must come from above. Here the metaphor is changed, and God is compared to the sun in the firmament of heaven, that gives light to all the planets and their inhabitants. “God said, Let there be light; and there was light; “by that light the eye of man was enabled to behold the various works of God, and the beauties of creation: so, when God speaks light into the dark heart of man, he not only beholds his own deformity and need of the salvation of God, but he beholds the “light of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ;” “God, in Christ, reconciling the world to himself.” “In thy light shall we see light.” This is literally true, both in a spiritual and philosophical sense.

Verse 9. With thee is the fountain of life — From which those rivers of pleasure flow. Life is in God as in a fountain, and from him is derived to us. As the God of nature, he is the fountain of natural life; in him we live, and move, and have our being. As the God of grace, he is the fountain of spiritual life: all the strength and comfort of sanctified souls; all their gracious principles, powers, and performances, are from him. He is the spring and author of all their sensations of divine things, and of all their motions toward them; and he invites all that thirst, nay, and whosoever will, to come and partake of these waters of life freely. As the God of glory, he is the fountain of eternal life: the happiness of glorified saints consists in the vision and fruition of him, and in the immediate communications of his love, without interruption, or fear, or cessation. This glorious, blessed, and endless life is alone worthy of the name of life: this present temporal life being only a passage to death, and a theatre of great and manifold calamities. In thy light — In the knowledge of thee in grace, and the vision of thee in glory; especially in the latter; in the light of thy countenance, or glorious presence, which then shall be fully manifested unto us, when we shall see thee clearly and face to face, and not through a glass and darkly, as we now see; shall we see light — The light of life, as it is called, John 8:12; light in this clause being the same thing with life in the former: pure light without any mixture of darkness; knowledge without ignorance, holiness without sin, happiness without misery. The word light is elegantly repeated in another signification; in the former clause it is light discovering, in this, light discovered or enjoyed.

Ver. 9. In thy light shall we see light. Life and light are here happily associated, as in the new testament; for this is life eternal to know thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. It is in his light that we see the way of happiness opened; it is in his light that we see future glory disclosed; it is in his light that we see with open face, as in a glass, the glory of the Lord, and walk in the light as he is in the light.

9. With thee is the fountain of life—Here is the fundamental truth of all divine revelation. See Jeremiah 2:13; John 17:13. From this “fountain” flow all streams of the water “of life” to irrigate and beautify the Eden of God. Revelation 22:1; compare Genesis 2:10-14. In thy light shall we see light—The figure changes. As there is no water of life but that which proceeds from God the eternal “Fountain,” so there is no “light” of life but God’s revealed truth. John 1:4, 9; Revelation 22:5. Such language, in the Old Testament or the New, is susceptible only of the highest spiritual application, as an earnest of the life eternal with God.

As a concluding prayer, David recognises, in verses 10-12, the Church as in great affliction from the doings of wicked, unprincipled oppressors. Verse 10 is a prayer for the Church; verse 11, for the poet himself, herein personifying the Church. See the introductory note.

Verse 10. O continue thy loving-kindness] Literally, “Draw out thy mercy.” The allusion to the spring is still kept up.

Unto them that know thee] To them who acknowledge thee in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation.

And thy righteousness] That grace which justifies the ungodly, and sanctifies the unholy.

To the upright in heart.] bl yrvyl levishrey leb, to the straight of heart; to those who have but one end in view, and one aim to that end. This is true of every genuine penitent, and of every true believer.

Verse 10. O continue thy loving-kindness unto them, that know thee — That is, that know thee so as sincerely to love thee, for every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God: whereas he that loveth not, knoweth not God, for God is love, 1 John 4:7. As thou hast begun, so continue the manifestation and exhibition of thy loving-kindness to such, both in this life and the next. Hebrew, Ëdsj Ëvm, meshok chasdecha, extend, or draw forth thy lovingkindness, or mercy: let it not be like a fountain sealed, but let it be drawn forth for their comfort. And thy righteousness to the upright in heart — By giving them that protection and assistance, which thou art by nature inclined, and by thy promise engaged to give them.

V. 11. The foot-Of my proud and insolent enemies. Come-So as to overthrow me.

Verse 11. Let not the foot of pride come against me] Let me not be trampled under foot by proud and haughty men.

Let not the hand of the wicked remove me.] yndnt tenideni, shake me, or cause me to wander. Both these verses may have immediate respect to the captives in Babylon. The Jews were, when compared with the Babylonians, the people that knew God; for in Jewry was God known, Psalm 76:1; and the psalmist prays against the treatment which the Jews had received from the proud and insolent Babylonians during the seventy years of their captivity: “Restore us to our own land; and let not the proud foot or the violent hand ever remove us from our country and its blessings; the temple, and its ordinances.”

Verse 11. Let not the foot of pride — That is, of my proud and insolent enemies; come against me — Or upon me, namely, so as to overthrow or remove me, as it is in the next clause; either, 1st, From my trust in, and obedience to thee: or, 2d, From my place and station; from the land of my nativity, and the place of thy worship. Or as yndnt, tenedeeni, may be rendered, shake me, or cast me down, that is, subdue and destroy me. Some translate the former clause; Let me not be trampled under the foot of pride. “There seems,” says Dr. Dodd, “to be a particular beauty in this expression, by which David elegantly intimates the supercilious haughtiness and disdainful insolence of his enemy; who, if he had been in his power, would spurn him under his foot, and trample on him.”

V. 12. There-He seems as it were to point at the place, as if it were already done.

Verse 12. There are the workers of iniquity fallen] THERE, in Babylon, are the workers of iniquity fallen, and so cast down that they shall not be able to rise. A prophecy of the destruction of the Babylonish empire by Cyrus. That it was destroyed, is an historical fact; that they were never able to recover their liberty, is also a fact; and that Babylon itself is now blotted out of the map of the universe, so that the site of it is no longer known, is confirmed by every traveller who has passed over those regions. The word שם sham, THERE, has been applied by many of the fathers to the pride spoken of in the preceding verse. There, in or by pride, says Augustine, do all sinners perish. There, in heaven, have the evil angels fallen through pride, says St. Jerome. There, in paradise, have our first parents fallen, through pride and disobedience. There, in hell, have the proud and disobedient angels been precipitated.—Eusebius, &c. THERE, by pride, have the persecutors brought God’s judgments upon themselves. See Calmet. But the first interpretation is the best.

Verse 12. There are the workers of iniquity fallen — There, where they came against me, and hoped to ruin me. He seems, as it were, to point at the place with his finger, as if their downfall were already effected, and he could tell all the circumstances of it. Upon the very spot where they practise their treachery, they receive their downfall, which is the proper force of the word µv, sham, as za, az, denotes the very instant of time.

12. There are the workers of iniquity fallen—The adverb is emphatic. “There,” where they had laid all their plans and rested their hopes of success, even “there” have they fallen. The place and moment which they had fixed upon for the triumph of their evil purposes God has chosen as the fittest for their overthrow. See note on Psalm 2:5.