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Psalm Seventy-three
New King James Version (NKJV)
YLT
A
Psalm of Asaph.
INTRODUCTION TO PSALM 73
A Psalm of Asaph. It seems by the title that Asaph was the
penman of this psalm, as it is certain that he was a composer of psalms and
hymns; see 2 Chronicles 29:30,
though it may be rendered, "a psalm for Asaph", or "unto
Asaph"F1; and might have David for its author, as some think,
who, having penned it, sent it to Asaph, to be made use of by him in public
service; see 1 Chronicles 16:7,
and so the Targum paraphrases it,
"a
song by the hands of Asaph;'
the
occasion of it was a temptation the psalmist fell into, through the prosperity
of the wicked, and the afflictions of the righteous, to think there was nothing
in religion, that it was a vain and useless thing; under which he continued
until he went into the house of God, and was taught better; when he
acknowledged his stupidity and folly, and penned this psalm, to prevent others
falling into the same snare, and to set forth the goodness of God to his
people, with which it begins.
Psalm 73:1 Truly
God is good to Israel, To such as are pure in heart.
YLT
1Only -- good to Israel [is]
God, to the clean of heart. And I -- as a little thing, My feet have been
turned aside,
Truly God is good to Israel,.... To Israel, literally
understood; in choosing them to be his people above all people on earth; in
bringing them into a good land; in favouring them with many external
privileges, civil and religious; in giving them his word, statutes, and
ordinances, as he did not to other nations: or, spiritually understood, the
Israel whom God has chosen, redeemed, and called by his special grace; verily
of a truth, God is good to these; there is abundant proof and evidence of it;
See Gill on Psalm 34:8,
or
"only" God is good to such; though he is good to all in a
providential way, yet only to his chosen and redeemed ones in a way of special
favour; the goodness others share is but a shadow of goodness, in comparison of
what they do and shall partake of; they are blessed with blessings indeed, and
are only blessed; so this particle is rendered in Psalm 62:2, or
"but", or "notwithstanding"F2אך
"attamen", Tigurine version, Piscator, Gussetius, Michaelis. , God is
good, &c. that is, though he suffers the wicked to prosper, and his own
people much afflicted, yet he is good to them; he supports them under their
afflictions, and makes all to work for their good; gives them grace here, and
glory hereafter;
even to such as are of a clean heart; this
character excludes the carnal Israelites, who were pure in their own eyes, but
not cleansed from their filthiness, and describes the true Israel of God, and explains
who are meant by them, such as are pure in heart, inwardly Jews, Israelites
indeed, in whom there is no guile; this is not natural to men, their hearts are
by nature unclean, nor is it in their power to make them clean: this is God's
work, he only can create a clean heart, and renew a right spirit; which is done
by the sanctifying influences of his grace, and by the sprinkling of the blood
of Jesus, and thus purifying their heart's by faith; yet so as not to be free
from all impurity of spirit, but as to have a conscience purged from the guilt
of sin, and to have the heart sincere and upright towards God.
Psalm 73:2 2 But as for me, my feet had
almost stumbled; My steps had nearly slipped.
YLT
2As nothing, have my steps
slipped, For I have been envious of the boastful,
But as for me,.... Who am one of the Israel of God whose
heart has been renewed and purified by the grace of God, and to whom he has
been kind and good in a thousand instances; yet, ungrateful creature that I am,
my feet were almost gone; out of the good ways of
God, the ways of truth and holiness just upon the turn, ready to forsake them,
and give up all religion as a vain thing:
my steps had well nigh slipped, or "poured
out"F3שפכה "effusi sunt",
V. L. Pagninus, Montanus, Cocceius; "effusi fuissent", Musculus,
Gejerus, Michaelis. like water; the allusion is to standing on wet and slippery
ground, where a man can scarcely keep upon his feet. It may be observed, that
good men are liable to slips and falls, to fall into sin, snares, and
temptations, and from their steadfastness in the faith, but not totally and
finally; their feet may be "almost", but not "altogether",
gone: their steps may "well nigh" slip, but not "quite";
they may fall, but not be utterly cast down; at least they rise again, and are
made to stand; for God is able to keep them, and does keep them, from a total
and final falling away.
Psalm 73:3 3 For I was envious
of the boastful, When I saw the prosperity of the wicked.
YLT
3The peace of the wicked I
see, That there are no bands at their death,
For I was envious at the foolish,.... The atheists, as in Psalm 14:1, who
deny the creation, as Arama; the wicked, as after explained, as all wicked men
are, how wise soever they may be in things natural and civil, yet in religious
things, in things of a spiritual nature, they have no understanding; they are
proud boasters, glory in themselves, and in their outward attainments, as the
wordF4בהוללים "in arrogantes",
Gejerus; "stolide gloriosos", Michaelis; "at vain glorious
fools", Ainsworth. here used signifies; the external happiness of these,
their riches, health, and ease, were envied by the psalmist; see Psalm 37:1,
when I saw the prosperity of the wicked, or "the
peace of the wicked"F5שלום
"pacem", Pagninus, Musculus, Piscator. ; with an evil eye. This was
the occasion of his slip and fall, this was the temptation he was left unto for
a while.
Psalm 73:4 4 For there are no
pangs in their death, But their strength is firm.
YLT
4And their might [is] firm.
For there are no bands in their death,.... Nothing
that binds and straitens them, afflicts and distresses them; they have no pain
of mind nor of body, but die at once, suddenly, in a moment, wholly at ease and
quiet, without any bitterness of soul; see Job 21:13, or
"there are no bands until their death"F6למו־תאם "usque ad mortem eorum", Junius &
Tremellius, Piscator, Gejerus, Michaelis. ; they have no straits nor
difficulties all their life long, no distempers nor diseases which may be
called "bonds", Luke 13:12, till
they come to die: the Vulgate Latin version is, "there is no respect to
their death"; they take no notice of it, they have no care or concern
about it; or, as the Targum,
"they
are not terrified nor troubled because of the day of their death;'
they
put it away far from them, and think nothing about it: but their strength is
firm; they are hale and robust, healthful and sound, to the day of their death;
their strength is not weakened in the way by diseases and distempers. Some take
the word rendered "strength" to signify a porch or palace, and
translate it, they are strong as a palace, or in a palace, or their palace is
strongF7אולם "palatium vel sicut
palatium"; so some in Piscator; "porticus", Schmidt; so R.
Jonah, Arama, and Jerom. their houses are well built, and continue long.
Psalm 73:5 5 They are not in
trouble as other men, Nor are they plagued like other men.
YLT
5In the misery of mortals
they are not, And with common men they are not plagued.
They are not in trouble, as other men,.... Either of
body or of mind, as the saints are, who through many tribulations enter the
kingdom; or are not in "labour"F8בעמל
"in labore", V. L. Pagninus, Montanus, Musculus, Junius &
Tremellius, Gejerus. , do not labour for food and raiment, or get their bread
by the sweat of their brow, as poor men do; nor are weary, so Arama:
"neither are they plagued like other men"; smitten of God, corrected,
and chastised by him, as his children are; the rod of God is not upon them, Job 21:9.
Psalm 73:6 6 Therefore pride serves as
their necklace; Violence covers them like a garment.
YLT
6Therefore hath pride
encircled them, Violence covereth them as a dress.
Therefore pride compasseth them about as a chain, Which was the
sin of the devils, and of our first parents, and of Sodom, and is the sin of
antichrist; and which, of all sins, is most hateful to God; this arises from,
at least is increased by, outward prosperity. Jeshurun waxed fat and kicked;
pride and fulness of bread went together in Sodom; and, where it is
predominant, it binds as a chain; such who are under the power of it are slaves
unto it, they are chained and fettered by it, and it possesses them wholly; it
shows itself in the several members of their bodies, in their eyes and feet,
their walk and gait, and in their conduct and behaviour, and in the several
actions of their lives, and is rightly called "the pride of life"; or
rather they bind it about themselves as a chain, fancying it to be an ornament
to them, what sets them off, and makes them look great in the eyes of others;
whereas the reverse is what is of great price, and in high esteem with God and
good men; namely, the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit:
violence covereth them as a garment; wicked men that are
prosperous and proud are generally oppressive to others; and are very often
open in their acts of violence, which are as openly done and to be seen of all
men, as the clothes upon their backs; and frequently the clothes they wear are
got by rapine and oppression, so that they may properly be called garments of
violence; see Isaiah 59:6.
Psalm 73:7 7 Their eyes bulge[a] with
abundance; They have more than heart could wish.
YLT
7Their eye hath come out
from fat. The imaginations of the heart transgressed;
Or
their face, the eyes being put for the whole face; so the Targum,
"their
face is changed, because of fatness;'
see
Job 15:27,
otherwise through fatness the eyes are almost enclosed: or "it goes forth
out of the fatness of their eyes"F9יצא
מחלב עינמו "prodit vel
exit e pinguedine oculorum eorum", Michaelis. ; that is, either
"pride", which shows itself in haughty looks and scornful airs,
through the abundance possessed; or "violence", seen in the
fierceness of the eyes, and fury of the countenance; or "their eyes go out
through fatness"F11"Exivit prae adipe oculus eorum",
Montanus; "egreditur prae pinguedine", Gejerus. that is, through the
plenty they enjoy, their eyes go out in lust after lawful objects:
they have more than heart could wish; that they
themselves could have wished for heretofore, though not now; for what is it
that a worldly covetous heart cannot and does not wish for? if it had all the
world, it would not satisfy it: or "the imaginations of the heart go
on"F12עברו משכיות
לבב "pergunt cogitationes cordis eorum",
Piscator. ; that is, after more, not being content with such things as they
have; or "they", i.e. their pride and violence,
exceed the imaginations of the heartF13"Excesserunt
imaginationes cordis", Cocceius; "excedunt", Michaelis. ; they
are more than can be conceived of, they overpass the deeds of the wicked, Jeremiah 5:28 or
"they transgress by the imaginations of the heart"F14"Transgrediuntur
cogitationibus cordis", Gejerus. ; which are evil, and that continually.
Psalm 73:8 8 They scoff and speak
wickedly concerning oppression; They speak loftily.
YLT
8They do corruptly, And they
speak in the wickedness of oppression, From on high they speak.
They are corrupt,.... In themselves, in their principles, and
in their practices, being shapen and conceived in sin, and born of the flesh;
and are corrupters, or "corrupt" themselves, and their ways, and also
others by their corrupt speech, evil communications, and bad examples: or
"they consume away"; like smoke, or into it, as Psalm 37:20 or as
wax melteth at the fire, Psalm 68:2, where
the same word is used as here: or "they cause to consume away"F15ימיקו "dissolutos reddunt", Vatablus;
"reddent se dissolutos", Montanus; "faciunt tabescere",
Cocceius, Gejerus, Michaelis. ; "they melt or dissolve others"; they
consume them, and waste their estates by their oppression and violence; they
make their hearts to melt with their threatening and terrifying words; or they make
them dissolute in their lives by keeping them company:
and speak wickedly concerning oppression; they speak
oppression and revolt, threaten with it, Isaiah 59:13, and
speak in vindication of it, and in a boasting glorying manner; so Arama; which
is speaking wickedly concerning it:
they speak loftily: proudly, arrogantly, in a haughty and
imperious manner: or "from on high"F16ממרום
"a sublimi", Musculus, Tigurine version, Junius & Tremellius,
Piscator; "ex alto", Cocceius, Gejerus, Michaelis. ; as if they were
in heaven, and above all creatures, and even God himself; and as if what they
said were oracles, and to be received as such, without any scruple and hesitation.
Thus Pharaoh, Sennacherib, and Nebuchadnezzar spake, Exodus 5:2 and the
little horn, or antichrist, Daniel 7:20.
Psalm 73:9 9 They set their mouth
against the heavens, And their tongue walks through the earth.
YLT
9They have set in the
heavens their mouth, And their tongue walketh in the earth.
They set their mouth against the heavens,.... Against
God in heaven, see Daniel 4:26,
against his being, saying, there is no God; against his perfections, thinking
him to be such an one as themselves; against his purposes and decrees, replying
against him, and charging him with insincerity, cruelty, and unrighteousness;
and against his providence, either denying it, or affirming it to be unequal;
and against his doctrines, ordinances, and ministers. Aben Ezra interprets it
also of the angels of heaven, who are spoken against, when it is denied that
there are any such beings, as were by the Sadducees; and blasphemed, when the
worshipping of them is introduced. The Targum understands it of the saints of
heaven, with which compare Revelation 13:6 it
may be applied to civil magistrates, the higher powers, who represent on earth
God in heaven; and there are some that despise dominion, and speak evil of such
dignities:
and their tongue walketh through the earth: sparing none,
high nor low, but injures all sorts of persons with their lies and calumnies.
This denotes the unbridled liberty which wicked men take with their tongues;
there is no restraint upon them, no stopping of them; see Psalm 12:5 the
universal mischief they are continually doing, and the diabolical influence of
their detraction and falsehood; like Satan, their tongues walk to and fro in
the earth, doing all the injury to the credit and characters of men they
possibly can.
Psalm 73:10 10 Therefore his people
return here, And waters of a full cup are drained by them.
YLT
10Therefore do His people
return hither, And waters of fulness are wrung out to them.
Therefore his people return hither,.... Either the true
people of God, and so the Targum, the people of the Lord, and whom the psalmist
owned for his people; for the Septuagint, Vulgate Latin, Syriac, Arabic, and
Ethiopic versions, read "my people"; who seeing the prosperity of the
wicked, and feeling their own afflictions, return to the same way of thinking,
and fall by the same snare and temptation as the psalmist did; or such who were
only the people of God by profession, but hypocrites, who observing the trouble
that attends a religious life, and the prosperity of wicked men, return from
the good ways of God they have outwardly walked in for some time, to the
conversation of these men, and join themselves to them: or else,
"his" being put for "their", the sense is, the people of
these wicked men, of everyone of them, return unto them, and flock about them,
and caress and flatter them, because of their prosperous circumstances, and
join with them in their evil practices of oppression and slander; which sense
seems best to agree with what goes before and follows after:
and waters of a full cup are wrung out to them; meaning
either to the people of God, and to be understood either of the abundance of
their tears, on account of their afflictions inward and outward; see Psalm 6:6, so the
Targum,
"and
many tears flow unto them;'
or
of their afflictions themselves, which are oftentimes compared to waters in
Scripture; see Psalm 42:7, which
are given them in measure: it is a cup of them that is put into their hands,
and in full measure; they have a full cup of them; many are their tribulations,
through which they enter the kingdom, and they are all of God; it is he that
wrings them out to them with his fatherly hand: or else, taking the people to
mean the followers and companions of the wicked, the words are to be understood
of the plenty of good things which such men enjoy in this life, their cup runs
over; and indeed these seem to be the persons who are introduced speaking the
following words.
Psalm 73:11 11 And they say, “How does
God know? And is there knowledge in the Most High?”
YLT
11And they have said, `How
hath God known? And is there knowledge in the Most High?'
And they say, how doth God know?.... Owning there is a
God, but questioning his knowledge; for the words are not an inquiry about the
way and manner of his knowing things; which is not by the senses, as hearing
and seeing; eyes and ears are improperly ascribed to him; nor in a discursive
way, by reasoning, and inferring one thing from another; for he knows things
intuitively, beholding all things in his own eternal mind and will: but they
are a question about his knowledge itself, as follows:
and is their knowledge in the most High? they
acknowledge God to be the most High, and yet doubt whether there is knowledge
in him; and indeed the higher with respect to place, and at the greater
distance he was from them, the less they imagined he knew of affairs below; see
Job 22:13 for the
knowledge called in question is to be understood of his providential notice of
human affairs, which they thought he did not concern himself with, as being
below his regard; see Ezekiel 9:9 and
therefore concluded that their acts of oppression and violence, and their
insolent words against God and men, would pass unobserved, and with impunity.
If these are the words of good men, of the people of God under affliction, they
are to be considered as under a temptation from their affliction, and the
prosperity of the wicked, to call in question the providence of God in the
government of the world, and his love to them, which is sometimes expressed by
his knowledge of them, Psalm 1:6.
Psalm 73:12 12 Behold, these are
the ungodly, Who are always at ease; They increase in riches.
YLT
12Lo, these [are] the wicked
and easy ones of the age, They have increased strength.
Behold, these are the ungodly,.... Who say and do as
before declared; such as these must be without the knowledge of God, the fear,
love, and worship of him: who prosper in the world; in worldly and temporal
things, in their bodies and outward estates, but not in their souls and
spiritual things: "in this world", as the Targum is; all their
prosperity is here; their good things are in this life, their evil things will
be in that to come; though ungodly, they prosper in the world, and as long as
they are in it; or they are at peace and in case, and are quiet; they have
nothing to disturb them, they are not in outward trouble, and their sins do not
distress them, and they have no concern about another world:
they increase in riches; which they are in the
pursuit of, and overtake and enjoy in great abundance; whereby they become
mighty and powerful, as the wordF15חיל
"vires", Junius & Tremellius; "potentiam", Piscator.
for "riches" signifies: these words are the observation of the
psalmist, and which was the occasion of the following temptation he was led
into.
Psalm 73:13 13 Surely I have cleansed my
heart in vain, And washed my hands in innocence.
YLT
13Only -- a vain thing! I
have purified my heart, And I wash in innocency my hands,
Verily, I have cleansed my heart in vain,.... Which
supposes that his heart had been unclean, as every man's is, and which appears
by what is in it, and by what comes out of it; that it was now cleansed, not in
an absolute and legal sense, as if it was wholly free from sin, for this no man
can say; but in an evangelical sense, being purified by faith in the blood of
Christ; that he had himself some concern in the cleansing of his heart, which
seems to be contrary to Proverbs 20:9 and
besides, this is the Lord's own work, Psalm 51:10
wherefore this may be considered as a wrong and rash expression of his; for as
he was wrong in one part of it, its being cleansed in vain, so he might be in
the other, in ascribing it to himself; though it may be allowed, consistent
with what is before observed, that a believer has a concern in the cleansing of
his heart; for, being convinced of the impurity of it, he owns and laments it
before the Lord; and, seeing the fountain of the Redeemer's blood opened, he applies
to it, and to him for cleansing; and expresses a love unto, a great and
studious concern for purity of heart as well as life; and, under the influence
of divine grace, is enabled to keep a watch over it, whereby, through the same
grace, it is preserved from much pollution; and by fresh application to the
blood of Christ, is cleansed from what it daily contracts:
and washed my hands in innocency: that is, "in
vain", as before; which denotes the performance of good works, a course of
holy life and conversation, which when right springs from purity of heart; See
Gill on Psalm 26:6, now the
psalmist under temptation concluded that all his religion and devotion were in
vain, all his hearing, and reading, and attending on ordinances, all his
concern for purity of heart and life; since those who showed no regard to these
things prospered in the world, and increased in riches, abounded in ease and
plenty, and seemed to be rather the favourites of heaven than religious men;
and this temptation was strengthened by the following observation.
Psalm 73:14 14 For all day long I have
been plagued, And chastened every morning.
YLT
14And I am plagued all the
day, And my reproof [is] every morning.
For all the day long have I been plagued,....
"Smitten or scourged"F16נגוע
"flagellatus", V. L. Pagninus, Montanus; "percussus",
Gejerus. , as in Psalm 73:5, that
is, afflicted of God; which is no ways inconsistent with his love, nor with his
covenant, nor with an interest in him, as a covenant God and Father; see Psalm 89:29,
and chastened every morning; not in wrath, but in
love, and for good; not with the chastisement of a cruel one, but of a loving
and tender father; and therefore not to be improved in such a manner, as if on
this account there was nothing in religion; whereas the daily notices the Lord
takes of his people this way show his regard unto them, and care of them.
Psalm 73:15 15 If I had said, “I will
speak thus,” Behold, I would have been untrue to the generation of Your
children.
YLT
15If I have said, `I recount
thus,' Lo, a generation of Thy sons I have deceived.
If I say, I will speak thus,.... Either as the wicked
do, Psalm 73:8 or
rather as he had thought in his own mind, Psalm 73:13,
wherefore he kept it all to himself, and did not make known to others the
reasonings of his mind, and the temptations he laboured under:
behold, I should offend against the generation of thy children; of whom care
should be taken, above all things, that they be not offended, Matthew 18:6, or
"should condemn"; as the Targum; or as Jarchi,
"I
should make them transgressors, and wicked persons;'
should
represent them as if they were men hated and rejected of God, because of their
afflictions: the words may be rendered, "behold the generation of thy
children, I have transgressed"F17הנה דור בניך בגדתי
"ecce generatio filiorum tuorum, praevaricatus sum", Pagninus,
Montanus. ; by giving way to the above temptation, which might have been
prevented by considering the church, children, and people of God, and the care
he has taken of them, the regard he has shown to them, and the preservation of
them in all ages. The words are an apostrophe to God, who has children by
adopting grace, and which appear so by their regeneration; and there is a
generation of them in all ages; when one goes, another comes; there is always a
seed, a spiritual offspring, to serve him, which is counted for a generation.
Psalm 73:16 16 When I thought how
to understand this, It was too painful for me—
YLT
16And I think to know this,
Perverseness it [is] in mine eyes,
When I thought to know this,.... How to reconcile the
prosperity of the wicked, and the afflictions of the righteous, to the
perfections of God, and his wise providence in the government of the world, by
the mere dint of reason, without consulting the sacred oracles, or his own and others'
experience:
it was too painful for me: too laborious and
toilsome, a work he was not equal to; "hic labor, hoc opus"; see Ecclesiastes 8:17.
Psalm 73:17 17 Until I went into the
sanctuary of God; Then I understood their end.
YLT
17Till I come in to the
sanctuaries of God, I attend to their latter end.
Until I went into the sanctuary of God,.... The
tabernacle or house of God, where the Word of God was read and explained,
prayer was made, and sacrifices offered up, and where fellowship was had with
the saints, and communion with God himself; which for one hour or moment is
preferable to all the prosperity of the wicked, during their whole life. This
shows that though the psalmist was beset with the temptation, yet not overcome;
it did not so far prevail as to cause him to neglect public worship, and
relinquish the house of God, and the ordinances of it; and it is right, under
temptations, doubts, and difficulties, to attend the public ministrations,
which is the way and means to have relief under temptations, to have doubts
resolved, and difficulties removed: some by "the sanctuary of God"
understand the Scriptures, which are holy and of God, and are profitable for
instruction, and are to be consulted and entered into by a serious reading of
and deep meditation on them; whereby may be known the happiness that is
prepared for the saints in the other world, and the misery of the wicked, and
hereby judgment may be made of the present case and condition of each: others
interpret it of the world of spirits, which may be entered into by
contemplation; when it may be observed that the spirits of just men upon their
dissolution possess unspeakable joys and glories, and the souls of the wicked
are in inconceivable torments:
then understood I their end; both of the godly and of
the wicked; that the end of the righteous is peace, rest, salvation, and
eternal life, and the end of the wicked is ruin, destruction, and death; see Psalm 37:35.
Psalm 73:18 18 Surely You set them in
slippery places; You cast them down to destruction.
YLT
18Only, in slippery places
Thou dost set them, Thou hast caused them to fall to desolations.
Surely thou didst set them in slippery places,.... In which
a man cannot stand long, and without danger; and the higher they are the more
dangerous, being slippery, and such are places of honour and riches. The phrase
denotes the uncertainty and instability of these things, and the danger men are
in who are possessed of them of falling into destruction and misery. The Targum
is,
"thou
didst set them in darkness;'
to
be in slippery places, and in the dark, is very uncomfortable, unsafe, and
dangerous indeed; See Psalm 35:6 and it
may be observed, that all this honour, promotion, and riches, are of God; it is
he that sets them in these places of honour and profit; and he that sets them
up can pull them down, as he does; so it follows,
thou castest them down into destruction: into temporal
destruction, by removing them from their high stations into a very low, mean,
and contemptible state, as were Shebna and Nebuchadnezzar, Isaiah 22:15 and
into everlasting destruction, from whence there is no recovery; see Psalm 55:23.
Psalm 73:19 19 Oh, how they are brought
to desolation, as in a moment! They are utterly consumed with terrors.
YLT
19How have they become a
desolation as in a moment, They have been ended -- consumed from terrors.
How are they brought into desolation, as in a moment?.... Very
suddenly, which is often the case of wicked men, who cry Peace and safety, and
sudden destruction comes upon them, 1 Thessalonians 5:3,
so as in a moment were the punishment of Sodom and Gomorrah, of Pharaoh and his
host, and of Korah and his company, Lamentations 4:6,
the words are expressed with admiration, as wondering at the sudden and amazing
turn of things:
they are utterly consumed with terrors: their
destruction is not only sudden, but entire; it is like the breaking in pieces
of a potter's vessel; a shard of which cannot be gathered up and used, or like
the casting of a millstone into the sea, which will never rise more; such will
be the destruction of antichrist; see Revelation 2:27 and
this is done "with terrors"; either by terrible judgments inflicted
on them from without; or with terrors inwardly seizing upon their minds and
consciences; as, at the time of temporal calamities, or at death, however at
judgment, when the awful sentence will be pronounced upon them; see Job 27:20.
Psalm 73:20 20 As a dream when one
awakes, So, Lord, when You awake, You shall despise their image.
YLT
20As a dream from awakening,
O Lord, In awaking, their image Thou despisest.
As a dream when one awaketh,.... So will be all the
temporal felicity of wicked men, all an illusion, all a dream; when they lift
up their eyes in hell, and awake in the resurrection, they will find themselves
destitute of all their riches and honours, and it will be as if they had only
dreamed of them, and never enjoyed them; see Job 20:6 so,
"O Lord, when thou awakest"; to judgment, to take vengeance on wicked
men, and vindicate his own people; and who seems sometimes to be as it were
asleep, and to take no notice of things, when the judgment of the ungodly, and
their damnation, seem to slumber, though it does not; see Psalm 7:6 or when
he awakes the dead at the time of the resurrection. Death is often compared to
sleep in Scripture, and the resurrection to an awaking out of it, which is the
Lord's work, Isaiah 26:19, and
so the Targum,
"O
Lord, when thou shalt raise them from their graves:'
thou shalt despise their image; the image of the earthly
man, of sin and of Satan, which is upon both their souls and bodies; which will
both be destroyed in hell: or their riches and honour, the vain show in which
they have walked, their outward pomp and splendour; which was only a show, an
outward appearance, and no solidity and substance; and which will not be
esteemed in the great day of account, but despised; see Job 36:18, the
wicked will awake, and arise to everlasting shame and contempt, Daniel 12:2.
Psalm 73:21 21 Thus my heart was grieved,
And I was vexed in my mind.
YLT
21For my heart doth show
itself violent, And my reins prick themselves,
Thus my heart was grieved,.... Not with his own
sins, nor with the sins of the wicked, but at their prosperity; for this is an
account of himself, while under the temptation, and before he went into the
sanctuary of the Lord; or when he was "leavened"F18יתחמץ "effervesceret fermenti instar", Tigurine
version; "in fermento esset", Cocceius; so Ainsworth. , with the old
leaven of wickedness, and envy, and indignation; he was in a ferment, so
PlautusF19Casina, Act. 2. Sc. 5. v. 17. uses the phrase for being in
anger and wrath; he swelled, as what is leavened does, against God and his
providence: or was "soured"F20Acescet Montanus;
"quasi aceto acri perfundebatur", Vatablus. ; he was out of humour
and angry with God, or was exasperated and provoked at the favours bestowed
upon the wicked. Some render it "inflamed"F21"Inflammatum
est", V. L. , made hot; not with the love of God, and meditation upon it,
but with wrath and indignation:
and I was pricked in my reins; disturbed and distracted
in his thoughts, felt a great deal of pain in his mind, while he was
considering the prosperity of the wicked; which was as a sword in his bones,
and as an arrow shot into his reins; see Lamentations 3:13.
Psalm 73:22 22 I was so foolish
and ignorant; I was like a beast before You.
YLT
22And I am brutish, and do
not know. A beast I have been with Thee.
So foolish was I,.... To envy the prosperity of the wicked,
which is of so short a continuance; to arraign the providence and perfections
of God, and to conclude so hastily that there was nothing in religion:
and ignorant; or, "I knew not"F23לא אדע "nescivi", V. L.
"non cognoscebam", Pagninus, Montanus; "nec sciebam",
Piscator; "non noveram", Cocceius. ; what he attempted to know, Psalm 73:16, nor
the end of the wicked, till he went into the sanctuary of the Lord; nor the
counsel and design of God, in his methods of providence towards wicked men:
I was as a beast before thee, or "with thee"F24עמך "apud te", V. L. Pagninus, Montanus, &c.
; in the knowledge of the ways and works of God, even those of providence; see Psalm 92:5,
unteachable, untractable, kicking against God and his providential
dispensations; not behaving like a man, much, less like a saint; but even as
the worst of brutes, as the behemoth in Job 40:15, for the
same word is here used; he concluded that God, who saw all the wickedness of
his heart, the workings and reasonings of his mind, which were so vain and
foolish, could esteem him no other than as a beast; so the Targum,
"as
a beast I am accounted with thee:'
the
words may be rendered, "I was the veriest beast before thee"; there
being no note of similitude in the text; the word for "beast" being
in the plural number, may be used for a superlative; PlautusF25Trinum.
Act. 4. Sc. 2. v. 110. uses the word "bellua", beast, for a stupid
man.
Psalm 73:23 23 Nevertheless I am
continually with You; You hold me by my right hand.
YLT
23And I [am] continually with
Thee, Thou hast laid hold on my right hand.
Nevertheless, I am continually with thee,.... Upon the
heart of God, in his hands, under his eye, under his wings of protection and
care, and not suffered to depart from him finally and totally; he could not be
disunited and removed from him by the above temptation; nor was he left to cast
off the fear of the Lord, and to forsake his worship and service; nor
altogether to lose his love and affection for him, which still continued; see Psalm 73:25, or
"I shall be always with thee"F26ואני
תמיד "ego jugiter futurus sum", Junius
& Tremellius, Piscator; "itaque ego in posterum semper tecum
ero", Michaelis. ; not now, for though the saints are always in union with
the Lord, yet they have not always communion with him; but hereafter, in
heaven, to all eternity:
thou hast holden me by my right hand; as an
instance of condescension, respect, and familiarity; see Acts 23:19, as a
parent takes his child by the hand, and learns it to go, so the Lord takes his
children by the hand, and teaches them to walk by faith in him, Hosea 11:3 or in
order to keep them from falling, and bear them up under temptations and
exercises; as well as to lead them into more intimate communion with himself in
his sanctuary, and to raise them up out of their low estate to an exalted one;
see Isaiah 45:1, and
likewise to put something into their hands, to supply their wants, and fill
them with his good things; see Ezekiel 16:49.
Psalm 73:24 24 You will guide me with
Your counsel, And afterward receive me to glory.
YLT
24With Thy counsel Thou dost
lead me, And after honour dost receive me.
Thou shalt guide me with thy counsel,.... Which is
wise and prudent, wholesome, suitable, and seasonable, hearty, sincere, and
faithful, and which is freely given, and when taken, infallibly succeeds: or
"according to thy counsel"F1בעצתך
"pro consilio tuo", Michaelis. ; the determinate counsels, purposes,
and will of God, which were of old faithfulness and truth; who does all things
after the counsel of his own will in providence and grace: or "by thy
counsel"F2"Consilio tuo", Junius & Tremellius,
Piscator, Cocceius. ; by the Scriptures of truth, the revealed word, which
contains the will of God, and directions for a holy walk and conversation; by
the Gospel and truths of it, called the whole counsel of God, Acts 20:27, and by
his Holy Spirit, which is a spirit of counsel as well as of might; and by which
the Lord guides his people in the ways of peace, truth, righteousness, and
holiness, through this world, to the heavenly glory, as follows:
and afterward receive me to glory; into a glorious place,
an house not made with hands, a city whose builder and maker is God, into a
kingdom and glory, or a glorious kingdom; and into glorious company, the
company of Father, Son, and Spirit, angels and glorified saints, where glorious
things will be seen, and a glory enjoyed both in soul and body to all eternity;
for this glory is eternal glory, a glory that passes not away: or "in
glory"F3כבוד "in gloria",
Gejerus. ; in a glorious manner: some render it, "after glory thou wilt
receive me"F4אחר כבוד
"post gloriam", Hammond. ; that is, after all the glory and honour
thou hast bestowed upon me here, thou wilt take me to thyself in heaven; so the
Targum,
"after
the glory is completed, which thou saidst thou wouldst bring upon me, thou wilt
receive me:'
but
rather the sense is, "after" thou hast led and guided me by thy
counsel through the wilderness of this world; "after" all the
afflictions and temptations of this present life are over; "after" I
have passed through the valley of the shadow of death, or "after"
death itself, thou wilt receive me into everlasting joy and happiness; see 1 Peter 5:10.
Psalm 73:25 25 Whom have I in heaven but
You? And there is none upon earth that I desire besides You.
YLT
25Whom have I in the heavens?
And with Thee none I have desired in earth.
Whom have I in heaven but thee,.... Which includes God
the Father, Son, and Spirit; God the Father, as his only covenant God and
Father; Christ as his only Mediator, Saviour, and Redeemer, Head, Husband,
Advocate, and Intercessor; the Spirit as his only sanctifier, Comforter,
earnest, and sealer; and is expressive of their being the one and only Lord
God, the sole object of worship, trust, and confidence; his only helper and
guide; and in whom his supreme happiness and glory lay; and it excludes the
sun, moon, and stars, in the lower heavens, from being the object of worship
and trust; and angels and glorified saints in the highest heavens: the words
may be rendered, "who is for me in heaven?"F5מי לי "quis pro me?"
Gejerus. on my side, my protector and defender; see Romans 8:31.
and there is none upon earth that I desire besides thee; or "with
thee"F6עמך "tecum",
Pagninus, Montanus, Tigurine version, Masculus, Gejerus. ; there are many
things on earth desirable, as riches, health, friends, food, raiment, &c.
but not to be compared with God and Christ, and the blessed Spirit; with the
love of God, the grace of Christ, and the communion of the Holy Ghost; there
are none to be loved and delighted in as they, nor anything so desirable as
fellowship with them: or "with thee I desire not the earth"F7לא חפצתי בארץ
"nec terram totam diligo tecum", Gejerus. ; the whole world, and all
things in it, are nothing in comparison of God; if a man was possessed of the
whole of it, and had not interest in the Lord, he would be miserable; and if he
has an interest in him, he has enough without it; for all things are his, God
is all in all; wherefore he is willing to leave all, and be with him for ever:
the Targum is,
"who
is like unto thee, that is, mine in heaven but thee? and with thee I do not
desire a companion on earth.'
See
Psalm 89:6.
Psalm 73:26 26 My flesh and my heart
fail; But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
YLT
26Consumed hath been my flesh
and my heart, The rock of my heart and my portion [is] God to the age.
My flesh and my heart faileth,.... Either through
vehement desires of communion with God deferred, see Psalm 84:2 or
through afflictive dispensations of Providence, being smitten and chastened
continually, Psalm 73:14, or
through inward trials and exercises, by reason of indwelling sin, temptations,
and desertions: or rather the words are expressive of the body being emaciated
by sickness and diseases; and the heart fainting through fear of death, or
rather failing at it, being at the point of death; the heart being, as philosophers
say, the first that lives, and the last that dies:
but God is the strength of my heart, or "the rock of my
heart"F8וור לבבי
"rupes cordis mei", Montanus, Musculus, Piscator, Cocceius,
"petra cordis mei", Tigurine version, Gejerus, Michaelis; so
Ainsworth. ; when overwhelmed with distress through outward trouble, or in the
lowest condition with respect to spiritual things; when grace is weak,
corruptions strong, temptations prevail, and afflictions are many; then does
the Lord support and sustain his people, and strengthens them with strength in
their souls; and in the moment of death, by showing them that its sting is
taken away, and its curse removed; that their souls are going to their Lord,
and about to enter into his joy; and that their bodies will rise again glorious
and incorruptible:
and my portion for ever; both in life and at
death, and to all eternity; this is a very large portion indeed; such who have
it inherit all things; yea, it is immense and inconceivable; it is a soul
satisfying one, and is safe and secure; it can never be taken away, nor can it
be spent; it will last always; see Psalm 142:5.
Psalm 73:27 27 For indeed, those who are far
from You shall perish; You have destroyed all those who desert You for
harlotry.
YLT
27For, lo, those far from
Thee do perish, Thou hast cut off every one, Who is going a whoring from Thee.
For, lo, they that are far from thee,.... Who are
alienated from the life of God, far from the law of God, and subjection and
obedience to it; and from righteousness either moral or evangelical, and from
the love and fear of God, and worship of him:
shall perish; not merely at death, as even righteous men
do, but be lost eternally:
thou hast destroyed all them that go a whoring from thee; that follow
after other gods, and worship them; which is spiritual adultery and
fornication, the Scriptures often speak of, and intend by it idolatry; see Deuteronomy 31:16
or who set their hearts and affections upon the creature, and have them
alienated from God; and love the creature more and besides the Creator: the
past tense seems to be put for the future, and so some render it, "thou
shalt destroy", or "cut off"F9הצמתה
"perdes", Tigurine version, Musculus, so some in Vatablus;
"exscindes", Michaelis. ; destroy them soul and body, and punish them
with an everlasting destruction in hell; the Targum is,
"that
wander from thy fear;'
that
is, from the worship of God.
Psalm 73:28 28 But it is good for
me to draw near to God; I have put my trust in the Lord GOD,
That I may declare all Your works.
YLT
28And I -- nearness of God to
me [is] good, I have placed in the Lord Jehovah my refuge, To recount all Thy
works!
But it is good for me to draw near to God,.... In
prayer, and other acts of religious worship; to attend the word and ordinances
in the sanctuary, where the psalmist had lately been delivered out of a sore
temptation, and so had a recent experience, which was fresh in his mind, of the
advantages of such exercises; for it is both an honourable good, what is
becoming and commendable, and a pleasant good, what yields delight and
satisfaction, and a profitable good, to draw nigh to God by Christ, the new and
living way, assisted by the Holy Spirit; which, when done aright, is with
faith, sincerity, reverence, and a holy boldness:
I have put my trust in the Lord God; as the rock of his
refuge and salvation, as his portion and inheritance:
that I may declare all thy works; of providence and grace,
by proclaiming the wisdom, power, goodness, and faithfulness of God in them; by
giving him the glory of them, and by expressing thankfulness for them, both by
words and deeds.
──《John Gill’s
Exposition of the Bible》
New King James
Version (NKJV)