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Psalm Sixty-six
New King James Version (NKJV)
INTRODUCTION TO PSALM 66
To the chief Musician, A Song cf15I or Psalm. This
psalm does not bear the name of David in the title of it, yet is generally
thought to be one of his; but because the plural number is used in it, which is
not so common in David's psalms, Aben Ezra is of opinion it is not his, but
written by the singers. This is not a sufficient objection: and besides, in Psalm 66:13, the
singular number is used. The Arabic version ascribes it to David, and that
version makes the subject matter of it to be "concerning the
resurrection"; as do the Septuagint, Ethiopic, and Vulgate Latin versions.
The title of the Syriac version is,
"concerning
sacrifices and burnt offerings, and the incense of rams; the spiritual sense
intimates to us the calling of the Gentiles, and the preaching, that is, of the
Gospel;'
which
comes nearest the truth: for the psalm respects Gospel times, and the church of
Christ under the New Testament, spread throughout the world, and especially as
it will be in the latter day; see Psalm 66:1; and so
in Yalkut Simeoni on the psalm, it is said to be a psalm for time to come, and
agrees with Zephaniah 3:9;
"I will turn to the people a pure language", &c. Kimchi says it
is a psalm concerning the gathering of the captives of Israel; and so Jarchi
and Obadiah expound it; and Theodoret says David wrote this psalm for the
captives in Babylon.
Psalm 66:1 Make
a joyful shout to God, all the earth!
YLT
1To the Overseer. -- A Song,
a Psalm. Shout ye to God, all the earth.
Make a joyful noise unto God,.... The Creator of the
ends of the earth; the Provider for all his creatures; and the Dispenser of the
blessings of grace, under the Gospel dispensation, to men in all countries. The
Messiah may well be thought to be intended, since the psalm refers to Gospel
times; who is God over all, blessed for ever; to whom a joyful noise, shouts,
and acclamations, are to be made by all his subjects, true believers in him, in
all lands, as to their King; see Numbers 23:21; who
is ascended on high, has led captivity captive; received gifts for then, and
gives them to them; is enthroned on his Father's right hand, is crowned with
glory and honour, where he reigns, and must reign, till all enemies are put
under his feet; when his kingdom will be from sea to sea, and from the river to
the ends of the earth: and upon the destruction of his enemies, and the
enlargement of his kingdom in the latter day, voices will be heard in heaven,
the church; and such joyful noises as are here exhorted and directed to, Revelation 19:1.
Moreover, such acclamations are suitable to him, as a victorious conqueror;
who, at his death, overcame sin, Satan, the world, and death itself; and, by
the ministry of the Gospel, went forth conquering, and to conquer; and has
subdued many people in all nations, and caused his ministers to triumph in him
in every place; and who, by his Spirit and grace, still continues to bring
souls to a subjection to him, to dispossess Satan from them, to set up his
throne in their hearts, and reign there, and to make them more than conquerors
through himself that has loved them: of which there will be more numerous
instances in the latter day; and all such are under great obligations to make a
joyful noise unto him, or to express their joy and thankfulness in loud singing
of his praises;
all ye lands; that is, all the inhabitants of the earth,
as the Targum; not Judea, to which some restrain it, but the whole earth: for
Christ is the Saviour of some, in all countries, of the children of God, that
are scattered abroad throughout the whole world, for whom he is a propitiation.
The Gospel has been sent to all nations, and preached to every creature; some
in all lands have been converted, and made partakers of the blessings and
privileges of the Gospel, and therefore have reason to be glad and make a
joyful noise; and the more so, inasmuch as they were in a state of great
darkness and ignorance before, without Christ, without hope, and without God in
the world.
Psalm 66:2 2 Sing out the honor of His
name; Make His praise glorious.
YLT
2Praise ye the honour of His
name, Make ye honourable His praise.
Sing forth the honour of his name,.... Meaning not any
particular names of the Messiah, such as in Isaiah 9:6; or his
name "Jesus", a Saviour; though they are all honourable and glorious,
and furnish out sufficient matter for a song: but rather that by which he was
made known to the sons of men, his Gospel; see Acts 9:15. Which is
a glorious Gospel; the truths of which may be expressed in a song of praise, to
the honour and glory of Christ, and to the instruction and profit of men, Colossians 3:16. Or
rather Christ himself is meant; his name often designs himself, Matthew 12:21.
There that is due unto him, and ought to be given which is done when all divine
perfections and works are ascribed to him, divine worship is paid him, and the
glory of salvation given him; which may be done in psalms, hymns, and spiritual
songs;
make his praise glorious: let the high praises of
him be in your mouths; give him, the most excellent praise; praise him in the
best manner. This is done when we sing his praise with grace in our hears in
exercise; when we with one mind and mouth glorify him; and when we honour him,
the Son, as we honour the Father.
Psalm 66:3 3 Say to God, “How awesome
are Your works! Through the greatness of Your power Your enemies shall submit
themselves to You.
YLT
3Say to God, `How fearful
[are] Thy works, By the abundance of Thy strength, Thine enemies feign
obedience to Thee.
Say unto God,.... Or, "concerning God"F20אמרו לאלהים "dicite de
Deo", Campensis apud Gejerum; and some in Michaelis. , as some; or,
"before God", as the Targum; say to him as follows, in psalms and
hymns of praise:
how terrible art thou in thy works! or "reverend"F21נורא "reverendus", Junius & Tremellius. ; to
be feared and reverenced with a godly fear on account of them; such as the
works of nature and providence, which are stupendous and marvellous, fearfully
and wonderfully wrought; and especially those of grace and redemption, in which
the goodness of Christ is manifest, and for which he is to be feared: unless
rather his judgments upon his enemies are here meant; who, though he is a Lamb
to his own people, is the Lion of the tribe of Judah to them, whom he will
break in pieces as a potter's vessel it may be read, "how terrible",
or "tremendous", is everyone of "thy works"; so Aben Ezra,
and also Jarchi, who interprets the next clause,
through the greatness of thy power, thus,
"when
thou showest to the world thy power, by the pestilence, or sword, or famine, or
lightnings:'
shall thine enemies submit themselves unto thee? in a lying,
flattering, and deceitful manner, as the wordF23יבחשו
"mentientur", V. L. Musculus, Montanus; "mendaciter se
dedunt", Junius & Tremellius, Piscator, Amama. here used signifies;
See Gill on Psalm 18:44; or, as
the above interpreters,
"they
shall, through the greatness of fear, confess the lies and transgressions they
have committed.'
It
will be a forced, and not a free, confession and submission; Christ's enemies,
whether they will or not, will be obliged to own that he is Lord, to the glory
of God the Father, Philemon 2:10.
Psalm 66:4 4 All the earth shall
worship You And sing praises to You; They shall sing praises to Your
name.” Selah
YLT
4All the earth do bow to
Thee, They sing praise to Thee, they praise Thy name.' Selah.
All the earth shall worship thee,.... The Messiah, who is
equal with God; the Creator of men; the Redeemer of his people; the Head of the
church, and King of saints; their Lord, and therefore to be worshipped; with
internal worship, in the exercise of faith, hope, and love; and with external
worship, in the word and ordinances, by prayer and praise, public and private.
This universal worship, that will be yielded him, will be in the latter day;
which shows that this psalm respects those times, when Christ shall be King
over all the earth, and his name, worship, and religion, one, Zechariah 14:9;
and shall sing unto thee; the song of Moses and
the Lamb, the Lamb's new song, the song of redeeming grace; which none but the
redeemed ever can sing aright, Revelation 14:3;
they shall sing to thy name; or, "they
shall", or "let them sing thy name"F24יזמרו שמך "cantent nomen
tuum", Gejerus; "cantabunt nomen tuum", Michaelis. ; thou shall
be the subject of their song; thy person, offices, kingdom, grace, and glory:
or they shall sing to the honour of thy name, as in Psalm 66:2.
Selah; on this word; see Gill on Psalm 3:2.
Psalm 66:5 5 Come and see the works of
God; He is awesome in His doing toward the sons of men.
YLT
5Come ye, and see the works
of God, Fearful acts toward the sons of men.
Come and see the works of God,.... Of the Messiah, God
manifest in the flesh; those divine works which he did when here on earth; his
miraculous works, which were proofs of his deity and Messiahship; his preaching
the Gospel, in so divine a manner as never man did; his works of obedience to
the law, which were pure and perfect; the everlasting righteousness he wrought
out for the justification of his people; and the great work of redemption and
salvation finished by him, which none but God could ever have effected. This is
an invitation to the inhabitants of all lands, where the Gospel should come
with power, to take notice of and consider these works of Christ, and the glory
of his might, wisdom, and grace in them, in order to engage them to sing his
praise;
he is terrible in
his doing toward the children of men; in his vengeance on the
Jews, for disbelieving and rejecting him; in destroying antichrist, and pouring
out the vials of his wrath on the antichristian states; and in the everlasting
damnation of the wicked. So that as his other works in the former clause design
these of grace, this doing of his respects his work, his strange work of
judgment on his enemies; on account of which he is terrible to them, and
reverenced by his people.
Psalm 66:6 6 He turned the sea into dry
land; They went through the river on foot. There we will rejoice in Him.
YLT
6He hath turned a sea to dry
land, Through a river they pass over on foot, There do we rejoice in Him.
He turned the sea into dry land,.... The Red
sea, or sea of Zuph, as the Targum; by causing a strong east wind to blow,
which made it dry, so that the children of Israel passed through it on dry
ground, Exodus 14:21. Or,
"he turneth"F25הפך
"convertit", V. L. Pagninus, Montanus, &c. ; for though the
allusion is to the making the Red sea dry land, when the Israelites passed
through it; yet it refers to something to be done in the times of Christ and
the Gospel dispensation. So Christ might be said to do this literally, when he
walked upon the sea of Galilee as on dry land, and enabled Peter to do so
likewise, Matthew 14:25; and
figuratively, when he makes his people walk through the sea of this world, and
the waters of afflictions in it, without overflowing them. He with them, bears
them up, and upholds them with his right hand; so that they pass on, as on dry
land, till they come safe to the shores of bliss and happiness;
they went through the flood on foot; or "river"F26בנהר "per fluvium", Gejerus. ; the river Jordan,
as the Targum: for this alludes not to the passage of the Israelites through
the sea, but through Jordan, when they entered into the land, of Canaan, Joshua 3:17. The
words may be rendered, according to Kimchi,
"they
shall pass through the river on foot;'
the
Targum adds,
"the
children of Israel;'
so
the Septuagint, Vulgate Latin, Ethiopic, and Arabic versions. Such things are
said in prophecy concerning the people of God in future times; see Isaiah 11:15. So
the river Euphrates shall be dried up, to make way for the kings of the east, Revelation 16:12;
there did we rejoice in him; still alluding to the
above cases, when Israel passed through the Red sea, and sung praise to God;
and went through Jordan, and set up stones of memorial, Exodus 15:1. Or
"there shall we rejoice in him": so the Septuagint, Vulgate Latin,
Ethiopic, Syriac, and Arabic versions; only the latter reads in the singular,
"he shall rejoice." The Targum is,
"I
will lead them to the mountain of his holiness, there shall we rejoice in his
word:'
in
the essential Word, the Messiah, as the saints do rejoice in him in his house,
under his word and ordinances; when they see the salvation wrought out by him,
and their interest in it; the righteousness he has brought in, and themselves
clothed with it; pardon procured by him, and that applied to them; and when
they are favoured with a sight of him, and communion with him; so will they
rejoice in him when the marriage of the Lamb is come, and the bride is ready;
when antichrist shall be destroyed, and they shall have got the victory over
him; then they shall stand on the sea of glass, and there shall they sing the
song of Moses and of the Lamb, Revelation 19:7;
and when they shall have come through all their difficulties safely to heaven;
there shall they rejoice in Christ, and with him to all eternity.
Psalm 66:7 7 He rules by His power
forever; His eyes observe the nations; Do not let the rebellious exalt
themselves. Selah
YLT
7Ruling by His might to the
age, His eyes among the nations do watch, The refractory exalt not themselves.
Selah.
He ruleth by his power forever,.... Christ is the Ruler
in Israel, King over his holy hill of Zion; who must reign till all enemies are
put under his feet. He rules in the kingdom of nature and providence by his power,
and does whatsoever he pleases; nor can any stay his hand. He rules in the
kingdom of grace, in the hearts of his people, by his efficacious grace; which
makes them willing, in the day of his power, to be subject to him; and in the
latter day he will take to himself his great power and reign, when he will be
King for ever. His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, it shall never be
subverted nor usurped; nor will he in it be succeeded by another; he will reign
to the end of the world, throughout the thousand years, with his saints on
earth, and then with them in heaven for evermore. The Targum renders it,
"over
the world;'
over
the whole world; for Christ will be King over all the earth in the latter day, Zechariah 14:9;
his eyes behold the nations; the antichristian
states. He sees all the idolatry and wickedness committed in them; and his eyes
will be as flames of fire to destroy them, when the time is come. The allusion
is to God's looking through the pillar of fire and cloud upon the Egyptians in
the Red sea, and troubling them, Exodus 14:24;
let not the rebellious exalt themselves. That are
rebels against Christ, would not have him to reign over them; antichrist, who
exalts himself above all that is called God, and all his followers. Or,
"they shall not exalt themselves"F1אל
ירימו למו "haudquaquam
sese exultabunt", Tigurine version, Musculus, & Gejerus. : or, as the
Targum,
"they
shall not be exalted in themselves for ever;'
see
Revelation 18:7.
Selah; on this word; see Gill on Psalm 3:2.
Psalm 66:8 8 Oh, bless our God, you
peoples! And make the voice of His praise to be heard,
YLT
8Bless, ye peoples, our God,
And sound the voice of His praise,
O bless our God, ye people,.... In all countries,
that know the Lord and fear him; ascribe blessing, and honour and glory, to
Christ our God, on account of his works, actions, perfections, kingdom and
power; and because of the destruction of those who are rebels to his
government;
and make the voice of his praise to be heard; far and near,
in psalms, and hymns, and spiritual songs; by shoutings, and loud acclamations
of joy; see Revelation 19:5;
where Christ is called our God, and a like exhortation is made as here.
Psalm 66:9 9 Who keeps our soul among
the living, And does not allow our feet to be moved.
YLT
9Who hath placed our soul in
life, And suffered not our feet to be moved.
Which holdeth our soul in life,.... Or, "putteth
our soul in life"F2השם "qui
posuit", V. L. Pagninus, Musculus, Vatablus; "ponene", Montanus;
"qui ponit", Gejerus, Michaelis. , or "among the living",
which is not to be understood of infusing a living soul in man, nor of the
preservation of natural life, which is common to all men; but of appointing and
ordaining them unto eternal life, as the Targum; and of procuring it for them
by Christ; and of implanting a principle of spiritual life in them, by his
Spirit and grace; and of the preservation of the principle of life, that it be
not lost; and of giving them a right and title to eternal life, and that
itself: all which are a sufficient reason, and powerful argument, to bless our
God, and praise his name. It follows:
and suffereth not our feet to be moved; that is, not
to be greatly moved; or if moved so as to slip and fall, yet not so as to fall
finally and totally; see Psalm 55:22.
Psalm 66:10 10 For You, O God, have
tested us; You have refined us as silver is refined.
YLT
10For Thou hast tried us, O
God, Thou hast refined us as the refining of silver.
For thou, O God, hast proved us,.... And by the
experiment found them to be true and faithful; to have the truth of grace, and the
root of the matter in them; not reprobate silver, or their grace counterfeit
grace; but of the right kind, solid and substantial;
thou hast tried us as silver is tried; in a furnace,
where it is put and melted by the refiner, and purified from the dross that
attends it. So the Targum,
"thou
hast purified us as the silversmith purifieth the silver;'
or
tries it by melting and purifying it. Thus the Lord puts his people into the
furnace of afflictions, and sits as a refiner and purifier of them; hereby he
tries their graces, faith, patience, hope, and love, their principles and their
professions; refines their graces, and makes them more bright and illustrious;
removes their dross and tin, and reforms their manners; and proves them to be
good silver, and approves of them, and esteems them as such, even as his
peculiar treasure. From whence it appears, as well as from the following
verses, that afflictions are of God; that they are for the good of his people,
and not their hurt; like silver they are put into the fire of affliction, not
to be destroyed and lost, but to be purged and refined; and that they are not
in wrath, but in love: and this, with what follows, may respect the sufferings
of the saints under Rome, Pagan and Papal; when Christ's feet, the members of
his mystical body, were like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace;
when their graces were tried, their works were known, and their persons proved
and approved, Revelation 1:15;
see Zechariah 13:9.
Psalm 66:11 11 You brought us into the
net; You laid affliction on our backs.
YLT
11Thou hast brought us into a
net, Thou hast placed pressure on our loins.
Thou broughtest us into the net,.... That is, suffered
them to be taken in the net of wicked men, which they laid and spread for them;
whereby they were drawn either into bad principles or bad practices, or into
ruinous circumstances; though the Lord does not leave his own people there, but
breaks the net or snare, sooner or later, and they escape; see Psalm 9:15. Jarchi
interprets it of a strait place, as in a prison; and which has often been
literally true of the people of God, into which, though they have been cast by
Satan, or by men instigated by him, yet, because permitted by the Lord, it is
ascribed to him, Revelation 2:10;
thou laidst affliction upon our loins: the Targum
renders it "a chain": the word signifies anything that is binding and
pressing; it seems to be a metaphor taken from the binding of burdens upon the
backs of any creatures. Afflictions often lie heavy upon the saints, are very
close upon them, and press them sore, even, as they sometimes think, beyond
measure; though the Lord supports them, and will not suffer them to sink under
them.
Psalm 66:12 12 You have caused men to
ride over our heads; We went through fire and through water; But You brought us
out to rich fulfillment.
YLT
12Thou hast caused man to
ride at our head. We have entered into fire and into water, And Thou bringest
us out to a watered place.
Thou hast caused men to ride over our heads,.... Jarchi
and Kimchi interpret it of the kings and nations of the world ruling over
Israel; and may very well design the Heathen powers and antichristian states
tyrannizing over Christian people. The word in the original text is singular,
"a man"F3אנוש
"hominem", Pagninus, Montanus. , a frail mortal man; and may be
understood of the man of sin and son of perdition; who rides upon the heads of
men, exalts himself above all that is called God, and has exercised dominion
over the saints in a most lawless and tyrannical manner. Vitringa, on Isaiah 43:2
interprets it of Antiochus Epiphanes, who was a type of antichrist, and
supposes the following clause to refer to the persecution of the church in his
time. The Targum renders it, "a lord of rebuke"; that is, either one
worthy of rebuke, as antichrist is; or one that gives rebukes, delivers out
anathemas and excommunications, as he does: though some translate the words of
the Targum, "lords of usury", or "usurers"; a title not
unfit for the creatures of antichrist;
we went through fire and through water; through
afflictions, compared to fire and water; through fiery trials and overwhelming
providences, though not destroyed by them, because the Lord was with them; see Isaiah 43:2;
therefore they are said to go through them, not to abide in them; nor to sink
under them, and perish by them: they went cheerfully through them for Christ's
sake, even the greatest hardships and difficulties, which this phrase may be
expressive of. It may have a particular reference to the sufferings of the
saints in Gospel times; to the burning of the martyrs with fire and faggot,
who, like Elijah, went up to heaven in a fiery chariot; and to the flood of
waters cast out after the woman, the church, by the dragon; see Revelation 1:15;
but thou broughtest us out into a wealthy place; the Targum
is, into largeness; or into a large place; see Psalm 18:19. This
may intend either the state of the church upon the Reformation, or rather as it
will be in the latter day glory; when there will be a large spread of the
Gospel, and of the interest of Christ, everywhere; when the church will be
enlarged with converts, and the members of it with the gifts and graces of the
Spirit; and which will be a state of great liberty and freedom in the worship
of God, both inward and outward. The Septuagint version renders it, "into
refreshment": so the Tigurine version, and Piscator; as those times will
be times of refreshing from the presence of the Lord, which will be everywhere
among his people, in his word and ordinances, and to a great degree; see Acts 3:19. The
Arabic version, "unto rest"; from adversity, from persecution; for,
after this state takes place, there will be no more persecution; no more fines,
imprisonment, racks, and torturing deaths, for the sake of Christ and his
Gospel. The word used signifies a well watered placeF4לרויה "ad irrignam", Pagninus, Montanus. or land;
such as was the land of Canaan, Deuteronomy 8:7;
and such will be the state of the church in the latter day: the Spirit will be
poured down like floods of water upon the dry ground; the doctrines of the
Gospel will drop as the rain, and as showers upon the grass: the ordinances of
it will be as green pastures beside the still waters; and every believer will
be as a watered garden, whose springs fail not; it will be a time of great
plenty and prosperity in spiritual things. Ainsworth renders it, "to an
abundant place"; so Gejerus: a place abounding with all good things: a
"wealthy" one, as we translate it. And even in a literal sense this
will be the wealthy time of the church; when kings shall come into it, and
bring their riches and honour there, and use them for the good of it, Isaiah 49:23; and
then also will the saints be enriched with every gift, and be rich in grace and
in all good works.
Psalm 66:13 13 I will go into Your house
with burnt offerings; I will pay You my vows,
YLT
13I enter Thy house with
burnt-offerings, I complete to Thee my vows,
I will go into thy house with burnt offerings,.... The
psalmist here represents the saints and faithful in those times, who being
delivered out of all their troubles, and brought into a large, free, plentiful,
and comfortable condition, will come together into the place of public worship,
and there unite in their sacrifices of praise to God; will come and present
themselves as a whole burnt offering to the Lord; will come with hearts
inflamed with love to God and one another, which is more than all whole burnt
offerings and sacrifices, Mark 12:33;
I will pay thee my vows; thanksgivings promised
in time of distress, as follows; see Psalm 50:14.
Psalm 66:14 14 Which my lips have uttered
And my mouth has spoken when I was in trouble.
YLT
14For opened were my lips,
And my mouth spake in my distress:
Which my lips have uttered,.... Or
"opened"F5פצו
"aperuerunt", Pagninus, Montanus, Vatablus, Gejerus. ; publicly and
distinctly declared, and from which there is no going back; see Judges 11:33;
and my mouth hath spoken when I was in trouble; this refers
to the time when the people of God were under antichristian tyranny and
bondage; and when they vowed and promised, that, if the Lord would deliver them,
they would give him all praise and glory.
Psalm 66:15 15 I will offer You burnt
sacrifices of fat animals, With the sweet aroma of rams; I will offer bulls
with goats. Selah
YLT
15`Burnt-offerings of
fatlings I offer to Thee, With perfume of rams, I prepare a bullock with
he-goats.' Selah.
I will offer unto thee burnt sacrifices of fatlings,.... Of the
fattest of the flock; that is, of the best; such as Abel offered, Genesis 4:4;
with the incense of rams; or "rams with
incense"F6עם פטרת
אילים "arietes cum incenso", Gejerus; so
Campeusis in ibid. ; the Targum is,
"with
sweet incense, the sacrifice of rams;'
Kimchi
interprets it of incense of the fat of rams.
I will offer bullocks with goats; he proposed to offer all
kind of offerings, to show gratitude and thankfulness for the favours received;
by all which are meant the calves, or fruit of the lips, the sacrifices of
praise, thanksgiving to God, in the name of the whole church and people of God;
see Revelation 19:1.
Selah; on this word; see Gill on Psalm 3:2.
Psalm 66:16 16 Come and hear, all
you who fear God, And I will declare what He has done for my soul.
YLT
16Come, hear, all ye who fear
God, And I recount what he did for my soul.
Come and hear, all ye that fear God,.... Who have
a reverential affection for him, and by whom he is worshipped and served with
reverence and godly fear; these have good things done for themselves, and will
glorify God for what he does for others: these know the nature, worth, and
value of the good things the Lord does for the souls of men, and hear them with
pleasure and profit; when to tell them to others is casting pearl before swine,
and giving that which is holy to dogs; and therefore only such as fear the Lord
are called upon to come and hear what follows. Jarchi interprets this character
of proselytes; see Acts 13:26;
and I will declare what he hath done for my soul: not what he
had done for God, or offered unto him, or suffered for his sake; nor what God
had done for his body in the make and preservation of it; but what he had done
for his soul, and the salvation of that: what God the Father had done in
setting him apart for himself; in making a sure, well ordered, and everlasting
covenant with him in Christ; in blessing him with all spiritual blessings in
him; in providing for the redemption of his soul by him; in pardoning his sins,
justifying his person, adopting him into his family, and regenerating,
quickening, and sanctifying him: also what God the Son had done for him; in
engaging to assume a true body and a reasonable soul on his account; and to
make that soul an offering for his sin, and thereby obtain for him eternal
redemption, even the salvation of his immortal soul: likewise what God the
Spirit had done for him; in quickening and enlightening his soul; in implanting
principles of grace and holiness in it; in showing Christ unto him, and
bringing near his righteousness, and leading him to him for salvation and
eternal life; in applying exceeding great and precious promises to him, and
remembering to him such on which he had caused him to hope; in delivering him
out of temptation and troubles, and in carrying on the work of his grace in him
hitherto: these are things that are not to be concealed in a man's breast, but
to be told to the church and people of God, to their joy and comfort, and to
the glory of divine grace; see Mark 5:19.
Psalm 66:17 17 I cried to Him with my
mouth, And He was extolled with my tongue.
YLT
17Unto Him [with] my mouth I
have called, And exaltation [is] under my tongue.
I cried unto him with my mouth,.... Crying designs
prayer, and supposes distress; and crying with the mouth denotes vocal, ardent,
and fervent prayer;
and he was extolled with my tongue: at the same time the
psalmist prayed for deliverance out of his distresses, he praised God for the
mercies he had received: and did, as the Apostle Paul directs, make known his
requests with thanksgiving, Philemon 4:6; or
"he was exalted under my tongue"F7תחת
לשוני "sublingua mea", Montanus, Tigurine
version, Vatablus, Musculus, Cocceius, Gejerus, Michaelis. ; that is, in his
heart, as some interpret it; his heart and his mouth went together; and out of
the abundance of his heart his tongue spoke of the goodness, kindness, and
mercy of God to him. The Targum is,
"and
his promise was under my tongue;'
and
so he was very different from a wicked man, who keeps iniquity under his
tongue, as a sweet morsel, Job 20:12.
Psalm 66:18 18 If I regard iniquity in my
heart, The Lord will not hear.
YLT
18Iniquity, if I have seen in
my heart, The Lord doth not hear.
If I regard iniquity in my heart,.... There was iniquity
in his heart, as there is in every good man's heart, and a great deal too; it
is full of it; and it should be regarded in some sense, so as to guard against
it, and pray to be kept from it, that it may not break forth into action; and
so as to loath it, abhor it, and be humbled for it; but not so as to nourish
and cherish it, to take delight and pleasure in it: or "if I look upon
it"F8אם ראיתי
"si vidi", Pagninus, Montanus; "si aspexi", V. L. "si
conspexi", Gejerus. , as it may be rendered; that is, with approbation of
it, and satisfaction in it, and ordered his conversation according to it; or
acted the deceitful and hypocritical part in prayer; or had any evil intention
in his petitions, to consume on his lusts what he asked for;
the Lord will not hear me; for the Lord hears not
sinners that delight in sin, and live in it; neither profane sinners nor
hypocrites; see John 9:31.
Psalm 66:19 19 But
certainly God has heard me; He has attended to the voice of my prayer.
YLT
19But God hath heard, He hath
attended to the voice of my prayer.
But verily God hath heard me,.... So that
it was a plain case that he had not regarded iniquity in his heart; had not
lived a vicious course of life, nor was an hypocrite; otherwise God would not
have heard his prayer; whereas he had, and which is confirmed in the following
clause;
he hath attended to the voice of my prayer; which is an
instance of the grace and condescension of God, and showed in what high favour
the psalmist was with the Lord, and what regard he had unto him; and therefore
could not be the man his enemies represented him to be.
Psalm 66:20 20 Blessed be God, Who
has not turned away my prayer, Nor His mercy from me!
YLT
20Blessed [is] God, Who hath
not turned aside my prayer, And His loving-kindness, from me!
Blessed be God, which hath not turned away my prayer,.... Has not
been angry against it, shut it out, or covered himself with a cloud that it
might not pass through, which sometimes saints have complained of, Psalm 80:4; but
graciously heard and received it;
nor his mercy from me; for that endures for
ever, and is from everlasting to everlasting on them that fear the Lord, Psalm 103:17; all
which require thankfulness and praise, which is here given.
──《John Gill’s
Exposition of the Bible》