19 Your righteousness also, God, reaches to the heavens; You have done great things. God, who is like you?
For your great loving kindness reaches to the heavens, And your truth to the skies.
All my bones shall say, "Yahweh, who is like you, Who delivers the poor from him who is too strong for him, Yes, the poor and the needy from him who robs him?"
For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.
For who in the skies can be compared to Yahweh? Who among the sons of the heavenly beings is like Yahweh, A very awesome God in the council of the holy ones, To be feared above all those who are around him? Yahweh, God of hosts, who is a mighty one, like you? Yah, your faithfulness is around you.
For he who is mighty has done great things for me. Holy is his name.
Who should not fear you, King of the nations? for to you does it appertain; because among all the wise men of the nations, and in all their royal estate, there is none like you.
Who is like you, Yahweh, among the gods? Who is like you, glorious in holiness, Fearful in praises, doing wonders?
But Yahweh of Hosts is exalted in justice, And God the Holy One is sanctified in righteousness.
The path of life leads upward for the wise, To keep him from going downward to Sheol.
This knowledge is beyond me. It's lofty. I can't attain it.
There is no one like you among the gods, Lord, Nor any deeds like your deeds.
Praise be to Yahweh God, the God of Israel, Who alone does marvelous deeds.
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Matthew Henry Commentary » Commentary on Psalms 71
Commentary on Psalms 71 Matthew Henry Commentary
Psalm 71
David penned this psalm in his old age, as appears by several passages in it, which makes many think that it was penned at the time of Absalom's rebellion; for that was the great trouble of his later days. It might be occasioned by Sheba's insurrection, or some trouble that happened to him in that part of his life of which it was foretold that the sword should not depart from his house. But he is not over-particular in representing his case, because he intended it for the general use of God's people in their afflictions, especially those they meet with in their declining years; for this psalm, above any other, is fitted for the use of the old disciples of Jesus Christ.
He is in an ecstasy of joyful praise; and, in the singing of it, we too should have our faith in God encouraged and our hearts raised in blessing his holy name.
Psa 71:1-13
Two things in general David here prays for-that he might not be confounded and that his enemies and persecutors might be confounded.
Psa 71:14-24
David is here in a holy transport of joy and praise, arising from his faith and hope in God; we have both together v. 14, where there is a sudden and remarkable change of his voice; his fears are all silenced, his hopes raised, and his prayers turned into thanksgivings. "Let my enemies say what they will, to drive me to despair, I will hope continually, hope in all conditions, in the most cloudy and dark day; I will live upon hope and will hope to the end.' Since we hope in one that will never fail us, let not our hope in him fail us, and then we shall praise him yet more and more. "The more they reproach me the more closely will I cleave to thee; I will praise thee more and better than ever I have done yet.' The longer we live the more expert we should grow in praising God and the more we should abound in it. I will add over and above all thy praise, all the praise I have hitherto offered, for it is all too little. When we have said all we can, to the glory of God's grace, there is still more to be said; it is a subject that can never be exhausted, and therefore we should never grow weary of it. Now observe, in these verses,