Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Psalms 89:11
The heavens [are] thine, the earth also [is] thine: [as for] the world and the fullness thereof, thou hast founded them.
11. THINE are the heavens, THINE also the earth:
The world and the fulness thereof, THOU hast founded them.
Cp. Psa 24:1-2; Psa 50:12; Psa 78:69; Job 38:4; Pro 3:19.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
The heavens are thine – Are thy work; and, therefore, thy property – the highest conception of property being that which is derived from creation. It is also implied here that as all things belong to God, he has a right to dispose of them as he pleases.
The earth also is thine – The earth itself, as made by thee; all that the earth produces, as having sprung out of that which thou hast made. The entire proprietorship is in thee.
As for the world – In the use of this word, the earth is spoken of as inhabitable, meaning that the earth and all that dwell upon it belong to God.
And the fulness thereof – All that it produces; what constitutes its enireness. That is, the earth itself considered as earth, or as a mass of matter; and all that springs from it; all that constitutes the earth, with all its mountains, seas, rivers, people, animals, minerals, harvests, cities, towns, monuments – the productions of nature, the works of power, and the achievements of art. Compare the notes at Psa 24:1.
Thou hast founded them – They all have their foundation in thee; that is, thou hast caused them all to exist. They have no independent and separate basis on which to rest.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Psa 89:11
The heavens are Thine, the earth also is Thine.
The affluence of God
God owns the whole universe.
I. He holds His vast property by absolute right. He produced all.
II. He holds His vast property in perpetuity. All that men fictitiously call their property must pass from their hands. But God holds on His property untransferred and untransferable.
III. He holds His vast properly for benevolent ends. Men hold what they call their property generally for selfish ends, for their own aggrandizement and gratification. But God for the good of all His creatures
1. A lesson to human legislators. Their grand object should be to secure to the people, to the utmost of their power, the full use of the blessings of nature.
2. A lesson to all. Whatever we have is not ours but His. We hold it but in trust. (Homilist.)
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
Verse 11. The heavens are thine] Thou art the Governor of all things, and the Disposer of all events.
The world] The terraqueous globe.
And the fullness] All the generations of men. Thou hast founded them-thou hast made them, and dost sustain them.
After this verse, the Editio Princeps of the Hebrew Bible, printed at Soncini, 1488, adds: –
lailah lecha aph yom lecha
vashamesh maor hachinotha attah
To thee is the day; also to thee is the night:
Thou hast prepared the light and the sun.
But these same words are found in Ps 74:16.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
The fulness thereof; all the creatures wherewith it is replenished, as Psa 24:1; 50:12.
Thou hast founded them; they are all thy creatures, and therefore wholly subject to thy power and pleasure; and therefore all the monarchs and kingdoms of the earth cannot hinder thee from making good thy promise to the house and kingdom of David.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
The heavens are thine,…. They are made and inhabited by him, they are the work of his hands, and the seat of his majesty, and the throne of his glory; the angels of heaven are his, his creatures and servants; the several heavens are his, the airy, starry, and third heavens; the place and state of the blessed and glorified saints is of his preparing and giving:
the earth also is thine; the whole terraqueous globe, and all that is in it, being made, preserved, and continued by him, and by him given to the sons of men, Ps 116:15,
as for the world, and the fulness thereof: the habitable world, and all that dwell therein, all the children of men, the beasts of the field, and cattle on a thousand hills, and the provisions for them all; which is the goodness of the Lord, the earth is full of; these are all the Lord’s; see Ps 24:1,
thou hast founded them; the world, and the inhabitants of it; the earth is founded upon the seas, and the world upon nothing; and the inhabitants are wonderfully preserved and continued by the power and providence of God; see Ps 24:2.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
11 The heavens are thine, the earth also is thine. He again repeats, the third time, that the same God who had been the deliverer of the chosen people exercises supreme dominion over the whole world. From the fact that God created all things, he concludes, that it is He who actually presides over, and controls whatever takes place in heaven and in earth. It would be absurd to suppose, that the heavens, having been once created by God, should now revolve by chance, and that things should be thrown into confusion upon the earth either at the will of men, or at random, when it is considered that it belongs to God to maintain and govern whatever he has created; unless, like the heathen, we would imagine that he enjoys himself in beholding all the works of his hand, in this beautiful theater of the heaven and the earth, without giving himself any farther trouble about them. In speaking of the south and the north, and also of the mountains, Tabor and Hermon, the prophet accommodates his language to the unrefined apprehension of the common people: as if he had said, there is no part of the fabric of the world which does not reverence and honor its Creator. I also connect with this the next verse, which affirms, that the arm of God is furnished with power, his hand with strength, and that his right hand is exalted Some resolve the two last clauses of the verse into the form of a prayer, Strengthen thy hand, lift up thy right hand; but this seems too much removed from the mind of the prophet, who, with the simple view of encouraging all the godly, celebrates the inconceivable power of God.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
11. The heavens are thine The universe is again, as in Psa 89:5, brought in to illustrate the power of God over all things.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Psa 89:11 The heavens [are] thine, the earth also [is] thine: [as for] the world and the fulness thereof, thou hast founded them.
Ver. 11. The heavens are thine, the earth also is thine ] Thou madest them by thy power, and thou maintainest them by thy providence; thou doest whatsoever thou wilt in both, Psa 115:3 .
As for the world, &c.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Psa 89:11-18
11The heavens are Yours, the earth also is Yours;
The world and all it contains, You have founded them.
12The north and the south, You have created them;
Tabor and Hermon shout for joy at Your name.
13You have a strong arm;
Your hand is mighty, Your right hand is exalted.
14Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne;
Lovingkindness and truth go before You.
15How blessed are the people who know the joyful sound!
O Lord, they walk in the light of Your countenance.
16In Your name they rejoice all the day,
And by Your righteousness they are exalted.
17For You are the glory of their strength,
And by Your favor our horn is exalted.
18For our shield belongs to the Lord,
And our king to the Holy One of Israel.
Psa 89:11-18 This strophe praises YHWH and expresses how blessed His people are.
1. YHWH
a. the heavens are His
b. the earth is His because He founded them (i.e., YHWH as creator, cf. Psa 24:1-2; Psa 78:69 b; Psa 102:25; Isa 51:13; Isa 51:16)
c. the north and south were created by Him (imagery similar to Job 26:7)
d. the mountains of Tabor and Hermon are personified and shout at His name (cf. Psa 65:12; Psa 98:8)
e. His power (i.e., hand or arm, cf. Psa 89:10, see SPECIAL TOPIC: HAND ) to act is praised
(1) He has a strong arm
(2) His hand is mighty
(3) His right hand is exalted
f. four of His characteristics are personified as characterizing His person and reign (cf. Psa 97:2)
(1) righteousness (see Special Topic: Righteousness )
(2) justice (see Special Topic: Judge, Justice, Judgment )
(3) lovingkindness (see Special Topic: Lovingkindness [hesed] )
(4) truth/faithfulness (see Special Topic: Believe, Trust, Faith and Faithfulness in the OT )
g. He is the Holy One of Israel (cf. Psa 71:22; Psa 78:41 : Isa 1:4; see SPECIAL TOPIC: THE HOLY ONE )
2. His people
a. blessed are those who hear the trumpet (i.e., temple worship)
b. walk in the light of His countenance (lit. face, which denotes YHWH’s personal presence, cf. Psa 90:8)
c. rejoice all day in His name (i.e., worship setting or military victory)
d. exalted by YHWH’s righteousness (i.e., holy character and revelation)
e. YHWH is their glory and strength (cf. Psa 28:8)
f. horn (i.e., power, prestige)
g. protection (lit. shield) is YHWH (cf. Psa 47:9)
h. the king is also of YHWH
The pronoun our in Psa 89:17-18 shows that YHWH uses the king of Israel as His protecting/victorious horn and shield (i.e., f-h).
Psa 89:12 the north and the south It is possible these two terms are the names of two more mountains (i.e., Zaphon, i.e., the name of the Mt. of Ba’al, north of Ugarit; and Yamin or the emendation linking Amana, a mountain in southern Turkey, cf. Son 4:8). This would form a parallel with Tabor and Hermon.
Most translators take them as opposite points of the compass showing YHWH’s universal reign as creator.
Psa 89:16 Your name. . .Your righteousness These are parallel and both refer to YHWH Himself.
Psa 9:17 horn This is an idiom of power (cf. Psa 75:10; Psa 89:24; Psa 92:10; Psa 148:14), taken from the animal realm.
Psa 89:18 shield. . .king These could both refer to YHWH or they could refer to the Davidic king (cf. Psa 89:19-29; Psa 84:10), God’s anointed one to accomplish His purposes.
Fuente: You Can Understand the Bible: Study Guide Commentary Series by Bob Utley
the world. Hebrew. tebel = the world as inhabited.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Psa 24:1, Psa 24:2, Psa 50:12, Psa 115:16, Gen 1:1, Gen 2:1, 1Ch 29:11, Job 41:11, 1Co 10:26, 1Co 10:28
Reciprocal: Deu 33:16 – the earth Job 38:18 – General Psa 119:90 – thou hast Isa 40:26 – by the greatness
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Psa 89:11-12. The earth also is thine, and the fulness thereof All the creatures wherewith it is replenished, as Psa 24:1; Psa 50:12. Thou hast founded them They are all thy creatures, and of consequence are wholly subject to thy power and pleasure; and therefore all the monarchs and kingdoms of the earth cannot hinder thee from making good thy promise to the house and kingdom of David. The north and the south thou hast created them That is, the northern and southern parts of the world, yea, even the remotest ends thereof, though not yet known to us, were made and are ruled by thee. Tabor and Hermon Two eminent mountains in the land of Canaan; Tabor in the west, and within Jordan, Hermon on the east, and without Jordan. By which he may intend either, 1st, The western and eastern parts of the world, and so all the four parts of it are contained in this verse. Or, 2d, Only the several parts of the land of Canaan, both within Jordan and without it. And the mountains may be named rather than the valleys, because, when their fertility is expressed, the fertility of the valleys is more strongly supposed. Shall rejoice Shall be fruitful and prosperous, and so give their inhabitants cause to rejoice; in thy name In or by thy favour, and the fruits thereof.