1The Psalmist exhorteth to praise God for his goodness: 4he prayeth to share in his people's joy: 6he rehearseth Israel's rebellions, and God's mercies: 47he concludeth with a prayer and blessing.
1PRAISE1 ye the LORD. O givea thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.
1 Hebr. allelujah. See the annotation on Psalm 104 on verse 35. There are ten psalms which begin with Praise ye the LORD, namely, Psalm 106; 111; 112; 113; 135; 146; 147; 148; 149; 150.
a Psalm 107:1; 118:1; 136:1.
2Who can utter 2the mighty acts of the LORD? who can 3shew forth all his praise?
2 That is, the mighty works and deeds of the Lord, such as are related, verses 8, 9 and elsewhere; so you have praise here immediately following, for praise-worthy acts.
3 Hebr. make hear, or cause to be heard. See Psalm 26 on verse 7.
3Blessed are they 4that keep judgment, and he that doeth righteousness at all times.
4 That is, who do maintain and observe what is done right and well. See Gen. 18 on verse 19.
45Remember me, O LORD, 6with the favour that thou bearest unto thy people: O 7visit me 8with thy salvation;
5 He prays that he may be comprehended in the grace and favor which the Lord bears to His church.
6 Hebr. in the good pleasure of thy people, that is, that which Thou hast in Thy people.
7 That is, help and deliver me, as Psalm 8:4; Luke 1:68, 69. See the annotation Gen. 21 on verse 1.
8 That is, with Thy gracious help and deliverance.
5That I may 9see the good of thy chosen, that I may rejoice 10in the gladness of thy nation, 11that I may glory 12with thine inheritance.
9 Hebr. see in or into the good, as Psalm 27:4; 34:12. See the annotation Psalm 22 on verse 17.
10 That is, as Thy people gladden themselves with such gladness and rejoicing, when Thou showest them temporal or spiritual mercies.
11 Namely, in the Lord, as Psalm 34:2.
12 That is, with the people whom Thou hast accepted for Thine inheritance, Psalm 28:9.
6Web have sinned with our fathers, we have committed iniquity, we have done wickedly.
b Lev. 26:40; Jer. 3:25; Dan. 9:5.
7Our fathers understood not 13thy wonders in Egypt; they remembered not the 14multitude of thy mercies; butc15provoked him at the sea, even 16at the Red sea.
13 Namely, which Thou didst in Egypt; or, which they had understood by their forefathers that God had wrought from the beginning.
14 Or, greatness.
c Exod. 14:11, 12.
15 Namely, before the Lord divided the Red sea, for them to pass through. See Exod. 14:11, 12.
16 Other, at the Rush sea. This sea is called the Red Sea, Heb. 11:29.
8Nevertheless he saved them for his name's sake, thatd he might make his mighty power to be known.
d Exod. 9:16.
9He 17rebuked the Red sea also, and it was dried up: soe he led them through 18the depths, 19as through the wilderness.
17 So that the flowing of the waters thereof ceased. See similar power of God in Psalm 18:15; Isa. 50:2; Nahum 1:4; Mat. 8:26.
e Exod. 14:21, 22, 29. See also Isa. 63:11, 12, and 13.
18 By these depths understand the bottom of the sea, which they entered and passed through in the Red sea between the two heaps of water which stood up on end over against one another like walls, Exod. 14:22; 15:5.
19 His meaning is: that the bottom of the sea, between both the waters standing up on end, was so hard and dry as if it had been some dry desert.
10And he saved them from the hand of him 20that hated them, and redeemed them from the hand of the enemy.
20 Namely, of Pharaoh and his hosts, who pursued the Israelites, Exod. 14:23.
11Andf the waters covered their enemies: there was not one of them left.
f Exod. 14:27; 15:5.
12Theng believed they his words; they sang his praise.
g Exod. 14:31; 15:1.
1321They soon forgat 22his works; they 23waited not for his counsel:
21 Hebr. they hastened, they forgat. See Psalm 45 on verse 4.
22 Namely, which the Lord had done in and at the Red sea.
23 They would not wait with patience according to God’s counsel, but murmured against Him, Exod. 15:24; 17:2; Psalm 78:41.
14Buth lusted exceedingly in the wilderness, and 24tempted God in the desert.
h Exod. 16:3; Num. 11:4, 6, 33; Psalm 78:18; 1 Cor. 10:6.
24 To see whether He would be able to give them flesh to eat in the wilderness (or not).
15And he gave them 25their request; but senti26leanness 27into their soul.
25 That is, for which they had desired or prayed, namely, flesh to eat. Num. 11:31.
i Num. 11:20, 33; Psalm 78:30, 31; Isa. 10:16.
26 Or, consumption. He wants to say: They ate indeed, but it proved no nourishment; they were not fat of it; they thrived not by it, but grew lean, so long till at last they were wasted and consumed.
27 That is, to their persons, to themselves; properly to their bodies.
16Theyj envied 28Moses also in the camp, and 29Aaron the 30saint of the LORD.
j Num. 16:2, etc.
28 So that they rose up against them and held and reproached them as ambitious and insolent men.
29 As annotation #28.
30 That is whom God had set apart and hallowed for His service, to be the high priest, Exod. 29:44; Lev. 8:12, etc.; Num. 16:5, 7.
17Thek earth opened and swallowed up Dathan, and covered 31the company of Abiram.
k Num. 16:31, 32, 33; Deut. 11:6.
31 That is, the people who adhered to him.
18And al fire was kindled 32in their company; the flame burned up the wicked.
l Num. 16:35, 46.
32 Namely, against the assembly of Korah and his accomplices.
19Theym made a calf in 33Horeb, and worshipped the molten image.
m Exod. 32:4.
33 This is the name of a mountain in the desert, otherwise called the mountain of God, Exod. 3:1; 1 Kings 19:8, and likewise Sinai, Psalm 68:8. See the annotation Deut. 1 on verse 2.
20Thus they changed 34their glory into the similitude of 35an ox that eateth grass.
34 That is, their God, Who was their true Honor and their inestimable Treasure, as Jer. 2:11; Rom. 1:23, Who did wonderfully reveal Himself unto them, had taken them to be His people and made a covenant with them.
35 That is, of a calf.
21They forgat God their saviour, which had done great things in Egypt;
22Wondrous works 36in the land of Ham, and terrible things by the Red sea.
36 That is, in Egypt, as Psalm 78:51; 105:23.
23Thereforen he said that he would destroy them, had not Moses his chosen stood before him 37in the breach, to turn away his wrath, lest he should destroy them.
n Exod. 32:11, 32; Deut. 9:13, 14; 10:10.
37 Or, gap, leak, rent, which their sins had opened for God, being become their Enemy by reason of their sins, to get in upon them for their destruction. It is a kind of speech taken from warlike men, who by gaps and breaches in the walls, enter and conquer a city, Ezek. 22:30, but the earnest and zealous prayer of Moses stopped or made up the breach, Exod. 32:11-14.
24Yea, theyo despised 38the pleas-ant land, 39they believed not his word:
o Num. 14:1, 2.
38 Hebr. the land of desire, that is, the land of Canaan, which was a goodly desirable country, flowing with milk and honey, which their devout forefathers also had much longed for. See Deut. 8:7; 11:10, 11, 12; Jer. 3:19; Ezek. 20:6.
39 That is, they did not believe the promises of God that He would bring them in the promised land and would protect them in it; but through unbelief they wanted to return to Egypt.
25But murmured in their tents, and hearkened not 40unto the voice of the LORD.
40 He shows how loath and unwilling they were to advance for the land of promise, Deut. 1:32.
26Therefore he 41liftedp up his hand against them, to overthrow them in the wilderness:
41 See the annotation at Gen. 14 on verse 22. Yet, how and what God did swear against this people, see more particularly, Num. 14:21, 23; Deut. 2:14; Psalm 95:11.
p Num. 14:28.
27To overthrow their seed also among the nations, and to scatterq42them in the lands.
q Psalm 44:11; Ezek. 20:23.
42 This is not expressed in the oath which God made, Num. 14:28, but it is found in Lev. 26:33; Deut. 28:36.
28They joined themselves also unto 43Baal-peor,r and ate 44the sacrifices of the dead.
43 Thus the idol of the Moabites was called, Num. 25:3, 5. See the annotation on Judges 2 on verse 11.
r Num. 25:3; 31:16; Rev. 2:14.
44 That is, the sacrifices which were offered to the dead, namely, to the idols, Num. 25:2, which are but dead things, having no sense or motion, Psalm 115:5; 1 Cor. 12:2. On the contrary, the true God is said to be the living God, Jer. 10:5, 10; 1 Thes. 1:9.
29Thus they provoked him to anger 45with their inventions: and the plague 46brake in upon them.
45 Namely, they provoked the LORD to anger with their worshipping of Baal-Peor and with the whoredom which they committed with the Moabitish women.
46 Slaying twenty-four thousand men, Num. 25:9; whether by an angel or otherwise. It is certain they were destroyed very suddenly.
30Then stood up Phinehas, and 47executed judgment: and so the plague was stayed.
47 That is, he executed justice, and inflicted punishment upon the offence, whereof we read Num. 25:7, 8, etc.
31And that was counted unto him 48for righteousness unto all generations for evermore.
48 That is, unto a lawful, good and praiseworthy act by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, though it was performed besides his ordinary calling, God graciously rewarded him for it, Num. 25:11, etc., whereby he also received testimony that he was a child of God.
32Theys angered 49him also at the waters of strife, so that 50it went ill with Moses for their sakes:
s Num. 20:12; Psalm 95:8.
49 Namely, God.
50 It being told him by God that he would not enter into the land of Canaan. Num. 20:12. See Deut. 1:37.
33Because they provoked his spirit, so that he 51spake unadvisedly with his lips.
51 Namely, some words which he ought not to have spoken, for he showed some impatience mingled with distrust, and he did not sanctify the Lord before the Israelites, as it was his bounden duty to do. See Num. 20:10, 12.
34They did not destroy 52the nations, concerning whom the LORD 53commanded them:
52 Namely, those heathen people which inhabited the land of Canaan, as we read in Judges 1:21, 27, 29, 30, 31, 33. God had for all that given them strict charge concerning it, Exod. 23:32, 33; Num. 33:52; Deut. 7:2.
53 That is, had told.
35But 54weret mingled among the heathen, and learned their works.
54 That is, they married the daughters of the heathen.
t Judges 2:2; 3:5, 6.
36And they served 55their idols: 56which were a snare unto them.
55 See 1 Sam. 31 on verse 9; 2 Sam. 5 on verse 21.
56 That is, they proved their ruin and destruction, as God had foretold them, Exod. 23:33; Deut. 7:16; Judges 2:3. A manner of speaking borrowed from the fowlers, who, having taken the birds in their nets or gins, kill them afterwards.
37Yea,u they sacrificed their sons and their daughters 57unto devils,
u Lev. 18:21; Deut. 12:31; 2 Kings 16:3; 17:17; 21:6; 2 Chron. 28:3; 33:6.
57 See the annotation Deut. 32:17.
38And shed innocent blood, even the blood of their sons and of their daughters, whom they sacrificed unto the idols of Canaan: andv58the land was polluted with 59blood.
v Num. 35:33.
58 Namely, the land of Canaan.
59 Hebr. bloods, in the plural, as Psalm 51:14. See the annotation at Gen. 4 on verse 10.
39Thus were they defiled with their own works, and went a 60whoring with their own inventions.
60 Understand here their committing of spiritual whoredom, that is, idolatry. See the annotation at Lev. 17 on verse 7.
40Therefore was the wrath of the LORD kindled against his people, insomuch that he abhorred 61his own inheritance.
61 See the annotation on verse 5.
41And he 62gave them into the hand of the heathen; and they that hated them ruled over them.
62 As is to be seen all along in the book of Judges.
4263Their enemies also oppressed them, and they were brought into subjection under their hand.
63 These namely, who dwelled round about them, according as it was foretold them, Lev. 26:17. See the fulfilment Judges 3:8, 14; 4:2; 6:1; 10:7, 8, 9; 13:1.
43Many times did he 64deliver them; but they provoked him 65with their counsel, and were brought low for their iniquity.
64 Namely, out of the hands of their enemies, by Ehud, Barak, Gideon, Jephthah, Samson, etc. Judges 3; 4; 7; 11; 15; Neh. 9:28, 30.
65 The meaning is: Ever and anon they relapsed into their course of sinning, and willfully prevaricating against the Lord, Num. 15:39.
44Nevertheless he regarded their affliction, when he heard their cry:
45And he 66remembered for them his covenant, and 67repented according to the multitude of his mercies.
66 Or, And he was mindful of his covenant for their good. See Gen. 8 on verse 1; Deut. 30:1, etc.
67 Namely, that He had brought such punishment upon them; that is to say: He took another course, instead of the former, and took away the punishment from them. See Gen. 6 on verse 6.
46He made 68them also to be pitied of all those that carried them captives.
68 Hebr. He gave them to compassions. See 1 Kings 8 on verse 50.
47Save us, O LORD our God, and gather us 69fromw among the heathen, to give thanks unto 70thy holy name, and 71to triumph in thy praise.
69 Among whom many of the Israelites were scattered, living, and many being prisoners.
w 1 Chron. 16:35.
70 That is, Thy Holy Name.
71 That is, rejoicing in Thy mercy, for which Thou art praised and glorified.
48Blessed be the LORD God of Israel from everlasting to everlasting: and let allx the people say, Amen. Praise ye the LORD.
x 1 Chron. 16:36.