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Psalm Thirty
New King James Version (NKJV)
INTRODUCTION TO PSALM 30
A Psalm [and] Song [at] the dedication of the house of David. This is the
first time that a psalm is called a song; some psalms are called by one name
some by another
and some by both
as here; and some are called hymns: to which
distinction of them the apostle refers in Ephesians 5:19. A
psalm was sung upon musical instruments
a song with the voice; it may be this
psalm was sung both ways: the occasion of it was the dedication of David's
house: the Targum interprets it of the house of the sanctuary
the temple; and
so most of the Jewish commentatorsF9Jarchi
Kimchi
& Abdendana.
; which might be called his house
because it was his intention to build it;
his heart was set upon it
he provided materials for it
and gave his son
Solomon the form of it
and a charge to build it; and
as is thought
composed
this psalm to be sung
and which was sung by the Levites at the dedication of
it: others
as Aben Ezra
are of opinion it was his own dwelling house
made of
cedar
which he dedicated according to the law of Moses
with sacrifices and
offerings
prayer and thanksgiving
2 Samuel 5:11; so
Apollinarius calls it a new house David built; but since there is nothing in
the whole psalm that agrees with the dedication
either of the temple
or of
David's own private house
it seems better
with other interpreters
to
understand it of the purging of David's house from the wickedness and incest of
his son Absalom
upon his return to it
when the rebellion raised by him was
extinguished; which might be reckoned a new dedication of it; see 2 Samuel 20:3; and
to a deliverance from such troubles this psalm well agrees. Theodoret
interprets it of the restoration of the human nature by Christ
through his
resurrection from the dead.
Psalm 30:1 I
will extol You
O Lord
for You have lifted me up
And have not let my foes rejoice over me.
YLT
1A Psalm. -- A song of the
dedication of the house of David. I exalt Thee
O Jehovah
For Thou hast drawn
me up
and hast not let mine enemies rejoice over me.
I will extol thee
O Lord
.... Or "lift thee
up on high"F11אדוממך
"superexaltabo te"
Cocceius; "elevabo te"
Michaelis. .
The Lord is high in his name
he is the most High; and in his nature
there is
none besides him
nor like unto him; and in place
he dwells in the high and
holy place; he is above all
angels and men; he is above all gods; he is the
King of kings
and Lord of lords; he cannot be higher than he is: to extol him
therefore
is to declare him to be what he is; to exalt him in high praises of
him
which the psalmist determined to do
for the following reasons;
for thou hast lifted me up; or "drawn me
up"
or "out"F12רליגי
"me sursum extraxisti"
Cocceius; so Michaelis; "thou hast drawn
me up"
Ainsworth. ; from the pit of nature; the low estate of
unregeneracy; the pit wherein is no water: the horrible pit
the mire and clay
of sin and misery
in which all men
while unconverted
are; and out of which
they cannot lift themselves
being without strength
yea
dead in sin: this is
God's work; he takes out of this pit
he draws out of it by his efficacious
grace; he raises up the poor out of the dust
and lifts up the beggar from the
dunghill; and this is an instance of his grace and mercy
and requires a new
song of praise: or this may regard some great fall by sin
from which he was
restored
through the grace and power of God; or deliverance from great
troubles
compared to waters
out of which he was drawn
Psalm 18:16; and
was lifted up above his enemies; and agrees very well with his being brought to
his palace and throne again
upon the defeat of Absalom;
and hast not made my foes to rejoice over me; as Satan does
over unregenerate sinners
when he possesses their hearts
and keeps the house
and goods in peace; and as the men of the world do over fallen saints
when
forsaken by the Lord
and afflicted by him
and are under the frowns of his
providence; but the conspirators against David were not suffered to succeed and
rejoice over him
which they otherwise would have done; and for this he praises
the Lord.
Psalm 30:2 2 O Lord my God
I
cried out to You
And You healed me.
YLT
2Jehovah my God
I have
cried to Thee
And Thou dost heal me.
O Lord my God
I cried unto thee
.... In the time of his
distress and trouble; and whither should he go but unto his covenant God and Father?
and thou hast healed me: either of some bodily
disease that attended him; for the Lord is the physician of the body
as well
as of the soul; and that either immediately
or by giving a blessing to means
used; and the glory of such a mercy should be given to him: or else of soul
diseases
which are natural and hereditary
epidemical
nauseous
mortal
and
incurable
but by the grace of God and blood of Christ; and the healing: of
them either respects the pardon of them at first conversion; for healing
diseases
and forgiving iniquities
signify one and the same thing; or else
fresh discoveries and applications of pardoning grace
after falls into sin
which are an healing backslidings
and restoring comforts; and this is God's
work; none can heal but himself
and he does it effectually
universally
and
freely
and which calls for thankfulness
Psalm 103:1; or
this may be understood in a civil sense
of restoring him to his house
his
throne and kingdom
and the peace of it.
Psalm 30:3 3 O Lord
You brought
my soul up from the grave; You have kept me alive
that I should not go down to
the pit.[a]
YLT
3Jehovah
Thou hast brought
up from Sheol my soul
Thou hast kept me alive
From going down [to] the pit.
O Lord
thou hast brought up my soul from the grave
.... When his
life being in danger
was near unto it
Job 33:22;
otherwise the soul dies not
nor does it lie and sleep in the grave; or
"thou hast brought up my soul from hell"F13מן שאול "ab inferno"
V. L. Pagninus
Montanus
Gejerus
Michaelis; so Ainsworth. ; that is
delivered him from those horrors of conscience and terrors of mind
by reason
of sin
which were as hell itself unto him; see Psalm 116:3;
thou hast kept me alive: preserved his corporeal
life when in danger
and maintained his spiritual life; and quickened him by
his word
under all his afflictions
and kept him from utter and black despair;
that I should not go down to the pit; either of the
grave or hell. There is in this clause a "Keri" and a
"Cetib"; a marginal reading
and a textual writing: according to the
latter it is
"from them that go down to the pit"; which some
versionsF14So Sept. V. L. Pagninus
Musculus
Gejerus
Michaelis
Ainsworth. follow; that is
thou hast preserved me from going along with them
and being where and as they are: our version follows the former; the sense is
the same.
Psalm 30:4 4 Sing praise to the Lord
you saints of
His
And give thanks at the remembrance of His holy name.[b]
YLT
4Sing praise to Jehovah
ye
His saints
And give thanks at the remembrance of His holiness
Sing unto the Lord
O ye saints of his
.... Such to
whom he has been gracious and merciful
and has blessed with pardoning grace
and justifying righteousness
adoption
and a right to eternal life; and who
are holy godly persons; in whose hearts principles of grace and holiness are
formed; and who are kind and bountiful to others: all which the wordF15הסידיו "quos ipse benignitate prosequitur"
Junius & Tremellius; so Tigurine version. here used signifies: and these
are the Lord's; they are set apart for him
and they are sanctified by him; and
therefore should sing his praises
both vocally
and with melody in their
hearts;
and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness; which is
essential to him
and in which he is glorious; and which appears in all his
ways and works of providence and grace
and both in the redemption and
sanctification of his people; and besides this
there is the holiness of
Christ
which is imputed to his saints
and the sanctification of the Spirit
which is wrought in them; and at the remembrance of each of these it highly
becomes them to give thanks to the Lord
since hereby they are made meet to be
partakers of his kingdom and glory.
Psalm 30:5 5 For His anger is but
for a moment
His favor is for life; Weeping may endure for a night
But joy comes in the morning.
YLT
5For -- a moment [is] in His
anger
Life [is] in His good-will
At even remaineth weeping
and at morn
singing.
For his anger endureth but a moment
.... Anger is
not properly in God
he being a simple
uncompounded
immovable
and
unchangeable being; nor is it ever towards his people in reality
unless anger
is distinguished from wrath
and is considered as consistent with his
everlasting and invariable love to them; but only in their apprehension
he
doing those things which in some respects are similar to those which men do
when they are angry; he turns away from them and hides his face
he chides
chastises
and afflicts
and then they conclude he is angry; and when he
returns again and takes off his hand
manifests his pardoning love
and
comforts them
then they understand it that his anger is turned away from them;
for in this improper sense of it
and as his children conceive of it
it is but
for a moment
or a very short time: he forsakes them but for a moment
and
their light afflictions endure no longer
Isaiah 54:7;
in his favour is life; by which is meant his
free love and favour in Christ towards his people; and designs either the
duration of it
that it lives and always is
even when he seems to be angry
and that it lasts as long as life does
yea
to all eternity; neither death nor
life can separate from it; or the object of it
God delighting not in the death
but the life of a sinner; or rather the effects of it
it is what makes the
present life to be properly life
and really comfortable; without it men may be
said rather to be dead than to live
notwithstanding all enjoyments; and
therefore it is better than life
abstracted from it
Psalm 63:3; it
quickens the soul in a spiritual sense
and makes grace lively; it invigorates
faith
encourages hope
and makes love to abound
and it issues in eternal
life;
weeping may endure for a night; the allusion is to the
time when afflictions are usually most heavy and pressing upon persons
when
they most feel them
or
however
are free from diversion
and at leisure to
bemoan themselves; and may point at the season of weeping
and cause of it
the
night of affliction
or of darkness and desertion
and denotes the short
continuance of it; weeping is here represented as a person
and as a lodger
for the word may be rendered "lodge"F16ילין
"diversetur"
Junius & Tremellius
Piscator; "lodgeth"
Ainsworth. ; but then it is as a wayfaring man
who continues but for a night;
see Isaiah 17:14;
but joy cometh in the morning; alluding to
the time when all nature is fresh and gay
when man rises cheerful from his
rest
darkness removes
light breaks forth
and the sun rises and sheds its
beams
and everything looks pleasant and delightful; moreover
the mercies of
God are new every morning
which cause joy
and call for thankfulness; and
especially it is a time of joy after weeping and darkness
when the sun of
righteousness arises with healing in his wings; as it will be to perfection in
the resurrection morn
when the dead in Christ will rise first
and be like to
him
and reign with him for evermore.
Psalm 30:6 6 Now in my prosperity I
said
“I shall never be moved.”
YLT
6And I -- I have said in
mine ease
`I am not moved -- to the age.
And in my prosperity
.... Either outward
prosperity
when he was settled in his kingdom
and as acknowledged king by all
the tribes of Israel
and had gotten the victory over all his enemies
and was
at rest from them round about; or inward and spiritual prosperity
having a
spiritual appetite for the word
being in the lively exercise of grace
growing
in it
and in the knowledge of Christ; favoured with communion with God
having
flesh discoveries of pardoning grace and mercy
corruptions being subdued
the
inward man renewed with spiritual strength
and more fruitful in every good
word and work. This being the case
I said
I shall never be moved; so in outward prosperity
men are apt to sing a requiem to themselves
and fancy it will always be thus
with them
be in health of body
and enjoying the affluence of temporal things
and so put away the evil day in one sense and another from them; and even good
men themselves are subject to this infirmity
Job 29:18; and who
also
when in comfortable frames of soul
and in prosperous circumstances in
spiritual things
are ready to conclude if will always be thus with them
or
better. Indeed they can never be moved as to their state and condition with
respect to God; not from his heart
where they are set as a seal; nor out of
the arms of Christ
and covenant of grace; nor out of the family of God; nor
from a state of justification and grace; but they may be moved as to the exercise
of grace and discharge of duty
in which they vary; and especially when they
are self-confident
and depend upon their own strength for the performance of
these things
and for a continuance in such frames
which seems to have been
David's case; and therefore he corrects himself
and his sense of things
in Psalm 30:7.
Psalm 30:7 7 Lord
by Your favor You have made my mountain stand strong; You hid Your face
and
I was troubled.
YLT
7O Jehovah
in Thy good
pleasure
Thou hast caused strength to remain for my mountain
' Thou hast
hidden Thy face -- I have been troubled.
Lord
by thy favour thou hast made my mountain to stand strong
.... The
psalmist found himself mistaken
and acknowledges it; that as it was not owing
to his own merit that he enjoyed the prosperity that he did
so neither was the
continuance of it owing to his goodness
power
and strength
but to the free
grace and favour of God; as the church of God is compared to a mountain
and
the several individuals of believers are like to Mount Zion
so the soul of a
child of God may be called his mountain
which is made strong by the Lord as to
its state in Christ
being set on him
the Rock of ages
and sure foundation
where it is safe and secure; and as to its grace
whenever it is in any strong
exercise
which is altogether owing to the favour of God
and continues as long
as he pleases;
thou didst hide thy face
and I was troubled; the Lord may
hide his face from his people
and yet their state be safe; their mountain
stands strong in that respect; yet this generally produces a change of frames;
it gives trouble
and faith and hope become feeble and languid in their acts
and exercises; this shows the changeableness of frames
that they are not to be
depended upon; that they are entirely owing to the pleasure of God
and that
rejoicing only should be in him: very likely some regard is had to the affair
of Absalom's rebellion
which came unawares
unthought of
when David was in
the greatest prosperity and security.
Psalm 30:8 8 I cried out to You
O Lord; And to the Lord I made
supplication:
YLT
8Unto Thee
O Jehovah
I
call
And unto Jehovah I make supplication.
I cried to thee
O Lord
.... In his trouble
when
the Lord had hid his face from him
and he was sensible that he had departed
from him: he was not stupid and unaffected with it; nor did he turn his back
upon God
and seek to others; but he cried after a departing God
which showed
love to him
and some degree of faith in him
by looking again towards his holy
temple
and waiting upon him until he returned;
and unto the Lord I made supplication; in the most
humble manner; entreating his grace and mercy
and that he would again show him
his face and favour.
Psalm 30:9 9 “What profit is there
in my blood
When I go down to the pit? Will the dust praise You?
Will it declare Your truth?
YLT
9`What gain [is] in my
blood? In my going down unto corruption? Doth dust thank Thee? doth it declare
Thy truth?
What profit is there in my blood?.... Should
that be shed
and he die by the hands of his enemies
through divine
permission: death is not profitable to a man's self by way of merit; it does
not atone for sin
satisfy justice
and merit heaven; even the death of
martyrs
and of such who shed their blood
died in the cause of Christ
and for
his sake
is not meritorious; it does not profit in such sense: there is profit
in no blood but in the blood of Christ
by which peace is made
pardon procured
and redemption obtained. Indeed death is consequentially profitable to good
men; it is an outlet of all sorrows and afflictions
and the inlet of joy and
happiness; it is the saints' passage to heaven
and upon it they are
immediately with Christ
and rest from their labours: nor is there profit in
the blood of the saints to them that shed it; for when inquisition is made for
it
vengeance will be taken on them who have shed it
and blood will be given
them to drink
as will be particularly to antichrist: nor is there any profit
in it to the Lord himself; which seems to be what is chiefly designed
since it
is used by the psalmist as an argument with him in prayer
that he might not be
left by him
and to his enemies
so as to perish
since no glory could accrue
to God by it from them; they would not give him thanks for it
but ascribe it
to themselves
and say their own hand had done it; so far
the psalmist
suggests
would his death be from being profitable to God
that it would rather
be a loss to the interest of religion; since he had not as yet fully restored
religion
and settled the pure worship of God in order
and made the
preparations for the building the house of God he intended. God may be
glorified in the death of his people; either by their dying in the faith of
interest in him; or by suffering death for his name's sake; but
in a strict
sense
there is nothing either in life or death in which man can be profitable
unto God; see Job 22:2; some
understand this of life; because the life is in the blood: as if the sense was
of what advantage is life to me? it would have been better for the if I had
never been born
had had no life and being at all
if I must for ever be
banished from thy presence
and go down to the pit of hell
which they suppose
is designed in the following phrase;
when I go down to the pit; though the grave seems
rather to be meant
and the former sense is best;
shall the dust praise thee? that is
men
whose
original is dust
being reduced to dust again
as the body at death
when laid
in the grave
and corrupted there
is; this lifeless dust cannot praise the
Lord: the soul indeed dies not with the body; nor does it sleep in the grave with
it; nor is it unemployed in heaven; but is continually engaged in the high
praises of God: but the sense of the psalmist is
that should he die
and be
buried
and be reduced to dust
he should no more praise the Lord in the land
of the living
among men
to the glory of divine grace and goodness; so that
this revenue of his glory would be lost. Shall it declare thy truth? either the
truth of the Gospel
which lies in the word of God; or rather the faithfulness
of God in the performance of his promises; see Psalm 40:10.
Psalm 30:10 10 Hear
O Lord
and have
mercy on me; Lord
be my helper!”
YLT
10Hear
O Jehovah
and favour
me
O Jehovah
be a helper to me.'
Hear
O Lord
and have mercy upon me
.... By
lifting up the light of his countenance again upon him; by manifesting and
applying his pardoning grace to him
and by delivering him out of all his
afflictions;
Lord
be thou my helper; in this time of trouble;
for he knew that vain was the help of man; and he was entirely in the right to
betake himself to the Lord
who was able to help him
when none else could.
Psalm 30:11 11 You have turned for me my
mourning into dancing; You have put off my sackcloth and clothed me with
gladness
YLT
11Thou hast turned my
mourning to dancing for me
Thou hast loosed my sackcloth
And girdest me
[with] joy.
Those hast turned for me my mourning into dancing
.... This
with what follows
expresses the success he had in seeking the Lord by prayer
and supplication; there was a sudden change of things
as it often is with the
people of God; sometimes they are mourning by reason of sin
their own and
others; or on account of afflictions; or because of spiritual decays; or through
the temptations of Satan; or
as it was the case of the psalmist now
because
of the hidings of God's face; but this mourning is exchanged for joy and
gladness when the Lord discovers his pardoning love
revives his work in their
souls
takes off his afflicting hand from them
rebukes the tempter
and
delivers out of his temptations
and shows himself
his grace and favour;
thou hast put off my sackcloth; which was used in
mourning for relations
and in times of calamity and distress
and as a token
of humiliation and repentance
Genesis 37:34;
and girded me with gladness; by these phrases the
same thing is signified as before; see Isaiah 61:3.
Psalm 30:12 12 To the end that my
glory may sing praise to You and not be silent. O Lord my God
I will
give thanks to You forever.
YLT
12So that honour doth praise
Thee
and is not silent
O Jehovah
my God
to the age I thank Thee!
To the end that my glory may sing praise to thee
and not
be silent
.... Meaning either his soul
the more noble and glorious part of
him; or the members of his body
his tongue
which is the glory of it
and with
which he glorified God; see Psalm 16:9;
compared with Acts 2:26
this was
the end that was to be answered by changing the scene of things; and which was
answered;
O Lord my God
I will give thanks unto thee for ever; to the end of
life
as long as he had a being
and to all eternity
Psalm 104:33. Jerom
interprets the whole psalm of the resurrection of Christ.
──《John Gill’s
Exposition of the Bible》
New King James
Version (NKJV)