King James Version
Psalms 44
26 verses with commentary
Come to Our Help
To the chief Musician for the sons of Korah, Maschil. We have heard with our ears, O God, our fathers have told us, what work thou didst in their days, in the times of old.
View commentary (4 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
The psalm begins with corporate memory: 'We have heard with our ears, O God, our fathers have told us.' Faith is transmitted through testimony, not merely personal experience. The 'work' God did 'in their days, in the times of old' refers to exodus and conquest, the foundational salvific events of Israel's history.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(1) **We have heard.**—The glorious traditions of ancient deliverances wrought by Jehovah for His people were a sacred heritage of every Hebrew. (See Exodus 10:2; Exodus 12:26, *seq.*; Deuteronomy 6:20, etc.) This, and all the historical psalms, show how closely interwoven for the Jew were patriotism and religion.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
3. Literally, "The foundations (that is, of good order and law) will be destroyed, what has the righteous done (to sustain them)?" All his efforts have failed.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 44
A petition for succour and relief.
**Verses 1-8**
Former experiences of God's power and goodness are strong supports to faith, and powerful pleas in prayer under present calamities. The many victories Israel obtained, were not by their own strength or merit, but by God's favour and free grace. The less praise this allows us, the more comfort it affords, that we may see all as ...
Read full commentary →How thou didst drive out the heathen with thy hand, and plantedst them; how thou didst afflict the people, and cast them out.
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KJV Study Commentary
God 'didst drive out the heathen' and 'planted' Israel, 'afflicted the people' (Canaanites) and 'cast them out.' The imagery of planting suggests Israel as God's vineyard, cultivated and cared for. The verbs emphasize God's direct action--conquest was not human achievement but divine intervention.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(2) **Thou . . . with thy hand.**—Literally, *Thou, Thy hand, *which may be, as in the Authorised Version, taken as accusative of instrument, or as a repeated subject.
**And cast them out.**—This entirely misses the meaning and destroys the parallelism. The Hebrew word is that used for a treo spreading its branches out; comp. Jeremiah 17:8; Ezekiel 17:6; Ezekiel 31:5, and especially Psalm 80:11, a...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**4. temple ... heaven--**The connection seems to denote God's heavenly residence; the term used is taken from the place of His visible earthly abode (Psa 2:6; 3:4; 5:7). Thence He inspects men with close scrutiny.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 44
A petition for succour and relief.
**Verses 1-8**
Former experiences of God's power and goodness are strong supports to faith, and powerful pleas in prayer under present calamities. The many victories Israel obtained, were not by their own strength or merit, but by God's favour and free grace. The less praise this allows us, the more comfort it affords, that we may see all as ...
Read full commentary →For they got not the land in possession by their own sword, neither did their own arm save them: but thy right hand, and thine arm, and the light of thy countenance, because thou hadst a favour unto them.
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KJV Study Commentary
The emphatic denial--'they got not the land in possession by their own sword'--rejects human boasting. Victory came through God's 'right hand, and thine arm, and the light of thy countenance.' This threefold description emphasizes divine power (right hand, arm) and divine favor (light of countenance). Israel's success was grace, not merit.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(3) **The light of thy countenance.**—Notice the contrast to this in Psalm 44:24; in times of distress God’s face seemed hidden or averted.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
5. The trial of the righteous results in their approval, as it is contrasted with God's hatred to the wicked.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 44
A petition for succour and relief.
**Verses 1-8**
Former experiences of God's power and goodness are strong supports to faith, and powerful pleas in prayer under present calamities. The many victories Israel obtained, were not by their own strength or merit, but by God's favour and free grace. The less praise this allows us, the more comfort it affords, that we may see all as ...
Read full commentary →Thou art my King, O God: command deliverances for Jacob.
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KJV Study Commentary
The declaration 'Thou art my King, O God' establishes covenant relationship between the nation and its divine sovereign. The petition 'command deliverances for Jacob' appeals to God's authority to simply order salvation into existence. 'Jacob' here is a synonym for Israel, recalling the patriarch who received the covenant promises.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(4) **Thou art my King.**—Literally, *Thou, He, my king, *an idiomatic way of making a strong assertion, *Thou, even thou, art my king, O God. *(Comp. Isaiah 43:25.) What God has done in the past may be expected again, and for a moment the poet forgets the weight of actual trouble in the faith that has sprung from the grateful retrospect over the past.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
6. Their punishment is described by vivid figures denoting abundant, sudden, furious, and utter destruction (compare Ge 19:24; Job 18:15; Psa 7:15; 9:15).
**cup--**is a frequent figure for God's favor or wrath (Psa 16:5; 23:5; Mt 20:22, 23).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 44
A petition for succour and relief.
**Verses 1-8**
Former experiences of God's power and goodness are strong supports to faith, and powerful pleas in prayer under present calamities. The many victories Israel obtained, were not by their own strength or merit, but by God's favour and free grace. The less praise this allows us, the more comfort it affords, that we may see all as ...
Read full commentary →Through thee will we push down our enemies: through thy name will we tread them under that rise up against us.
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KJV Study Commentary
Confidence in God's power enables bold declaration: 'Through thee will we push down our enemies; through thy name will we tread them under.' The phrase 'through thy name' acknowledges that victory comes by invoking God's covenant name and character. 'Push down' (<em>nagach</em>) uses imagery of a bull goring its opponents.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(5) **Push down.**—The image of the original is lost here, the LXX. have retained it. It is that of a buffalo or other horned animal driving back and goring its enemies. Deuteronomy 33:17 applies it as a special description of the tribe of Joseph. The figure is continued in the next clause; the infuriated animal tramples its victim under foot.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**7. his countenance--**literally, "their faces," a use of the plural applied to God, as in Ge 1:26; 3:22; 11:7; Is 6:8, &c., denoting the fulness of His perfections, or more probably originating in a reference to the trinity of persons. "Faces" is used as "eyes" (Psa 11:4), expressing here God's complacency towards the upright (compare Psa 34:15, 16).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 44
A petition for succour and relief.
**Verses 1-8**
Former experiences of God's power and goodness are strong supports to faith, and powerful pleas in prayer under present calamities. The many victories Israel obtained, were not by their own strength or merit, but by God's favour and free grace. The less praise this allows us, the more comfort it affords, that we may see all as ...
Read full commentary →For I will not trust in my bow, neither shall my sword save me.
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KJV Study Commentary
The psalmist explicitly rejects reliance on human weaponry: 'I will not trust in my bow, neither shall my sword save me.' This confession, surprising from warriors, acknowledges that military equipment is merely instrumental. Without God's empowerment, the finest weapons are useless; with it, even the weakest prevail.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 44
A petition for succour and relief.
**Verses 1-8**
Former experiences of God's power and goodness are strong supports to faith, and powerful pleas in prayer under present calamities. The many victories Israel obtained, were not by their own strength or merit, but by God's favour and free grace. The less praise this allows us, the more comfort it affords, that we may see all as ...
Read full commentary →But thou hast saved us from our enemies, and hast put them to shame that hated us.
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KJV Study Commentary
Past experience confirms theology: 'Thou hast saved us from our enemies, and hast put them to shame that hated us.' The salvation is attributed entirely to God ('Thou hast'), and the result includes the enemies' public humiliation. Their hatred was answered not merely with defeat but with shame--their opposition to God's people proved futile.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
PSALM 12 Psa 12:1-8. On title, see Introduction and see on Psa 6:1. The Psalmist laments the decrease of good men. The pride and deceit of the wicked provokes God's wrath, whose promise to avenge the cause of pious sufferers will be verified even amidst prevailing iniquity.
**1. the faithful--**or literally, "faithfulness" (Psa 31:23).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 44
A petition for succour and relief.
**Verses 1-8**
Former experiences of God's power and goodness are strong supports to faith, and powerful pleas in prayer under present calamities. The many victories Israel obtained, were not by their own strength or merit, but by God's favour and free grace. The less praise this allows us, the more comfort it affords, that we may see all as ...
Read full commentary →In God we boast all the day long, and praise thy name for ever. Selah.
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KJV Study Commentary
The confident declaration 'In God we boast all the day long' makes God the constant subject of praise and the sole ground of confidence. 'Praise thy name for ever' commits to eternal acknowledgment of God's character. The term 'boast' (<em>halal</em>) suggests loud, public proclamation--not private gratitude but corporate witness.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
2. The want of it is illustrated by the prevalence of deceit and instability.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 44
A petition for succour and relief.
**Verses 1-8**
Former experiences of God's power and goodness are strong supports to faith, and powerful pleas in prayer under present calamities. The many victories Israel obtained, were not by their own strength or merit, but by God's favour and free grace. The less praise this allows us, the more comfort it affords, that we may see all as ...
Read full commentary →But thou hast cast off, and put us to shame; and goest not forth with our armies.
View commentary (3 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
The dramatic shift: 'But thou hast cast off, and put us to shame.' The Hebrew <em>zanach</em> (cast off) suggests rejection, abandonment--the opposite of covenant faithfulness. 'Goest not forth with our armies' indicates God has withdrawn His presence from battle. Without divine warrior leading them, Israel faces inevitable defeat.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
3-4. Boasting (Da 7:25) is, like flattery, a species of lying.
**lips, and ... tongue--**for persons.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 9-16**
The believer must have times of temptation, affliction, and discouragement; the church must have seasons of persecution. At such times the people of God will be ready to fear that he has cast them off, and that his name and truth will be dishonoured. But they should look above the instruments of their trouble, to God, well knowing that their worst enemies have no power against ...
Read full commentary →Thou makest us to turn back from the enemy: and they which hate us spoil for themselves.
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KJV Study Commentary
Retreat replaces victory: 'Thou makest us to turn back from the enemy.' Those who hate Israel now 'spoil for themselves'--taking plunder that should have been Israel's. The reversal is complete: instead of pushing down enemies (v.5), they are pushed back; instead of putting foes to shame (v.7), they experience shame.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(10) **For themselves**—*i.e.*, at their own will, an expression denoting the completeness of the overthrow of the Jews; they lie absolutely at their enemies’ pleasure.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
3-4. Boasting (Da 7:25) is, like flattery, a species of lying.
**lips, and ... tongue--**for persons.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 9-16**
The believer must have times of temptation, affliction, and discouragement; the church must have seasons of persecution. At such times the people of God will be ready to fear that he has cast them off, and that his name and truth will be dishonoured. But they should look above the instruments of their trouble, to God, well knowing that their worst enemies have no power against ...
Read full commentary →Thou hast given us like sheep appointed for meat; and hast scattered us among the heathen. like: Heb. as sheep of meat
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Thou hast given us like sheep appointed for meat; and hast scattered us among the heathen.</strong><br><br>This lament uses vivid imagery of helpless sheep destined for slaughter (<em>ṭeḇaḥ</em>, meat/slaughter) to describe Israel's sense of abandonment by God. The passive construction "given us" acknowledges divine sovereignty even in suffering—God has not merely allowed this but has acti...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(11) **Like sheep.**—The image of the sheep appointed for the slaughter; and unable to resist, recalls Isaiah 53:6-7, but does not necessarily connect the Psalm with the exile period, since it was a figure likely to suggest itself in every time of helpless peril.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
5. The writer intimates his confidence by depicting God's actions (compare Psa 9:19; 10:12) as coming to save the poor at whom the wicked sneer (Psa 10:5).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 9-16**
The believer must have times of temptation, affliction, and discouragement; the church must have seasons of persecution. At such times the people of God will be ready to fear that he has cast them off, and that his name and truth will be dishonoured. But they should look above the instruments of their trouble, to God, well knowing that their worst enemies have no power against ...
Read full commentary →Thou sellest thy people for nought, and dost not increase thy wealth by their price. for: Heb. without riches
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KJV Study Commentary
The metaphor of selling shifts to contemptuous disposal: 'Thou sellest thy people for nought, and dost not increase thy wealth by their price.' God has given Israel away without even demanding payment, suggesting their worthlessness in His sight. The commercial imagery emphasizes the depth of perceived rejection.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(12) **For nought.**—Literally, *for not riches *(comp. Jeremiah 15:13); notice the contrast to Psalm 72:14.
**And dost not increase thy wealth by their price.**—This rendering takes the verb as in Proverbs 22:16; but to make the two places exactly parallel, we should have “dost not increase *for thee.” *It is better, therefore, to make the clause synonymous with the last, and render *thou didst n...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**6. The words--**literally, "saying of" (Psa 12:5).
**seven times--**thoroughly (Da 3:19).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 9-16**
The believer must have times of temptation, affliction, and discouragement; the church must have seasons of persecution. At such times the people of God will be ready to fear that he has cast them off, and that his name and truth will be dishonoured. But they should look above the instruments of their trouble, to God, well knowing that their worst enemies have no power against ...
Read full commentary →Thou makest us a reproach to our neighbours, a scorn and a derision to them that are round about us.
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KJV Study Commentary
Public humiliation compounds military defeat: 'Thou makest us a reproach to our neighbours, a scorn and a derision to them that are round about us.' Israel's neighbors, often covenant enemies, now mock the nation that claimed special relationship with the Almighty. The watching world judges God by His people's circumstances.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(13, 14) These verses become very suggestive, if we refer them to one of those periods under the Seleucidæ, when the Jews were so frequently attacked on the Sabbath, and from their scrupulous regard to it would make no resistance.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**7. them--**(Margin.)
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 9-16**
The believer must have times of temptation, affliction, and discouragement; the church must have seasons of persecution. At such times the people of God will be ready to fear that he has cast them off, and that his name and truth will be dishonoured. But they should look above the instruments of their trouble, to God, well knowing that their worst enemies have no power against ...
Read full commentary →Thou makest us a byword among the heathen, a shaking of the head among the people.
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KJV Study Commentary
Israel becomes 'a byword among the heathen, a shaking of the head among the people.' A 'byword' (<em>mashal</em>) means their name becomes a proverb of misfortune--when people want to describe disaster, they say 'like Israel.' The head-shaking gesture expresses contempt and ridicule. Their fall becomes an object lesson in failed faith.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(14) **Shaking of the head.**—Comp. Psalm 22:7.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
8. The wicked roam undisturbed doing evil, when vileness and vile men are exalted.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 9-16**
The believer must have times of temptation, affliction, and discouragement; the church must have seasons of persecution. At such times the people of God will be ready to fear that he has cast them off, and that his name and truth will be dishonoured. But they should look above the instruments of their trouble, to God, well knowing that their worst enemies have no power against ...
Read full commentary →My confusion is continually before me, and the shame of my face hath covered me,
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KJV Study Commentary
The personal toll of public shame: 'My confusion is continually before me, and the shame of my face hath covered me.' The Hebrew <em>kelimmah</em> (confusion, dishonor) suggests overwhelming embarrassment. The shame 'covers' the face like a garment, inescapable and constant. This is not momentary embarrassment but pervasive humiliation.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(15) **The shame.**—Better take *the face *as a second object—*shame hath covered me as to my face, i.e., covered my face. *Though the record of the facts of a sad reality, these verses have also the value of a prophecy sadder still. Twenty centuries of misery are summed up in these few lines, which have been most literally repeated,
“By the torture, prolonged from age to age,
By the infamy, Israe...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 9-16**
The believer must have times of temptation, affliction, and discouragement; the church must have seasons of persecution. At such times the people of God will be ready to fear that he has cast them off, and that his name and truth will be dishonoured. But they should look above the instruments of their trouble, to God, well knowing that their worst enemies have no power against ...
Read full commentary →For the voice of him that reproacheth and blasphemeth; by reason of the enemy and avenger.
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KJV Study Commentary
The source of shame is identified: 'the voice of him that reproacheth and blasphemeth' and 'the enemy and avenger.' The enemies' words attack not just Israel but Israel's God, hence 'blasphemeth.' Their vengeance is not merely military but theological, claiming their victory proves their gods superior to Yahweh.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
PSALM 13 Psa 13:1-6. On title, see Introduction. The Psalmist, mourning God's absence and the triumph of his enemies, prays for relief before he is totally destroyed, and is encouraged to hope his trust will not be in vain.
1. The forms of expression and figure here used are frequent (compare Psa 9:12, 18; 10:11, 12).
**How long ... for ever--**Shall it be for ever?
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 9-16**
The believer must have times of temptation, affliction, and discouragement; the church must have seasons of persecution. At such times the people of God will be ready to fear that he has cast them off, and that his name and truth will be dishonoured. But they should look above the instruments of their trouble, to God, well knowing that their worst enemies have no power against ...
Read full commentary →All this is come upon us; yet have we not forgotten thee, neither have we dealt falsely in thy covenant.
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KJV Study Commentary
The remarkable claim: 'All this is come upon us; yet have we not forgotten thee, neither have we dealt falsely in thy covenant.' Despite overwhelming suffering, the community maintains covenant loyalty. They have neither forgotten God (mental abandonment) nor violated covenant terms (behavioral abandonment). This creates the theological crisis.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
2. The counsels or devices of his heart afford no relief.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 17-26**
In afflictions, we must not seek relief by any sinful compliance; but should continually meditate on the truth, purity, and knowledge of our heart-searching God. Hearts sins and secret sins are known to God, and must be reckoned for. He knows the secret of the heart, therefore judges of the words and actions. While our troubles do not drive us from our duty to God, we should n...
Read full commentary →Our heart is not turned back, neither have our steps declined from thy way; steps: or, goings
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KJV Study Commentary
The loyalty claim continues: 'Our heart is not turned back, neither have our steps declined from thy way.' Heart (intention, affection) and steps (behavior, practice) together encompass the whole person. The community has not apostatized either internally or externally. Their suffering cannot be explained by unfaithfulness.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**3. lighten mine eyes--**dim with weakness, denoting approaching death (compare 1Sa 14:27-29; Psa 6:7; 38:10).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 17-26**
In afflictions, we must not seek relief by any sinful compliance; but should continually meditate on the truth, purity, and knowledge of our heart-searching God. Hearts sins and secret sins are known to God, and must be reckoned for. He knows the secret of the heart, therefore judges of the words and actions. While our troubles do not drive us from our duty to God, we should n...
Read full commentary →Though thou hast sore broken us in the place of dragons, and covered us with the shadow of death.
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KJV Study Commentary
The paradox intensifies: 'Though thou hast sore broken us in the place of dragons, and covered us with the shadow of death.' God Himself has broken them--suffering comes from divine hand, not despite divine sovereignty. 'Place of dragons' suggests wilderness desolation; 'shadow of death' (Hebrew <em>tsalmaveth</em>) indicates mortal danger and deep darkness.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(19) **In the place of dragons.**—This expression evidently means *a wild desert place, *from comparison with Jeremiah 9:11; Jeremiah 10:22; Jeremiah 49:33. So Aquila has “an uninhabitable place.” The rendering *dragons *for *tannim *arose from its resemblance to *tannîn *(sea monster). The *tan *must be a wild beast, since it is connected with *ostriches *(Isaiah 34:13) and *wild asses, *whom it ...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**4. rejoice--**literally, "shout as in triumph."
**I am moved--**cast down from a firm position (Psa 10:6).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 17-26**
In afflictions, we must not seek relief by any sinful compliance; but should continually meditate on the truth, purity, and knowledge of our heart-searching God. Hearts sins and secret sins are known to God, and must be reckoned for. He knows the secret of the heart, therefore judges of the words and actions. While our troubles do not drive us from our duty to God, we should n...
Read full commentary →If we have forgotten the name of our God, or stretched out our hands to a strange god;
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KJV Study Commentary
The impossible hypothetical: 'If we have forgotten the name of our God, or stretched out our hands to a strange god.' These actions represent complete apostasy--abandoning Yahweh's identity and worship for foreign deities. The psalmist categorically denies such betrayal, insisting suffering is not punishment for idolatry.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
5-6. Trust is followed by rejoicing in the deliverance which God effects, and, instead of his enemy, he can lift the song of triumph.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 17-26**
In afflictions, we must not seek relief by any sinful compliance; but should continually meditate on the truth, purity, and knowledge of our heart-searching God. Hearts sins and secret sins are known to God, and must be reckoned for. He knows the secret of the heart, therefore judges of the words and actions. While our troubles do not drive us from our duty to God, we should n...
Read full commentary →Shall not God search this out? for he knoweth the secrets of the heart.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Divine Omniscience and Heart-Searching:</strong> This verse appears within a communal lament where Israel protests that their suffering isn't due to covenant unfaithfulness (Psalm 44:17-22). The rhetorical question "<em>halo Elohim yachkor-zot</em>" (הֲלֹא אֱלֹהִים יַחְקָר־זֹאת) means "Would not God search this out?" or "Shall not God investigate this?" The verb "<em>chakhar</em>" (חָקַר) ...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
5-6. Trust is followed by rejoicing in the deliverance which God effects, and, instead of his enemy, he can lift the song of triumph.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 17-26**
In afflictions, we must not seek relief by any sinful compliance; but should continually meditate on the truth, purity, and knowledge of our heart-searching God. Hearts sins and secret sins are known to God, and must be reckoned for. He knows the secret of the heart, therefore judges of the words and actions. While our troubles do not drive us from our duty to God, we should n...
Read full commentary →Yea, for thy sake are we killed all the day long; we are counted as sheep for the slaughter.
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KJV Study Commentary
The devastating conclusion: 'Yea, for thy sake are we killed all the day long; we are counted as sheep for the slaughter.' Suffering comes not despite faithfulness but because of it--'for thy sake.' They suffer precisely for maintaining covenant loyalty. Paul quotes this verse in Romans 8:36 to describe the experience of all who follow Christ.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(22) **For thy sake.**—For St. Paul’s quotation of this verse (Romans 8:36), see Note, N. Test. Commentary.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 17-26**
In afflictions, we must not seek relief by any sinful compliance; but should continually meditate on the truth, purity, and knowledge of our heart-searching God. Hearts sins and secret sins are known to God, and must be reckoned for. He knows the secret of the heart, therefore judges of the words and actions. While our troubles do not drive us from our duty to God, we should n...
Read full commentary →Awake, why sleepest thou, O Lord? arise, cast us not off for ever.
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KJV Study Commentary
The bold imperative: 'Awake, why sleepest thou, O Lord?' This anthropomorphic language doesn't suggest God actually sleeps but expresses the felt experience of divine inactivity. 'Arise, cast us not off for ever' pleads for intervention. The prayer assumes God can act but apparently chooses not to, creating the theological tension.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(23*)* **Why sleepest.**—Comp. Psalm 7:6, and see refs.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
PSALM 14 Psa 14:1-7. The practical atheism and total and universal depravity of the wicked, with their hatred to the good, are set forth. Yet, as they dread God's judgments when He vindicates His people, the Psalmist prays for His delivering power.
1. Sinners are termed "fools," because they think and act contrary to right reason (Ge 34:7; Jos 7:15; Psa 39:8; 74:18, 22).
**in his heart--**to hi...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 17-26**
In afflictions, we must not seek relief by any sinful compliance; but should continually meditate on the truth, purity, and knowledge of our heart-searching God. Hearts sins and secret sins are known to God, and must be reckoned for. He knows the secret of the heart, therefore judges of the words and actions. While our troubles do not drive us from our duty to God, we should n...
Read full commentary →Wherefore hidest thou thy face, and forgettest our affliction and our oppression?
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KJV Study Commentary
The questions persist: 'Wherefore hidest thou thy face, and forgettest our affliction and our oppression?' God's hidden face represents withdrawal of favor and presence. 'Forgetting' challenges God's covenant commitment to remember His people. The questions assume God should be attentive but seems deliberately absent.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**2. looked--**in earnest enquiry.
**understand--**as opposed to "fool" [Psa 14:1].
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 17-26**
In afflictions, we must not seek relief by any sinful compliance; but should continually meditate on the truth, purity, and knowledge of our heart-searching God. Hearts sins and secret sins are known to God, and must be reckoned for. He knows the secret of the heart, therefore judges of the words and actions. While our troubles do not drive us from our duty to God, we should n...
Read full commentary →For our soul is bowed down to the dust: our belly cleaveth unto the earth.
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KJV Study Commentary
The desperate condition: 'For our soul is bowed down to the dust: our belly cleaveth unto the earth.' This posture of complete prostration suggests either humble worship or utter defeat--probably both. They lie face-down in the dust, unable to rise, completely dependent on divine intervention to restore them.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**3. filthy--**literally, "spoiled," or, "soured," "corrupted" (Job 15:16; Ro 3:12).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 17-26**
In afflictions, we must not seek relief by any sinful compliance; but should continually meditate on the truth, purity, and knowledge of our heart-searching God. Hearts sins and secret sins are known to God, and must be reckoned for. He knows the secret of the heart, therefore judges of the words and actions. While our troubles do not drive us from our duty to God, we should n...
Read full commentary →Arise for our help, and redeem us for thy mercies' sake. for our: Heb. a help for us
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KJV Study Commentary
The final appeal: 'Arise for our help, and redeem us for thy mercies' sake.' The verb 'arise' (<em>qumah</em>) calls God to action from perceived inactivity. 'Redeem' (<em>padah</em>) invokes the exodus language of liberation. The ground of appeal is not their merit but God's mercy (<em>chesed</em>)--His covenant love that remains despite circumstances.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
4-6. Their conduct evinces indifference rather than ignorance of God; for when He appears in judgment, they are stricken with great fear.
**who eat up my people--**to express their beastly fury (Pr 30:14; Ha 3:14). To "call on the Lord" is to worship Him.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 17-26**
In afflictions, we must not seek relief by any sinful compliance; but should continually meditate on the truth, purity, and knowledge of our heart-searching God. Hearts sins and secret sins are known to God, and must be reckoned for. He knows the secret of the heart, therefore judges of the words and actions. While our troubles do not drive us from our duty to God, we should n...
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