Psalms · Chapter 84

Verse 1. How amiable are thy tabernacles] In this plural noun he appears to include all the places in or near the temple where acts of Divine worship were performed. The holy of holies, the holy place, the altar of incense, the altar of burnt-offering, &c., &c.; all called here God’s tabernacles or dwelling-places; for wherever God was worshipped, there he was supposed to dwell.

Verses 1, 2. How amiable are thy tabernacles — That is, thy tabernacle, termed tabernacles; either, 1st, Because it consisted of several parts; or, 2d, To denote its excellence; as behemoth, or beasts, is put for one eminent beast, (Job 40:15,) and wisdoms for excellent wisdom, Proverbs 1:20. My soul longeth, &c. — With vehement desire, to tread again the courts of the Lord’s house, and join with his people in the holy worship there performed. Yea, even fainteth — So the Seventy, reading ekleipei; the Hebrew, however, htlk µgw, vegam caletha, is literally, yea, even is consumed, namely, with grief, for want of thine ordinances, with ardent longings to enjoy them, and with the delay of this comfort, and the disappointment of my hopes and expectations. My heart and my flesh crieth out — My soul and body are pained; or the passion of my heart maketh my tongue cry out; for the living God — To know and love him, and to enjoy his favour and communion with him.

Verse 1. How amiable are thy tabernacles. The word is plural, for the tabernacle had three partitions, the outward, and the inner court, and the most holy place. There was the promised presence of the Lord of hosts; he dwelt in his holy habitation. There was the atoning altar, which took away sin. Leviticus 16:14. There the law was read, and with proper illustrations. There prayer was made in general supplications, as in 1 Kings 8.; and prayer in all particular requests. There psalms were sung, adapted to give utterance to the heart, and to extol the glory of God; and with music to raise the soul above its sorrows. There the Hebrews met at the festivals, and saw the face of one another in the courts of the Lord. Yea, strangers of every cast and colour presented themselves with offerings to the Lord of hosts. Above all, after the prayers were over, the holy prophets preached; men immediately inspired of God, men the most eloquent that ever spake. Men to whom the curtains of futurity stood disclosed; who spake as in the immediate presence of God, and before whom the people were as trembling dust. Oh how they illustrated the law, how they reproved vice, how they argued with sinners of every character, how they denounced judgments on the incorrigible, and closed their fervent addresses with bright and cheering views of the Messiah, and of his kingdom.

1. Amiable—Lovely. Tabernacles—The plural form can mean nothing more than the apartments and cloisters of the sacred place. O Lord of hosts—Or, of armies. This has been called one of the Eloheem psalms. Eloheem, (God,) is used six times; Jehovah, God, twice; Jehovah of hosts, three times; God of hosts, once; Jehovah, God of hosts, once. Like the other Korahitic productions, it is highly lyrical and cheerful. The heart is in lively sympathy with God and his worship, and the frequent use of the divine name is impassioned.

Verse 2. My soul longeth] It is a Levite that speaks, who ardently longs to regain his place in the temple, and his part in the sacred services. My heart and my flesh] All the desires of my soul and body; every appetite and wish, both animal and spiritual, long for thy service.

Verses 1, 2. How amiable are thy tabernacles — That is, thy tabernacle, termed tabernacles; either, 1st, Because it consisted of several parts; or, 2d, To denote its excellence; as behemoth, or beasts, is put for one eminent beast, (Job 40:15,) and wisdoms for excellent wisdom, Proverbs 1:20. My soul longeth, &c. — With vehement desire, to tread again the courts of the Lord’s house, and join with his people in the holy worship there performed. Yea, even fainteth — So the Seventy, reading ekleipei; the Hebrew, however, htlk µgw, vegam caletha, is literally, yea, even is consumed, namely, with grief, for want of thine ordinances, with ardent longings to enjoy them, and with the delay of this comfort, and the disappointment of my hopes and expectations. My heart and my flesh crieth out — My soul and body are pained; or the passion of my heart maketh my tongue cry out; for the living God — To know and love him, and to enjoy his favour and communion with him.

2. My soul longeth… fainteth—My desires for the courts of Jehovah are such, that my strength wastes away. My heart and my flesh crieth out for… God—The psalmist’s desire for the “courts of the Lord” was a longing after God himself. The spiritual sense predominates.

Verse 3. Yea, the sparrow hath found a house] It is very unlikely that sparrows and swallows, or birds of any kind, should be permitted to build their nests, and hatch their young, in or about altars which were kept in a state of the greatest purity; and where perpetual fires were kept up for the purpose of sacrifice, burning incense, &c. Without altering the text, if the clause be read in a parenthesis, the absurdity will be avoided, and the sense be good. “My heart crieth out for the living God, (even the sparrow hath found a house, and the swallow rwrd deror, the ring-dove, a nest for herself, where she may lay; her young,) for thine altars. O Lord of hosts! “ Or, read the parenthesis last: “My heart crieth out for the living God; for thine altars, O Lord of hosts, my King and my God. Even the sparrow hath found out a house, and the swallow (ring-dove) a nest for herself, where she may lay her young;” but I have no place, either of rest or worship, understood. The Chaldee translates thus: “Even the pigeon hath found a house, and the turtle-dove hath a nest because their young may be offered lawfully upon thine altars, O Lord of hosts, my King and my God.” Or, as a comparison seems to be here intended, the following may best express the meaning; “Even as the sparrow finds out (seeks) a house, and the swallow her nest in which she may hatch her young; so I, thine altars, O Lord of hosts, my King and my God.”

Verse 3. Yea, the sparrow hath found a house — That is, a habitation, namely, a nest, as it follows. Even thine altar — Or nigh thine altar, as the Hebrew particle, ta, eth, often signifies, and is rendered by the Seventy and the Chaldee, Judges 4:11. In the Hebrew it is altars, namely, that of burnt-offerings, and the other of incense: near which these birds might be truly said to have their nests, if, as is probable, they were either in some part of the tabernacle or temple, in which the altars were; or in some buildings belonging to or near them. Thus Bishop Patrick understands the verse, whose paraphrase is, “It grieves me, O mighty Lord, whose subject I am, and infinitely engaged for thee, to see the very birds, who know nothing of thee, enjoy that liberty which is denied me; who am here lamenting my distance from thee, when the sparrows and the ring-doves” (Hebrew, rwrd, deror, which the Seventy render trugwn, a turtle, and others a wild-pigeon) “have their constant residence at thy house; and there live so undisturbed, that they build their nests, and bring forth their young in the rafters of it.” The passage, however, is interpreted somewhat differently by several expositors, who read it thus: My heart, &c., crieth out for the living God, (yea, as a sparrow, till she finds a house, and a swallow a nest for herself, where to lay her young,) for thine altars, &c., that is, my heart, &c., crieth out for thine altars, &c. Or thus, “The sparrow findeth a house, &c., but when shall I find access to what I far prefer to a house of my own, the house of God?” Others again read, Even as the sparrow, that is, with the same joy and delight as the sparrow findeth her house, and the swallow (or wild-pigeon) her nest, where she hath laid (so htv, shata, properly means) her young; so should I find thine altars, O Lord of hosts, my king and my God. This last seems the most just and easy exposition of the words. But whichsoever of the interpretations may be preferred, “the design of the passage,” as Dr. Horne has justly observed, “is evidently to intimate to us, that in the house, and at the altar of God, a faithful soul findeth freedom from care and sorrow, quiet of mind, and gladness of spirit; like a bird that has secured a little mansion for the reception and education of her young. And there is no heart endued with sensibility which doth not bear its testimony to the exquisite beauty and propriety of this affecting image.”

Ver. 3. The swallow. rwrd deror, a species of dove. The LXX and Vulgate, “the turtle dove.”

3. The sparrow hath found a house, etc.—To spiritualize this verse, or to convert it into a delicate symbolism, as if the sparrow and swallow represented the psalmist, who had at last found the place of desire, even the altars of God, is to abandon sober interpretation. Neither can we explain it of the well known nesting of birds in oriental mosques and idol temples. The plain historic sense only is admissible. The temple and city had lain desolate for seventy years during the captivity, from B.C. 585 to 515, (see notes on Psalm 74:3, 7,) and the birds had nested in the ruins. Thus the returned exiles found things, and mournfully describe them. rwpx, (tzippor,) here rendered “sparrow,” is a generic term for bird, generally small birds, the connexion determining the species. It occurs thirty nine times in the Old Testament, and is always translated in our English Bible either by bird or fowl, except here and in Psalm 102:7, (see note there,) where also it is rendered “sparrow.” But in these last mentioned places two kinds of bird are denoted. In the text before us its social habit and its disposition to nest among ruins are alluded to, and the sparrow proper is intended. Swallow—The original denotes a bird that flies in circles and glances on the wing, as the “swallow” does.

V. 4. They-That constantly abide in thy house; the priests and Levites, or other devout Jews who were there perpetually, as Anna, Luke 2:36-37. They will-They are continually employed in that blessed work.

Verse 4. Blessed are they that dwell in thy house] They who have such a constant habitation in thy temple as the sparrow or the swallow has in the house wherein it has built its nest.

They will be still praising thee.] They will find it good to draw nigh unto God, as he always pours out his Spirit on his sincere worshippers.

Verse 4. Blessed, &c. — “Here the metaphor is dropped, and the former sentiment expressed in plain language;” are they that dwell in thy house — That constantly abide in, or frequently resort to, thy house; intending either the priests and Levites, who kept constant watch there; or such devout Jews as Anna, Luke 2:37, who were there continually. They will be still praising thee — They are constantly employed in that blessed and glorious work, of praising and serving thee, in the place which thou hast appointed for that end. Observe, reader, “Blessed are, not the mighty and opulent of the earth, but they that dwell in God’s house, the ministers of the eternal temple in heaven, the angels and the spirits of just men made perfect; their every passion is resolved into love, every duty into praise; hallelujah succeeds hallelujah; they are still, for ever, praising thee. And blessed, next to them, are those ministers and members of the church here below, who, in disposition, as well as employment, do most resemble them.” — Horne.

4. Dwell in thy house—The dwellers in the house of God are not simply the Levites, who always serve there, but those who in heart abide there, the spiritual dwellers. They will be still praising thee—Notwithstanding any present affliction or temporary banishment from Zion.

V. 5. Whose strength-Who trusteth in thee as his only strength. Thy ways-Blessed are they whose hearts are set upon Zion and their journey is thither.

Verse 5. The man whose strength is in thee]

“Who life and strength from thee derives;

And by thee moves and in thee lives.”

In whose heart are the ways of them] This is no sense. The original, however, is obscure: בלבבם twlsm mesilloth bilebabam, “the high ways are in their hearts;” that is, the roads winding to thy temple. Perhaps there is a reference here to the high roads leading to the cities of refuge. We wish to escape from the hands and dominion of these murderers, and the roads that lead to Jerusalem and the temple we think on with delight; our hearts are with them, we long to be travelling on them.

Verse 5. Blessed is the man whose strength is in thee — Who trusteth in thee as his only refuge, strength, and portion. Or, who had strength in, or rather, for, (as the Hebrew b, beth, frequently signifies,) thee; that is, who hath (or who useth, for having is sometimes put for using: see Matthew 13:12; 1 Corinthians 7:2) ability of body, and mind for thee, and for thy service; or for that journey, which he here seems to insinuate, and which in the following words he particularly describes. For it must be remembered, that all the males of Israel were required to come to the tabernacle or temple thrice every year, Exodus 34:23, 24; and that some of them lived at a great distance, and consequently, if they went, had to take a long and troublesome journey, which also might sometimes be attended with danger, and other inconveniences; and therefore such as wanted either courage or bodily strength, might be discouraged, or hindered from undertaking it, and so might be deprived of the benefit of enjoying God in his solemn and public worship. Which, though in some cases it might not be their sin, yet surely was a great affliction and infelicity; and, consequently, it was a blessed thing to be free from those impediments, as the psalmist here observes. In whose heart are the ways of them — That is, of those men, who passing, &c., as in verse 6. But these words, of them, are not in the Hebrew; and, as several learned men have observed, disturb or obscure the sense. Others therefore seem to render the clause better, and more agreeably to the Hebrew text, thus: In whose heart are thy ways, (the pronoun thy being often understood,) namely, those ways which lead to thy house; or, the ways, so called, by way of eminence, the ways of, or to, Zion, (as they are called, Lamentations 1:4,) as appears from verse 7. Thus the meaning is, Blessed are they whose thoughts and affections are strongly fixed upon the highways leading to Zion, and upon their journeys thither; who have both strength of body, as is said in the former clause, and readiness of mind, as is here added, to go to Zion; which are the two qualifications requisite for that journey. Blessed are they whose hearts are so set upon Zion, that they are, from time to time, exciting themselves and others, saying, Arise, let us go up to Zion, unto the Lord our God, Jeremiah 31:6. “Such a company of sojourners are true Christians going up to the heavenly Jerusalem: such ought to be their trust in God, and such the subject of their thoughts.” — Horne.

Ver. 5. In whose heart are the ways of them. Our translators, by supplying the words of them, which are not in the Hebrew, have confounded the sense. In whose heart are the ways which lead to Zion—who delight to go up to me feasts, and worship in the tabernacle of the Lord of hosts.

5. In whose heart are the ways of them—Hebrew, The highways are in their hearts. The “ways,” or highways, are the roads, or pilgrim routes, leading to Jerusalem, “the ways of Zion,” Lamentations 1:4:—the principal roads taken in going up to the annual feasts. The true worshipper loved these “ways” and delighted to travel them; they were “in” his “heart,” because they led to the sanctuary, the dwelling-place of Jehovah. In the enthusiastic periods of their history, the Moslems took great care of the pilgrim routes to Mecca, and to provide khans, or resting stations, along the way.

V. 6. Baca-A dry valley in the way to Jerusalem, here put for all places of like nature. Make a well-They dig divers little pits or wells in it for their relief. The rain-God recompenses their diligence with his blessing, sending rain wherewith they may be filled.

Verse 6. Passing through the valley of Baca make it a well] Instead of akb bacha, a mulberry-tree, seven MSS. have hkb becheh, mourning. I believe Baca to be the same here as Bochim, Judges 2:1-6, called The Valley of Weeping. Though they pass through this barren and desert place, they would not fear evil, knowing that thou wouldst supply all their wants; and even in the sandy desert cause them to find pools of water, in consequence of which they shall advance with renewed strength, and shall meet with the God of Israel in Zion.

The rain also filleth the pools.] The Hebrew may be translated differently, and has been differently understood by all the Versions. hrwm hc[y twkrb גם gam berachoth yaateh moreh; “Yea, the instructor is covered or clothed with blessings.” While the followers of God are passing through the wilderness of this world, God opens for them fountains in the wilderness, and springs in the dry places. They drink of the well-spring of salvation; they are not destitute of their pastors. God takes care to give his followers teachers after his own heart, that shall feed them with knowledge; and while they are watering the people they are watered themselves; for God loads them with his benefits, and the people cover them with their blessings.

Verse 6. Who passing — Or, being used to pass; for he seems not to speak of one particular act, but of a common course or custom; through the valley of Baca — A place so called, which some Jewish and other writers affirm to have been a very dry place, and therefore incommodious for travellers in those hot countries, and in hot seasons. Which place may be here mentioned, not exclusively of other ways; for this highway being but one, and on one side of Jerusalem, could not be a general way for all the Israelites thither; but synecdochically for all places of like nature, which made their journey to Jerusalem unpleasant or inconvenient. But their zeal for God’s service did easily overcome this and other difficulties. Or the clause may be rendered, the valley of tears, as this valley might be called, for the trouble or vexation which travellers found there by reason of drought, or other inconveniences. Make it a well — Or, wells; that is, they dig divers little pits or wells in it for their relief. This trouble they willingly undertook, rather than to neglect the opportunity of going up to Jerusalem at their solemn times. And possibly they did this, not only for themselves, but for the benefit of other travellers who came after them; whereby they showed both their piety and charity. The rain also filleth the pools — God recompenseth their diligence in making pits, or cisterns, with his blessing, sending rain wherewith they may be filled, and the thirsty travellers refreshed. It may be proper to inform the reader, that the words may be rendered more agreeably to the Hebrew text, yea, or also pools, or cisterns; that is, they make pools or cisterns, which the rain filleth, or, may fill; which may receive and keep the rain that God sendeth for the refreshment of these travellers, whose great numbers made the provision of water more necessary. But it is not necessary to understand this, and the foregoing clause, of what these passengers did for their own use, as they travelled through this, or such like places; but it may be meant of what pious persons had done before that time; who, having their hearts set upon God’s house, and the ways leading to it, and being desirous to advance the worship of God, and to encourage the people to come to Jerusalem, endeavoured to make those ways easy and convenient; and particularly because those eastern countries were hot and dry, and springs of water were scarce there.

Ver. 6. The valley of Baca; or as many read, hkb Bacah, that is, weeping. But as the name is quite irrelevant to the sense, we ought to follow the LXX, who read, the spring of the sea, or the saline spring, a salt wick, which the people could not drink. Therefore they obviated the difficulty, as far as they could, by digging pools for the rain to fill. This was a shorter route to Jerusalem.

6. Valley of Baca—Valley of weeping, or lamentation. That there was a valley of this name would appear from the manner of referring to it, and also from the use of the definite article, akbh, (the Baca.) But it is not the head of the valley of Rephaim, which Josephus (Ant., 7:4) and the Septuagint (in 2 Samuel 5:23) have called “the place of weeping,” nor the Bochim near Bethel, of Judges 2:1, 4, 5. It must have been some road, or section of a road, notable in the pilgrim routes, or in the route of the returning exiles, (see Jeremiah 31:8, 9; 50:4, 5,) painful to travel and specially arid and waste. Yet even this, to the devout and joyful pilgrim, would be made delightful, as if filled with fountains and covered with verdure. The rain also filleth the pools—Instead of “pools,” read blessings, as in 2 Chronicles 20:26; instead of “filleth,” read covereth; and for “rain,” understand the early, or autumnal rains, (beginning with November,) which prepare the ground for the seed, as in Joel 2:23. The sense is, The early rain, which quickens the parched ground into fertility, covereth the “valley of weeping” with blessings. In Palestine there is little rain from the last of April to the first of November.

V. 7. They go-They grow stronger and stronger. Appeareth-This is added as the blessed fruit of their long and tedious journey.

Verse 7. They go from strength to strength] They proceed from one degree of grace to another, gaining Divine virtue through all the steps of their probation.

Every one of them in Zion appeareth before God.] This is a paraphrase, and a bad one, but no translation. They shall proceed from strength to strength, ˆwyxb אלהים la hary yeraeh el Elohim betsiyon, “The God of gods shall be seen in Zion.” God shall appear in their behalf, as often as they shall seek him; in consequence of which they shall increase in spiritual strength.

Some think there is a reference here to companies of people going up to Jerusalem from different parts of the land, blending together as they go on, so that the crowd is continually increasing. This meaning our translators have put in the margin.

Verse 7. They go from strength to strength — The farther they travel onward in that way, instead of being faint and weary, as travellers in such cases are wont to be, they grow stronger and stronger, being greatly refreshed with the comfortable end of their journey, expressed in the following words. Or, they go from company to company. For they used to travel in troops or companies, for many reasons, and some companies were before others accordingly as they were nearer to the place of worship, or more diligent or more expeditious in travelling. And such as were most zealous would use their utmost endeavours to outstrip others, and to overtake one company of travellers after another, that so they might come with the first unto God in Zion. Every one appeareth before God — This is here added, as the blessed design and fruit of their long and tedious journey, as that which put life into them, and made them bear all inconveniences with great cheerfulness — they are all graciously admitted into the presence of God in Zion. But the words are and may be otherwise rendered, until every one of them appears before the God of gods in Zion. Or, the God of gods shall be seen (or, useth to appear, or, manifest himself) in Zion. Which is mentioned in the close, as the reason of that affection and industry which are described in the foregoing passages.

7. They go from strength to strength—Thus their faith and love convert obstacles into encouragements, and their journey is as a march of triumph, each victory of faith adding new strength, and each khan or halting station a refreshment, not to the body only, but to the soul as well, proving that “he that hath clean hands shall be stronger and stronger,” (Job 17:9,) and so, despite all difficulties, they shall appear in Zion before God “with songs of joy,” as predicted, Isaiah 35:10.

Verse 8. Hear my prayer] Let us be restored to thy sanctuary, and to thy worship.

Verses 8, 9. O Lord God of hosts — Who canst easily remove and subdue those enemies who banish and keep me from the place of thy worship; hear my prayer — In restoring me to thy house and service; which is my chief desire, verses 2, 3. Behold, O God our shield — Look graciously upon me, O thou that takest thy people under thy peculiar protection, pursuant to thy covenant with Abraham our father, and who hast hitherto been our defence against the most powerful enemies; and look upon the face of thine anointed — Upon me, who, though a vile sinner, am thine anointed king. Or, by God’s anointed, he may mean Christ, whose proper name is the Messiah, or, the anointed One. So the sense may be, Lord, I deserve not one kind look from thee, because, by my great wickedness, I have procured thy just displeasure and this banishment; but look upon thy Christ, whose coming and meritorious passion, though future to us, are present to thee, and for his sake look upon me.

V. 9. Look-Cast a favourable eye towards him. Anointed-Of me, who though a vile sinner, am thine anointed king.

Verse 9. Behold, O God, our shield] We have no Protector but thee. Thou seest the deadly blows that are aimed at us; cover our souls; protect our lives!

Look upon the face of thine anointed.] Consider the supplications sent up by him whom thou hast appointed to be Mediator between thee and man-thy Christ. But some apply this to David, to Zerubbabel, to the people of Israel; and each has his reasons.

Verses 8, 9. O Lord God of hosts — Who canst easily remove and subdue those enemies who banish and keep me from the place of thy worship; hear my prayer — In restoring me to thy house and service; which is my chief desire, verses 2, 3. Behold, O God our shield — Look graciously upon me, O thou that takest thy people under thy peculiar protection, pursuant to thy covenant with Abraham our father, and who hast hitherto been our defence against the most powerful enemies; and look upon the face of thine anointed — Upon me, who, though a vile sinner, am thine anointed king. Or, by God’s anointed, he may mean Christ, whose proper name is the Messiah, or, the anointed One. So the sense may be, Lord, I deserve not one kind look from thee, because, by my great wickedness, I have procured thy just displeasure and this banishment; but look upon thy Christ, whose coming and meritorious passion, though future to us, are present to thee, and for his sake look upon me.

9. Our shield—Our protector; so the word is figuratively used Psalm 47:9; Hosea 4:18, where shields is rendered rulers, because they are the natural protectors of the people. The title points to the imperilled state of the nation. Look upon the face of thine anointed—To “look upon the face,” in oriental phrase, is to give assurance of favour. To “look upon the face” of a suppliant is to grant his request. If he has offended and asks mercy, instead of saying, “I forgive you,” the answer is, “I have seen thy face.” David said of Absalom, “Let him turn to his own house, and let him not see my face,” (2 Samuel 14:24;) a mark of high displeasure. Genesis 43:3; 2 Samuel 3:13. But who is the “anointed” here mentioned? Those who think David wrote the psalm apply the title to him. But Zerubbabel must be understood rather, who, with Joshua the high priest, (one the head of the spiritual, and the other of the secular, interests of the nation,) are called the “anointed ones,” or those consecrated with oil. Zechariah 4:14. These leaders of the nation built the great altar, (Ezra 3:2,) and also the temple, (Ezra 5:2,) and the public prosperity rested with them. See Haggai 1:1, and Zechariah 3 and 4, The prayer assumes that if God “look upon the face” of the representatives of the nation in this crisis, the nation will rise from its ruins. Spiritually Christ is our representative, God’s “anointed,” in whose face he can look complacently and grant us peace.

V. 10. Than dwell-In the greatest glory and plenty.

Verse 10. A day in thy courts is better than a thousand.] Not only better than one thousand in captivity, as the Chaldee states, but any where else. For in God’s courts we meet with God the King, and are sure to have what petitions we offer unto him through his Christ.

I had rather be a doorkeeper] O what a strong desire does this express for the ordinances of God! Who now prefers the worship of God to genteel, gay, honourable, and noble company, to mirthful feasts, public entertainments, the stage, the oratorio, or the ball! Reader, wouldst thou rather be in thy closet, wrestling in prayer, or reading the Scriptures on thy knees, than be at any of the above places? How often hast thou sacrificed thy amusement, and carnal delight, and pleasures, for the benefit of a pious heart-searching sermon? Let conscience speak, and it will tell thee.

Verse 10. A day in thy courts is better than a thousand — Namely, elsewhere; which is necessary to complete the sense; or, in the tents of wickedness; which may be supplied out of the next clause. Such ellipses are usual in Scripture. “One day spent in meditation and devotion affordeth a pleasure, far, far superior to that which an age of worldly prosperity could give. Happier is the least and lowest of the servants of Jesus than the greatest and most exalted potentate who knoweth him not.” I had rather be a door-keeper in the house of my God — Which was generally considered as a mean and contemptible office, and belonged to the common Levites, 1 Chronicles 9:19; and 26:1, and therefore might seem very dishonourable for David; than to dwell in the tents of wickedness — Than to live in the greatest glory, and plenty, and pleasure; which is often the lot of the wicked, Psalm 17:14, and 73:6, 7. “He is no proper judge of blessedness who hesitates a moment to prefer the condition of a penitent in the porch to that of a sinner on the throne. If this be the case upon earth, how much more in heaven! O come that one glorious day, whose sun shall never go down, nor any cloud obscure the lustre of his beams; that day, when the temple of God shall be opened in heaven, and we shall be admitted to serve him for ever therein!” — Horne.

10. For—The conjunction connects that which precedes concerning the loveliness of God’s house, (verse 1,) the blessings of those who dwell there, (verses 4-7,) and the prayer of the anointed, (verse 9,) with that which follows, and gives the reason for the psalmist’s pre-eminent choice of a suppliant’s place in the courts of God’s house. I had rather—I have chosen, etc. The preterit indicates a choice already made. Doorkeeper— This is not the idea. A “doorkeeper” in the East, holds an office of honour and trust, not of humility. See Esther 6:2. “The most dignified native of Ceylon is the Maha Modeliar of the governor’s gate, to whom all others must make obeisance.”—Roberts. The Hebrew simply reads, I have chosen rather to sit [or recline] at the threshold, etc., that is, as a suppliant, a beggar. See Luke 16:20. So the Hindu saying, “I am in great trouble, I will go and lie down at the door of the temple.”—Roberts. House—Not the temple of Solomon, which was now in ruins, but the new temple, now in process of erection, or the tabernacle, or place of worship. See on Psalm 116:19. Dwell in the tents of wickedness—The description is that of free nomadic life with luxury, and the comparison lies between this, without God, and the privilege of a worshipper in the outer court, or a beggar lying at the door, of God’s house. See Hebrews 11:24-26.

V. 11. A sun-To enlighten and quicken, and direct and comfort his people. Shield-To save his people from all their enemies. Grace-His favour, which is better than life. Glory-The honour which comes from God here, and eternal glory.

Verse 11. For the Lord God is a sun and shield] To illuminate, invigorate, and warm; to protect and defend all such as prefer him and his worship to every thing the earth can produce.

It is remarkable that not one of the Versions understand the vmv shemesh, as signifying sun, as we do. They generally concur in the following translation: “For the Lord loveth mercy and truth, and he will give grace and glory.” The Chaldee says, “The Lord is as a high wall and a strong shield; grace and glory will the Lord give, and will not deprive those of blessedness who walk in perfection.” Critics in general take the word as signifying a defence or a guard. Instead of vmv shemesh, sun, Houbigant reads rmv shemer, a keeper or guardian, and says that to represent God as the sun is without example in the sacred writings. But is not Malachi 4:2, a parallel passage to this place? “Unto you that fear my name, shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings.” No MS. countenances the alteration of Houbigant.

The Lord will give grace] To pardon, purify, and save the soul from sin: and then he will give glory to the sanctified in his eternal kingdom; and even here he withholds no good thing from them that walk uprightly. Well, therefore, might the psalmist say, Psalm 84:12, “O Lord of hosts, blessed is the man that trusteth in thee.”

Verse 11. The Lord God is a sun — To enlighten, quicken, direct, and comfort all his people; whereas they that live without God in the world walk in darkness and know not whither they go, as is said John 12:35; and shield — To defend them from all their enemies, and from those dreadful and destructive miseries which attend all other men. The Lord will give grace — His favour and friendship, which are better than life. Psalm 63:3. And all the blessed fruits of it, especially the influences, gifts, and graces of his Spirit; and glory — Not the vain glory and splendour of this world, of which David would not have spoken so magnificently, because, upon all occasions, he expresses a great contempt of these things; but the honour which comes from God here, and that eternal and ineffable glory laid up for God’s people in the future world. No good thing will he withhold — Nothing that is truly good in itself, and which would be good for them. This should be well observed, because sometimes afflictions, which are evil in themselves, are good, and necessary, and highly advantageous to good men; while the good things of this world, as they are called, would be very hurtful to them, as is verified by frequent experiments. From them that walk uprightly — That worship and serve God sincerely, and order their conversation aright. Which clause David seems to add designedly, to prevent or remove an objection against what he had now advanced, which might be taken from his own case, whereby it appeared that God was no such sun or shield to him, but exposed him to great and sore calamities. Of which, as being certain and evident, David here assigns the true reason, which was, not any defect in God’s goodness and all-sufficiency, but only his own gross misconduct, whereby he had clouded this sun, and cast away this shield, and forfeited these privileges by departing from his integrity.

11. A sun—To enlighten, enliven, and gladden. See Malachi 4:2; Psalm 4:7. Shield—The symbol of defence. Verse 9. Grace and glory—The idea is, salvation and honour. The spiritual sense must be put foremost, and the honour is that, primarily, which God gives to a pious nation or individual. 1 Samuel 2:30; Jeremiah 43:4. Uprightly— See on Psalm 15.

Verse 12. Blessed is the man that trusteth in thee — Who, though he be deprived of the opportunity of paying that outward worship to thee which is appropriated to thy house; yet giveth thee that inward worship which is more valuable in thy account, and places his chief trust, and hope, and happiness in thee alone. Apply these two verses to the Lord Jesus: “He is a sun to enlighten and direct us in the way, and a shield to protect us against the enemies of our salvation; he will give grace to carry us on from strength to strength, and glory to crown us when we appear before him in Zion; he will withhold nothing that is good and profitable for us in the course of our journey, and will himself be our reward, when we come to the end of it. While, therefore, we are strangers and sojourners here below, far from that heavenly country where we would be, in whom should we trust to bring us to the holy city, the new Jerusalem, of which the Lord God and the Lamb are the temple, but in thee, O Saviour and Redeemer, who art the head of every creature, the captain of the armies of heaven and earth, the Lord of hosts, and King of glory? Blessed, thrice blessed is the man that trusteth in thee.” — Horne.