Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Psalms 79:13
So we thy people and sheep of thy pasture will give thee thanks forever: we will show forth thy praise to all generations.
13. Concluding vow of thanksgiving. Israel will then be able to render its tribute of unceasing praise to its Lord and Shepherd.
sheep of thy pasture ] Cp. Psa 74:1, note; Psa 80:1.
thy praise ] Cp. Psa 74:21; Psa 78:4. To set forth Jehovah’s praise was Israel’s mission, Isa 43:21.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
So we thy people, and sheep of thy pasture – See the notes at Psa 74:1.
Will give thee thanks for ever – Will praise thee always; will acknowledge thee as our God, and will evermore render thee thanksgiving.
We will shew forth thy praise to all generations – Margin, as in Hebrew, to generation and generation. That is, We will make arrangements that the memory of these gracious acts shall be transmitted to future times; to distant generations. This was done by the permanent record, made in the Scriptures, of these gracious interpositions of God, and by their being carefully preserved by each generation to whom they came. No work has been more faithfully done than that by which the records of Gods ancient dealings with his people have been preserved from age to age – that by which the sacred Scriptures have been guarded against error, and handed down from one generation to another.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Psa 79:13
We will show forth Thy praise to all generations.
Gods people should speak Gods praise
Dr. Parkhurst says he loves to think that every man is sent into the world with something to tell. That is what makes of any man a prophet, being filled with a story too big for his own soul to house, a story he cannot, dare not, keep to himself. This truth God has given you to utter makes you a witness. You may be a false witness, and no witness is more than he who says nothing; or you may be a true and faithful witness, testifying to the best you know by your face and hands, your smiles and deeds and words. That is a startling thought of Andrew Murrays: God does not ask us to hide Christ away in our impure hearts. Christ gives Himself to us constantly, but in order that we may as constantly give Him to others. Truth is like the water pressed upon the foul garments, that cleanses them if it is forced out again, but rots them all the more if it is allowed to remain. So is the religion that we selfishly cherish unexpressed. Indeed, is there a worse form of selfishness than that? (Amos R. Wells.)
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Psa 80:1-19
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
Verse 13. We thy people] Whom thou hast chosen from among all the people of the earth.
And sheep of thy pasture] Of whom thou thyself art the Shepherd. Let us not be destroyed by those who are thy enemies; and we, in all our generations, will give thanks unto thee for ever.
ANALYSIS OF THE SEVENTY-NINTH PSALM
This Psalm contains the four following parts: –
I. A complaint for the desolation of Jerusalem, Ps 79:1-5.
II. A deprecation of God’s anger, Ps 79:5.
III. A twofold petition: –
1. Against the enemies of God’s people, Ps 79:6-7; Ps 79:10-12.
2. For the people, Ps 79:8-9.
IV. A doxology, Ps 79:13.
I. The complaint is bitter, and is amplified by a climax, –
1. “The heathen are come into thine inheritance,” Ps 79:1.
2. “The holy temple they have defiled,” Ps 79:1.
3. “They have laid Jerusalem in heaps,” Ps 79:2.
4. They have exercised cruelty towards the dead.
5. “They have shed blood like water,” Ps 79:3.
6. They have not even buried those whom they slaughtered.
7. “We are become a reproach, a scorn, and a derision,” Ps 79:4.
II. Next comes the cause of their calamity.
1. God’s anger was kindled because of their sins, Ps 79:5.
2. This anger he deprecates, Ps 79:5.
III. The twofold prayer, –
1. Against the enemy: 1. Pour out thy wrath on them, not on us, Ps 79:6; 2. He adds the reason: “They have devoured Jacob.” Ps 79:7.
2. The second part of the prayer is in behalf of the people: 1. “Remember not against us former offences,” Ps 79:8. 2. “Let thy mercy prevent us.” The reasons: “We are brought very low.” 3. His prayer is directed for help to the God of salvation. 4. For deliverance and pardon of sin, Ps 79:9.
His arguments to prevail with God: –
1. The blasphemy of the heathen, Ps 79:10.
2. The misery of the people, Ps 79:11. And another prayer against the enemy, Ps 79:12.
IV. The doxology.
1. We, who are thy people, will be thankful.
2. We will leave a record of thy mercy to all generations, Ps 79:13.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
13. sheep . . . pasture(ComparePsa 74:1; Psa 78:70).
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
So we thy people, and sheep of thy pasture,…. Who were the people of God, not by creation and providence only, as all men are, being his creatures, and provided for by him; but by special choice, and by covenant grace: and “the sheep of his pasture”; whom he feeds as a shepherd does his flock, provides good pasture for them, and leads them into it:
will give thee thanks for ever, we will show forth thy praise to all generations: the above petitions being answered and fulfilled; the work of praise is acceptable unto God, what he is well pleased with, being glorified thereby; and is what becomes his people to do, and which they are formed for, and that for evermore, as long as they live in this world, and to all eternity in another; and who will and do take care that the wonders of divine grace and providence be transmitted and told to their posterity in succeeding ages, that so thanks may be given him, and his praise shown forth in one generation after another.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
If we have thus far correctly hit upon the parts of which the Psalm is composed (9. 9. 9), then the lamentation closes with this tristichic vow of thanksgiving.
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
In the last verse, the pious Jews declare that the fruit of their deliverance will be, that the name of God will be celebrated; and we ought not to desire our preservation or welfare for any other end. When he freely bestows upon us all things, the design for which he does this is, that his goodness may be made known and exalted. Now, these sufferers engage to make a grateful acknowledgement of their deliverance, and declare that this will not be done merely for a short time, but that the remembrance of it will be transmitted to their posterity, and pass, in continued succession, from age to age to the end of the world. The particular designation here given to them is also worthy of notice: We are thy people, and the sheep of thy pasture As the posterity of Abraham were chosen to celebrate the name of God, and that his praises might resound in Zion, what would have been the consequence had that people been destroyed, but that the memory of the name of God would have perished? This passage, there is no doubt, corresponds with that prophecy of Isaiah,
“
This people have I formed for myself; they shall show forth my praise.” (Isa 43:21)
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(13) The last word of the psalm is Tehillah; the one crowning privilege of Gods people; the exulting and triumphant confidence in God, which only His chosen can entertain and express. It is here placed in splendid contrast with the reproach of the heathen, and of the malicious neighbours mentioned in the preceding verse. Let them curse so long as thou dost bless (Burgess, Notes on the Hebrew Psalms).
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
REFLECTIONS
READER! do not fail, from the perusal of this short but sweet Psalm, to remark how the church hath been exercised from age to age, and what a correspondence there is, and ever hath been, between the faithful in their experience all the way along. Yes! blessed Jesus! the exercises of thy people are among the earthly inheritance to which they are born, and to which thou hast begotten them: these are the spots of God’s children; the marks of their sonship. Oh! for grace to discover, by these certificates, to whose family we belong.
Reader! see to it, that thy cries for deliverance are founded on the same plea: it is all in Jesus, the inheritance of his redeemed, the portion of his chosen. Every prayer is directed to the God of salvation, and every plea for mercy is founded in God’s covenant-mercy, as it is in Jesus. And oh! for faith to depend on covenant-faithfulness, while pleading covenant-grace and covenant-promises. Yes! blessed Redeemer! all is founded in thine everlasting righteousness, and the eternal efficacy of thy blood; by virtue of which the name and faithfulness of Jehovah becomes pledged to his people, and their redemption is forever secured. Hail! almighty Lord! thou hast sworn once by thy holiness, thou wilt not lie unto David.
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Psa 79:13 So we thy people and sheep of thy pasture will give thee thanks for ever: we will shew forth thy praise to all generations.
Ver. 13. So we thy people will give thee praise] A service which the saints know to be so acceptable to God, that they commonly promise it, and accordingly perform it, Hos 14:2 , engaging also their children, as here, to do the like.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
To the chief Musician. See App-64.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Psa 79:13
Psa 79:13
“So we thy people and sheep of thy pasture
Will give thee thanks forever:
We will show forth thy praise to all generations.”
Leupold commented here that, “This verse is perhaps to be regarded less as a motive calculated to induce God to help them than as a natural promise to return thanksgiving and praise to God as soon as the deliverance is accomplished.”
We wish to conclude our study of this tragic psalm with the beautiful words of Baigent.
“All of the symbols of Israel’s security were shattered – their nationhood, their capital, even the temple. Judah’s erstwhile allies had deserted her; alone she had faced the foe – and lost! Survivors of the ensuing bloodbath looked to God, their only hope in a creel, friendless world. Behind them lay the grim tragedy of 587 B.C … Ahead of them lay a question mark regarding both their own and their nation’s survival. Heartbroken, they gathered around the mined shrine to lay their anguish before the God of Judah.
E.M. Zerr:
Psa 79:13. Sheep of thy pasture is an endearing term as well as one that implies a state of dependence. Sheep are loveable creatures, and also are such that must be provided with food and protection by their master. They are appreciative when kindness is shown to them. Accordingly, the Lord’s sheep would gladly show their love for their master to the generations around them.
Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary
thy people: Psa 74:1, Psa 95:7, Psa 100:3
we will: Psa 45:17, Psa 74:18, Psa 74:22, Psa 145:4, Isa 43:21
all generations: Heb. generation and generation
Reciprocal: Psa 9:14 – That Psa 23:1 – my Psa 61:8 – sing Psa 80:18 – So will Psa 102:21 – General Isa 64:9 – we are Mat 25:33 – the sheep Joh 10:7 – the sheep Col 1:12 – Giving
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Psa 79:13. So we thy people will give thanks for ever Such is the resolution of a church under persecution; and such ought to be the practice of every church when delivered out of it, and restored to the favour and protection of her God. The same is the duty of every soul with regard to afflictions and mercies of a private kind. But how glorious will be the day, when, triumphant over sin and sorrow, over every thing that exalteth itself, the church universal shall behold the adversary disarmed for ever. When the Lord God, having swallowed up death in victory, will wipe away tears from off all faces, and take away the rebuke of his people from off all the earth: when it shall be said, Lo! this is our God, we have waited for him, and he hath saved us: this is Jehovah; we have waited for him, we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation, Isa 25:8-9.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
79:13 So we thy people and sheep of thy pasture will give thee thanks for ever: {l} we will shew forth thy praise to all generations.
(l) We ought to desire no benefit from God, but on this condition to praise his name, Isa 43:21.
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
3. A promise of future praise 79:13
The psalmist promised that God’s people would reward Him with unceasing praise if He would give them deliverance. He viewed the people as God’s helpless sheep. He said their praise for this salvation would be public from then on.
"The cross of Jesus Christ is for us today the only evidence we need that God loves us (Rom 5:8)." [Note: Wiersbe, The . . . Wisdom . . ., p. 235.]
It is appropriate to petition God for vengeance when enemies defeat God’s people and consequently make Him look bad. He will deliver eventually because He has promised to preserve His own. However, discipline may continue a long time if sin has been gross.