1 I will praise thee with my whole heart: before the gods will I sing praise unto thee.
2 I will worship toward thy holy temple, and praise thy name for thy lovingkindness and for thy truth: for thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name.
3 In the day when I cried thou answeredst me, and strengthenedst me with strength in my soul.
4 All the kings of the earth shall praise thee, O LORD, when they hear the words of thy mouth.
5 Yea, they shall sing in the ways of the LORD: for great is the glory of the LORD.
6 Though the LORD be high, yet hath he respect unto the lowly: but the proud he knoweth afar off.
7 Though I walk in the midst of trouble, thou wilt revive me: thou shalt stretch forth thine hand against the wrath of mine enemies, and thy right hand shall save me.
8 The LORD will perfect that which concerneth me: thy mercy, O LORD, endureth for ever: forsake not the works of thine own hands.
1 [[A Psalm of David.]] H1732 I will praise H3034 thee with my whole heart: H3820 before the gods H430 will I sing praise H2167 unto thee.
2 I will worship H7812 toward thy holy H6944 temple, H1964 and praise H3034 thy name H8034 for thy lovingkindness H2617 and for thy truth: H571 for thou hast magnified H1431 thy word H565 above all thy name. H8034
3 In the day H3117 when I cried H7121 thou answeredst H6030 me, and strengthenedst H7292 me with strength H5797 in my soul. H5315
4 All the kings H4428 of the earth H776 shall praise H3034 thee, O LORD, H3068 when they hear H8085 the words H561 of thy mouth. H6310
5 Yea, they shall sing H7891 in the ways H1870 of the LORD: H3068 for great H1419 is the glory H3519 of the LORD. H3068
6 Though the LORD H3068 be high, H7311 yet hath he respect H7200 unto the lowly: H8217 but the proud H1364 he knoweth H3045 afar off. H4801
7 Though I walk H3212 in the midst H7130 of trouble, H6869 thou wilt revive H2421 me: thou shalt stretch forth H7971 thine hand H3027 against the wrath H639 of mine enemies, H341 and thy right hand H3225 shall save H3467 me.
8 The LORD H3068 will perfect H1584 that which concerneth me: thy mercy, H2617 O LORD, H3068 endureth for ever: H5769 forsake H7503 not the works H4639 of thine own hands. H3027
1 I will give thee thanks with my whole heart: Before the gods will I sing praises unto thee.
2 I will worship toward thy holy temple, And give thanks unto thy name for thy lovingkindness and for thy truth: For thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name.
3 In the day that I called thou answeredst me, Thou didst encourage me with strength in my soul.
4 All the kings of the earth shall give thee thanks, O Jehovah, For they have heard the words of thy mouth.
5 Yea, they shall sing of the ways of Jehovah; For great is the glory of Jehovah.
6 For though Jehovah is high, yet hath he respect unto the lowly; But the haughty he knoweth from afar.
7 Though I walk in the midst of trouble, thou wilt revive me; Thou wilt stretch forth thy hand against the wrath of mine enemies, And thy right hand will save me.
8 Jehovah will perfect that which concerneth me: Thy lovingkindness, O Jehovah, `endureth' for ever; Forsake not the works of thine own hands. Psalm 139 For the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David.
1 By David. I confess Thee, with all my heart, Before the gods I do praise Thee.
2 I bow myself toward Thy holy temple, And I confess Thy name, For Thy kindness, and for Thy truth, For Thou hast made great Thy saying above all Thy name.
3 In the day I called, when Thou dost answer me, Thou dost strengthen me in my soul `with' strength.
4 O Jehovah, all kings of earth confess Thee, When they have heard the sayings of Thy mouth.
5 And they sing in the ways of Jehovah, For great `is' the honour of Jehovah.
6 For high `is' Jehovah, and the lowly He seeth, And the haughty from afar He knoweth.
7 If I walk in the midst of distress Thou quickenest me, Against the anger of mine enemies Thou sendest forth Thy hand, And Thy right hand doth save me.
8 Jehovah doth perfect for me, O Jehovah, Thy kindness `is' to the age, The works of Thy hands let not fall!
1 {[A Psalm] of David.} I will give thee thanks with my whole heart; before the gods will I sing psalms of thee.
2 I will bow down toward the temple of thy holiness, and celebrate thy name for thy loving-kindness and for thy truth; for thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name.
3 In the day when I called thou answeredst me; thou didst encourage me with strength in my soul.
4 All the kings of the earth shall celebrate thee, Jehovah, when they have heard the words of thy mouth;
5 And they shall sing in the ways of Jehovah, for great is the glory of Jehovah.
6 For Jehovah is high; but he looketh upon the lowly, and the proud he knoweth afar off.
7 Though I walk in the midst of trouble, thou wilt revive me: thou wilt stretch forth thy hand against the anger of mine enemies, and thy right hand shall save me.
8 Jehovah will perfect what concerneth me: thy loving-kindness, O Jehovah, [endureth] for ever; forsake not the works of thine own hands.
1 > I will give you thanks with my whole heart. Before the gods, I will sing praises to you.
2 I will bow down toward your holy temple, And give thanks to your Name for your loving kindness and for your truth; For you have exalted your Name and your Word above all.
3 In the day that I called, you answered me. You encouraged me with strength in my soul.
4 All the kings of the earth will give you thanks, Yahweh, For they have heard the words of your mouth.
5 Yes, they will sing of the ways of Yahweh; For great is Yahweh's glory.
6 For though Yahweh is high, yet he looks after the lowly; But the proud, he knows from afar.
7 Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you will revive me. You will stretch forth your hand against the wrath of my enemies. Your right hand will save me.
8 Yahweh will fulfill that which concerns me; Your loving kindness, Yahweh, endures forever. Don't forsake the works of your own hands.
1 <Of David.> I will give you praise with all my heart: I will make melody to you before the gods.
2 I will give worship before your holy Temple, praising your name for your mercy and for your unchanging faith: for you have made your word greater than all your name.
3 When my cry came to your ears you gave me an answer, and made me great with strength in my soul.
4 All the kings of the earth will give you praise, O Lord, when the words of your mouth come to their ears.
5 They will make songs about the ways of the Lord; for great is the glory of the Lord.
6 Though the Lord is high, he sees those who are low; and he has knowledge from far off of those who are lifted up.
7 Even when trouble is round me, you will give me life; your hand will be stretched out against the wrath of my haters, and your right hand will be my salvation.
8 The Lord will make all things complete for me: O Lord, your mercy is eternal; do not give up the works of your hands.
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Keil & Delitzsch Commentary » Commentary on Psalms 138
Commentary on Psalms 138 Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
The Mediator and Perfecter
There will come a time when the praise of Jahve, which according to Psalms 137:3 was obliged to be dumb in the presence of the heathen, will, according to Psalms 138:5, be sung by the kings of the heathen themselves. In the lxx Psalms 137:1-9 side by side with τῷ Δαυίδ also has the inscription Ἱιερεμίου , and Psalms 138:1-8 has Ἀγγαίου καὶ Ζαχαρίου . Perhaps these statements are meant to refer back the existing recension of the text of the respective Psalms to the prophets named (vid., Köhler, Haggai , S. 33). From the fact that these names of psalmodists added by the lxx do not come down beyond Malachi, it follows that the Psalm-collection in the mind of the lxx was made not later than in the time of Nehemiah.
The speaker in Psalms 138:1-8, to follow the lofty expectation expressed in Psalms 138:4, is himself a king, and according to the inscription, David. There is, however, nothing to favour his being the author; the Psalm is, in respect for the Davidic Psalms, composed as it were out of the soul of David - an echo of 2 Sam. 7 (1 Chr. 17). The superabundant promise which made the throne of David and of his seed an eternal throne is here gratefully glorified. The Psalm can at any rate be understood, if with Hengstenberg we suppose that it expresses the lofty self-consciousness to which David was raised after victorious battles, when he humbly ascribed the glory to God and resolved to build Him a Temple in place of the tent upon Zion.
The poet will give thanks to Him, whom he means without mentioning Him by name, for His mercy, i.e., His anticipating, condescending love, and for His truth, i.e., truthfulness and faithfulness, and more definitely for having magnified His promise ( אמרה ) above all His Name, i.e., that He has given a promise which infinitely surpasses everything by which He has hitherto established a name and memorial for Himself ( על־כּל־שׁמך , with ō instead of ŏ , an anomaly that is noted by the Masora, vid., Baer's Psalterium , p. 133). If the promise by the mouth of Nathan (2 Sam. 7) is meant, then we may compare 2 Samuel 7:21. גּדל , גּדול , גּדלּה are repeated in that promise and its echo coming from the heart of David so frequently, that this הגדּלתּ seems like a hint pointing to that history, which is one of the most important crises in the history of salvation. The expression נגד אלהים also becomes intelligible from this history. Ewald renders it: “in the presence of God!” which is surely meant to say: in the holy place (De Wette, Olshausen). But “before God will I sing praise to Thee (O God!)” - what a jumble! The lxx renders ἐναντίον ἀγγέλων , which is in itself admissible and full of meaning,
(Note: Bellarmine: Scio me psallentem tibi ab angelis, qui tibi assistunt, videri et attendi et ideo ita considerate me geram in psallendo, ut qui intelligam, in quo theatro consistam .)
but without coherence in the context of the Psalm, and also is to be rejected because it is on the whole very questionable whether the Old Testament language uses אלהים thus, without anything further to define it, in the sense of “angels.” It might be more readily rendered “in the presence of the gods,” viz., of the gods of the peoples (Hengstenberg, Hupfeld, and Hitzig); but in order to be understood of gods which are only seemingly such, it would require some addition. Whereas אלהים can without any addition denote the magisterial possessors of the dignity that is the type of the divine, as follows from Psalms 82:1 (cf. Psalms 45:7) in spite of Knobel, Graf, and Hupfeld; and thus, too (cf. נגד מלכים in Psalms 119:46), we understand it here, with Rashi, Aben-Ezra, Kimchi, Falminius, Bucer, Clericus, and others. What is meant are “the great who are in the earth,” 2 Samuel 7:9, with whom David, inasmuch as he became king from being a shepherd, is ranked, and above whom he has been lifted up by the promise of an eternal kingship. Before these earthly “gods” will David praise the God of the promise; they shall hear for their salutary confusion, for their willing rendering of homage, that God hath made him “the highest with respect to the kings of the earth” (Psalms 89:28).
There are two things for which the poet gives thanks to God: He has answered him in the days of trouble connected with his persecution by Saul and in all distresses; and by raising him to the throne, and granting him victory upon victory, and promising him the everlasting possession of the throne, He has filled him with a proud courage, so that lofty feeling has taken up its abode in his soul, which was formerly fearful about help. Just as רהב signifies impetuosity, vehemence, and then also a monster, so הרהיב signifies both to break in upon one violently and overpowerlingly (Song of Solomon 6:5; cf. Syriac arheb , Arabic arhaba , to terrify), and to make any one courageous, bold, and confident of victory. בּנפשׁי עז forms a corollary to the verb that is marked by Mugrash or Dechî : so that in my soul there was עז , i.e., power, viz., a consciousness of power (cf. Judges 5:21). The thanksgiving, which he, the king of the promise, offers to God on account of this, will be transmitted to all the kings of the earth when they shall hear ( שׁמעוּ in the sense of a fut. exactum ) the words of His mouth, i.e., the divine אמרה , and they shall sing of ( שׁיר with בּ , like דּבּר בּ in Psalms 87:3, שׂיח בּ in Psalms 105:2 and frequently, הלּל בּ in Psalms 44:9, הזכּיר בּ in Psalms 20:8, and the like) the ways of the God of the history of salvation, they shall sing that great is the glory of Jahve. Psalms 138:6 tells us by what means He has so super-gloriously manifested Himself in His leadings of David. He has shown Himself to be the Exalted One who is His all-embracing rule does not leave the lowly (cf. David's confessions in Psalms 131:1; 2 Samuel 6:22) unnoticed (Psalms 113:6), but on the contrary makes him the especial object of His regard; and on the other hand even from afar (cf. Psalms 139:2) He sees through ( ידע as in Psalms 94:11; Jeremiah 29:23) the lofty one who thinks himself unobserved and conducts himself as if he were answerable to no higher being (Psalms 10:4). In correct texts וגבה has Mugrash , and ממרחק Mercha . The form of the fut. Kal יידע is formed after the analogy of the Hiphil forms ייליל in Isaiah 16:7, and frequently, and ייטיב in Job 24:21; probably the word is intended to be all the more emphatic, inasmuch as the first radical, which disappears in ידע , is thus in a certain measure restored.
(Note: The Greek imperfects with the double (syllabic and temporal) augment, as ἑώρων , ἀνέῳγον , are similar. Chajuǵ also regards the first Jod in these forms as the preformative and the second as the radical, whereas Abulwalîd, Gramm . ch. xxvi. p. 170, explains the first as a prosthesis and the second as the preformative. According to the view of others, e.g., of Kimchi, יידע might be fut . Hiph . weakened from יהדע ( יהידיע ), which, apart from the unsuitable meaning, assumes a change of consonants that is all the more inadmissible as ידע itself springs from ודע . Nor is it to be supposed that יידע is modified from יידע (Luzzatto, §197), because it is nowhere written יידע .)
Out of these experiences-so important for all mankind - of David, who has been exalted by passing through humiliation, there arise from him confident hopes concerning the future. The beginning of this strophe calls Psalms 23:4 to mind. Though his way may lead through the midst of heart - oppressing trouble, Jahve will loose these bands of death and quicken him afresh ( חיּה as in Psalms 30:4; Psalms 71:20, and frequently). Though his enemies may rage, Jahve will stretch forth His hand threateningly and tranquillizingly over their wrath, and His right hand will save him. ימינך is the subject according to Psalms 139:10 and other passages, and not (for why should it be supposed to be this?) accus. instrumenti (vid., Psalms 60:7). In Psalms 138:8 יגמר is intended just as in Psalms 57:3 : the word begun He will carry out, ἐπιτελεῖν (Philemon 1:6); and בּעדי (according to its meaning, properly: covering me) is the same as עלי in that passage (cf. Psalms 13:6; 142:8). The pledge of this completion is Jahve's everlasting mercy, which will not rest until the promise is become perfect truth and reality. Thus, therefore, He will not leave, forsake the works of His hands (vid., Psalms 90:16.), i.e., as Hengstenberg correctly explains, everything that He has hitherto accomplished for David, from his deliverance out of the hands of Saul down to the bestowment of the promise - He will not let one of His works stand still, and least of all one that has been so gloriously begun. הרפּה (whence תּרף ) signifies to slacken, to leave slack, i.e., leave uncarried out, to leave to itself, as in Nehemiah 6:3. אל expresses a negation with a measure of inward excitement.