Commentary on Psalms - Volume 5

To the Chief Musician. Of the servant of Jehovah, David, who spake to Jehovah the words of this song, in the day that Jehovah delivered him from the hand of all his enemies, and from the hand of Saul. And he said,

1I will love thee, O Jehovah! my strength;

2Jehovah my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer; My God, my rock, I will hope in him: My shield and the horn of my salvation, my refuge.

3Upon the praised Jehovah will I call; And from my enemies I shall be saved.

4Encompassed me had the cords of death. The torrents of ungodliness had affrighted me.

5The cords of the grave had encompassed me; Prevented me had the snares of death.

6In my distress I called upon Jehovah, And to my God I cried: And he heard from his temple my voice, And my cry before him came, [even] into his ears.

7Then shake and tremble did the earth; And the foundations of the mountains were troubled and shaken, Because he was wroth.

8There ascended smoke out of his nostrils, And fire proceeding from his mouth consumed; Coals were kindled by it.

9And he bowed the heavens and descended; And thick darkness was under his feet.

10And he rode upon a cherub and flew; And was carried upon the wings of the wind.

11He made darkness his hiding place; Round about him his pavilion was dark waters, And the clouds of the skies.

12At the brightness which was before him his clouds passed away, [There were] hail-storm, and coals of fire.

13And thunder in the heavens did Jehovah, And the Most High sent forth his voice; [There were] hailstorm and coals of fire.

14And he sent out his army and scattered them; And lightnings he multiplied, and put them into confusion.

15And seen were the abysses of the waters, And disclosed were the foundations of the world, At thy rebuke, O Jehovah! At the blast of the breath of thy nostrils.

16He sent from on high, he took me; He drew me from waters great.

17He delivered me from my enemy [that was] strong, And from my adversary; Because they were stronger than I.

18They had prevented me in the day of my calamity; And Jehovah was a support for me.

19And he brought me forth into a wide place; He rescued me because he wished well to me.

20Rewarded me hath Jehovah according to my righteousness; According to the purity of my hands he hath repaid me;

21Because I have kept the ways of Jehovah, And have not impiously departed from my God;

22Because all his judgments I have had before me, And his statutes I have not removed from me.

23And I have been upright with him, And have kept me from my iniquity.

24And repaid me hath Jehovah according to my righteousness According to the purity of my hands before his eyes.

25With the merciful thou wilt deal mercifully, With a man of uprightness thou wilt show thyself upright.

26With the pure thou wilt be pure, And with the perverse thou wilt deal perversely.

27For thou the afflicted people wilt save, And the haughty eyes thou wilt east down.

28For thou shalt light my lamp, O Jehovah! My God shall enlighten my darkness.

29For by thee I shall break through the wedge of a troop, And by my God I shall leap over a wall.

30As for God perfect is his way; The word of Jehovah [is] refined; A shield is He to all who confide in him.

31For who is God besides Jehovah? And who is strong except our God?

32It is God who hath girded me with strength, And hath made perfect my way.

33He maketh my feet like those of hinds, And upon my high places he hath set me.

34He traineth my hands to the battle, And broken will be a bow of steel by my arms.

35And thou hast given me the shield of thy salvation, And thy right hand hath sustained me, And thy clemency hath increased me.

36Thou hast enlarged my steps under me, And my ankles shall not totter.

37I will pursue my enemies and will seize them; Nor will I return until I have consumed them.

38I have afflicted them, and they were not able to rise; They have fallen under my feet.

39Thou hast girded me with might for the battle; Thou hast bowed down my enemies under me.

40And of my enemies thou hast given me the neck, And [as for] my haters I will destroy them.

41They shall cry aloud, and there shall be no Savior for them; To Jehovah, but he shall not answer them.

42And I will bruise them to powder as dust before the wind; As the mire of the streets I will tread upon them.

43Thou shalt deliver me from the contentions of the people; Thou shalt make me head of the nations; A people whom I have not known shall serve me.

44At the hearing of the ear they shall obey me; The children of strangers shall lie to me;

45The children of strangers shall lose courage, And tremble from within their places of concealment.

46Let Jehovah live and blessed be my strength, And let the God of my salvation be exalted:

47The God who giveth vengeance for me, And subdueth peoples under me.

48My deliverer from my enemies: Yea, from those who had risen up against me thou hast lifted me up: From the man of violence thou hast rescued me.

49Therefore will I praise thee, O Jehovah! among the Gentiles, And to thy name will I sing.

50Who worketh great deliverances for his king, And showeth mercy to his anointed, [even to] David, And to his seed for ever.