Psalms · Chapter 90

V. 1. Dwelling place-Although we and our fathers, for some generations, have had no fixed habitation, yet thou hast been instead of a dwelling-place to us, by thy watchful and gracious providence. And this intimates that all the following miseries were not to be imputed to God but themselves.

Verse 1. Lord, thou hast been our dwelling-place] מעונ maon; but instead of this several MSS. have מעוז maoz, “place of defence,” or “refuge,” which is the reading of the Vulgate, Septuagint, Arabic, and Anglo-Saxon. Ever since thy covenant with Abraham thou hast been the Resting-place, Refuge, and Defence of thy people Israel. Thy mercy has been lengthened out from generation to generation.

Verse 1. Lord, thou hast been our dwelling-place, &c. — Although we and our fathers, for some generations, have had no fixed habitation, but have been strangers in a land that was not ours, and afflicted four hundred years; (see Genesis 15:13;) and although we now are, and have been for some time, and must still continue, in a vast, howling wilderness, dwelling in tents, and wandering from place to place; yet thou, Lord, hast been instead of a dwelling-place to us, by thy watchful and gracious providence over us in all places and exigencies. This is said by way of preface to the Psalm, to intimate that the following miseries, which came upon them, were not to be imputed to God, but to themselves.

Verse 1. Our dwelling-place, ˆw[ on, or as the Gothic, wone, to dwell, to inhabit, to co-inhabit: the reference is to the mercyseat. The LXX, Vulgate, and other Versions read, “place of defence,” or refuge; for in God is our refuge, even from the strokes of divine justice.

1. Thou hast been our dwelling-place—This is the proposition sustained throughout the first six verses. The mutable and perishable in man are contrasted with the immutable and absolute in God, in whose eternal years alone the flickering and crushed life of man finds refuge and stability. Especially does the Church find its life and perpetuation in the all-invigorating life of God; and Moses speaks from the heart of the Church. In all generations—Literally, In generation and generation. Four designations of time are given: “In generation and generation,” “before the mountains were brought forth,” “before the world was fashioned,” “from everlasting to everlasting.” Anterior to the date of the world nothing is known but eternity, but God fills both time and eternity. No conceptions of God can be more awful, more sublime.

V. 2. Thou-Thou hadst thy power, and all thy perfections, from all eternity.

Verse 2. Before the mountains were brought forth] The mountains and hills appear to have been everlasting; but as they were brought forth out of the womb of eternity, there was a time when they were not: but THOU hast been ab æternitate a parte ante, ad æternitatem a parte post; from the eternity that is past, before time began; to the eternity that is after, when time shall have an end. This is the highest description of the eternity of God to which human language can reach.

Verse 2. Before the mountains — The most fixed and stable parts of the earth; were brought forth — That is, arose out of the waters; or ever thou hadst formed the earth, &c. — That is, from eternity, which is frequently described in this manner; even from everlasting thou art God — Thou hadst thy power and thy perfections from all eternity. And this eternity of God is here mentioned for two reasons: 1st, That men, by the contemplation thereof, might be brought to a deeper sense of their own frailty, which is the foundation of humility and of all true piety; and to a greater reverence for, and admiration of, the Divine Majesty. And, 2d, For the comfort of God’s people, who, notwithstanding all their present miseries, have a sure and everlasting refuge and portion in him.

2. Mountains were brought forth—Or, born. A poetic figure in beautiful harmony with the teachings of geological science. The earth and the [terraqueous] world—The dry land and the globe, for xra, (erets,) must here be understood of dry land as distinguished from the ocean. The fundamental passage is Genesis 1:10. The description forms an ascending climax as to the age of the oldest things known—mountains, dry land, world, or globe. Having reached the date of creation, all beyond is “from eternity to eternity.” Thou art God—Thou alone art God, the Being of absolute power, as the name la, el, denotes. On the absolute power and eternity of this Being hangs the existence of frail man.

V. 3. Turnedst-But as for man, his case is far otherwise, though he was made by thee happy. and immortal, yet for his sin thou didst make him mortal and miserable. Saidst-Didst pronounce that sad sentence, return, O men, to the dust out of which ye were taken, Genesis 3:19.

Verse 3. Thou turnest man to destruction] Literally, Thou shalt turn dying man, vwna enosh, to the small dust, akd dacca but thou wilt say, Return, ye children of Adam. This appears to be a clear and strong promise of the resurrection of the human body, after it has long slept, mingled with the dust of the earth.

Verse 3. Thou turnest man to destruction — But as for man, his case is far otherwise; his time is short; and though he was made by thee happy and immortal, yet for his sin thou didst make him mortal and miserable. And sayest — Or, didst say, that is, pronounce that sad sentence, Return, ye children of men, namely, to the dust, out of which ye were taken.

Ver. 3. Thou turnest man to destruction. Hebrews akd dakka. This word in the Arabic signifies dust; and is supposed by Michäelis to have the same signification in the Hebrew; for which however there is no sufficient authority. It is therefore by no means clear, that this text relates to the resurrection of the human body. Yet many so understand it.

3. Thou turnest man to destruction— “Man,” a generic term here for the human race, with the fundamental idea of mortal—mortal man. Destruction—Crushing, and by metonomy that which is crushed, that is, dust. Return—That is, return to dust, as Genesis 3:19. Ye children of men—µda should be taken as a proper name, and the passage read, Return to dust, ye sons of Adam.

V. 4. Past-Indeed time seems long when it is to come, but when it is past, very short and contemptible. A watch-Which lasted but three or four hours.

Verse 4. For a thousand years in thy sight] As if he had said, Though the resurrection of the body may be a thousand (or any indefinite number of) years distant; yet, when these are past, they are but as yesterday, or a single watch of the night. They pass through the mind in a moment, and appear no longer in their duration than the time required by the mind to reflect them by thought. But, short as they appear to the eye of the mind, they are nothing when compared with the eternity of God! The author probably has in view also that economy of Divine justice and providence by which the life of man has been shortened from one thousand years to threescore years and ten, or fourscore.

Verse 4. For a thousand years — If we should now live so long, (as some of our progenitors nearly did,) in thy sight — In thy account, and therefore in truth; which is opposed to the partial and false judgment of men, who think time long because they do not understand eternity; or, in comparison of thy endless duration, are but as yesterday, when it is past — Which is emphatically added, because time seems long when it is to come, but when it is passed, and men look back upon it, it seems very short and contemptible. And as a watch in the night — Which lasted but three or four hours.

Ver. 4. A thousand years. According to the chronology of the Samaritan pentateuch, it was about a thousand years from the flood to the time of Moses. See on Genesis 11:13.

4. A thousand years—Longer than the life of Adam or Methuselah. Yesterday when it is past—Which we remember but indifferently, and only by the few commonplace events which transpired. Watch in the night—A synonyme of brevity. On the Hebrew watches, see on Psalm 63:6.

V. 5. Them-Mankind. Away-Universally, without exception or distinction. A sleep-Short and vain, as sleep is, and not minded ‘till it be past.

Verse 5. Thou carriest them away as with a flood] Life is compared to a stream, ever gliding away; but sometimes it is as a mighty torrent, when by reason of plague, famine, or war, thousands are swept away daily. In particular cases it is a rapid stream, when the young are suddenly carried off by consumptions, fevers, &c.; this is the flower that flourisheth in the morning, and in the evening is cut down and withered. The whole of life is like a sleep or as a dream. The eternal world is real; all here is either shadowy or representative. On the whole, life is represented as a stream; youth, as morning; decline of life, or old age, as evening; death, as sleep; and the resurrection as the return of the flowers in spring. All these images appear in these curious and striking verses, Psalm 90:3-6.

Verses 5, 6. Thou carriest them away — Namely, mankind, of whom he spake verse 3. As with a flood — Unexpectedly, violently, and irresistibly. They are as a sleep — Short and vain as sleep is, and not minded till it be past. Or, like a dream, when a man sleepeth, wherein there may be some real pleasure, but never any satisfaction; or some real trouble, but never considerable, and seldom pernicious. Even such an idle and insignificant thing is human life, considered in itself, and without respect to a future state. They are like grass which groweth up — Which sprouteth out of the earth, and becometh more apparent, green, and flourishing. In the evening it is cut down, and withereth — Here the whole space of man’s life is compared to one day, and his prosperity to a part of that day, and ended in the close of it. Thus, in these verses, “the shortness of life, and the suddenness of our departure hence, are illustrated by three similitudes: 1st, That of a flood or torrent pouring unexpectedly and impetuously from the mountains, and sweeping all before it in an instant. 2d, That of sleep, from which when a man awakes, he thinks the time passed in it to have been nothing. 3d, That of the grass grown up in the morning, and cut down and withered in the evening. In the morning of youth, fair and beautiful, man groweth up and flourisheth; in the evening of age (and how often before that evening!) he is cut down by the stroke of death; all his juices, to the circulation of which he stood indebted for life, health, and strength, are dried up; he withereth, and turneth again to his earth.” — Horne.

5. Thou carriest them away as with a flood—Our years are poured forth as a [winter] torrent—quickly gone and cannot be recalled. As a sleep—When one makes no reckoning of time. Like grass which groweth up—Like grass which shall change; that is, quickly pass from one stage to another.

Verses 5, 6. Thou carriest them away — Namely, mankind, of whom he spake verse 3. As with a flood — Unexpectedly, violently, and irresistibly. They are as a sleep — Short and vain as sleep is, and not minded till it be past. Or, like a dream, when a man sleepeth, wherein there may be some real pleasure, but never any satisfaction; or some real trouble, but never considerable, and seldom pernicious. Even such an idle and insignificant thing is human life, considered in itself, and without respect to a future state. They are like grass which groweth up — Which sprouteth out of the earth, and becometh more apparent, green, and flourishing. In the evening it is cut down, and withereth — Here the whole space of man’s life is compared to one day, and his prosperity to a part of that day, and ended in the close of it. Thus, in these verses, “the shortness of life, and the suddenness of our departure hence, are illustrated by three similitudes: 1st, That of a flood or torrent pouring unexpectedly and impetuously from the mountains, and sweeping all before it in an instant. 2d, That of sleep, from which when a man awakes, he thinks the time passed in it to have been nothing. 3d, That of the grass grown up in the morning, and cut down and withered in the evening. In the morning of youth, fair and beautiful, man groweth up and flourisheth; in the evening of age (and how often before that evening!) he is cut down by the stroke of death; all his juices, to the circulation of which he stood indebted for life, health, and strength, are dried up; he withereth, and turneth again to his earth.” — Horne.

6. In the morning it flourisheth and groweth up—In the morning it blossoms and revives, or freshens with new life. ãlj, (hhalaph,) translated “groweth up” in the English version, signifies to change, either in the sense of to pass away, perish, or to increase, revive, and the particular sense must be determined by the connexion and the nature of the subject. In Isaiah 40:31, and 41:1, it takes the latter, also in Job 14:7. In the text it stands opposed to withereth, in the next line. The antithetic parallelism of the verse is very perfect.

V. 7. Are consumed-Thou dost not suffer us to live so long as we might by the course of nature.

Verse 7. We are consumed by thine anger] Death had not entered into the world, if men had not fallen from God.

By thy wrath are we troubled] Pain, disease, and sickness are so many proofs of our defection from original rectitude. The anger and wrath of God are moved against all sinners. Even in protracted life we consume away, and only seem to live in order to die.

“Our wasting lives grow shorter still,

As days and months increase;

And every beating pulse we tell

Leaves but the number less.”

Verses 7-9. We are consumed by thine anger — Caused by our sinful state and lives. Thou dost not suffer us to live so long as we might do by the course of nature. And by thy wrath are we troubled — The generations of men are troubled and consumed by divers diseases, and sundry kinds of death, through the displeasure of God, occasioned by their sins. The provocations and chastisements of Israel are here alluded to. But their case in the wilderness is the case of mankind in the world, and the same thing is true in them and in us. Thou hast set our iniquities before thee — Thou observest them as a righteous judge, and art calling us to an account for them. Our secret sins, &c. — Which, though hidden from the eyes of men, thou hast set before thine eyes, and brought to light by thy judgments. For all our days are passed away in thy wrath — That is, under the tokens of thy displeasure. We spend our years as a tale that is told — Which may a little affect us for the present, but is quickly ended, and gone out of mind. Hebrew, hgh ymk, chemo hege, as a sound, as the expression is rendered Job 32:2; or as a word, which is but air and breath, and vanishes into nothing as soon as spoken. Or, as the word more properly signifies, a meditation or thought, which is of a nature still more fleeting and transient.

7. For we are consumed by thine anger—We are wasting away under the effect of thy death-sentence. As applied by Moses to the Israelites, compare Numbers 14:28-35; as applied to the human race, compare Genesis 3:19. By thy wrath are we troubled—We are terrified. Comp. Psalm 104:29. Habakkuk 3:2; Hebrews 10:31.

V. 8. Hast set-Thou dost observe them, as a righteous judge, and art calling us to an account for them. Secret sins-Which though hid from the eyes of men, thou hast brought to light by thy judgments.

Verse 8. Thou hast set our iniquities before thee] Every one of our transgressions is set before thee; noted and minuted down in thy awful register!

Our secret sins] Those committed in darkness and privacy are easily discovered by thee, being shown by the splendours of thy face shining upon them. Thus we light a candle, and bring it into a dark place to discover its contents. O, what can be hidden from the all-seeing eye of God? Darkness is no darkness to him; wherever he comes there is a profusion of light-for God is light!

Verses 7-9. We are consumed by thine anger — Caused by our sinful state and lives. Thou dost not suffer us to live so long as we might do by the course of nature. And by thy wrath are we troubled — The generations of men are troubled and consumed by divers diseases, and sundry kinds of death, through the displeasure of God, occasioned by their sins. The provocations and chastisements of Israel are here alluded to. But their case in the wilderness is the case of mankind in the world, and the same thing is true in them and in us. Thou hast set our iniquities before thee — Thou observest them as a righteous judge, and art calling us to an account for them. Our secret sins, &c. — Which, though hidden from the eyes of men, thou hast set before thine eyes, and brought to light by thy judgments. For all our days are passed away in thy wrath — That is, under the tokens of thy displeasure. We spend our years as a tale that is told — Which may a little affect us for the present, but is quickly ended, and gone out of mind. Hebrew, hgh ymk, chemo hege, as a sound, as the expression is rendered Job 32:2; or as a word, which is but air and breath, and vanishes into nothing as soon as spoken. Or, as the word more properly signifies, a meditation or thought, which is of a nature still more fleeting and transient.

8. Thou hast set our iniquities before thee—Thou hast called up our sins for judgment. “God sets transgressions before him, when, because the measure is full and forgiveness inadmissible, he makes them an object of punishment.”—Delitzsch. Our secret sins—Sins of the heart, as distinct from overt acts; or, sins committed under cover from human eyes, as Numbers 5:12, 13; or, sins of ignorance. Leviticus 4:22-35; Psalm 19:12. In the light of thy countenance—In the luminary of thy face. The word rendered “light,” in the common version, is luminary, that which causes light—a luminous body. The difference between diffused light and a luminous body is given Genesis 1:3, 14. “Countenance,” in the text, is simply in opposition with luminary. The figure represents God’s “countenance” as a burning sun, into which no human eye can steadily look, and our secret sins are detected by it.

Verse 9. We spend our years as a tale] The Vulgate has: Anni nostri sicut aranea meditabuntur; “Our years pass away like those of the spider.” Our plans and operations are like the spider’s web; life is as frail, and the thread of it as brittle, as one of those that constitute the well-wrought and curious, but fragile, habitation of that insect. All the Versions have the word spider; but it neither appears in the Hebrew, nor in any of its MSS. which have been collated.

My old Psalter has a curious paraphrase here: “Als the iran (spider) makes vayne webe for to take flese (flies) with gile, swa our yeres ere ockupide in ydel and swikel castes about erthly thynges; and passes with outen frute of gude werks, and waste in ydel thynkyns.” This is too true a picture of most lives.

But the Hebrew is different from all the Versions. “We consume our years (hgh wmk kemo hegeh) like a groan.” We live a dying, whining, complaining life, and at last a groan is its termination! How amazingly expressive!

Verses 7-9. We are consumed by thine anger — Caused by our sinful state and lives. Thou dost not suffer us to live so long as we might do by the course of nature. And by thy wrath are we troubled — The generations of men are troubled and consumed by divers diseases, and sundry kinds of death, through the displeasure of God, occasioned by their sins. The provocations and chastisements of Israel are here alluded to. But their case in the wilderness is the case of mankind in the world, and the same thing is true in them and in us. Thou hast set our iniquities before thee — Thou observest them as a righteous judge, and art calling us to an account for them. Our secret sins, &c. — Which, though hidden from the eyes of men, thou hast set before thine eyes, and brought to light by thy judgments. For all our days are passed away in thy wrath — That is, under the tokens of thy displeasure. We spend our years as a tale that is told — Which may a little affect us for the present, but is quickly ended, and gone out of mind. Hebrew, hgh ymk, chemo hege, as a sound, as the expression is rendered Job 32:2; or as a word, which is but air and breath, and vanishes into nothing as soon as spoken. Or, as the word more properly signifies, a meditation or thought, which is of a nature still more fleeting and transient.

9. Our days are passed away in thy wrath—They are “passed away” under the dispensation of thy judicial death-sentence. As a tale that is told—As a mourning. The sense of mourning, as if life were one prolonged death march, or moaning, is more in harmony with the first member of the verse and with the general scope, and is not an unfrequent use of the word. See Ezekiel 2:10; Isaiah 16:7; 38:14; 59:11. The idea is, that of a low murmur, or muffled sound of sorrow, which dies from the ear as soon as uttered.

V. 10. Our years-Of the generality of mankind, in that and all following ages, some few persons excepted. Flee-We do not now go to death, as we do from our very birth, but flee swiftly away like a bird, as this word signifies.

Verse 10. Threescore years and ten] See the note on the title of this Psalm. See Clarke “Psalm 90:1”. This Psalm could not have been written by Moses, because the term of human life was much more extended when he flourished than eighty years at the most. Even in David’s time many lived one hundred years, and the author of Ecclesiasticus, who lived after the captivity, fixed this term at one hundred years at the most (Eccles 18:9;) but this was merely a general average, for even in our country we have many who exceed a hundred years.

Yet is their strength labour and sorrow] This refers to the infirmities of old age, which, to those well advanced in life, produce labour and sorrow. It is soon cut of] It—the body, is soon cut off.

And we fly away.] The immortal spirit wings its way into the eternal world.

Verse 10. The days of our years — Of the generality of mankind, in that and all following ages, some few persons excepted, are threescore years and ten — Which time the ancient heathen writers also fixed as the usual space of men’s lives. And if by reason of strength — That is, more than ordinary strength of constitution, which is the common cause of longer life; they be — In some individuals; fourscore years — At which age few indeed arrive; yet is their strength — Their strongest and most vigorous old age; labour and sorrow — Filled with troubles and griefs from the infirmities of age, the approach of death, and the contingencies of human life. For it is soon cut off — Our strength doth not then decline by slow degrees, as it doth in our flourishing age, but decays apace; we do not then go, nor run toward death, as we do from our very birth, but we fly swiftly toward it, or, fly away like a bird, as the word hp[n, nagnupha, here used, signifies. “If the time here specified by Moses be thought too short a term for the general standard of human life in those early ages, yet it suits well with the particular case of the Israelites in the wilderness, whose lives were shortened by an express decree, so that a great number of them could not possibly reach the age of seventy; and those who did, probably soon felt a swift decay.” — Dodd.

Ver. 10. The days of our years are threescore years and ten. This is a Hebraism, like that which Jacob used to Pharaoh when telling his age: “The days of the years of my pilgrimage are a hundred and thirty years.” Genesis 47:9. This affords a presumptive proof that the author of Genesis, and of this psalm, is the same Moses. But it has been objected, that Moses and other contemporaries lived more than eighty years. Answer, some did; yet the judges and the kings did not live longer; and the judges immediately succeeded Moses, and Joshua his contemporary. It is now only about one in a hundred thousand that exceeds a hundred years.

10. Threescore years and ten—This is not given as the average of human life, nor the absolute maximum, but as the general average maximum. The average of human life may be reckoned between thirty and forty years. Yet is their strength—Their pride, or that in which they boast. Labour and sorrow—The words are nearly synonymous; the sense is, wearisome labour and emptiness—restless toiling and nothing accomplished.

V. 11. Thy fear-According to the fear of thee; according to that fear which sinful men have of a just God. So-It bears full proportion to it, nay indeed doth far exceed it.

Verse 11. Who knoweth the power of thine anger?] The afflictions of this life are not to be compared to the miseries which await them who live and die without being reconciled to God, and saved from their sins.

Verse 11. Who knoweth the power of thine anger? — The greatness, and force, and dreadful effects of thine anger, conceived against the sons of men, and in particular against thine own people, for their sins? Few or none sufficiently apprehend it, or steadfastly believe it, or duly consider it, or are rightly affected with it: all which particulars are comprehended under this word knoweth. Even according to thy fear, so is thy wrath — That is, as some interpret the words, “In proportion to the fear and reverence which are due to thee as the great Lord and Sovereign of the world, so may the transgressors of thy law expect their punishment.” Or, according to the fear and dread which sinful men have, or ought to have, of thee, a just and holy God, so is thy wrath. It bears full proportion to it, nay, indeed, far exceeds it. These fears of thee are not groundless apprehensions, the effects of ignorance and folly, or of superstition, as heathen and infidels have sometimes said, but are just, and built on solid grounds, and justified by the terrible effects of thy wrath upon ungodly men. Nor can it be ever said of thy wrath, as it is often said of death, that the fear of it is worse than the thing itself. Houbigant renders the words thus: Who knoweth, or considereth, the power of thine anger; and thy wrath, in proportion as thou art terrible? That is, in other words, “Notwithstanding all the manifestations of thine indignation against sin, which introduced death and every other calamity among men, who is there that knoweth, who that duly considereth and layeth to heart, the almighty power of that indignation?” Something seems evidently intimated here beyond the punishments of sin in this world; for these are what men feel and experience. But who knows the dreadful punishments of a future world? Well, therefore, is this reflection followed by a devout prayer in the next verse. For the knowledge and consideration here intended are the gift of God.

11. Who knoweth—Who considers. The word implies a knowledge which leads to the avoidance of the cause of divine anger. The power of thine anger—The effective force and terror of thy judgments. According to thy fear—According to the fear due to thee; or, according to the terror which thou hast at times inspired in men. See Psalm 55:5; 66:3, 5; Ezekiel 1:18; John 1:10, 16. Compare Hebrews 12:21. So is thy wrath— So is the reality of thy judgments. “His terrors are not vain and empty; on the contrary, he will execute his threats on impenitent sinners, according as he has declared.”—Phillips.

V. 12. Teach us-To consider the shortness of life, and the certainty and speediness of death. That-That we may heartily devote ourselves to true wisdom.

Verse 12. So teach us to number our days] Let us deeply consider our own frailty, and the shortness and uncertainty of life, that we may live for eternity, acquaint ourselves with thee, and be at peace; that we may die in thy favour and live and reign with thee eternally.

Verse 12. So teach us — By thy Spirit and grace, as thou hast already taught us by thy word; to number our days — To consider the shortness and miseries of this life, and the certainty and nearness of death, and the causes and consequences thereof; that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom — That we may heartily devote ourselves to the study and practice of true wisdom; meaning, undoubtedly, that wisdom which alone is such in the sense of the Holy Scriptures; namely, the fearing God and keeping his commandments, or true, genuine godliness and righteousness; that so, by making a right use of this short, uncertain space of time allotted us here, we may prepare for another state, a state of happiness hereafter. For Moses could not intend hereby to give the Israelites any hopes that, by applying their hearts unto wisdom, they might procure a revocation of that peremptory sentence of death passed upon all that generation; nor to suggest that other men might, by so doing, prevent their death; both which he very well knew to be impossible; but he intended to persuade the Israelites and others to prepare themselves for death, and for their great account after death, and, as they could not continue long in this life, and must expect much misery while they did continue in it, to make sure of the happiness of another. It appears, then, that the Israelites in the wilderness, when cut off from all hopes of an earthly Canaan, and the promises of this life, were not left destitute of better hopes, or without the knowledge of a Redeemer and life to come; and that when it is said, Deuteronomy 8:2, 16, God led them through this great and terrible wilderness, to humble them, and to prove them, that he might do them good in their latter end; the meaning is, “that he might do them good in their future state, according to the most natural sense of the word µtyrja, acharitham, there used, and Deuteronomy 32:29.”

12. So teach us—This looks to the end of all divine judgment. Lamentations 3:39, 40. God’s displeasure is manifested to awaken a salutary fear of him, which shall turn men from sin, and lead to the practice of wisdom. So long as men treat sin as a trifle they will treat God with irreverence and themselves with abuse. Revelation 15:4.

V. 13. Return-To us in mercy. How long-Will it be before thou return to us? Repent thee-Of thy severe proceedings against us.

Verse 13. Return, O Lord, how long?] Wilt thou continue angry with us for ever?

Let it repent thee] הנחם hinnachem, be comforted, rejoice over them to do them good. Be glorified rather in our salvation than in our destruction.

Verses 13-17. Return, O Lord — To us in mercy. How long? — Understand, wilt thou be angry? Or, will it be ere thou return to us? Let it repent thee, &c. — Of thy severe proceedings against us. O satisfy us early with thy mercy — That is, speedily, or seasonably, before we be utterly consumed. Make us glad, &c. — Our afflictions have been sharp and long, let not our prosperity be small and short. Let thy work appear to thy servants — Declare to all the world, that thou hast not quite forsaken us thy servants, but wilt still work wonders for us; and thy glory unto their children — Do more glorious and magnificent things for our children. Let that great and glorious work of giving thy people a complete deliverance, which thou didst long since design and promise, be at last accomplished and manifested in the sight of the world. And let the beauty of the Lord be upon us — His favourable countenance, gracious influence, and glorious presence. And establish the work of our hands upon us — Or, in us. Do not only work for us, but in us; enlighten our minds, and renew our hearts by thy Holy Spirit, that we may turn, and constantly cleave to thee, and not revolt and draw back from thee, as we have frequently done, to our own shame and undoing.

13. Return, O Lord—These terrible judgments are viewed as the result of the divine withdrawal. God is supposed to withdraw when he punishes, and to return when he renews his mercy. The previous verse is a prayer that they might return to God; this that he would return to them. How long— That is, how long wilt thou afflict us? Let it repent thee—Have compassion. The word denotes a change of treatment, which, with men, would imply a change of feeling, or repentance, but as applied to God it is anthropopathic.

V. 14. Early-Speedily.

Verse 14. O satisfy us early] Let us have thy mercy soon, (literally, in the morning.) Let it now shine upon us, and it shall seem as the morning of our days, and we shall exult in thee all the days of our life.

Verses 13-17. Return, O Lord — To us in mercy. How long? — Understand, wilt thou be angry? Or, will it be ere thou return to us? Let it repent thee, &c. — Of thy severe proceedings against us. O satisfy us early with thy mercy — That is, speedily, or seasonably, before we be utterly consumed. Make us glad, &c. — Our afflictions have been sharp and long, let not our prosperity be small and short. Let thy work appear to thy servants — Declare to all the world, that thou hast not quite forsaken us thy servants, but wilt still work wonders for us; and thy glory unto their children — Do more glorious and magnificent things for our children. Let that great and glorious work of giving thy people a complete deliverance, which thou didst long since design and promise, be at last accomplished and manifested in the sight of the world. And let the beauty of the Lord be upon us — His favourable countenance, gracious influence, and glorious presence. And establish the work of our hands upon us — Or, in us. Do not only work for us, but in us; enlighten our minds, and renew our hearts by thy Holy Spirit, that we may turn, and constantly cleave to thee, and not revolt and draw back from thee, as we have frequently done, to our own shame and undoing.

Ver. 14. Oh satisfy us early with thy mercy. Cheer and revive us after visitations for sin, as the earth is revived with showers of rain.

14. Early—Literally, In the morning; but the word here takes the unusual sense of early, soon, as in Psalm 46:5; 49:14; 101:8.

Verse 15. Make us glad according to the days] Let thy people have as many years of prosperity as they have had of adversity. We have now suffered seventy years of a most distressful captivity.

Verses 13-17. Return, O Lord — To us in mercy. How long? — Understand, wilt thou be angry? Or, will it be ere thou return to us? Let it repent thee, &c. — Of thy severe proceedings against us. O satisfy us early with thy mercy — That is, speedily, or seasonably, before we be utterly consumed. Make us glad, &c. — Our afflictions have been sharp and long, let not our prosperity be small and short. Let thy work appear to thy servants — Declare to all the world, that thou hast not quite forsaken us thy servants, but wilt still work wonders for us; and thy glory unto their children — Do more glorious and magnificent things for our children. Let that great and glorious work of giving thy people a complete deliverance, which thou didst long since design and promise, be at last accomplished and manifested in the sight of the world. And let the beauty of the Lord be upon us — His favourable countenance, gracious influence, and glorious presence. And establish the work of our hands upon us — Or, in us. Do not only work for us, but in us; enlighten our minds, and renew our hearts by thy Holy Spirit, that we may turn, and constantly cleave to thee, and not revolt and draw back from thee, as we have frequently done, to our own shame and undoing.

15. According to the days… the years—The period of their sufferings seemed like endless years, and becomes the measurement of the gladness for which the psalmist prays. Let our consolations cause us to forget the length and severity of our sufferings. The symbolical day for a year is here hinted at in the parallelism. Compare Numbers 14:34.

Verse 16. Let thy work appear unto thy servants] That thou art working for us we know; but O, let thy work appear! Let us now see, in our deliverance, that thy thoughts towards us were mercy and love. And thy glory] Thy pure worship be established among our children for ever.

Verses 13-17. Return, O Lord — To us in mercy. How long? — Understand, wilt thou be angry? Or, will it be ere thou return to us? Let it repent thee, &c. — Of thy severe proceedings against us. O satisfy us early with thy mercy — That is, speedily, or seasonably, before we be utterly consumed. Make us glad, &c. — Our afflictions have been sharp and long, let not our prosperity be small and short. Let thy work appear to thy servants — Declare to all the world, that thou hast not quite forsaken us thy servants, but wilt still work wonders for us; and thy glory unto their children — Do more glorious and magnificent things for our children. Let that great and glorious work of giving thy people a complete deliverance, which thou didst long since design and promise, be at last accomplished and manifested in the sight of the world. And let the beauty of the Lord be upon us — His favourable countenance, gracious influence, and glorious presence. And establish the work of our hands upon us — Or, in us. Do not only work for us, but in us; enlighten our minds, and renew our hearts by thy Holy Spirit, that we may turn, and constantly cleave to thee, and not revolt and draw back from thee, as we have frequently done, to our own shame and undoing.

16. Let thy work appear unto thy servants—By causing them to see the reasons of thy judgments, which seem to contradict the purpose and plan of salvation as promised to Abraham, and also by witnessing thy returning mercy. “The work of Jehovah is his realized salvation.”—Delitzsch. And thy glory—Thy works, whether of judgment or mercy, which, when understood, are the glory of thy character. “Glory,” here, is parallel to “work” in the previous member. Unto their children—The coming generation, who are to inherit Canaan after their fathers shall have died in the wilderness. See Numbers 14:29, 31. The children should become acquainted with the glorious acts of God toward his covenant people; and they did, during the last days of Moses and the lives of Joshua and the Elders. But alas! for want of childhood culture the following generation “knew not the Lord,” and served Baalim. Judges 2:7-12.

V. 17. The beauty-His gracious influence, and glorious presence. In us-Do not only work for us, but in us.

Verse 17. And let the beauty of the Lord] Let us have thy presence, blessing, and approbation, as our fathers had.

Establish thou the work of our hands] This is supposed, we have already seen, to relate to their rebuilding the temple, which the surrounding heathens and Samaritans wished to hinder. We have begun, do not let them demolish our work; let the top-stone be brought on with shouting, Grace, grace unto it.

Yea, the work of our hands] This repetition is wanting in three of Kennicott’s MSS., in the Targum, in the Septuagint, and in the Æthiopic. If the repetition be genuine, it may be considered as marking great earnestness; and this earnestness was to get the temple of God rebuilt, and his pure worship restored. The pious Jews had this more at heart than their own restoration; it was their highest grief that the temple was destroyed and God’s ordinances suspended; that his enemies insulted them, and blasphemed the worthy name by which they were called. Every truly pious man feels more for God’s glory than his own temporal felicity, and rejoices more in the prosperity of God’s work than in the increase of his own worldly goods.

Verses 13-17. Return, O Lord — To us in mercy. How long? — Understand, wilt thou be angry? Or, will it be ere thou return to us? Let it repent thee, &c. — Of thy severe proceedings against us. O satisfy us early with thy mercy — That is, speedily, or seasonably, before we be utterly consumed. Make us glad, &c. — Our afflictions have been sharp and long, let not our prosperity be small and short. Let thy work appear to thy servants — Declare to all the world, that thou hast not quite forsaken us thy servants, but wilt still work wonders for us; and thy glory unto their children — Do more glorious and magnificent things for our children. Let that great and glorious work of giving thy people a complete deliverance, which thou didst long since design and promise, be at last accomplished and manifested in the sight of the world. And let the beauty of the Lord be upon us — His favourable countenance, gracious influence, and glorious presence. And establish the work of our hands upon us — Or, in us. Do not only work for us, but in us; enlighten our minds, and renew our hearts by thy Holy Spirit, that we may turn, and constantly cleave to thee, and not revolt and draw back from thee, as we have frequently done, to our own shame and undoing.

17. Beauty—Understand the word in the sense of grace, favour. Compare Psalm 27:4; Zechariah 11:7, 10. Establish—Accomplish, confirm. Work of our hands—The Church co-works with God, (Philippians 2:12, 13,) and her works become established because they are in harmony with the purposes and works of God. Comp. Deuteronomy 14:29; 24:19; 28:12; 30:9. The prayer is for the success and permanent prosperity of the people, both as a nation and a Church, in contrast with their profitless wilderness life, with its reverses, its retrograde marches, and its aimless wanderings. Upon us—Three times the preposition “upon” occurs—twice in the invocation “upon us,” and once “upon their children.” “Because the promoting comes from above.”—Hengstenberg.