Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Psalms 7:17
I will praise the LORD according to his righteousness: and will sing praise to the name of the LORD most high.
17. A closing doxology.
I will praise the Lord ] R.V., I will give thanks unto the Lord. The idea conveyed by this word, so characteristic of the Psalter, is that of the acknowledgement due from man to God for His goodness. Hence the rendering of the LXX, , and of the Vulg., confitebor.
according to his righteousness) Manifested and vindicated in the judgment of the wicked.
the name of the Lord Most High ] Since He has thus revealed Himself in His character of Supreme Governor of the world. On the title Most High see Appendix, Note II.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
I will praise the Lord according to his righteousness – That is, particularly as manifested in the treatment of the righteous and the wicked, protecting the one, and bringing deeserved punishment upon the other. The purpose of the psalm is to show this. In the course of the psalm the author had declared his full conviction that this was the character of God, and now, in view of this, he says that he will render to him the praise and glory which such a character deserves. He will acknowledge him by public acts of praise as such a God; and will at all times ascribe these attributes to him.
And will sing praise to the name of the Lord – To the name of Jehovah; that is, to Yahweh himself, the name being often used to designate a person, or that by which he is known; and also, in many cases, as in this, being significant, or designating the essential nature of him to whom it is applied.
Most high – Exalted above all other beings; exalted above all worlds. The purpose here declared of praising God may refer either to the act which he was then performing in the composition of the psalm, or it may be a purpose in respect to the future, declaring his intention to be to retain in future life the memory of those characteristics of the divine nature now disclosed to him, and to celebrate them in all time to come. The great truth taught is, that God is to be adored for what he is, and that his holy character, manifested alike in the treatment of the righteous and the wicked, lays the foundation for exalted praise.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 17. I will praise the Lord according to his righteousness] I shall celebrate both his justice and his mercy. I will sing praise to the name of the Lord Most High. The name of God is often put for his perfections. So here, shem Yehovah Elyon; “The perfections of Jehovah, who is above all.” My old Scotico-English MS., mentioned at the conclusion of the introduction, begins at this verse, where are the following words by way of paraphrase: Sang falles til ioy; and he that synges well that name, his ioy es mare than i kan tell. Those who are happy may sing; and he who can duly celebrate the name of God, who knows it to be a strong tower into which he can run and find safety, has inexpressible happiness. That is the sense of the above.
ANALYSIS OF THE SEVENTH PSALM
I. His appeal to God by way of petition, Ps 7:1; Ps 7:2; Ps 7:6.
II. The reasons of this appeal, – set down through the whole Psalm.
III. His doxology or thanksgiving, Ps 7:17.
I. He begins his appeal with a petition for deliverance from his persecutors: “Save me and deliver me,” Ps 7:1. In which he desires God to be,
1. Attentive to him: 1. Because of the relation between them. For he was the Lord his God. 2. He trusted in him: “O Lord my God, I trust in thee,” Ps 7:1.
2. Benevolent to him. For he was now in danger of death. He had, 1. Enemies. 2. Many enemies. 3. Persecuting enemies. 4. But one above the rest, a lion ready to rend him in pieces; so that if God forsook him, he would do it. “Save me from those that persecute me,” c., Ps 7:2.
II. And then he gives his reasons why he doth appeal to his God, which are: 1. His own innocence. 2. God’s justice.
1. He makes a protestation of his innocence. He was accused that he lay in wait, and plotted for Saul’s life and kingdom but he clears himself, shows the impossibility of it, and that with a fearful imprecation. 1. O Lord-if I have done any such thing as they object; if I have rewarded evil to him that was at peace with me, Ps 7:3; Ps 7:4, which was indeed an impossible matter. For I have delivered him-as Saul in the cave, 1Sa 24:2. His imprecation – Then let mine enemy persecute me-let him take both my life and my honour, kingdom, property, and whatever thou hast promised me.
2. And, which is the second reason of this appeal, being innocent, he calls for justice. “Arise, O Lord-lift up thyself-awake for me to judgment.” For, 1. The rage of my enemies is great. 2. The judgment was thine that chose me to be king of thy people. Awake for me. 3. This will be for thy honour, and the edification of thy Church. “The congregation of thy people shall compass thee about. For their sakes return thou on high.” Ascend the tribunal, and do justice.
Now, upon this argument of God’s justice, he dwells and insists to the last verse of the Psalm.
1. He avows God to be his Judge.
2. He prays for justice to be done to him and to the wicked. 1. To him, an innocent person: “Judge me, O Lord, according to my righteousness.” 2. To the wicked: “O let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end!”
3. He prays not only for himself, but for all good men: “Establish the just.” And adds this reason, that as “God trieth the hearts and reins,” he is fittest to be judge, in whom is required knowledge and prudence.
4. The other two properties of a judge are, to save, and to punish; and the triumph of his faith is, that he knows He will do both. 1. He will save the just and upright in heart, and therefore his defence is in God. 2. He will punish the wicked, for he is angry with them every day; and yet even to them he shows much clemency and forbearance. He waits for their conversion. He whets, binds on, and sharpens his instruments of death; but he shoots not till there is no remedy. But, If they will not return he will whet his sword, c.
5. But the Lord’s longsuffering had no good effect upon Saul he grew worse and worse: He travailed with mischief; conceived iniquity; brought forth falsehood; and digged a pit for his innocent neighbour, into which he fell himself. Thus the righteous God executed judgment and vindicated innocence.
III. The close of the Psalm is a doxology. Thanks that a good and merciful God would judge for the righteous, save those who are true of heart, establish the just, and take vengeance upon the wicked. For this, saith David, “I will praise the Lord according to his righteousness, and I will sing praise to the name of the Lord the Most High.”
The righteous may be oppressed, but they shall not be forsaken: nor can they lose even by their afflictions, for they shall be turned to their advantage. Every occurrence helps a good man, whether prosperous or adverse; but to the wicked every thing is a curse. By his wickedness, even his blessings are turned to a bane.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
According to his righteousness, declared and asserted by him in their exemplary punishment, and my seasonable and wonderful deliverance.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
17. his righteousness (Ps5:8). Thus illustrated in the defense of His servant andpunishment of the wicked.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
I will praise the Lord according to his righteousness,…. Or on account of it, as it was displayed in vindicating the innocent, and punishing the wicked; so Pharaoh having ordered male infants of the Hebrews to be drowned, and he himself and his host in righteous judgment being drowned in the Red sea; Moses and the children of Israel sung a song, as the psalmist here;
and will sing praise to the name of the Lord most high; whose name is Jehovah, and is the most High over all the earth; and who had now, according to the psalmist’s request, Ps 7:6; arose and lifted up himself, and returned on high, and had shown himself to be above all David’s enemies, and had sat on the throne judging right.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
17 I will praise Jehovah according to his righteousness; and I will sing to the name of Jehovah, Most High As the design of God in the deliverances which he vouchsafes to his servants is, that they may render to him in return the sacrifices of praise, David here promises that he will gratefully acknowledge the deliverance which he had received, and at the same time affirms that his preservation from death was the undoubted and manifest work of God. He could not, with truth, and from the heart, have ascribed to God the praise of his deliverance, if he had not been fully persuaded that he had been preserved otherwise than by the power of man. He, therefore, not only promises to exercise the gratitude which was due to his deliverer, but he confirms in one word what he has rehearsed throughout the psalm, that he is indebted for his life to the grace of God, who had not suffered Saul to take it from him. The righteousness of God is here to be understood of his faithfulness which he makes good to his servants in defending and preserving their lives. God does not shut up or conceal his righteousness from our view in the secret recesses of his own mind, but manifests it for our advantage when he defends us against all wrongful violence, delivers us from oppression, and preserves us in safety although wicked men make war upon us and persecute us.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
David’s Final Hymn of Praise.
I will give thanks to YHWH according to his righteousness,
And will sing praise to the name of YHWH Most High.’
His final gratitude is expressed concerning the fact that God is righteous and behaves righteously, thus establishing the righteous and destroying the wicked, and this results in his singing praise to YHWH Most High and all that He is (His name). It is only the righteous who recognise the importance of righteousness, who can rejoice that God is truly righteous. Others wish that He was not so particular.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Sweet and blessed conclusion to a Psalm of trials and persecutions! Such was it in the instance of Jesus, and such will it be among all the followers of Jesus: as the glorious Head, so the members all join in the praises of God’s salvation; and this, which is now the song of grace, will be the everlasting hallelujah of heaven, when Jesus and his church will be crowned in glory, and every enemy put under their feet.
REFLECTIONS
BLESSED Lord! how refreshing is it, in every view the Holy Ghost is pleased to give of thee, to behold thee as our glorious Head. In persecutions, as well as in sufferings, in reproaches, as well as unjust judgment, thou shalt have the preeminence. Oh! for grace to eye thee in the path of tribulation going before thy church and people, and marking the way by thine own spotless example. But oh! for larger portions of that meekness of spirit by which thy walk was distinguished. Of Jesus only could it be fully said, that when he was reviled, he reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously!
Reader! in our improvements of the divine subject which this Psalm holds forth, under all the persecutions which in our lesser trials we meet with in the way, let an eye to Jesus animate our minds and comfort our hearts, that finally and fully, we shall find cause to sing the same song as is here sung, in praising the Lord according to his righteousness, and singing praises to the name of the Lord most high. This will be our everlasting song; neither should the oppositions of the ungodly put our minds out of tune for singing it with grace in our hearts now. In Jesus and his great salvation, we are already led to anticipate the triumphs which must ere long be our own over all the enemies of our faith; and the promise is absolute in him, and the power of his might, which saith, that the God of peace will bruise Satan under our feet shortly.
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Psa 7:17 I will praise the LORD according to his righteousness: and will sing praise to the name of the LORD most high.
Ver. 17. I will praise the Lord according to his righteousness ] i.e. His faithfulness in keeping promise with his people, and with myself in particular. I will say to his honour, as Deu 32:4 , “A God of truth, and without iniquity, just and right is he.”
And will sing praise to the name, &c.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Psa 7:17
17I will give thanks to the Lord according to His righteousness
And will sing praise to the name of the Lord Most High.
Psa 7:17 I will give thanks. . .will sing praise These are both cohortatives (vows).
1. give thanks BDB 392, KB 389, Hiphil imperfect used in a cohortative sense
2. sing praise BDB 274, KB 273, Piel cohortative
The NIDOTTE, vol. 2, p. 406, #3, suggests that thank offerings were accompanied by verbal expressions of thanksgiving (i.e., songs, cf. Psa 107:22; Psa 116:17; Jon 2:9). Prayers of lament often involved thanksgiving and praise (cf. Psa 35:18; Psa 43:4; Psa 54:6; Psa 56:12; Psa 57:9; Psa 69:30; Psa 71:22; Psa 109:30; Psa 140:13; Psa 142:7).
the name of the Lord See Special Topic: The Name of YHWH .
Most High This Hebrew name, Elyon (BDB 751 II) is used often in the Psalms as a title for YHWH (cf. Gen 14:19; Num 24:16; Deu 32:8; Psa 9:2; Psa 18:13; Psa 21:7; Psa 46:4; Psa 47:2, and many more.). It comes from the word high or upper (BDB 751 I). It is linked with YHWH in Psa 47:2, where it is parallel with a great King over all the earth. In Psa 9:2; Psa 92:1 the exact phrase that is in Psa 7:17 is repeated.
This was the title of the high god in the Canaanite pantheon. It is possible that Israel took this name (as they did the names of the gods of Babylon and Persia) as a way of asserting that their God was the only true God! See SPECIAL TOPIC: MONOTHEISM .
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
This is a study guide commentary, which means that you are responsible for your own interpretation of the Bible. Each of us must walk in the light we have. You, the Bible, and the Holy Spirit are priority in interpretation. You must not relinquish this to a commentator.
These discussion questions are provided to help you think through the major issues of this section of the book. They are meant to be thought-provoking, not definitive.
1. What is the theological distinction between YHWH and Elohim?
2. What are the psalmist’s enemies accusing him of in Psa 7:3-4?
3. What does this statement, God tries the hearts and minds, mean?
4. Explain the difference between the Hebrew word repent and the Greek term repent.
5. Explain the literary concept of reversal. Why is it found so often in the Bible?
Fuente: You Can Understand the Bible: Study Guide Commentary Series by Bob Utley
MOST HIGH. Hebrew. Elyon. See App-4. First occurrence in Psalms. The first of thirty-six occurrences in O.T. is Gen 14:18.
To the chief Musician. See App-64.
upon Gittith = relating to the Feast of Tabernacles (for which it was suited), because it commemorated safe dwelling after deliverance. See App-66.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Psa 7:17
Psa 7:17
“I will give thanks unto Jehovah according to his righteousness,
And will sing praise to Jehovah Most High.”
It is of great interest here that the true God is designated as Most High. Yes, it is true that the pagans of Palestine so designated one of their false deities, but “in the Bible” the term has no other application than the one evident here. It belongs to the true God and Creator of all things. Melchizedek was a priest of “God Most High” (Gen 14:17-24); and in the few verses where he is introduced the expression “God Most High” is found four times; but the expression is not often found in the Old Testament. Significantly, Abraham himself used it and made it absolutely certain that the words refer to the true and only God. He said, “I have lifted up my hand unto Jehovah God Most High, possessor of heaven and earth” (Gen 14:22).
The scriptural application of the words is made even more certain in the New Testament, where the author of Hebrews revealed Melchizedek as a type of Jesus Christ, absolutely forbidding the notion that Melchizedek was the worshipper of a false deity. Also in Luk 8:18 the demoniac confessed the Christ as “Son of God Most High,” adding the request that Christ would not torment him. The Matthew account of the same event (Mat 8:29) indicated that the demonic world recognized the right of God to torment them eventually in hell at some appointed time in the future, hence the request that Christ would not torment him “before the time.”
Likewise, the martyr Stephen’s great address has a reference to “The Most High” (Act 7:48), revealing that Person as the one whose throne is in heaven and who “dwelleth not in temples made with hands.”
E.M. Zerr:
Psa 7:17. According to his righteousness means because of his righteousness. David was a very musical man and used that form of praise often.
Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary
according: Psa 35:28, Psa 51:14, Psa 71:15, Psa 71:16, Psa 98:2, Psa 111:3, Psa 145:7
most: Psa 9:2, Psa 92:1, Psa 92:8, Dan 4:17, Dan 4:25, Dan 4:34, Act 7:48
Reciprocal: Gen 14:18 – the most Deu 32:8 – Most Psa 9:1 – praise Psa 54:6 – praise Psa 109:30 – greatly Psa 135:1 – Praise ye the name Dan 5:18 – the most
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Psa 7:17. I will praise the Lord according to his righteousness I will give him the glory of that gracious protection under which he takes his afflicted people, and of the just vengeance with which he will pursue them that afflict them; and will most thankfully acknowledge, not only the power, but the just judgment of God, and his faithfulness to his word. Whatever doubts may at present arise in our minds concerning the ways of God, let us rest assured that they will receive a solution; and that the
righteousness of the great Judge, manifested in his final determinations, will be the subject of everlasting hallelujahs. Horne.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
7:17 I will praise the LORD according to his {l} righteousness: and will sing praise to the name of the LORD most high.
(l) In faithfully keeping his promise to me.
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
5. Promise to praise 7:17
David closed his psalm with a vow to thank and praise God for His righteousness.
"The attribute of God’s righteousness is what he does or will do on behalf of his own." [Note: VanGemeren, p. 106.]
Even though God had not yet vindicated him, David’s reflection on the character and activities of the Lord encouraged this psalmist to believe that He would do so at the proper time. He described God as the "Most High," a title used three times in this psalm in the NIV (Psa 7:8; Psa 7:10; Psa 7:17) that pictures Him as sovereign, exalted on His heavenly throne (cf. Gen 14:18-24).
Reflection on God’s character and ways of working can encourage God’s people to trust in Him and praise Him when we experience injustice and hostility from the wicked.