King James Version
Psalms 27
14 verses with commentary
The Lord Is My Light and My Salvation
A Psalm of David. The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?</strong> This opening declaration of Psalm 27 stands among Scripture's most powerful expressions of faith-filled confidence in God. David (traditionally attributed as author) makes three foundational affirmations about the LORD, followed by two rhetorical questions that...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(1) **The Lord is my light.**—This noble thought appears nowhere else so grandly, though we may compare Isaiah 60:1. The Latin of the Vulgate, “Dominus illuminatio mea,” is the motto of the University of Oxford, and expands in a new but true direction the thought of the ancient bard. To him, Jehovah was the guiding and cheering beacon-fire, proclaiming his victory and pointing him the happy homewa...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**24. do--**rather, "ought."
**wise--**in their own conceits.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 27
Chapter Outline
Job protests his sincerity.(1-6)
The hypocrite is without hope.(7-10)
The miserable end of the wicked.(11-23)
**Verses 1-6**
Job's friends now suffered him to speak, and he proceeded in a grave and useful manner. Job had confidence in the goodness both of his cause and of his God; and cheerfully committed his cause to him. But Job had not due revere...
Read full commentary →When the wicked, even mine enemies and my foes, came upon me to eat up my flesh, they stumbled and fell. came: Heb. approached against me
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KJV Study Commentary
When enemies came 'to eat up my flesh,' they 'stumbled and fell.' The imagery of cannibalistic enemies depicts their voracious hatred, yet God overthrows them. Reformed theology sees divine sovereignty in providence: God orchestrates enemy defeat, turning their own schemes against them. The past tense ('stumbled and fell') expresses prophetic certainty—what God has decreed is as good as accomplish...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(2) **When . . .**—Literally, *In the coming against me *(*of*)* the wicked to devour my flesh*—*my enemies and my foes to me*—*themselves stumbled and fell. *Job 19:22 would allow us to understand those who eat up flesh, as a figure for calumniators and detractors; but the context marks out the situation so clearly as that of a warrior, that we rather take it as a general metaphor for savage and ...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 27
Chapter Outline
Job protests his sincerity.(1-6)
The hypocrite is without hope.(7-10)
The miserable end of the wicked.(11-23)
**Verses 1-6**
Job's friends now suffered him to speak, and he proceeded in a grave and useful manner. Job had confidence in the goodness both of his cause and of his God; and cheerfully committed his cause to him. But Job had not due revere...
Read full commentary →Though an host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear: though war should rise against me, in this will I be confident.
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KJV Study Commentary
The declaration 'Though an host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear: though war should rise against me, in this will I be confident' expresses unshakeable trust. The escalation (host encamped, war rising) emphasizes overwhelming opposition. Yet confidence remains because 'the LORD is my light and my salvation' (v.1). Reformed theology sees security in union with Christ—nothing can se...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(3) **Though an host.**—Literally, *Though a camp should encamp.*
**In this.**—Either *in this circumstance *or *in spite of this. *(Comp. Psalm 78:32.) The LXX. ἐν ταύτῃ, followed by μίαν in the next clause, seems to refer it to the hope about to be expressed. The Rabbinical commentators (*e.g., *Aben Ezra and Rashi) refer back to the beginning of the psalm. “In this”—viz., that Jehovah is my lig...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
CHAPTER 38
Job 38:1-41.
1. Jehovah appears unexpectedly in a whirlwind (already gathering Job 37:1, 2), the symbol of "judgment" (Psa 50:3, 4, &c.), to which Job had challenged Him. He asks him now to get himself ready for the contest. Can he explain the phenomena of God's natural government? How can he, then, hope to understand the principles of His moral government? God thus confirms Eli...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 27
Chapter Outline
Job protests his sincerity.(1-6)
The hypocrite is without hope.(7-10)
The miserable end of the wicked.(11-23)
**Verses 1-6**
Job's friends now suffered him to speak, and he proceeded in a grave and useful manner. Job had confidence in the goodness both of his cause and of his God; and cheerfully committed his cause to him. But Job had not due revere...
Read full commentary →One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to enquire in his temple. the beauty: or, the delight
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KJV Study Commentary
David's 'one thing' reveals singular devotion amid life's complexities, echoing Christ's commendation of Mary in Luke 10:42. The threefold purpose—dwelling, beholding, and inquiring—expresses deep longing for God's presence, beauty, and wisdom. The Hebrew 'nô'am' (beauty) suggests pleasantness and graciousness, not merely aesthetic quality. David desires contemplation of God's character and intima...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(4) **To behold the beauty.**—Literally, *to see into the favour*—*i.e., to *meditate on the graciousness of God.
**To enquire** **. . .**—Literally, *to look into, *either judicially or critically; here, “to *ponder *or *meditate” *Ewald, however, and others add with notion of pleasure, “refresh myself,” but on doubtful authority. Some Rabbis, connecting *bākar *with *boker, *the morning, render,...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**2. this--**Job.
**counsel--**impugning My divine wisdom in the providential arrangements of the universe. Such "words" (including those of the friends) rather obscure, than throw light on My ways. God is about to be Job's Vindicator, but must first bring him to a right state of mind for receiving relief.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 27
Chapter Outline
Job protests his sincerity.(1-6)
The hypocrite is without hope.(7-10)
The miserable end of the wicked.(11-23)
**Verses 1-6**
Job's friends now suffered him to speak, and he proceeded in a grave and useful manner. Job had confidence in the goodness both of his cause and of his God; and cheerfully committed his cause to him. But Job had not due revere...
Read full commentary →For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion: in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me; he shall set me up upon a rock.
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KJV Study Commentary
The confidence 'For in the time of trouble he shall hide me in his pavilion: in the secret of his tabernacle shall he hide me' uses imagery of royal protection and sacred refuge. God's 'pavilion' (sukkah) was a temporary shelter; His 'tabernacle' (ohel) was His dwelling. Both symbolize divine protection. 'He shall set me up upon a rock' depicts elevation to safety. Reformed theology sees God as ul...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(5) **Pavilion.**—A *booth *or *hut; *also of the lair of wild beasts (Psalm 10:9; Jeremiah 25:38). (Comp. Job 38:40.)
**Secret of his tabernacle.**—Better, *hiding place of his tent *(*ôhel*)*, *the regular word for the tent of the congregation, but also used generally of a habitation of any kind—not necessarily of the tent set up for the ark by David at Zion (2Samuel 6:17). The clause, “He shall...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**3. a man--**hero, ready for battle (1Co 16:13), as he had wished (Job 9:35; 13:22; 31:37). The robe, usually worn flowing, was girt up by a girdle when men ran, labored, or fought (1Pe 1:13).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 27
Chapter Outline
Job protests his sincerity.(1-6)
The hypocrite is without hope.(7-10)
The miserable end of the wicked.(11-23)
**Verses 1-6**
Job's friends now suffered him to speak, and he proceeded in a grave and useful manner. Job had confidence in the goodness both of his cause and of his God; and cheerfully committed his cause to him. But Job had not due revere...
Read full commentary →And now shall mine head be lifted up above mine enemies round about me: therefore will I offer in his tabernacle sacrifices of joy; I will sing, yea, I will sing praises unto the LORD. joy: Heb. shouting
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KJV Study Commentary
The promise 'And now shall mine head be lifted up above mine enemies round about me' anticipates vindication. Lifted head symbolizes honor and victory. The result: 'therefore will I offer in his tabernacle sacrifices of joy; I will sing, yea, I will sing praises unto the LORD.' Deliverance produces worship. Reformed theology emphasizes that salvation's purpose is doxology—God saves us to worship H...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(6) **Sacrifices of joy.**—Literally, *of shouting; *so LXX. and Vulg., *hostiam vociferationis. *The custom of blowing trumpets (Numbers 10:10; comp. Ecclesiasticus 1:16-18) at the time of the burnt offering illustrates this expression even if there is no direct allusion to it.
**I will sing, yea.**—Better, *I will sing and play.*
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
4. To understand the cause of things, man should have been present at their origin. The finite creature cannot fathom the infinite wisdom of the Creator (Job 28:12; 15:7, 8).
**hast--**"knowest."
**understanding--**(Pr 4:1).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 27
Chapter Outline
Job protests his sincerity.(1-6)
The hypocrite is without hope.(7-10)
The miserable end of the wicked.(11-23)
**Verses 1-6**
Job's friends now suffered him to speak, and he proceeded in a grave and useful manner. Job had confidence in the goodness both of his cause and of his God; and cheerfully committed his cause to him. But Job had not due revere...
Read full commentary →Hear, O LORD, when I cry with my voice: have mercy also upon me, and answer me.
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KJV Study Commentary
The cry 'Hear, O LORD, when I cry with my voice: have mercy also upon me, and answer me' combines petition for audience, compassion, and response. 'Hear' asks for divine attention; 'have mercy' asks for compassion; 'answer me' asks for action. Reformed theology emphasizes that prayer is covenant communication—God has bound Himself to hear His people's cries. We don't earn His hearing through eloqu...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(7) The change of tone so marked here, from the warlike to the plaintive, leads to the supposition that Psalm 27:7-12 are interpolated from another song of quite another kind in contents, art, and period.
**I cry with my voice**—*i.e., aloud.*
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**5. measures--**of its proportions. Image from an architect's plans of a building.
**line--**of measurement (Is 28:17). The earth is formed on an all-wise plan.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 7-14**
Wherever the believer is, he can find a way to the throne of grace by prayer. God calls us by his Spirit, by his word, by his worship, and by special providences, merciful and afflicting. When we are foolishly making court to lying vanities, God is, in love to us, calling us to seek our own mercies in him. The call is general, "Seek ye my face;" but we must apply it to ourselve...
Read full commentary →When thou saidst, Seek ye my face; my heart said unto thee, Thy face, LORD, will I seek. When: or, My heart said unto thee, Let my face seek thy face, etc
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KJV Study Commentary
The dialogue 'When thou saidst, Seek ye my face; my heart said unto thee, Thy face, LORD, will I seek' depicts divine initiative and human response. God first commands 'Seek my face'; the heart responds in obedience. Reformed theology emphasizes that seeking God is both commanded and enabled—God's effectual call produces the desire and ability to seek Him. The repetition of 'face' emphasizes perso...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(8) **When thou saidst.**—The margin rightly rejects these words, and restores the order of the Hebrew; but the text of the Authorised Version really gives its meaning.
The thought seems borrowed from seeking admission to a royal personage to ask a favour.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**6. foundations--**not "sockets," as Margin.
**fastened--**literally, "made to sink," as a foundation-stone let down till it settles firmly in the clay (Job 26:7). Gravitation makes and keeps the earth a sphere.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 7-14**
Wherever the believer is, he can find a way to the throne of grace by prayer. God calls us by his Spirit, by his word, by his worship, and by special providences, merciful and afflicting. When we are foolishly making court to lying vanities, God is, in love to us, calling us to seek our own mercies in him. The call is general, "Seek ye my face;" but we must apply it to ourselve...
Read full commentary →Hide not thy face far from me; put not thy servant away in anger: thou hast been my help; leave me not, neither forsake me, O God of my salvation.
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KJV Study Commentary
The desperate plea 'Hide not thy face far from me; put not thy servant away in anger' expresses fear of divine rejection. God's 'face' hidden represents disfavor or judgment. The basis of appeal: 'thou hast been my help; leave me not, neither forsake me, O God of my salvation.' Past help grounds confidence for continued help. Reformed theology sees covenant faithfulness: God who began salvation wi...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(9) **Far.**—This is unnecessary and misleading.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
7. So at the founding of Zerubbabel's temple (Ezr 3:10-13). So hereafter at the completion of the Church, the temple of the Holy Ghost (Zec 4:7); as at its foundation (Lu 2:13, 14).
**morning stars--**especially beautiful. The creation morn is appropriately associated with these, it being the commencement of this world's day. The stars are figuratively said to sing God's praises, as in Psa 19:1;...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 7-14**
Wherever the believer is, he can find a way to the throne of grace by prayer. God calls us by his Spirit, by his word, by his worship, and by special providences, merciful and afflicting. When we are foolishly making court to lying vanities, God is, in love to us, calling us to seek our own mercies in him. The call is general, "Seek ye my face;" but we must apply it to ourselve...
Read full commentary →When my father and my mother forsake me, then the LORD will take me up. take: Heb. gather me
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KJV Study Commentary
The confidence 'When my father and my mother forsake me, then the LORD will take me up' describes ultimate human abandonment met by divine adoption. Even closest human relationships may fail, but God's covenant love never fails. 'Take me up' (asaph) means to gather, receive, or adopt. Reformed theology sees adoption (Eph. 1:5)—God receives as children those whom others reject. Divine love surpasse...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**8. doors--**floodgates; these when opened caused the flood (Ge 8:2); or else, the shores.
**womb--**of chaos. The bowels of the earth. Image from childbirth (Job 38:8, 9; Eze 32:2; Mi 4:10). Ocean at its birth was wrapped in clouds as its swaddling bands.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 7-14**
Wherever the believer is, he can find a way to the throne of grace by prayer. God calls us by his Spirit, by his word, by his worship, and by special providences, merciful and afflicting. When we are foolishly making court to lying vanities, God is, in love to us, calling us to seek our own mercies in him. The call is general, "Seek ye my face;" but we must apply it to ourselve...
Read full commentary →Teach me thy way, O LORD, and lead me in a plain path, because of mine enemies. a plain: Heb. a way of plainness mine: Heb. those which observe me
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KJV Study Commentary
The prayer 'Teach me thy way, O LORD, and lead me in a plain path, because of mine enemies' combines request for instruction and guidance. 'Thy way' (derek) means the path of covenant obedience. 'Plain path' (meshor orach) means a level, straight road—free from obstacles. Enemies create need for divine guidance to avoid their traps. Reformed theology emphasizes that sanctification requires both re...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(11) **Enemies.**—Comp. Psalm 56:2; Psalm 54:7; Psalm 59:10-11. Ewald, “malignant liers in wait”; so Aquila.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 7-14**
Wherever the believer is, he can find a way to the throne of grace by prayer. God calls us by his Spirit, by his word, by his worship, and by special providences, merciful and afflicting. When we are foolishly making court to lying vanities, God is, in love to us, calling us to seek our own mercies in him. The call is general, "Seek ye my face;" but we must apply it to ourselve...
Read full commentary →Deliver me not over unto the will of mine enemies: for false witnesses are risen up against me, and such as breathe out cruelty.
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KJV Study Commentary
The plea 'Deliver me not over unto the will of mine enemies: for false witnesses are risen up against me, and such as breathe out cruelty' asks for protection from unjust accusations and violence. False testimony threatened reputation and life. 'Breathe out cruelty' depicts vicious hostility. Reformed theology sees Christ here—falsely accused before Sanhedrin and Pilate (Matt. 26:59-60). God vindi...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(12) By slightly changing a letter, we avoid the awkward ellipse in Psalm 27:13, and get
“Such as breathe out cruelty *against me,*
So that I did not believe to see,” &c
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**10. brake up for--**that is, appointed it. Shores are generally broken and abrupt cliffs. The Greek for "shore" means "a broken place." I broke off or measured off for it my limit, that is, the limit which I thought fit (Job 26:10).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 7-14**
Wherever the believer is, he can find a way to the throne of grace by prayer. God calls us by his Spirit, by his word, by his worship, and by special providences, merciful and afflicting. When we are foolishly making court to lying vanities, God is, in love to us, calling us to seek our own mercies in him. The call is general, "Seek ye my face;" but we must apply it to ourselve...
Read full commentary →I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living.
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KJV Study Commentary
The incomplete sentence 'I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living' expresses that faith prevented despair. Believing God's goodness would be experienced 'in the land of the living' (this life, not just heaven) sustained David through trials. Reformed theology emphasizes that faith in God's promises preserves believers from spiritual collapse. T...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**11. stayed--**Hebrew, "a limit shall be set to."
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 7-14**
Wherever the believer is, he can find a way to the throne of grace by prayer. God calls us by his Spirit, by his word, by his worship, and by special providences, merciful and afflicting. When we are foolishly making court to lying vanities, God is, in love to us, calling us to seek our own mercies in him. The call is general, "Seek ye my face;" but we must apply it to ourselve...
Read full commentary →Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD.
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KJV Study Commentary
The doubled command "wait on the LORD...wait, I say" (קַוֵּה אֶל-יְהוָה קַוֵּה/qavveh el-YHWH qavveh) emphasizes urgency through repetition. "Wait" (קָוָה/qavah) means hope, expect, look eagerly for—active anticipation, not passive resignation. This isn't merely waiting for something to happen but trusting God's character and timing. "Be of good courage" (חֲזַק/chazaq) means be strong, resolute, d...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(14) **He shall strengthen.**—Better, *let thy heart be strong.*
**Wait . . .**—Heb., *wait for Jehovah, and wait for Jehovah.*
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
12-15. Passing from creation to phenomena in the existing inanimate world.
**Hast thou--**as God daily does.
**commanded the morning--**to rise.
**since thy days--**since thou hast come into being.
**his place--**It varies in its place of rising from day to day, and yet it has its place each day according to fixed laws.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 7-14**
Wherever the believer is, he can find a way to the throne of grace by prayer. God calls us by his Spirit, by his word, by his worship, and by special providences, merciful and afflicting. When we are foolishly making court to lying vanities, God is, in love to us, calling us to seek our own mercies in him. The call is general, "Seek ye my face;" but we must apply it to ourselve...
Read full commentary →