1The Prophet exhorteth to praise God for the restoration of his afflicted church; 4for his infinite power and wisdom; 6for his different treatment of the meek, and of the wicked: 7for his providence over his creatures; 12for his blessings upon his church; 15for his power over the elements; 19and for the ordinances given to Israel.
1PRAISE ye the LORD: for it is 1good to sing praises unto our God; 2for it is pleasant; and 3praisea is comely.
1 That is, it becomes or suits God’s children very well.
2 Other, because he is pleasant, that is, God.
3 He wants to say: It becomes and suits well with the children of God to praise the Lord. Or, the praising of the Lord is a goodly thing in itself.
a Psalm 33:1.
24The LORD doth build up Jerusalem: he gathereth together 5the outcasts of Israel.
4 That is, God is the first Author, Founder, Master-builder, Keeper and Preserver of the church.
5 Or, the scattered ones. See James 1:1; 1 Peter 1:1. Compare Deut. 30:3, 4; Isa. 11:12; 56:8; John 11:52.
36He healeth the broken in heart, and 7bindethb up their wounds.
6 See the annotations Psalm 30 on verse 2; Psalm 34 on verse 18; Psalm 51:17.
7 That is, He heals their wounds, as Luke 4:18, compared with Isa. 61:1 and with Ezek. 34:16.
b Exod. 15:26; Job 5:18.
4Hec telleth the number of the stars; 8he calleth them all by their names.
c Isa. 40:26.
8 Or, He nameth them all by their names.
5Great is our Lord, and 9of great power: 10his understanding is infinite.
9 Hebr. manifold, or, great of power.
10 That is, it is impossible to conceive or to comprehend to utter how great and manifold are His understanding and wisdom. See Isa. 40:28.
6The LORD lifteth up 11the meek: he casteth the wicked down to the ground.
11 See the annotation on Psalm 10 on verse 17.
712Sing unto the LORD with thanksgiving; sing praise upon the harp unto our God:
12 Hebr. Answer the Lord, that is, sing unto the Lord, the one answering the other. See Exod. 15:12; 32:18.
813Whod covereth the heaven with clouds, who prepareth rain for the earth, whoe maketh 14grass to grow upon the mountains.
13 As was done in the time of the prophet Elijah, 1 Kings 18:45.
d Hosea 2:20, 21.
e Job 38:26, 27; Psalm 104:14.
14 Of the word grass, see the annotation 1 Kings 18 on verse 5.
9He giveth to the beast 15his food, and 16to the young ravens which cry.
15 Hebr. his bread.
16 Hebr. the sons of the raven. See the annotation Job 38 on verse 41.
10He delighteth not in the strength 17of the horse: he taketh not pleasure 18in the legs of a man.
17 Under the name of the horse and the legs of a man, he comprehends all manner of human helps and strengths, even strong holds and fenced cities; which God truly does not utterly reject (for they are gifts and favors proceeding from His liberal hand), yet the psalmist here reproves men’s putting their trust and confidence in them. See Deut. 7:7; 9:4.
18 See annotation number 17 in this verse.
11The LORD taketh pleasure in them that fear him, in those that hope in his mercy.
12Praise the LORD, O 19Jerusalem; praise thy God, O 20Zion.
19 Understand here by these places the inhabitants of Jerusalem which was built by the hill of Zion.
20 See annotation number 18 in this verse.
13For 21he hath strengthened the bars of thy gates; he hath blessed thy children within thee.
21 That is, He protects and defends the city you inhabit, and He preserves it against all violence and practices of the enemies. This was a token of God’s favor and love unto His people Israel, as also a sign of Zion’s stability and strength. See the contrary hereof Psalm 107:16; Isa. 45:2; Jer. 51:30; Lam. 2:9; Amos 1:5.
1422He maketh peace in thy borders, and filleth thee with 23the finest of the wheat.
22 That is, it is the Lord, Who giveth you peace in all parts and corners of your land. See Isa. 60:18.
23 Compare Deut. 32:14 and the annotation Psalm 81 on verse 16.
15He sendeth forth 24his commandment upon earth: 25his wordf runneth very swiftly.
24 Hebr. His saying, or, His speaking, His word, that is, His command. Understand here the secret and inward vigor and power which God endues the earth and the trees to bring forth fruit, each tree and growth according to its kind.
25 As soon as the command or Word of God issues forth, all the creatures of the world do yield immediate obedience.
fPsalm 33:9.
1626He giveth snow like wool: he scattereth the hoarfrost like ashes.
26 Snow and wool are like one another in color, lightness and shape.
17He casteth forth 27his ice like morsels: 28who can stand before his cold?
27 Understand hereby the hail or frozen hail stones.
28 As if he said: If it pleases God, He may send such an extremity of frost that no living creature shall be able to endure it.
1829He sendeth out his word, and 30melteth them: he causeth 31his wind to blow, and 32the waters flow.
29 See verse 15.
30 Namely, the frost and ice or pieces of ice.
31 Namely, a warm wind, which has power to melt the ice.
32 Namely, those which were ice before.
1933He sheweth his word unto 34Jacob, his statutes and his judgments unto 35Israel.
33 The sense is: Everyone is able to deduce by the aforementioned works how great is the power of God, but He shows yet far greater favor to His church, giving her His law and holy commandments to frame their lives accordingly.
34 These two names signify the people of the Jews.
35 These two names signify the people of the Jews.
2036He hathg not dealt so with any nation: 37and as for his judgments, they have not known them. 38Praise ye the LORD.
36 Other, He hath not dealt so with any heathens. Hebr. not to all nations or all heathens. To speak in such a manner, the words not to all are often used for none, as Psalm 103:2; 143:2.
gActs 14:16.
37 Other, therefore they do not know his rights.
38 This psalm begins and ends with these words, as do the psalms 146, 148, 149, 150.