Psalms · Chapter 92

Verse 1. It is a good thing to give thanks] This Psalm begins very abruptly. Good to confess unto the Lord. He had been acknowledging God’s goodness, and praising him for his mercy; and now he breaks out and tells how good he felt this employment to be.

Verses 1, 2. It is a good thing to give thanks, &c. — It is a good work, and a just debt, which is due from us to God; to show forth thy loving-kindness, &c. — To adore and celebrate thy goodness and truth continually, and especially at those two solemn times of morning and evening, which, on every day, and particularly upon the sabbath day, were devoted to the worship and service of God.

1. Good… give thanks—The word “good,” in Hebrew, is of broad significance—good in all times and on all occasions. Such is the exercise of praise to God. “In every thing give thanks,” 1 Thessalonians 5:18; “Offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually,” Hebrews 13:15.

Verse 2. To show forth thy loving-kindness] Ëdsj chasdecha, thy abundant mercy, in the morning-that has preserved me throughout the night, and brought me to the beginning of a new day: and thy faithfulness in the night, that has so amply fulfilled the promise of preservation during the course of the day. This verse contains a general plan for morning and evening prayer.

Verses 1, 2. It is a good thing to give thanks, &c. — It is a good work, and a just debt, which is due from us to God; to show forth thy loving-kindness, &c. — To adore and celebrate thy goodness and truth continually, and especially at those two solemn times of morning and evening, which, on every day, and particularly upon the sabbath day, were devoted to the worship and service of God.

2. Morning… night—Daily, special, and constant. An allusion to the daily morning and evening sacrifice, when the people went up to the temple to worship, or at these hours (about 9 A.M. and 3 P.M.) observed the time in prayer at home.

Verse 3. Upon an instrument of ten strings] Eusebius, in his comment on this Psalm, says: Yalthrion de dekacordon, h tou aJgiou pneumatov dia twn Aisqhthriwn Pente men tou swmatov,

isariqmwn de thv yuchv dunamewn, epiteloumenh latreia, “The Psaltery of ten strings is the worship of the Holy Spirit, performed by means of the five senses of the body, and by the five powers of the soul.” And, to confirm this interpretation, he quotes the apostle, 1 Corinthians 14:15: “I will pray with the spirit, and with the understanding also; I will sing with the spirit, and with the understanding also.” “As the mind has its influence by which it moves the body, so the spirit has its own influence by which it moves the soul.” Whatever may be thought of this gloss, one thing is pretty evident from it, that instrumental music was not in use in the Church of Christ in the time of Eusebius, which was near the middle of the fourth century. Had any such thing then existed in the Christian Church, he would have doubtless alluded to or spiritualized it; or, as he quoted the words of the apostle above, would have shown that carnal usages were substituted for spiritual exercises. I believe the whole verse should be translated thus: Upon the asur, upon the nebel, upon the higgayon, with the kinnor. Thus it stands in the Hebrew.

Verse 3. Ten strings. Stringed instruments, as in Psalm 150:4. These are four, the asur, the nebal, the higgaion, and the kinnor or harp: a full band for singing in the courts of the Lord. This is a psalm of David; and it would seem from the language, that the enemies were his enemies: ver. 9-

11. The horn of the unicorn, ver. 10, designates regal power. Seeing his desire on his enemies, is equivalent to confidence of victory; and flourishing in the courts of the Lord, ver. 13, gives assurance that the psalm was composed, not in Babylon, as Arian critics would suggest, but while religion was under the splendour of a devout king.

3. Instrument of ten strings… psaltery… harp—See note on Psalm 81:2; 33:2. Upon the harp with a solemn sound—Either a gentle sound, or a grave undertone—double bass. The meditative tone of the psalm, though cheerful, would indicate the latter.

Verse 4. For thou, Lord, hast made me glad through thy work] I am delighted with thy conduct towards me; with the work of thy providence, the works of thy grace, and thy works of creation.

Verses 4, 5. For thou hast made me glad through thy work, &c. — Which thou didst create by thine almighty power, and dost still govern with infinite wisdom. “A prospect of creation, in the vernal season,” says Dr. Horne, “fallen as it is, inspires the mind with joy, which no words can express. But how doth the regenerate soul exult and triumph at beholding that work of God’s hands whereby he creates all things anew in Christ Jesus! If we can be pleased with such a world as this, where sin and death have fixed their habitation; shall we not much rather admire those other heavens and that other earth wherein dwell righteousness and life? What are we to think of the palace, since even the prison is not without its charms!” O Lord, how great are thy works! — Great beyond expression, beyond conception! The products of boundless power and unsearchable wisdom; men’s works are nothing to them. We cannot comprehend the greatness of God’s works, and therefore must reverently and awfully wonder, and even stand amazed at the magnificence of them. Thy thoughts are very deep — Here he assigns the reason of the inconceivable greatness and grandeur of God’s works. Mens’ works are little and trifling, for their thoughts are shallow: but God’s works are very great, and such as cannot be measured, because his thoughts are very deep, and such as cannot be fathomed. Or, he speaks of God’s counsels and methods in the government of the world and of his church. All his counsels, whether in creation or providence, as much exceed the contrivances of human wisdom as his works do the efforts of human power!

4. Glad through thy work— “Work,” here, is used collectively for a series of providential acts. The pious heart is gladdened when faith sees the purposes of God unfolding. Triumph in the works of thy hands—In this second hemistich a different word for “work” is used; one of more comprehensive import, and expressive of acts of creation as well as providence.

V. 5. Thoughts-Thy counsels in the government of the world and of thy church.

Verse 5. How great are thy works!] They are multitudinous, stupendous, and splendid: and thy thoughts-thy designs and counsels, from which, by which, and in reference to which, they have been formed; are very deep-so profound as not to be fathomed by the comprehension of man.

Verses 4, 5. For thou hast made me glad through thy work, &c. — Which thou didst create by thine almighty power, and dost still govern with infinite wisdom. “A prospect of creation, in the vernal season,” says Dr. Horne, “fallen as it is, inspires the mind with joy, which no words can express. But how doth the regenerate soul exult and triumph at beholding that work of God’s hands whereby he creates all things anew in Christ Jesus! If we can be pleased with such a world as this, where sin and death have fixed their habitation; shall we not much rather admire those other heavens and that other earth wherein dwell righteousness and life? What are we to think of the palace, since even the prison is not without its charms!” O Lord, how great are thy works! — Great beyond expression, beyond conception! The products of boundless power and unsearchable wisdom; men’s works are nothing to them. We cannot comprehend the greatness of God’s works, and therefore must reverently and awfully wonder, and even stand amazed at the magnificence of them. Thy thoughts are very deep — Here he assigns the reason of the inconceivable greatness and grandeur of God’s works. Mens’ works are little and trifling, for their thoughts are shallow: but God’s works are very great, and such as cannot be measured, because his thoughts are very deep, and such as cannot be fathomed. Or, he speaks of God’s counsels and methods in the government of the world and of his church. All his counsels, whether in creation or providence, as much exceed the contrivances of human wisdom as his works do the efforts of human power!

5. Thy works… thy thoughts—The term “works,” here, refers to those of creation and providence; “thoughts,” to plans and methods. These are words of that sound philosophy which penetrates deep enough into God’s “works” to perceive they are unfathomable to human intellect, and is modest enough to confess the same, while it is devout also to adore the wisdom which it cannot comprehend. Compare Romans 11:33.

V. 6. A brutish man-Who is led by sense, not by reason and faith. This-The depth of God’s counsels and works.

Verse 6. A brutish man knoweth not] בער איש ish baar, the human hog-the stupid bear-the boor; the man who is all flesh; in whom spirit or intellect neither seems to work nor exist. The brutish man, who never attempts to see God in his works.

Neither doth a fool understand this.] lysk kesil, the fool, is different from בער baar, the brutish man; the latter has mind, but it is buried in flesh; the former has no mind, and his stupidity is unavoidable.

Verse 6. A brutish man — Who cannot, or doth not, seriously consider things; whose mind is corrupted by sensual and brutish appetites; who is led by sense, and not by reason and faith, knoweth not — That thy works are so inexpressibly great and wonderful; neither doth a fool understand this — The depth of wisdom displayed in thy counsels, and of power in thine operations, or the particular work of God, described verse 7. “Glorious are thy works, profound thy counsels, marvellous thy dispensations in nature, in providence, in grace; but all are lost to the man void of spiritual discernment; who, like his fellow-brutes, is bowed down to earth, and knoweth no pleasures but those of sense. Here he hath chosen his paradise, and set up his tabernacle; not considering that his tabernacle must shortly be taken down, and he must remove hence for ever.” — Horne. Reader, is this thy character?

6. Brutish man—A stupid man. Compared to a brute because he lives to appetite, and enters not into the true reasons of things; not recognising God as creator and ruler. See Psalm 49:12, 20. Fool—The word signifies a dull, sluggish person, with the accessory idea of impiety, and answers to “brutish man” in the preceding line. Such men have no perception of the wise and wonderful moral government which is pledged to the certain overthrow of the wicked and the establishment of the righteous.

Verse 7. When the wicked spring as the grass] This is a lesson which is frequently inculcated in the sacred writings. The favour of God towards man is not to be known by outward prosperity; nor is his disapprobation to be known by the adverse circumstances in which any person may be found. When, however, we see the wicked flourish, we may take for granted that their abuse of God’s mercies will cause him to cut them off as cumberers of the ground; and, dying in their sins, they are destroyed for ever.

Verses 7, 8. When the wicked spring, &c. — Many interpreters connect this with the preceding verse, thus: A brutish man knoweth not, &c., that when the wicked spring as the grass, and when all the workers of iniquity do flourish, it is that they shall be destroyed for ever: “they are only nourishing themselves, like senseless cattle, in plentiful pastures, for the approaching day of slaughter.” Their present worldly prosperity is a presage and occasion of their utter ruin. But thou, O Lord, art most high for evermore — That is, they shall perish, but thou shalt endure, as is said in a like comparison, Psalm 102:26. They flourish for a season, but thou rulest for ever, to judge and punish them. So this verse is added by way of opposition to the former.

7. Wicked spring as the grass—Suddenly, and with greenness and freshness of hope. Destroyed for ever—And at the moment when their hope springs forth like the fresh grass. The brutish man does not consider this.

Verse 8. High for evermore.] They are brought down and destroyed; but the Lord is exalted eternally, both for his judgments and his mercies.

Verses 7, 8. When the wicked spring, &c. — Many interpreters connect this with the preceding verse, thus: A brutish man knoweth not, &c., that when the wicked spring as the grass, and when all the workers of iniquity do flourish, it is that they shall be destroyed for ever: “they are only nourishing themselves, like senseless cattle, in plentiful pastures, for the approaching day of slaughter.” Their present worldly prosperity is a presage and occasion of their utter ruin. But thou, O Lord, art most high for evermore — That is, they shall perish, but thou shalt endure, as is said in a like comparison, Psalm 102:26. They flourish for a season, but thou rulest for ever, to judge and punish them. So this verse is added by way of opposition to the former.

Verses 9, 10. For lo, thine enemies, &c., shall perish — He represents their destruction as certain, and as present, which the repetition of the words implies. But my horn shalt thou exalt, &c. — But, as for me and other righteous persons, (of whom he says the same thing, verse 12,) we shall be advanced to true and everlasting honour and felicity: I shall be anointed with fresh oil — Oil, sweet and uncorrupted; that is, I shall have great cause of rejoicing, and testifying my joy, by anointing myself; as the manner was in feasts, and all joyful solemnities.

9. For, lo… for, lo—This repetition of the interjective particle is intensive, as if the speaker was seized with sudden amazement and horror at the spectacle of such an unlooked for destruction of his enemies, who were also God’s enemies. If we apply this, historically, to Sennacherib, compare this vision of his catastrophe with the proud beginnings of the war, when he first marched to Jerusalem by the way of Michmash, (described Isaiah 10:28-32,) and Isaiah’s prediction of his overthrow, verses 33, 34; compare, also, 2 Kings 19:35-37. Scattered—Broken to pieces; that is, with violence and without order.

V. 10. Anointed-I shall have cause of testifying my joy by anointing myself, as the manner was at all joyful solemnities.

Verse 10. Like the horn of a unicorn.] ראים reeym, perhaps here, the oryx or buffalo. But the rhinoceros seems to be the real monoceros of the Scriptures.

I shall be anointed with fresh oil.] Perhaps the allusion is here not to any sacramental anointing, but to such anointings as were frequent among the Asiatics, especially after bathing, for the purpose of health and activity.

Verses 9, 10. For lo, thine enemies, &c., shall perish — He represents their destruction as certain, and as present, which the repetition of the words implies. But my horn shalt thou exalt, &c. — But, as for me and other righteous persons, (of whom he says the same thing, verse 12,) we shall be advanced to true and everlasting honour and felicity: I shall be anointed with fresh oil — Oil, sweet and uncorrupted; that is, I shall have great cause of rejoicing, and testifying my joy, by anointing myself; as the manner was in feasts, and all joyful solemnities.

Ver. 10. An unicorn. Designating strength, as described on Numbers 23:22.

10. But my horn shalt thou exalt—Thou shalt “exalt” me to power and honour. Unicorn—Or buffalo. See on Psalm 22:21. There is no animal of one horn which answers to the Hebrew µar, (re’eem,) which, following the Septuagint and Vulgate, our translators have always rendered “unicorn.” The rhinoceros does not meet the Bible description, and far less the antelope. See more in note on Psalm 22:21. Exalting the “horn” denotes strength and victory, and the figure is based upon the majestic and proud elevation of the “horns” of the wild buffalo when excited by danger. On his proverbial strength see Numbers 23:22. Fresh oil—Green oil. “Retaining,” says Calmet, “somewhat of the colour and fragrance of the plant.” Roberts thinks it is cold-drawn oil, which has been extracted from the berry or fruit without the process of boiling. “The orientals,” he says, “prefer this kind for anointing themselves to all others. It is considered the most precious and the most pure and efficacious. Nearly all the medicinal oils are thus extracted, and are very dear.”

Verse 11. Mine eye also shall see,—and mine ears shall hear] Even in my own times my enemies shall be destroyed; and of this destruction I shall either be an eye-witness or have authentic information.

Verse 11. Mine eye also shall see my desire, &c. — The words, my desire, are twice inserted in this verse by our translators, and it seems improperly, as there is nothing for them in the original, which is literally, Mine eye also shall look upon mine enemies, and mine ears shall hear of the wicked that rise up against me; nor are they found in the Septuagint, or in several other versions ancient and modern. There is indeed an ellipsis, but, as Dr. Horne observes, would it not be better to supply it thus: “Mine eye shall behold the fall of mine enemies; and mine ears shall hear of the destruction of the wicked?” &c. The psalmist undoubtedly foresaw their dreadful doom, but we cannot infer, from that circumstance, that he desired it.

11. Mine eye… shall see… desire—The enemies which were feared had become powerless. God had made “the horn” of his power a terror to them, and the gladness of promised victory had come to the author’s soul like fresh oil. His eye, his ear, could desire no more. The expression “Thine eye shall see,” etc., denotes, Thou shalt witness and consider. Compare Psalm 37:34; 59:10; 91:8. This language is yet to receive, in the spiritual sphere, its highest fulfilment to the Church.

V. 12. Palm-tree-Which is constantly green and flourishing.

Verse 12. The righteous shall flourish like the palm-tree] Very different from the wicked, Psalm 92:7, who are likened to grass. These shall have a short duration; but those shall have a long and useful life. They are compared also to the cedar of Lebanon, an incorruptible wood, and extremely long-lived. Mr. Maundrell, who visited those trees in 1697, describes them thus: “These noble trees grow among the snow, near the highest part of Lebanon. Some are very old, and of prodigious bulk. I measured one of the largest, and found it twelve yards six inches in girt, and yet sound; and thirty-seven yards in the spread of its boughs. At about five or six yards from the ground, it was divided into five limbs, each of which was equal to a large tree.” Some of these trees are supposed to have lived upwards of one thousand years! The figure of the palm-tree gives us the idea of grandeur and usefulness. The fruit of the palm-tree makes a great part of the diet of the people of Arabia, part of Persia, and Upper Egypt. The stones are ground down for the camels; the leaves are made into baskets; the hard boughs, or rather strong leaves, some being six or eight feet in length, make fences; the juice makes arrack; the threads of the web-like integument between the leaves make ropes, and the rigging of small vessels; and the wood serves for slighter buildings and fire-wood. In short, the palm or date tree, and the olive, are two of the most excellent and useful productions of the forest or the field.

The cedar gives us the idea of majesty, stability, durableness, and incorruptibility. To these two trees, for the most obvious reasons, are the righteous compared. William Lithgow, who travelled through the holy land about A.D. 1600, describes the cedars of Mount Lebanon as “being in number twenty-four, growing after the manner of oaks, but a great deal taller straighter, and thicker, and the branches growing so straight, and interlocking, as though they were kept by art: and yet from the root to the top they bear no boughs, but grow straight and upwards like to a palm-tree. Their circle-spread tops do kiss or embrace the lower clouds, making their grandeur overlook the highest bodies of all other aspiring trees. The nature of this tree is, that it is always green, yielding an odoriferous smell, and an excellent kind of fruit, like unto apples, but of a sweeter taste, and more wholesome. The roots of some of these cedars are almost destroyed by the shepherds, who have made fires thereat, and holes where they sleep; yet nevertheless they flourish green above, in the tops and branches.”—Lithgow’s 17 years’ Travels, 4to., London, 1640.

Verse 12. The righteous shall flourish like the palm-tree — Which is constantly green and flourishing, spreads its branches very wide, and grows to a vast size, affording a most refreshing shade to travellers. It also produces dates, a very sweet, luscious, and grateful kind of fruit; is a most beautiful tree, and every way an invaluable treasure to the inhabitants of those hot countries, and therefore a fit emblem of the flourishing state of a righteous man. He shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon — The cedars in Lebanon are immensely large, being some of them thirty-five, or even forty feet in the girt, and thirty-seven yards in the spread of their boughs. They flourish for ages, and are always green; and, when cut down, yield a most beautiful kind of wood, inclining to a brown colour, solid, durable, and, in some sort, incorruptible. These then, as well as the palm-trees, compared with the short-lived and withering grass, are a striking illustration of the well-founded, durable, and continually increasing virtue and happiness of the truly righteous, in opposition to the momentary, trifling, and perpetually decaying prosperity of the wicked.

Ver. 12. The palmtree, now called the date tree, described in Exodus 15:27.

12. The righteous shall flourish—The psalmist now drops the first person, as used in verses 4, 10, 11, and again speaks in general terms of general principles. Like the palm—This tree was long-lived, vigorous, fresh in its growth, perpetual in its verdure, and renowned for its beauty and fertility. Song of Solomon 7:7. It was once the glory of Palestine, though now almost perished from the land. The branches of the palm were used as the emblem of joy and triumph, (Leviticus 23:40; Nehemiah 8:15; John 12:12, 13; Revelation 7:9;) but the metaphor in the text is based on the fresh, rapid, and healthful growth of the tree, as the word “flourish” indicates. See the use of this word in Ezekiel 17:24; Isaiah 35:1, 2, translated blossom;Song of Solomon 6:11; 7:12; Psalm 92:13. Cedar—The pride of the mountain, as the palm was of the lower lands. It is celebrated for its breadth of branch, its majesty, its verdure, and its utility.

V. 13. Planted-Whom God by his gracious providence has fixed there. The house-In its courts; he means in the church of God, whereof all good men are living members.

Verse 13. Those that be planted in the house of the Lord] I believe the Chaldee has the true meaning here: “His children shall be planted in the house of the sanctuary of the Lord, and shall flourish in the courts of our God.” As these trees flourish in their respective soils and climates, so shall the righteous in the ordinances of God. I do not think there is any allusion to either palm-trees or cedars, planted near the tabernacle or temple.

Verses 13, 14. Those that be planted in the house of the Lord — In his church, of which all righteous persons are real and living members: those whom God, by his gracious providence and Holy Spirit, hath planted and fixed there, and incorporated with his people; shall flourish in the courts of our God — Like the trees just mentioned, they shall retain their pleasant verdure, extend their cooling shade, refresh many by their sweet and nourishing fruit, or support and adorn them by their useful qualities, and increase continually in grace and goodness. They shall still bring forth fruit in old age — When their natural strength decays it shall be renewed: their last days shall be their best days, wherein, as they shall grow in grace, so they shall increase in comfort and blessedness. He seems to allude to the palm-trees above mentioned, which produce, indeed, little fruit till they be about thirty years of age, but after that time, while their juice continues, the older they become, are the more fruitful, and will bear each three or four hundred pounds of dates every year. “Happy the man whose goodness is always progressive, and whose virtues increase with his years; who loseth not, in multiplying of worldly cares, the holy fervours of his first love, but goeth on, burning and shining more and more, to the end of his days!” — Horne.

13. Planted in the house of the Lord—The metaphor is carried through this and the following verses. The right planting is first essential to growth and fertility. See note on Psalm 52:8; and compare Jeremiah 17:8; Ezekiel 19:10, 13; Matthew 15:13. Shall flourish—Grow vigorously, and with unfading leaf. See verse 12 and Psalm 1:3. True church life, in its doctrines, ordinances, and fellowships, is God’s soil for spiritual growth.

V. 14. Old age-Their last days shall be their best days, wherein they shall grow in grace, and increase in blessedness.

Verse 14. They shall still bring forth fruit in old age] They shall continue to grow in grace, and be fruitful to the end of their lives. It is a rare case to find a man in old age full of faith, love, and spiritual activity.

Verses 13, 14. Those that be planted in the house of the Lord — In his church, of which all righteous persons are real and living members: those whom God, by his gracious providence and Holy Spirit, hath planted and fixed there, and incorporated with his people; shall flourish in the courts of our God — Like the trees just mentioned, they shall retain their pleasant verdure, extend their cooling shade, refresh many by their sweet and nourishing fruit, or support and adorn them by their useful qualities, and increase continually in grace and goodness. They shall still bring forth fruit in old age — When their natural strength decays it shall be renewed: their last days shall be their best days, wherein, as they shall grow in grace, so they shall increase in comfort and blessedness. He seems to allude to the palm-trees above mentioned, which produce, indeed, little fruit till they be about thirty years of age, but after that time, while their juice continues, the older they become, are the more fruitful, and will bear each three or four hundred pounds of dates every year. “Happy the man whose goodness is always progressive, and whose virtues increase with his years; who loseth not, in multiplying of worldly cares, the holy fervours of his first love, but goeth on, burning and shining more and more, to the end of his days!” — Horne.

14. Fruit in old age… fat and flourishing—The greenness and fertility here may allude to the olive tree, (see on Psalm 52:8; 128:3;) but the description transcends the laws of nature, as the doctrine of the divine life outsteps the analogy of vegetable life. The fruits of the Spirit are grown upon the stock of the immortal and regenerate mind, and are as unfailing as it. See note on Psalm 128:3.

Verse 15. To show that the Lord is upright] Such persons show how faithful God is to his promises, how true to his word, how kind to them who trust in him. He is the Rock, the Fountain, whence all good comes. There is no unrighteousness in him.] He does nothing evil, nothing unwise, nothing unkind. He is both just and merciful.

Verse 15. To show that the Lord is upright, &c. — That he is true to his promises, and faithful to every word that he hath spoken, and therefore does not leave nor forsake those that cleave to him, but carries on the work which he has begun. As it is by his promises that believers first partake of a divine nature, so it is by his promises that that divine nature is preserved and maintained, and therefore the power it exerts is an evidence that the Lord is upright, and such he will show himself to be with an upright man, Psalm 18:25. He is my rock — I have chosen him for my rock, on which to build my confidence and hopes for time and eternity, and in the clefts of which to take shelter in the time of danger: and I have found him a rock, strong and steadfast, and his word firm and stable. And there is no unrighteousness in him — He is as able, and will be as kind, as his word represents him to be. All that ever trusted in God have found him faithful and all-sufficient, and none were ever made ashamed of their hope in him. He is just and upright in his dealings with his intelligent creatures, “immoveable in his counsels, and determined to punish the wicked and reward the good; so that, when his proceedings shall come to be unfolded at the last day, it will appear to men and angels that there is no unrighteousness in him.” — Horne.

15. To show that the Lord is upright—To vindicate the truth of his promises, and the rectitude of his ways with those who fear him. He is my rock—A precious confession, coming from the depths of a grateful and triumphant soul. There is no unrighteousness in him—Moses had said the same, after a long life of wonderful experience. Deuteronomy 32:4. Evil may present various forms of apparent contradiction of God’s faithfulness, but the deeper insight of faith apprehends, and the result proves, that God is justified in his sayings, and will overcome when he judges. Psalm 51:4; Romans 3:4.