1God's majesty set forth in his notable defence of the church: 11an exhortation to serve him reverently.
0To the chief 1Musician on Neginoth, A Psalm or 2Song of Asaph.
1 See the first annotation at Psalm 4 in the title.
2 See the first annotation at Psalm 48 in the title; Psalm 50 in the title.
1IN Judah is God known: his name is great in Israel.
2In 3Salem also is his 4tabernacle, and his dwelling place in Zion.
3 That is, Jerusalem; as Gen. 14:18. Compare Psalm 48:1, 2, 3, 8, and see Heb. 7:1.
4 That is, tent or temple. Hereby it appears plainly that Salem and Jerusalem is one and the same.
35There brake he the 6arrows of the bow, the shield, and the sword, and the battle. 7Selah.
5 Compare Psalm 46:9.
6 Hebr. the fiery coals or sparks of the bow, that is, the fiery or glittering arrows of the bow, or the glittering bows, as some take it.
7 See Psalm 3 on verse 2.
4Thou art more glorious and excellent than the 8mountains of prey.
8 Hereby some understand the mighty kings and kingdoms (compared sometimes in Scripture to mountains), with whom it is usual to rob one another as well as the people of God together as wild animals. Other, Thou art illustrious and glorious from or by reason of the mountains of prey; that is, Thou hast preserved honor, and shown Thy power upon the mountains; from where the enemies (as wild beasts) intended to plunder and devour us, there hast Thou consumed them, and made them a prey to us, as is declared in the sequel.
5The 9stouthearted are spoiled, they have slept their 10sleep: and 11none of the men of might have found their hands.
9 Hebr. the strong of heart.
10 That is, the long and lasting sleep of death, their deadly sleep. Compare Psalm 13:3; Jer. 51:39, 57. This is applied by some to those destroyed by the angel in the days of Hezekiah, 2 Kings 19:35.
11 Hebr. all men of valor have not found their hands; that is, they were as if they had no hands; they were not able to make the least resistance or defense.
6At thy 12rebuke, O God of Jacob, both the 13chariot and horse are cast into a dead sleep.
12 See Psalm 9 on verse 5.
13 That is, both the great and the common soldiers, who rode on chariots and horses, from which they were wont to wage war. See Judges 4:3, 13, 15; 2 Sam. 10 on verse 18; 1 Kings 22:31, 34.
7Thou, even thou, art to be feared: and who may stand in thy sight 14when once thou art angry?
14 Hebr. from then or thence of thy wrath? That is, from that very time; or when Thou art wroth, or beginnest to exercise and let forth Thine anger.
8Thou 15didst cause judgment to be heard from 16heaven; 17the earth feared, and was still,
15 That is, when Thou madest Thy judgment to be heard, etc., then the earth feared, etc. Or, thou makest a judgment to be heard, and so in the sequel.
16 Compare Judges 5:20; 2 Sam. 22:7, 8, etc.; 2 Kings 19:32, 33, 34, 35.
17 Or, the land; and so in the next verse.
9When God arose to judgment, to save all the 18meek of the earth. Selah.
18 See Psalm 10 on verse 17.
10Surely the wrath of man shall 19praise thee: the remainder of wrath shalt thou 20restrain.
19 That is, shall serve to get Thee praise and honor. The sense is, the more eager and furious the enemies are against Thee and Thy people, the more honor and glory Thou shalt obtain in protecting Thy people and quelling the enemy.
20 Or, gird. This may be understood that God shall likewise subdue the remaining fierce enemies, even as one girds or binds and ties a body from stirring at pleasure. Or, He shall gird His people, who are delivered and who have remained from the fierceness of the enemy, with strength and courage to withstand their enemies. Both meanings are good; though it may likewise be understood of God Himself that He shall gird the remainder of His fierceness to destroy His enemies further.
1121Vow, and pay unto the LORD your God: let all that be 22round about him bring 23presents unto him 24that ought to be feared.
21 As the godly use to do in times of trouble, and being delivered out of the same. See Gen. 28:20, etc.; Psalm 66:13, 14, 15; Jonah 1:16. Compare also Psalm 61 on verse 5.
22 That is, God’s people, who adhere unto and depend on Him; even as the tribes encamped round about the tabernacle, Num. 2:2, etc., and the priests and Levites were placed round about God to serve Him; likewise the elders round about the throne of God, Rev. 4:4.
23 Compare 2 Chron. 32:21, 23.
24 Hebr. to him of fear, that is, of Whom every one ought to stand in fear, namely, the God of Israel. Compare Gen. 31:53.
12He shall 25cut off the spirit of 26princes: he is terrible to the kings of the earth.
25 Or, pluck off, gather. The meaning is (according to the emphasis of the Hebrew phrase) that God takes away as suddenly and easily the life, understanding and courage of the great ones, as grapes are plucked and gathered in the vintage. See the same comparison, Judges 20:45, with the annotation, and Rev. 14:18, 19, 20, and compare in particular 2 Chron. 32:21.
26 Or, guides, leaders.