King James Version
Psalms 144
15 verses with commentary
My Rock and My Fortress
A Psalm of David. Blessed be the LORD my strength, which teacheth my hands to war, and my fingers to fight: strength: Heb. rock to war: Heb. to the war, etc
View commentary (3 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Blessed be the Lord my strength</strong> (בָּרוּךְ יְהוָה צוּרִי)—<em>Barukh</em> (blessed, praised) opens this royal psalm with doxology. <strong>My strength</strong> (<em>tsuri</em>, literally 'my rock') connects to David's cave songs (Psalm 18:2, 31:3). <strong>Which teacheth my hands to war, and my fingers to fight</strong> (<em>melammed yaday laqrav, etsb'otay lamilchamah</em>)—God as...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(1) **Strength.—**Rather, *rock. *Comp. Psalm 18:2; Psalm 18:46. LXX. and Vulg., “my God.”
**Which teacheth.—**See Psalm 18:34. More literally,
“Who traineth my hands for war,
My fingers for fight.”
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
PSALM 107 Psa 107:1-43. Although the general theme of this Psalm may have been suggested by God's special favor to the Israelites in their restoration from captivity, it must be regarded as an instructive celebration of God's praise for His merciful providence to all men in their various emergencies. Of these several are given--captivity and bondage, wanderings by land and sea, and famine; some as...
Read full commentary →My goodness, and my fortress; my high tower, and my deliverer; my shield, and he in whom I trust; who subdueth my people under me. My goodness: or, My mercy
View commentary (3 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>My goodness, and my fortress</strong> (חַסְדִּי וּמְצוּדָתִי)—<em>Chasdi</em> (my steadfast love, covenant mercy) surprisingly describes God as David's loyal protector. <strong>My high tower, and my deliverer</strong> (<em>misgabbi umphallti</em>)—four fortress metaphors emphasizing God as impregnable refuge. <strong>My shield</strong> (<em>maginnî</em>) protects in battle (Genesis 15:1). ...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(2) **My goodness·**—Or, *my lovingkindness, *or *my grace, *a shortened form of “God of my grace” (Psalm 59:10; Psalm 59:17). The expression is exactly analogous to the term” grace,” applied to kings as the source of grace or mercy. For the other epithets, see Psalm 18:2.
**Who subdueth.—**Psalm 18:47; but the verb is different (cognate with 2Samuel 22:48), and here the singular, “my people,” ins...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
PSALM 107 Psa 107:1-43. Although the general theme of this Psalm may have been suggested by God's special favor to the Israelites in their restoration from captivity, it must be regarded as an instructive celebration of God's praise for His merciful providence to all men in their various emergencies. Of these several are given--captivity and bondage, wanderings by land and sea, and famine; some as...
Read full commentary →LORD, what is man, that thou takest knowledge of him! or the son of man, that thou makest account of him!
View commentary (2 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Lord, what is man, that thou takest knowledge of him?</strong> (יְהוָה מָה־אָדָם וַתֵּדָעֵהוּ)—<em>Mah-adam</em> (what is man/humanity?) echoes Psalm 8:4 but with different emphasis. <em>Vatteda'ehu</em> (that you know him) uses <em>yada</em> (intimate, covenantal knowing), not mere awareness. <strong>Or the son of man, that thou makest account of him?</strong> (<em>ben-enosh tachashvehu</...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**3. gathered--**alluding to the dispersion of captives throughout the Babylonian empire.
**from the south--**literally, "the sea," or, Red Sea (Psa 114:3), which was on the south.
Man is like to vanity: his days are as a shadow that passeth away.
View commentary (3 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Man is like to vanity</strong> (אָדָם לַהֶבֶל דָּמָה)—<em>Hevel</em> (breath, vapor, vanity) is Ecclesiastes's key word for life's transience. <em>Damah</em> (is like, resembles) compares human existence to morning mist. <strong>His days are as a shadow that passeth away</strong> (<em>yamav ketzel over</em>)—shadows fleeting across the ground, here then gone, insubstantial and ephemeral.<b...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(4) **Vanity . . . shadow.**—See Psalm 39:5-6; Psalm 102:11. The occasion of the introduction of these sentiments here is not quite clear. It may be the humility of the warrior who ascribes all success to God instead of to human prowess, or it may be a reflection uttered over the corpses of comrades, or, perhaps, a blending of the two.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
4-7. A graphic picture is given of the sufferings of those who from distant lands returned to Jerusalem; or,
**city of habitation--**may mean the land of Palestine.
Bow thy heavens, O LORD, and come down: touch the mountains, and they shall smoke.
View commentary (3 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Bow thy heavens, O Lord, and come down</strong> (יְהוָה הַט־שָׁמֶיךָ וְתֵרֵד)—<em>Hat shamekha</em> ('bend your heavens') recalls theophanies where God tears through the veil separating heaven and earth (Exodus 19:18, Isaiah 64:1). <em>Vtered</em> (and descend)—divine invasion into earthly conflict. <strong>Touch the mountains, and they shall smoke</strong>—Sinai imagery (Exodus 19:18, Psa...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(5) **Come down.**—The theophany for which the psalmist prays is described in the classic language for such manifestations taken from Psalm 18:9; Psalm 18:13; Psalm 18:16-17; Psalm 18:43; Psalm 18:45, with reminiscences of Psalm 104:32; Exodus 19:18. But there are touches of originality, as in the next clause.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
4-7. A graphic picture is given of the sufferings of those who from distant lands returned to Jerusalem; or,
**city of habitation--**may mean the land of Palestine.
Cast forth lightning, and scatter them: shoot out thine arrows, and destroy them.
View commentary (3 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Cast forth lightning, and scatter them</strong> (בְּרוֹק בָּרָק וּתְפִיצֵם)—<em>Baroq baraq</em> (flash forth lightning) depicts God as cosmic warrior wielding celestial weapons. Lightning scattered enemies at the Red Sea (Exodus 14:24) and in David's deliverance (Psalm 18:14). <strong>Shoot out thine arrows, and destroy them</strong> (<em>shelach chitsekha uthumem</em>)—divine archery rai...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(6) **Cast forth lightning.—**Literally, *lighten lightning, *the verb being quite peculiar to this place.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
4-7. A graphic picture is given of the sufferings of those who from distant lands returned to Jerusalem; or,
**city of habitation--**may mean the land of Palestine.
Send thine hand from above; rid me, and deliver me out of great waters, from the hand of strange children; hand from: Heb. hands from
View commentary (3 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Send thine hand from above</strong> (שְׁלַח יָדֶיךָ מִמָּרוֹם)—<em>Shelach yadekha mimarom</em> (send forth your hand from the height) portrays God reaching down from heaven to rescue drowning David. <strong>Rid me, and deliver me out of great waters</strong> (<em>palteni vehatssileni mimayim rabbim</em>)—'great waters' symbolizes chaos, death, and overwhelming danger (Psalm 18:16, 69:1-2,...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(7) **Rid.**—The Hebrew verb means “to tear asunder,” and is used of the gaping of the mouth (Psalm 22:13). The meaning here is got from the cognate Arabic, and Syriac
**Strange children.**—Literally, *sons of the stranger.*
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
4-7. A graphic picture is given of the sufferings of those who from distant lands returned to Jerusalem; or,
**city of habitation--**may mean the land of Palestine.
Whose mouth speaketh vanity, and their right hand is a right hand of falsehood.
View commentary (3 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Whose mouth speaketh vanity</strong> (אֲשֶׁר פִּיהֶם דִּבֶּר־שָׁוְא)—<em>Shav</em> (vanity, falsehood, emptiness) describes enemy propaganda, lies, and deceptive treaties. <strong>And their right hand is a right hand of falsehood</strong> (<em>viyminam yemin shaqer</em>)—the right hand symbolizes covenant oaths and agreements (Genesis 24:9). A 'right hand of falsehood' means treacherous br...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(8) **Right hand of falsehood.—**Most probably with allusion to the custom (see Psalm 106:26) of raising the right hand in taking an oath.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**8-9. To the chorus is added, as a reason for praise, an example of the extreme distress from which they had been delivered--**extreme hunger, the severest privation of a journey in the desert.
I will sing a new song unto thee, O God: upon a psaltery and an instrument of ten strings will I sing praises unto thee.
View commentary (3 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>I will sing a new song unto thee, O God</strong> (שִׁיר חָדָשׁ אָשִׁירָה לְּךָ הָאֱלֹהִים)—<em>Shir chadash</em> (new song) celebrates fresh deliverance, not merely repeating old hymns but composing new praise for new mercies. Seven other psalms mention 'new song' (33:3, 40:3, 96:1, 98:1, 149:1), always in response to God's mighty acts. <strong>Upon a psaltery and an instrument of ten stri...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(9) See Psalm 33:2-3.
**O** **God.**—The only instance of *Elohim *in the last two books of the psalter with the exception of Psalms 108, which is a compilation from two older songs.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**8-9. To the chorus is added, as a reason for praise, an example of the extreme distress from which they had been delivered--**extreme hunger, the severest privation of a journey in the desert.
It is he that giveth salvation unto kings: who delivereth David his servant from the hurtful sword. salvation: or, victory
View commentary (3 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>It is he that giveth salvation unto kings</strong> (הַנּוֹתֵן תְּשׁוּעָה לַמְּלָכִים)—<em>Hannoten teshuah lammalakhim</em> (the one giving salvation/victory to kings) acknowledges that royal authority and military success come from God alone. Kings, despite power, cannot save themselves. <strong>Who delivereth David his servant from the hurtful sword</strong> (<em>happoteh et-David avdo m...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(10) **David his servant.—**See Psalm 18:50.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**10-16. Their sufferings were for their rebellion against (Psa 105:28) the words, or purposes, or promises, of God for their benefit. When humbled they cry to God, who delivers them from bondage, described as a dark dungeon with doors and bars of metal, in which they are bound in iron--**that is, chains and fetters.
**shadow of death--**darkness with danger (Psa 23:4).
Rid me, and deliver me from the hand of strange children, whose mouth speaketh vanity, and their right hand is a right hand of falsehood:
View commentary (2 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Rid me, and deliver me from the hand of strange children, whose mouth speaketh vanity, and their right hand is a right hand of falsehood:</strong> This urgent petition reflects David's cry for deliverance from deceptive enemies. The Hebrew <em>patseini</em> (פְּצֵנִי, "rid me") and <em>natsileni</em> (נַצִּילֵנִי, "deliver me") are intensive imperatives expressing desperate need for divine...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**10-16. Their sufferings were for their rebellion against (Psa 105:28) the words, or purposes, or promises, of God for their benefit. When humbled they cry to God, who delivers them from bondage, described as a dark dungeon with doors and bars of metal, in which they are bound in iron--**that is, chains and fetters.
**shadow of death--**darkness with danger (Psa 23:4).
That our sons may be as plants grown up in their youth; that our daughters may be as corner stones, polished after the similitude of a palace: polished: Heb. cut
View commentary (3 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>That our sons may be as plants grown up in their youth; that our daughters may be as corner stones, polished after the similitude of a palace</strong>. Sons like plants suggest strength, vitality. Daughters like polished cornerstones suggest beauty, stability, structural importance. Both convey value and purpose.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(12) **That our sons.—**This rendering of the relative, which so strangely begins this fragment, would be possible after Genesis 11:7; Genesis 13:16, &c, if a finite verb instead of participles followed; or it might mean “because,” as in Genesis 30:18, &c, but for the same anomalous construction; or it might, as by the LXX., be rendered *whose, *if any antecedent for it could be discovered. But al...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**10-16. Their sufferings were for their rebellion against (Psa 105:28) the words, or purposes, or promises, of God for their benefit. When humbled they cry to God, who delivers them from bondage, described as a dark dungeon with doors and bars of metal, in which they are bound in iron--**that is, chains and fetters.
**shadow of death--**darkness with danger (Psa 23:4).
That our garners may be full, affording all manner of store : that our sheep may bring forth thousands and ten thousands in our streets: all: Heb. from kind to kind
View commentary (3 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>That our garners may be full, affording all manner of store: that our sheep may bring forth thousands and ten thousands</strong>. Prayer for agricultural abundance—full storehouses, multiplying flocks. Reflects covenant blessing (Deuteronomy 28). Prosperity enables generosity.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(13) **All manner of store.—**See margin, *all kinds of corn.*
**Thousands and ten thousands.—**Literally, *thousands multiplied.*
**Streets.**—Rather, *outplaces, i.e., *pastures, fields, as in Job 5:10 (where see margin).
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**10-16. Their sufferings were for their rebellion against (Psa 105:28) the words, or purposes, or promises, of God for their benefit. When humbled they cry to God, who delivers them from bondage, described as a dark dungeon with doors and bars of metal, in which they are bound in iron--**that is, chains and fetters.
**shadow of death--**darkness with danger (Psa 23:4).
That our oxen may be strong to labour; that there be no breaking in, nor going out; that there be no complaining in our streets. strong: Heb. able to bear burdens, or, loaden with flesh
View commentary (3 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>That our oxen may be strong to labour; that there be no breaking in, nor going out; that there be no complaining in our streets</strong>. Prayer for work capability and civic peace—no invasions, deportations, or distress. Comprehensive shalom encompasses security, justice, prosperity.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(14) This verse is full of obscurities. The words rendered “oxen, strong to labour,” can hardly bear this meaning with the present pointing, since the participle is passive, and there is no authority for rendering *oxen bearing burdens. *The words have been rendered *oxen laden, *either with the produce of the land, or with their own fat (so apparently the LXX.), or with young, *pregnant*—all open...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**10-16. Their sufferings were for their rebellion against (Psa 105:28) the words, or purposes, or promises, of God for their benefit. When humbled they cry to God, who delivers them from bondage, described as a dark dungeon with doors and bars of metal, in which they are bound in iron--**that is, chains and fetters.
**shadow of death--**darkness with danger (Psa 23:4).
Happy is that people, that is in such a case: yea, happy is that people, whose God is the LORD.
View commentary (3 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Happy is that people, that is in such a case: yea, happy is that people, whose God is the LORD</strong>. After praying for prosperity, David clarifies: ultimate blessing is relationship—<strong>whose God is the LORD</strong>. Material blessings are wonderful, but covenant relationship is foundational. Blessing flows from knowing God.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(15) **Happy.**—It is only a narrow and one-sided religion that can see anything out of place in this beatitude of plenty and peace. If we could rejoice with the psalms, fully and without misgiving, in the temporal blessings bestowed by Heaven, we should the more readily and sincerely enter into the depths of their spiritual experience. And the secret of this lies in the full comprehension and con...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**10-16. Their sufferings were for their rebellion against (Psa 105:28) the words, or purposes, or promises, of God for their benefit. When humbled they cry to God, who delivers them from bondage, described as a dark dungeon with doors and bars of metal, in which they are bound in iron--**that is, chains and fetters.
**shadow of death--**darkness with danger (Psa 23:4).