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Psalm Sixty-one
New King James Version (NKJV)
YLT
To the Overseer, on stringed instruments. -- By David.
INTRODUCTION TO PSALM 61
To the chief Musician upon Neginah, cf15I A Psalm of David.
"Neginah" is either the beginning of a song, as Aben Ezra; or the
musical note or tune of one: or rather the name of a musical instrument, which
was touched by the hand, or with a quill or bow. It is the singular of
"neginoth", See Gill on Psalm 4:1. This
psalm was written by David, when at the end of the earth, or land of Judea, as
appears from Psalm 61:2; either
when he was fighting with the Syrians, as R. Obadiah, and so was composed about
the same time with the former; or when he was in the land of the Philistines, being
obliged to fly there from Saul, as Kimchi and others: or rather after he
himself was king, since mention is made of the king in it; and when he fled
from his son Absalom, and passed over to the other side of Jordan, and came to
Mahanaim, 2 Samuel 17:22;
where very probably he wrote this psalm. In it respect is had to the Messiah,
as in Psalm 61:2; though
Arama thinks it was composed after the prophecy came to Nathan that David
should not build the temple; see Psalm 61:4.
Psalm 61:1 Hear
my cry, O God; Attend to my prayer.
YLT
1Hear, O God, my loud cry,
attend to my prayer.
Hear my cry, O God,.... Being in distress; and which was
vocally expressed with great fervency and importunity;
attend unto my prayer; which psalm was made by
him, and not for him; inwrought in his heart by the Spirit of God, and put up
by him with a true heart and full assurance of faith, and related to his own
case in particular. Aben Ezra thinks that the former word designs public
prayer, vocally and openly expressed; and that this intends prayer in the
heart, or mental prayer; both the Lord hears and attends unto, and is here
requested; which is marvellous grace and condescension in him.
Psalm 61:2 2 From the end of the earth
I will cry to You, When my heart is overwhelmed; Lead me to the rock that is
higher than I.
YLT
2From the end of the land
unto Thee I call, In the feebleness of my heart, Into a rock higher than I Thou
dost lead me.
From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee,.... Where he
now was, as is observed on the title; see Gill on Psalm 61:1, though
he was distant from his own house, and from the house of God, he did not
restrain prayer before him, but continued to cry unto him, and determined to do
so; and as the people of God are sometimes forced to flee to distant parts,
they have a God still to go to, who is a God afar off, as well as at hand. It
may be the psalmist may represent the church in Gospel times, throughout the
whole world, even at the further parts of it, in the isles afar off, where men
may and do lift up holy hands to God without wrath and doubting:
when my heart is overwhelmed; or "covered"F24בעטף "quum tegitur", Michaelis. ; with grief and
sorrow for any trouble, outward or inward, and ready to sink, and fail and die.
Sometimes the saints are overwhelmed with a sense of sin, are pressed down with
the weight and burden of its guilt; their faces are covered with shame and
confusion; and their hearts are swallowed up and overwhelmed with overmuch
sorrow, both at the number of their sins, and at the aggravated circumstances
of them; and especially when they are without a view of pardoning grace and
mercy, Psalm 38:4, Lamentations 3:42;
and sometimes they are overwhelmed with afflictive providences; the Lord causes
all his waves and billows to go over them, and they are just ready to sink; and
did he not stay his hand, and stop contending with them, the spirit would fail
before him, and the souls that he has made, Psalm 42:6; and
sometimes with divine desertions, which cause a "deliquium" of soul,
and throw them into fainting fits, Song of Solomon 5:6;
and sometimes through unbelieving frames; and did not the Lord appear to them,
and strengthen their faith, and remove their unbelief, they would sink and die
away, Psalm 77:2. And at
all such times it is right to cry unto the Lord, and make the following request
to him:
lead me to the rock that is higher than I; not the land
of Israel, as Kimchi thinks, the psalmist being now in the low lands of the
Philistines; nor Jerusalem, and the fort and hill of Zion; he being now at the
extreme and lower parts of the land: this sense is too low. Some think that
some great difficulty is meant; which seemed insuperable, and like a rock
inaccessible, which he could not get up to, and upon, and get over; and
therefore desires the Lord would lead him up it, and over it, before whom every
rock, mountain, and hill, becomes a plain, Zechariah 4:7; but
rather Christ is meant, the Rock of Israel, the Rock of our salvation, and our
refuge. He is higher than David, and all the kings of the earth; higher than
the angels in heaven, and than the heavens themselves, Hebrews 7:26; and
who by his height is able to protect and defend his people from all their
enemies; and by the shade he casts to refresh and comfort them; and by the
sufficiency in him to supply all their wants; for he is as a rock impregnable,
and well stored, Isaiah 33:16. And
here gracious souls desire to be led by the Spirit of God always, and
especially when in distressing circumstances; and he does lead them to his
blood for pardon and cleansing, and to his righteousness for justification and
acceptance with God, and to his fulness for fresh supplies.
Psalm 61:3 3 For You have been a
shelter for me, A strong tower from the enemy.
YLT
3For Thou hast been a refuge
for me, A tower of strength because of the enemy.
For thou hast been a shelter for me,.... Or
"refuge"F25מחסה
"asylum", Tigurine version, Vatablus; "perfagium",
Cocceius; "refugium", Michaelis. , from avenging justice; a hiding
place and covert from the storms and tempests of divine wrath; a shadow and a
screen from the heat of Satan's fiery darts, and the blast of his terrible
temptations, Isaiah 25:4;
and a strong tower from the
enemy: from Satan the devouring lion, from furious persecutors, and
every other enemy; see Proverbs 18:10; and
this experience the psalmist had of protection from the Rock in former times
made him desirous of being led to it now.
Psalm 61:4 4 I will abide in Your
tabernacle forever; I will trust in the shelter of Your wings. Selah
YLT
4I sojourn in Thy tent to
the ages, I trust in the secret place of Thy wings. Selah.
I will abide in thy tabernacle for ever,.... Under the
protection of the Lord, as in a shepherd's tent, or as in one belonging to a
general of an army, where are fulness and safety; See Gill on Psalm 27:5; or else
the tabernacle of the congregation is meant; the house of God, the place of
divine and public worship, where he desired and determined always to continue, Psalm 23:6; or else
the tabernacle which was prefigured by that below, where he knew he should
dwell to all eternity. Kimchi, by "for ever", understands a long
time; and Jarchi explains it both of this world and of the world to come; which
is true, understanding the tabernacle of the church below, and the church
above;
I will trust in the covert of thy wings. Or,
"in" or "into the secret of thy wings"F26בסתר "in abscondito", Pagninus, Montanus;
"in occultum", Junius & Tremellius. ; this he determined to make
his refuge for the present time, and while in this world; See Gill on Psalm 57:1.
Selah; on this word; see Gill on Psalm 3:2.
Psalm 61:5 5 For You, O God, have heard
my vows; You have given me the heritage of those who fear Your name.
YLT
5For Thou, O God, hast
hearkened to my vows, Thou hast appointed the inheritance Of those fearing Thy
name.
For thou, O God, hast heard my vows,.... Or "my
prayers", as the Septuagint and other versions. Vows are so called,
because it was usual to make vows in trouble, when prayer was made to the Lord
for help and deliverance, Psalm 66:13. This
is a reason why the psalmist was encouraged to put his trust in the Lord,
because his prayers were heard by him; or he was sure they would be, as he had
entreated, Psalm 61:1. The
past is put for the future, as Kimchi and Ben Melech observe; and it may be
because of the certainty of his prayers being heard; and which may be concluded
from the Lord's declaring himself a God hearing prayer, from the prevalent
mediation of Christ, from the assistance and intercession of the Spirit, and
from the exercise of faith in prayer, and the divine promises; or while he was
crying to God an answer was returned, and he was delivered out of his troubles,
Isaiah 65:24.
Another reason follows:
thou hast given me the heritage of those that fear thy name: not the land
of Israel, as Aben Ezra and Jarchi; which was given for an inheritance to the
posterity of Abraham, Psalm 105:11; and
which was never more fully in their possession than in the times of David: nor
the tabernacle or sanctuary of the Lord, as Kimchi; where he desired to dwell, Psalm 61:4; and now
had his request granted: but the heavenly glory, the incorruptible inheritance,
the inheritance of the saints in light, prefigured by them both; which is the
gift of God their Father to them his children; comes to them through the death
of Christ the testator; is not of the law, and the works of it; is not acquired
nor purchased; but is owing to the free grace of God; to predestinating grace,
as the source of it; to justifying grace, through the righteousness of Christ,
as the right unto it; and to regenerating and sanctifying grace, as the
meetness for it. Wherefore it manifestly belongs to those that "fear the
name of the Lord", himself, his perfections, particularly his goodness;
who adore and admire, serve and worship him, internally and externally; not
with a slavish fear, but with a filial godly fear. The Targum renders it,
"thou
hast given an inheritance to them that fear thy name;'
that
in the King's Bible is,
"an
inheritance in the world to come;'
so
the Septuagint, Vulgate Latin, and the Oriental versions; and which sense is
given by Aben Ezra. It may be understood of them that fear the Lord, being the
inheritance itself; as they are of Christ, David's son and antitype, and who is
designed in Psalm 61:6, see Deuteronomy 32:9, Psalm 2:8.
Psalm 61:6 6 You will prolong the
king’s life, His years as many generations.
YLT
6Days to the days of the
king Thou addest, His years as generation and generation.
Thou wilt prolong the King's life,.... Or "add days to
the days of the King"F1ימים על ימי מלך
תוסיף "dies super dies regis adjicieo", V.
L. Pagninus, Montanus, &c. . Meaning either himself, who, though his life
was in danger by fighting with the Syrians and Edomites, or rather through the
conspiracy of his son; yet was assured that he should yet live many years more,
and especially in his posterity; and that his kingdom would be established for
ever, as was promised him, 2 Samuel 7:12. Or
rather the King Messiah, so the Targum: and Kimchi observes, that if this psalm
respects the captivity, the King is the King Messiah: it may be understood of
his life as man; who, though he died, rose again, and lives for evermore; and
that, as to the glory of God the Father, so to the good of his people, for whom
he makes intercession; and of the continuance of his spiritual seed, in whom he
may be said to live, and his days be prolonged, Isaiah 53:10; and
of the duration of his kingdom, of which there will be no end. For it is an
everlasting one, as follows:
and his years as many
generations; he living, and his posterity and kingdom continuing, age after
age. The Targum is,
"his
years as the generations of this world, and the generations of the world to,
come.'
Psalm 61:7 7 He shall abide before God
forever. Oh, prepare mercy and truth, which may preserve him!
YLT
7He dwelleth to the age
before God, Kindness and truth appoint -- they keep him.
He shall abide before God for ever,.... Or "sit"F2ישב "sedebit", Tigurine version, Vatablus,
Musculus, Cocceius, Michaelis; so Ainsworth; "vel sedeat", Vatablus,
Gejerus, Amama. ; or "may he sit". Being raised from the dead he was
received up to heaven into the presence of God, and sat down at his right hand;
where he abides for ever, a Priest upon his throne, having an unchangeable
priesthood, Hebrews 7:24;
and prepare mercy and truth, which may preserve him; which, if
literally understood of David, is a prayer that the Lord would show him favour
and kindness, and perform his promises to him, whereby his life would be
preserved from the plots and, conspiracies of his enemies, and his kingdom be
established; or that he might be exalted to exercise mercy towards his
subjects, and administer justice, or execute the judgment of truth among them;
which would make for the preservation of his person, and the support of his
throne and government, Proverbs 20:28. But
as the words may be applied to the Messiah, they are to be understood, not of
the preservation of his corporeal life while here on earth; but either of the
preservation of his people, in whom he lives, through the mercy and truth of
God, expressed in the exertion of his power, by which they are preserved unto
the heavenly kingdom and glory; or of the security of his kingdom, which not
being of this world, is not supported by worldly power and policy, but in a
spiritual manner, and by spiritual means; such as mercy, or "grace and
truth"; that is, the doctrines of grace and truth, which came by Christ,
and are preached by his ministers, and are the means of continuing, promoting,
and preserving his kingdom and interest in the world, Or the words may be
rendered, "may mercy and the truth of manna keep thee"; the true
manna, Christ; see John 6:32; or
"mercy and truth, as the manna, keep thee"F3Vid. Hackman.
Praecidan. Sacr. tom. 1. p. 71. ; as that was kept in the golden pot, Exodus 16:33; or
rather as that kept and sustained the Israelites in the wilderness.
Psalm 61:8 8 So I will sing praise to
Your name forever, That I may daily perform my vows.
YLT
8So do I praise Thy name for
ever, When I pay my vows day by day!
So will I sing praise unto thy name for ever,.... Or
constantly; and not only in this world, but in that to come, for the favours
before mentioned; for hearing his prayers; giving him a goodly heritage;
prolonging the King's life; and preparing mercy and truth to preserve him;
that I may daily perform vows; which is done by
praising the Lord, giving him the glory of all mercies, as vowed and promised;
see Psalm 50:14. The
Targum adds,
"in
the day of the redemption of Israel, and in the day that the King Messiah shall
be anointed, that he may reign.'
──《John Gill’s
Exposition of the Bible》
New King James
Version (NKJV)