Bible Commentaries

Psalms 1:6 — The instrument of the judgment that will determine the ultimate fate of these two basic kinds of people is God’s knowledge (cf. Matthew 7:23). He knows (has intimate, loving concern about) what they have done (cf. Exodus 2:25; Exodus 19:4; Romans

Psalms 104:35 — 5. Epilogue 104:35b The psalm concludes as it began, with the psalmist reminding himself to bless the Lord by praising Him. "Praise the Lord" translates the Hebrew haleluyah. The translators often simply transliterated this Hebrew expression

Psalms 119:1-176 — Psalms 119 The anonymous psalmist who wrote this longest psalm sought refuge from his persecutors and found strength by meditating on the Word of God. This psalm, the longest chapter in the Bible, is largely a collection or anthology of prayers and

Psalms 119:17-24 — 3. An appreciation for God’s Word 119:17-24 The psalmist’s prayer for God to illuminate his understanding concerning His Word is one that all God’s people need to pray (Psalms 119:17-18). Psalms 119:19-20 reflect the writer’s

Psalms 120:1-7 — Psalms 120 Psalms 120-134 are all "songs of ascent." This group, in turn, constitutes the major part of the Great Hallel psalms (Psalms 120-136). The psalms of ascent received this title because the pilgrim Israelites sang them as they traveled

Psalms 136:26 — 3. Reminder to thank God 136:26 This concluding exhortation contains a title for God unique in the Psalter: the God of heaven. It highlights His sovereignty and was a favorite of the postexilic community (2 Chronicles 36:23; Ezra 2:1; Ezra 5:11-12;

Psalms 23:1-6 — Psalms 23 David reflected on God’s many blessings to him and concluded that God would continue to be faithful to him and grant him fellowship in the future. This is a psalm of trust and confidence in God’s goodness in the present and in

Psalms 23:6 — 3. The believer’s response 23:6 David realized that God’s good loyal love (Heb. hesed) would pursue him throughout his life. To follow here does not mean to bring up the rear but to pursue vigorously (cf. Psalms 83:15). [Note: Kidner, p.

Psalms 24:9-10 — To underline the glory of Yahweh as the great King, David repeated the exhortation and the explanation contained in Psalms 24:7-8 respectively. These verses restate, in synonymous parallelism, the same thought, and all four verses serve as a victory

Psalms 4:1-8 — Psalms 4 Many students of the psalms have recognized that Psalms 4 is very closely akin to Psalms 3 in both subject matter and structure. It is an individual lament with motifs characteristic of psalms of confidence. Bullock saw this type of psalm as

Psalms 53:1-6 — Psalms 53 This psalm is another version of the one that appears in Book 1 as Psalms 14. David wrote it, and "mahalath" is a tune name. One interesting difference between this psalm and Psalms 14 is that this one contains the name Elohim whereas

Psalms 54:1-7 — Psalms 54 David composed this individual lament psalm after the Ziphites had told King Saul where he was hiding (1 Samuel 23:19). He expressed great confidence in God’s protection of him in it. The psalm is a fitting prayer for any believer who is maligned by others.

Psalms 6:1-10 — Psalms 6 Many interpreters consider this one of the penitential psalms in which David repented for some sin he had committed and for which he was suffering discipline (cf. Psalms 32, 38, 51, 102, 130, 143). [Note: See the excursus on the penitential

Psalms 6:8-10 — 4. Assurance of recovery 6:8-10 Apparently David received an answer to his petition. It may have come through a prophet or just the inner conviction that he would recover (cf. Psalms 20:6; Psalms 22:21; Psalms 28:6; Psalms 31:19; Psalms 56:9; Psalms

Psalms 73:1-28 — III. BOOK 3: CHS. 73-89 A man or men named Asaph wrote 11 of the psalms in this book (Psalms 73-83). Other writers were the sons of Korah (Psalms 84-85, 87), David (Psalms 86), Heman (Psalms 88), and Ethan (Psalms 89). Asaph, Heman, and Ethan were musicians

Psalms 73:1-3 — Asaph began this psalm by affirming God’s goodness to His people, specifically those whose hearts are pure because they seek to follow God faithfully (Psalms 73:1). This verse provides the key to the psalm by highlighting attitude as most important.

Psalms 86:1-17 — Psalms 86 On the basis of God’s goodness, David asked the Lord to demonstrate His strength by opposing the proud who exalted themselves against him. This is the only psalm ascribed to David in Book 3 (Psalms 73-89). It is an individual lament

Psalms 90:7-12 — Humans only live a short time because God judges the sin in their lives (cf. Romans 6:23). God knows even our secret sins. They do not escape Him, and He judges us with physical death for our sins. Assuming Moses did write this psalm, it is interesting

Psalms 94:1-23 — Psalms 94 This psalm, which begins as a national lament (Psalms 94:1-15) and ends as an individual lament (Psalms 94:16-23), calls on God to avenge the righteous whom the wicked oppress unjustly. It manifests faith in the justice of God.

Psalms 96:1-13 — Psalms 96 Here is another psalm that focuses on the reign of God. In it, the psalmist called on all the earth to join Israel in honoring and rejoicing in Yahweh’s sovereign rule. "By being incorporated into a larger unit in 1 Chronicles 16, the psalm became associated with the glorious entry of the Ark of the covenant into Jerusalem" [Note: VanGemeren, p. 620. Cf. 1 Chronicles 16:23-33.]