Bible Commentaries

Psalms 17:2 — Let my sentence - Hebrew, “my judgment.” The allusion is to a judgment or sentence as coming from God in regard to the matter referred to in the psalm, to wit, the injuries which he had received from his enemies. He felt that they had done him injustice

Psalms 19:6 — His going forth - The psalmist now describes that race which he has to run, as borne over the entire circuit of the heavens, from one end of it to another - sweeping the whole space across the firmament.Is from the end of the heaven - From one end of

Psalms 22:18 — They part my garments among them - They divide; they apportion. This refers merely to the fact that they made such a division or distribution of his garments; the manner in which it was done, is specified in the other part of the verse. The word “garments”

Psalms 28:9 — Save thy people - All thy people. The psalm appropriately closes with a prayer for all the people of God. The prayer is offered in view of the deliverance which the psalmist had himself experienced, and he prays that all the people of God might experience

Psalms 42 overview — The title of this psalm is, “To the chief Musician, Maschil, for the sons of Korah.” On the phrase “To the chief Musician,” see the notes at the title to Psalms 4:1-8. On the term “Maschil,” see the notes at the title to Psalms 32:1-11. This title is

Psalms 42:4 — When I remember these things - These sorrows; this banishment from the house of God; these reproaches of my enemies. The verb used here is in the future tense, and would be appropriately rendered “I will remember these things, and I will pour out my

Psalms 57:8 — Awake up, my glory - By the word “glory” here some understand the tongue; others understand the soul itself, as the glory of man. The “word” properly refers to that which is weighty, or important; then, anything valuable, splendid, magnificent. Here

Psalms 65:4 — Blessed is the man whom thou choosest - That is, Happy is the man; or, “Oh, the happiness of the man whom thou dost thus permit to approach thee.” The construction here in the Hebrew is the same as in Psalms 1:1. See the notes at that passage. The word

Psalms 69:28 — Let them be blotted out of the book of the living - That is, Let them cease to live; let them not be numbered among living people; let them be cut off. This language is taken from the custom of registering the names of persons in a list, roll, or catalogue,

Psalms 72:8 — He shall have dominion also from sea to sea - There is probably an allusion here to the promise in Exodus 23:31 : “And I will set thy bounds from the Red Sea even unto the sea of the Philistines, and from the desert unto the river.” This was the original

Psalms 74:8 — They said in their hearts - They purposed; they designed it.Let us destroy them together - Let us destroy all these buildings, temples, towers, and walls at the same time; let us make an entire destruction of them all.They have burned up all the synagogues

Psalms 77:3 — I remembered God - That is, I thought on God; I thought on his character, his government, and his dealings; I thought on the mysteries - the incomprehensible things - the apparently unequal, unjust, and partial doings - of his administration. It is evident

Psalms 83:18 — That men may know - That all people may be impressed with the belief that thou art the true and only God. This was the design and aim of the prayer in the psalm. It was that there might be such a manifestation of the power of God; that it might be so

Psalms 83:3 — They have taken crafty counsel - The one word translated “have taken crafty” - ערם ‛âram - means properly to make naked; and then, to be crafty, cunning, malignant, 1 Samuel 23:22. It is well rendered here, they have taken crafty counsel. The meaning

Psalms 87:7 — As well the singers as the players on instruments shall be there - literally, “The singers as the players on instruments.” The image is that of a musical procession, where the singers go before, followed by those who play on various instruments of music.

Psalms 93:5 — Thy testimonies are very sure - All that thou hast borne witness to; all that thou hast affirmed or declared to be true. This would embrace “all that” God has spoken, whether his law, his promises, his commands, his prophecies, or his statements of what

Acts 13:33 — God hath fulfilled - God has completed or carried into effect by the resurrection of Jesus. He does not say that every part of the promise had reference to his resurrection; but his being raised up completed or perfected the fulfillment of the promises

Romans 11:9-10 — And David saith ... - This quotation is made from Psalms 69:22-23. This Psalm is repeatedly quoted as having reference to the events recorded in the New Testament. (See the note at Acts 1:2.) This quotation is introduced immediately after one that undoubtedly

Ephesians 4:8 — Wherefore he saith - The word “he” is not in the original; and it may mean “the Scripture saith,” or “God saith.” The “point” of the argument here is, that Christ, when he ascended to heaven, obtained certain “gifts” for people, and that those gifts

Ephesians 4:9 — Now that he ascended - That is, it is affirmed in the Psalm that he “ascended” - “Thou hast ascended on high.” This implies that there must have been a previous “descent;” or, as applicable to the Messiah, “it is a truth that he previously descended.”