Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Psalms 60:3

Thou hast showed thy people hard things: thou hast made us to drink the wine of astonishment.

3. hard ] i.e. calamitous.

the wine of astonishment ] Better as R.V., the wine of staggering. The cup of God’s wrath is a common metaphor for His judgements. It is like some drugged potion, which robs the drinker of reason, and makes him reel helplessly along, the mockery of all beholders. Commonly it is administered to the enemies of Israel (Psa 75:8; Jer 25:15 ff); but also to Israel itself (Isa 51:17; Isa 51:21 f).

Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

Thou hast showed thy people hard things – Thou hast caused them to see reverses, disappointments, and trials. This refers, according to the supposition in the Introduction to the psalm, to some calamitous events which had occurred. The probability seems to be that the Edomites may have spread desolation over the land.

Thou hast made us to drink the wine of astonishment – The word rendered astonishment – tarelah – occurs only here and in Isa 51:17, Isa 51:22 – in both of which verses in Isaiah it is rendered trembling. It means properly reeling, drunkenness; and the idea here is, that it was as if he had given them a cup – that is, an intoxicating drink – which had caused them to reel as a drunken man; or, in other words, their efforts had been unsuccessful. Compare Psa 11:6, note; Isa 51:17, note.

Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible

Verse 3. Thou hast made us to drink the wine of astonishment] We reel as drunken men; we are giddy, like those who have drank too much wine; but our giddiness has been occasioned by the astonishment and dismay that have taken place in consequence of the prevalence of our enemies, and the unsettled state of the land. It has been remarked that the three first verses of this Psalm do not agree with the rest, and it also appears that the three first verses of Ps 85:1-3 do not agree with the rest of that Psalm. But let them change places, and the three first verses of this be set instead of the three first verses of Ps 85:1-3, and let those be placed here instead of these, and then the whole of each Psalm will be consistent. This was first suggested by Bishop Hare, and the supposition seems to be well founded. Some imagine that the whole of the Psalm refers to the distracted state of the land after the death of Saul till the time that David was anointed king over all Israel, at Hebron; others, to the disastrous war with the Syrians. See before.

Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible

Thou hast showed, Heb. made them to see, i.e. to experience or feel, as seeing is oft put, as Psa 49:10, and oft elsewhere. Thou hast filled us with no less horror and trembling, than men intoxicated with strong and stupefying drink, which they are forced to drink. Compare Isa 51:17,21.

Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole

3. drink . . . wine ofastonishmentliterally, “of staggering”that is,made us weak (compare Psa 75:8;Isa 51:17; Isa 51:22).

Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible

Thou hast showed thy people hard things,…. As to have their city and temple burial, multitudes of them slain, and the rest carried captive, and put into the hands of cruel lords and hard masters, and made a proverb, a taunt, and a curse, in all places; and all this done to a people that were the Lord’s by profession, who called themselves so, though now a “loammi”, Ho 1:9; and these were hard things to flesh and blood, yet no other than what they deserved;

thou hast made us to drink the wine of astonishment; or “of trembling” n, Isa 51:17; that is, to endure such troubles as made them tremble, and astonished and stupefied them; took away their senses, and made them unfit for anything, being smitten with madness, blindness, and astonishment of heart, as is threatened them, De 28:28; see

Ro 11:7.

n “tremoris”, Musculus, Vatablus, Amama; “trepidationis”, Michaelis; “horroris”, Gejerus.

Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible

3. Thou hast showed thy people hard things He says, first, that the nation had been dealt with severely, and then adds a figure which may additionally represent the grievousness of its calamities, speaking of it as drunk with the wine of stupor or astonishment. Even the Hebraist interpreters are not agreed among themselves as to the meaning of תרעלה, tarelah, which I have rendered astonishment. Several of them translate it poison. But it is evident that the Psalmist alludes to some kind of poisoned drink, which deprives a person of his senses, insinuating that the Jews were stupified by their calamities. (383) He would place, in short, before their eyes the curse of God, which had pressed upon the government of Saul, and induce them to abandon their obstinate attempts to maintain the interests of a throne which lay under the divine reprobation.

(383) It was customary among the Hebrews to make their wine stronger and more inebriating by the addition of hotter and more powerful ingredients; such as honey, spices, defrutum , ( i e. , wine inspissated by boiling it down to two-thirds or one-half of the quantity,) mandrakes, opiates, and other drugs. Such were the stupifying ingredients which the celebrated Helen is represented, in Homer’s Odyssey, as mixing in the bowl, together with the wine, for her guests oppressed with grief, to raise their spirits; and such is probably the wine to which there is here an allusion. The people were stupified by the heavy judgments of God, like a person stupified with wine which had been rendered more intoxicating by the deleterious drugs with which it had been mingled. This highly poetical language is not unfrequently employed to express the divine judgments: as in Isa 51:17, and Jer 25:15. The original word תרעלה, tarelah, means properly trembling, from the verb רעל, raal, from which the English word reel is perhaps derived. We might therefore read, “the wine of trembling.”

Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary

(3) Hard thingsi.e., a hard fate.

Wine of astonishment.Literally, either wine of reelingi.e., an intoxicating draughtor wine as reelingi.e., bewilderment like wine, or wine, which is not wine, but bewilderment, according as we take the construction.

In any case the figure is the same which meets us often in Hebrew poetry (comp. Psa. 75:8-9; Isa. 51:17; Isa. 51:22; Jer. 25:15, &c) expressing that infatuation which the heathen proverb so well describes:

Quem Deus vult perdere prius dementat.

Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)

3. Wine of astonishment Literally, wine of reeling, or drunkenness, called the “cup of trembling, ” Isa 51:17; Isa 51:22. This unexpected judgment had deprived them of strength, as one who reeled and staggered from intoxication.

Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

Psa 60:3. The wine of astonishment i.e. “Thou hast so dispirited us, as if thou hadst given us a myrrhate drought.” So Dr. Hammond interprets the wine of astonishment. See on Psa 11:6 and Zec 12:2. Dr. Delaney is of opinion, that though it is contrary to the title of the present psalm, yet it was composed upon occasion of David’s being crowned by all Israel at Hebron, and there sung, and with those variations which we find at the 108th psalm, after the taking of Jerusalem. This I am sure of, and this only I will venture to pronounce, that this golden memorial of David suits this occasion, and no other that I know of. It was written when the Israelites were dispersed, and driven out of their dwellings by their enemies. Thou hast scattered us, Psa 60:1When they were in terror, and divided amongst themselves: Thou hast made the earth to tremble, and divided it.This was exactly the condition in which Israel was, from the death of Saul. The Israelite cities contiguous to the Philistines were deserted by their inhabitants after the battle of Gilboa; and soon after, the kingdom was divided under David and Ishbosheth. David now beseeches God to heal the divisions of his people: Heal the breaches thereof; for it shaketh: and that was done when they all joined to make David their king at Hebron. God had now given them a centre of union, to which they might resort, as the forces of a broken army to their standard. Thou hast given a banner, &c. Psa 60:4. David was the only centre of union that people ever had; and God now made him their captain and ruler, to manifest the truth of those promises long since made to him. David here sings in the rapture of a man who had just recovered his right, Gilead is mine, and Manasseh is mine.Gilead and Manasseh were just before in the possession of Ishbosheth: no king of Israel but David was ever dispossessed of them and recovered them again. Life of David, book 2: chap. 5.

Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke

Psa 60:3 Thou hast shewed thy people hard things: thou hast made us to drink the wine of astonishment.

Ver. 3. Thou hast showed thy people hard things ] God will be sure to plough his own ground, whatsoever becometh of the waste; and to weed his own garden, though the rest of the world should be let alone to grow wild.

Thou hast made us to drink the wine of astonishment ] Vinum vacillationis, we are intoxicated with our afflictions, according to that, Deu 28:28 ; Deu 28:34 , we are drunk with them, or rather mad, and put quite besides all faith and hope in a manner, Fuimus obstupefacti tanquam venefica potione.

Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)