King James Version
Psalms 28
9 verses with commentary
The Lord Is My Strength and My Shield
A Psalm of David. Unto thee will I cry, O LORD my rock; be not silent to me: lest, if thou be silent to me, I become like them that go down into the pit. to me: Heb. from me
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Unto thee will I cry, O LORD my rock; be not silent to me: lest, if thou be silent to me, I become like them that go down into the pit.</strong> This urgent opening prayer reveals the psalmist's desperate dependence on God's response. David addresses God using intimate language—"thee" and "O LORD"—showing personal relationship even in crisis.<br><br>"My rock" (צוּרִי/<em>tzuri</em>) is a f...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(1) **My rock.**—Heb., *tsûr, *from a root implying “bind together” (Deuteronomy 14:25), not necessarily therefore with sense of height, but with that of strength and solidity. Thus Tyre (or Tsûr) is built on a broad shelf of rock. We see from Deuteronomy 32:30-31; 1Samuel 2:2, that “rock” was a common metaphor for a tutelary deity, and it is adopted frequently for Jehovah in the Psalms and poetic...
Read full commentary →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
Chapter 28
Chapter Outline
Concerning wordly wealth.(1-11)
Wisdom is of inestimable value.(12-19)
Wisdom is the gift of God.(20-28)
**Verses 1-11**
Job maintained that the dispensations of Providence were regulated by the highest wisdom. To confirm this, he showed of what a great deal of knowledge and wealth men may make themselves masters. The caverns of the earth may be dis...
Read full commentary →Hear the voice of my supplications, when I cry unto thee, when I lift up my hands toward thy holy oracle. thy: or, the oracle of thy sanctuary
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Hear the voice of my supplications, when I cry unto thee, when I lift up my hands toward thy holy oracle.</strong> This verse continues the urgent petition while introducing the posture and direction of prayer. David doesn't merely think prayers but cries aloud, engages physically, and orients toward God's presence.<br><br>"Hear the voice of my supplications" (שְׁמַע קוֹל תַּחֲנוּנַי/<em>s...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(2) **Lift up my hands.**—For interesting illustrations of this Oriental custom see Exodus 9:29; 1Kings 8:22, &c. Compare the well-known line:—
“If, knowing God, they lift not hands of prayer.”
TENNYSON: *Morte d’Arthur.*
**Holy oracle.**—Better, *the shrine of thy sanctuary *(see margin)—*i.e., *the holy of holies, the adytum, or inner recess of the Temple in which the ark was placed, as we see f...
Read full commentary →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
Chapter 28
Chapter Outline
Concerning wordly wealth.(1-11)
Wisdom is of inestimable value.(12-19)
Wisdom is the gift of God.(20-28)
**Verses 1-11**
Job maintained that the dispensations of Providence were regulated by the highest wisdom. To confirm this, he showed of what a great deal of knowledge and wealth men may make themselves masters. The caverns of the earth may be dis...
Read full commentary →Draw me not away with the wicked, and with the workers of iniquity, which speak peace to their neighbours, but mischief is in their hearts.
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KJV Study Commentary
The prayer 'Draw me not away with the wicked, and with the workers of iniquity' asks to be spared the wicked's fate. The description 'which speak peace to their neighbours, but mischief is in their hearts' depicts hypocritical evil. Reformed theology sees total depravity—human hearts naturally deceive and scheme. The prayer for separation from such people reflects the doctrine of election: God dis...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(3) **Draw me not.**—Better, *Drag me not. *In Ezekiel 32:18 *seq., *we have a magnificent vision of judgment, in which the wicked nations are represented as being dragged to death and destruction. In the person of the poet, Israel prays not to be involved in such a punishment. The words “which speak peace “may refer to some overture of alliance from such, or it may be generally those who “hide ha...
Read full commentary →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
Chapter 28
Chapter Outline
Concerning wordly wealth.(1-11)
Wisdom is of inestimable value.(12-19)
Wisdom is the gift of God.(20-28)
**Verses 1-11**
Job maintained that the dispensations of Providence were regulated by the highest wisdom. To confirm this, he showed of what a great deal of knowledge and wealth men may make themselves masters. The caverns of the earth may be dis...
Read full commentary →Give them according to their deeds, and according to the wickedness of their endeavours: give them after the work of their hands; render to them their desert.
View commentary (4 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
The imprecatory prayer 'Give them according to their deeds, and according to the wickedness of their endeavours: give them after the work of their hands; render to them their desert' asks for just retribution. Reformed theology defends imprecatory psalms as prayers for justice, not personal vengeance. These prayers align with God's justice—evil must be punished. They anticipate final judgment when...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(4) **Give them according to their deeds.**—The justice of the *lex talionis *was deeply impressed on the mind of Israel, and we need not wonder to find its enforcement made the subject of prayer. A general notice of the imprecations of the Psalms will be found in the General Introduction (VI.). Here it is enough to remark that there is no indication of personal animosity or vindictiveness. The po...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**16. springs--**fountains beneath the sea (Psa 95:4, 5).
**search--**Rather, "the inmost recesses"; literally, "that which is only found by searching," the deep caverns of ocean.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 28
Chapter Outline
Concerning wordly wealth.(1-11)
Wisdom is of inestimable value.(12-19)
Wisdom is the gift of God.(20-28)
**Verses 1-11**
Job maintained that the dispensations of Providence were regulated by the highest wisdom. To confirm this, he showed of what a great deal of knowledge and wealth men may make themselves masters. The caverns of the earth may be dis...
Read full commentary →Because they regard not the works of the LORD, nor the operation of his hands, he shall destroy them, and not build them up.
View commentary (4 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
The indictment 'Because they regard not the works of the LORD, nor the operation of his hands' explains why judgment is appropriate. Willful ignorance of God's revelation (both creation and providence) warrants condemnation. The consequence: 'he shall destroy them, and not build them up.' Reformed theology sees judicial hardening—those who refuse divine revelation are given over to blindness (Rom....
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(5) **The works of the Lord, nor the operation of his hands**—*i.e., *His strict and even-handed justice, which the wicked forget or, deceived by appearances (Isaiah 5:19), ignore. For the contrast between “build up” and “pull down,” compare Jeremiah 42:10. This verse is in that prophet’s style (Jeremiah 1:10; Jeremiah 18:9).
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**17. seen--**The second clause heightens the thought in the first. Man during life does not even "see" the gates of the realm of the dead ("death," Job 10:21); much less are they "opened" to him. But those are "naked before God" (Job 26:6).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 28
Chapter Outline
Concerning wordly wealth.(1-11)
Wisdom is of inestimable value.(12-19)
Wisdom is the gift of God.(20-28)
**Verses 1-11**
Job maintained that the dispensations of Providence were regulated by the highest wisdom. To confirm this, he showed of what a great deal of knowledge and wealth men may make themselves masters. The caverns of the earth may be dis...
Read full commentary →Blessed be the LORD, because he hath heard the voice of my supplications.
View commentary (4 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Blessed be the LORD, because he hath heard the voice of my supplications.</strong> This verse marks dramatic transition from petition (v.1-5) to praise (v.6-9). David shifts from crying "hear me!" to declaring "He has heard!" This movement from lament to thanksgiving characterizes many psalms, demonstrating faith's progression from desperate plea to confident praise.<br><br>"Blessed be the...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(6) This burst of thanksgiving, breaking in on the poet’s prayer, has led to the supposition that an interval elapsed between the composition of the former part of the psalm and this verse, and that the writer takes up his pen to record the answer his supplications have received. Others regard the psalm as composed by the union of two distinct pieces. Others again treat Psalm 28:6 as an interpolat...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**18. Hast thou--**as God doth (Job 28:24).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 6-9**
Has God heard our supplications? Let us then bless his name. The Lord is my strength, to support me, and carry me on through all my services and sufferings. The heart that truly believes, shall in due time greatly rejoice: we are to expect joy and peace in believing. God shall have the praise of it: thus must we express our gratitude. The saints rejoice in others' comfort as wel...
Read full commentary →The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am helped: therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; and with my song will I praise him.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am helped: therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; and with my song will I praise him.</strong> This verse continues thanksgiving with testimonial declaration of God's character, personal trust's results, and worshipful response. David moves from general praise (v.6) to specific testimony (v.7) to commitment for future pra...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(7) **Therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth.**—Better, *danceth for joy, *as in the Prayer Book. Another possible translation is, “And when I have been helped my heart will dance for joy.”
**With my song.**—Literally, *from my song, *but the reading is doubtful. The LXX. have “my flesh has flourished,” which is probably correct.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
19-38. The marvels in heaven. "What is the way (to the place wherein) light dwelleth?" The origin of light and darkness. In Ge 1:3-5, 14-18, "light" is created distinct from, and previous to, light-emitting bodies, the luminaries of heaven.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 6-9**
Has God heard our supplications? Let us then bless his name. The Lord is my strength, to support me, and carry me on through all my services and sufferings. The heart that truly believes, shall in due time greatly rejoice: we are to expect joy and peace in believing. God shall have the praise of it: thus must we express our gratitude. The saints rejoice in others' comfort as wel...
Read full commentary →The LORD is their strength, and he is the saving strength of his anointed. their: or, his saving: Heb. strength of salvations
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>The LORD is their strength, and he is the saving strength of his anointed.</strong> David shifts from personal testimony ("my strength," v.7) to corporate declaration ("their strength," v.8), expanding his experience to God's people generally and specifically to God's anointed king. This verse bridges personal experience and national identity, individual faith and communal blessing.<br><br...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(8) **Their strength**—*i.e.*, the strength of His people, who are throughout in the poet’s thought, even if it is the individual and not the community that speaks. The LXX. and Vulg. read (comp. Psalm 29:11) “to his people.”
**Saving strength.**—Better, *stronghold of salvation. *(See margin.)
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
19-38. The marvels in heaven. "What is the way (to the place wherein) light dwelleth?" The origin of light and darkness. In Ge 1:3-5, 14-18, "light" is created distinct from, and previous to, light-emitting bodies, the luminaries of heaven.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 6-9**
Has God heard our supplications? Let us then bless his name. The Lord is my strength, to support me, and carry me on through all my services and sufferings. The heart that truly believes, shall in due time greatly rejoice: we are to expect joy and peace in believing. God shall have the praise of it: thus must we express our gratitude. The saints rejoice in others' comfort as wel...
Read full commentary →Save thy people, and bless thine inheritance: feed them also, and lift them up for ever. feed: or, rule
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Save thy people, and bless thine inheritance: feed them also, and lift them up for ever.</strong> The psalm concludes with pastoral prayer for God's people—a fitting ending that moves from individual deliverance (v.6-7) through corporate strength (v.8) to intercession for the nation (v.9). David functions as shepherd-king, praying for his flock's welfare.<br><br>"Save thy people" (הוֹשִׁיע...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(9) **Feed . . . lift them up.**—These words suggest comparison with Isaiah 40:11; Isaiah 63:9. The incorporation of this petition in the *Te Deum *is one of those interesting facts that link the Christian worship with the Jewish.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
19-38. The marvels in heaven. "What is the way (to the place wherein) light dwelleth?" The origin of light and darkness. In Ge 1:3-5, 14-18, "light" is created distinct from, and previous to, light-emitting bodies, the luminaries of heaven.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 6-9**
Has God heard our supplications? Let us then bless his name. The Lord is my strength, to support me, and carry me on through all my services and sufferings. The heart that truly believes, shall in due time greatly rejoice: we are to expect joy and peace in believing. God shall have the praise of it: thus must we express our gratitude. The saints rejoice in others' comfort as wel...
Read full commentary →