Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Psalms 48:10
According to thy name, O God, so [is] thy praise unto the ends of the earth: thy right hand is full of righteousness.
10. According to thy name ] As is thy name (R.V.). God’s revelation of His power and lovingkindness receives worldwide celebration. Cp. Isa 33:13. To other nations beside Judah the destruction of the great tyrant’s army was a cause for rejoicing. Cp. Psa 46:8 ff.; Nah 3:19.
thy right hand is full of righteousness ] Ready to be exercised on behalf of Thy people in judgements on their enemies ( Psa 48:11). Cp. Isa 33:5.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
According to thy name, O God, so is thy praise – That is, as far as thy name is known, it will be praised; or, the effect of knowing it will be to inspire praise. A just view of thy character and doings will lead people to praise thee as far as thy name is known. This seems to have been said in view of what had occurred. Events so remarkable, and so suited to show that God was a just, a powerful, and a merciful Being, would claim universal praise and adoration.
Unto the ends of the earth – In every part of the world. The earth is frequently represented in the Scriptures as an extended plain, having ends, corners, or limits. See the notes at Isa 11:12; Rev 7:1.
Thy right hand is full of righteousness – The right hand is the instrument by which we accomplish anything. The idea here is, that in what God had done it seemed as if his hand – the instrument by which this bad been accomplished – had been filled with justice. All that had been manifested had been righteousness, and that had been in abundance.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Psa 48:10
Thy right hand is full of righteousness.
Righteousness
In the classic pictures of the gods, some held in the right hand an olive branch, some a sceptre, Neptune a trident, Apollo arrows, Mercury a wand, Minerva a scroll, Venus a golden apple. It is a proof of superiority in this picture from the psalmist that his Deity seemed to reach forth a right hand full of righteousness. The word right comes through all the civilized languages, without much change, from an old classic radical, signifying straight or true to a rule. When the old mason found his work answering to the plumb-line, he said rectus; or answering to his level, or to his model, he said rectus. Hence righteousness signifies abounding in, conformity to a moral ideal, full of correspondence to some perfect rule of action or being. Religion has a less clear significance. When we have said that it is a spiritual binding of man to God, we have said all we know about the worlds primitive significance. The relation between man and man is called society; between man and country, patriotism; between man and God, religion. Religion aspires to an ideal–that which it sees in God. Righteousness and religion must, therefore, be closely related. And to see this more clearly think of mans unrighteous conduct–what a history that is. No ancient sword was ever stayed while it had power to kill, or victim to be killed. Julius Caesar is said to have slain one million, two hundred thousand human beings; and the conquerors of Jerusalem put to death three million. Man has been a worse foe to man than have all the beasts of the forest, and all the storms or plagues of nature. Unrighteousness is the great foe of the human race. If one will sit down with this black history open before him, how beautiful upon its background will all deeds of righteousness appear, deeds that conformed to infinite right of neighbour. Whether you recall all the tenderness there has been in the world between parents and children, between friends, between rulers and subjects, and the justice of law and of the courts, each fact will reveal at once the divineness of righteousness, its whiteness, its sweetness. In estimating the worth of right, it is a great mistake if you limit this righteousness to the obedience of statute or common laws. Such limitation gives an honest man or a law-abiding citizen, but not a righteous man; for righteous means abounding in right, in fitting, in appropriate action. When you watch by the bedside of the sick, or teach the ignorant, or comfort the sorrowful, or give to the helpless poor, you are acting righteously, because there are unwritten laws of humanity; there is an ideal law out of the statute, and above the statute, to which the deed conforms, and from which secures its title of righteousness. Whether there could be high and correct action without religion I am unable to say. I know of no data from which to draw a conclusion. The world has never made the experiment, for religion has always rushed to the field so early in all national life, that man has never been able to know what he might have done without that element. Blair, long ago, said, You may discover tribes of men without policy, or laws, or cities, or arts, but not without religion. Plutarch had said the same. Hence it seems that the nature of man is such that it will never give science an opportunity to learn how perfect a righteousness there might be without the influence of a God. But how is it to be explained that a sense of righteousness and a belief in God appears simultaneously and invariably in higher forms of society? It is no accident any more than the simultaneity of the harvest field and the warm sunshine. Gods right hand is full of righteousness, and the right hand of righteousness is full of God. As a fact, all those who have been the students or servants of right have been believers in God. It is the man of science that generally moves away from the idea of God. Atheism has always been a camp-follower of the naturalist. From Lucretius to Huxley it has been so. But all the toilers in the domain of right, from Justinian to Webster, from Plato to Grotius, from Solomon to Franklin, have been near and firm in their friendship for the Divine idea. True religion is the foundation of society. This is not from Huxley, but from Edmund Burke. Religion is a necessary element in any great human character. This is not from Darwin, but from Webster. We mean no insult to the students of science, but mean that, as a fact, the study of law has always led the mind toward the Deity, and has thus revealed the casual connection between right and God. The inferences from this dependence of human purity upon God must be these–
(1) Christ, in unfolding the character of God, in tearing down all idols, and in filling the universe with one spirit, infinite and blessed, has done a work that should bind Him upon the forehead and heart of man.
(2) If God is the ideal of justice, it becomes the Christian world to see to it that His character is so painted that the human mind can look up to Him and feel the grandeur of the ideal, not to be repelled, but charmed and conquered. The blessed name must be freed from the whole terrific associations of ages of cruelty and brute force, and so set before mankind in the spotless robes of justice, that the human heart may ever gladly and securely rest therein. (David Swing.)
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
Verse 10. According to thy name] As far as thou art known, so far art thou praised; and where thou art known, thou wilt have praise to the end of the earth. And why? “Thy right hand is full of righteousness.” Thou art continually dispensing thy blessings to the children of men.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
For this and such-like glorious actions thou art praised and acknowledged, and evidently proved to be such a one as thou hast affirmed thyself to be in thy word, God almighty, or all-sufficient, the Lord of hosts, the King of thy church and people, and a strong Tower to all that trust in thee, and all other things which thou art called in Scripture. Thy name is not an empty title, but is filled up with honourable and praiseworthy works, answerable to it.
Full of righteousness, i.e. of righteous actions; by which thou discoverest thy justice and holiness in destroying the wicked and incorrigible enemies of thy people, and in fulfilling thy promises made to thy church.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
10. According . . . praisethatis, As Thy perfections manifested (compare Psa 8:1;Psa 20:1-7), demand praise,it shall be given, everywhere.
thy right hand, &c.Thyrighteous government is displayed by Thy power.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
According to thy name, O God, so [is] thy praise unto the ends of the earth,…. That is, as he himself is in the perfections of his nature, which are displayed in the works of his bands, throughout the whole creation; so is or ought his praise to be: or rather, as in the latter day his name will be great in all the earth, Mal 1:11; so will his praise be; and as his name will be One, Zec 14:9; he will be one Lord, there will be one faith and one baptism; his worship, word, and ordinances, will be uniformly observed and attended to; so will be his praise: all the saints will unite together in giving glory to him: he, and he alone, shall be exalted. Moreover, his Gospel is his name, Ac 9:15; and that in the latter day will be preached to every nation, kindred, tongue, and people, Re 14:6; and multitudes, both of Jews and Gentiles, will be convert ed, and from the uttermost parts of the earth will be heard songs of praise and glory unto him, Isa 24:15;
thy right hand is full of righteousness: of all spiritual blessings for his people; and particularly of the righteousness of Christ, which God accepts of, imputes unto, and liberally bestows upon them: and it is also full of punitive justice, which he inflicts on his and their enemies; his right hand teaches him terrible things, and these terrible things he does in righteousness; all his works are in righteousness, which the right hand, being the instrument of action, is a token of. Moreover, Christ is the right hand of God; he is the man of his right hand, and as dear to him as his right hand; he is the right hand of his righteousness, by which he upholds his people; and this right hand of his is full of righteousness; he does nothing else but righteousness; he is the author and donor of it to his people, and will execute righteousness upon his enemies; in righteousness he will make war with them, Re 19:11; and which is greatly the sense of this passage, as appears by Ps 48:11.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
10. As is thy name, O God! so is thy praise Some connect this verse with the preceding sentence, as if it had been said, Lord, it is not in vain that thou hast enjoined upon us the duty of celebrating thy name; for thou furnishest at the same time matter of praise. Thus the sense will be, that the name of God is magnified and extolled with effect, or that along with his promises his power is at the same time manifested. Others give this exposition, which is somewhat more refined, That the works of God correspond with his name; for in Hebrew he is called, אל, El, (197) from his power, and he shows in very deed that this name is not applied to him in vain, but that the praise which is ascribed to him by it is right and what is due to him. The former exposition, as it is less forced, so it comes nearer to the words and mind of the sacred writer, namely, that God bore testimony by his works that it was not in vain that he was acknowledged and worshipped by the Jews as the true and only God. Yet when I come to consider the words which follow immediately after, Unto the ends of the earth, I think that the prophet meant something else, — that he intended to show, that wherever the fame of the name of God may be spread, men will know that he is worthy of the highest praise. The words contain a tacit contrast. At that time, the names of idols, it is well known, were very common, and had sway through the whole world; and yet, whatever fame these counterfeit gods had acquired, we know that praise in no respect belonged to them, since no sign of divinity whatever could be discovered about them. But here the prophet, on the contrary, declares, Lord, in whatever part of the world thy name is heard, it will always be accompanied with solid and rightful praise, or it will ever carry along with it matter of praise, since the whole world will understand how thou hast dealt with thy chosen people. What is added immediately after is to the same purpose, Thy right hand is full of righteousness, teaching us, that God, in succouring his own people, clearly manifests his righteousness, as if he stretched forth his arm to us that we might touch his righteousness with the finger; and that he shows not only one specimen or two of his righteousness, but in every thing and every where exhibits to us a complete proof of it. We ought to bear in mind what we have stated elsewhere, that the righteousness of God is to be understood of his faithfulness which he observes in maintaining and defending his own people. From this there accrues to us the inestimable comfort, that the work in which God especially desires to be acknowledged as righteous consists in providing what belongs to our welfare and to our maintenance in safety. (198) We now see that the meaning of the inspired poet is, That the names of false gods prevailed, and were renowned among men, although they had done nothing to furnish matter of true praise; but that it was altogether different with respect to the God of Israel: for wherever the report of him was carried, all would understand that he was the deliverer of his people, and that he did not disappoint their hope and desires, nor forsake them in danger.
(197) “ C’est a dire, Fort.” — Fr. marg. “That is to say, Strong.”
(198) “ Que l’oeuvre en laquelle Dieu vent singulierement estre recognu juste, c’est in procurant les choses qui appartienent a nostre salut, et a nous maintenir en sauvete.” — Fr.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(10) According to thy name . . .Name here has plainly the meaning we give it in the phrase, name and fame. Gods praise was up to the reputation His great deeds had won. (Comp. Psa. 138:2.)
Thy right hand is full of righteousness.Not like Joves, as heathen say, full of thunderbolts, but of justice.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
Psa 48:10. Thy right hand, &c. Righteousness consecrates thee.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Psa 48:10 According to thy name, O God, so [is] thy praise unto the ends of the earth: thy right hand is full of righteousness.
Ver. 10. According to thy name, O God, so is thy praise ] i.e. It is infinite and inexpressible, Psa 148:1 ; Psa 145:3 . God’s name is exalted above all blessing and praise, as those holy Levites acknowledge, Neh 9:5 . The distance between God and us is infinite, and we should labour to fill up that distance, if possible, with our praises.
Thy right hand is full of righteousness
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
name. See note on Psa 20:1.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
According: Psa 113:3, Psa 138:2-4, Exo 3:13-15, Exo 34:5-7, Deu 28:58, Jos 7:9, Mal 1:11, Mal 1:14
thy right: Psa 11:7, Psa 45:7, Psa 99:4, Psa 145:17, Rev 19:2, Rev 19:11
Reciprocal: 1Ch 16:14 – his judgments Psa 52:9 – wait Psa 105:7 – judgments Isa 33:13 – Hear Isa 52:6 – my people Mic 6:9 – the man of wisdom shall see thy name
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Psa 48:10. According to thy name, so is thy praise Thou art acknowledged, and evidently proved, to be such a one as thou hast affirmed thyself to be in thy word, God Almighty, or All-sufficient, the Lord of hosts, the King of thy church and people, a strong tower to all that trust in thee; and whatever else thou art said to be in Scripture. None of thy names are empty titles, but all of them are fully answered by honourable and praiseworthy works. Thy right hand is full of righteousness That is, of righteous actions, by which thou discoverest thy truth, justice, and holiness, in destroying the wicked and incorrigible enemies of thy people, and in fulfilling thy promises made to thy church.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
48:10 According to thy name, O God, so [is] thy praise unto the ends of the {i} earth: thy right hand is full of righteousness.
(i) In all places where your Name will be heard of, men will praise you when they hear of your marvellous works.