Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Psalms 132:10
For thy servant David’s sake turn not away the face of thine anointed.
10. This verse is still part of the people’s prayer, though its language is coloured by the feeling of the Psalmist’s own age, and expresses the perplexity of a time in which Jehovah seemed to have disowned His anointed. The people pray for a blessing on each successive king for David’s sake. Thine anointed is not David only, but David and his successors, Jehovah’s anointed king for the time being. For him the people pray that Jehovah will not ‘turn away his face,’ i.e. repulse his requests or banish him from His favour and presence. For the phrase cp. 1Ki 2:16; 2Ki 18:24; Psa 84:9. The thought corresponds to the promise so prominent in 2 Samuel 7, that David’s house should be established ‘before Jehovah’ (2Sa 7:16, read ‘before me’ 2Sa 7:26; 2Sa 7:29). Cp. Psa 61:7.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
For thy servant Davids sake – Because of the promise made to him; because of the zeal which he has shown in securing a place for the ark. Let it not be in vain that he has shown such a regard to the honor of God; let not the promises made to him fail. Such a prayer is proper now. There is nothing wrong in our beseeching God to carry out and accomplish the purposes cherished by his church for promoting the honor of his name; or for a child to pray that the purposes of a pious parent in regard to himself may not fail. It is an expression of nature – a desire that the labor and sacrifices of those who have gone before us should not be lost. This is the language of the author of the psalm, and of those for whom the psalm was composed. See Psa 132:1. In view of all that David has done, do thou now show favor and mercy.
Turn not away the face of thine anointed – As if in displeasure, or in forgetfulness. The word anointed would refer to one who was set apart as a king, a priest, or a prophet. See the notes at Mat 1:1. The word would be applicable to David himself, as the anointed king; in a higher sense it is applicable to the Messiah, the Christ. The reference here is probably to David himself, as if a failure to carry out his purposes in regard to the sanctuary, or to fulfill the promises made to him, would be a turning away the face from him; would be a mark of the divine displeasure against him. The prayer is, that God would carry out those purposes as if his face was continually turned with benignity and favor toward David.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 10. The face of thine anointed.] David. Remember thy promises to him, that he may be restored to thee and to thy worship.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
For thy servant Davids sake; in regard of thy singular kindness and promises vouchsafed to David, as this is explained in the following verses. And this verse makes it more than probable that David was not the penman of this Psalm, who never used to beg mercies from God for his own sake, but constantly for his names sake, and for the sake of his truth, mercy, goodness, or righteousness, as will be evident to any one that reads this book.
Turn not away the face; cast me not out of thy presence, do not reject or deny my request, as this phrase is expounded, 1Ki 2:16. Of thine anointed; of me, whom thou hast anointed to be king over thy people. He speaks of himself in the third person, as is usual.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
10-12. For thy servant David’ssakethat is, On account of the promise made to him.
turn . . . anointedRepulsenot him who, as David’s descendant, pleads the promise to perpetuatehis royal line. After reciting the promise, substantially from 2Sa7:12-16 (compare Ac 2:30,&c.), an additional plea,
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
For thy servant David’s sake,…. Not for any virtues, or excellencies or merits, of David, literally understood; rather for the sake of the covenant and promises made with him: but for the sake of the antitypical David, the Messiah, the son of David according to the flesh, and the servant of the Lord as Mediator; for whose sake, and in whose name, prayers and supplications are made and presented;
turn not away the face of thine anointed; not David; rather Solomon, as the Targum expresses it; so Jarchi: but any of the Lord’s anointed, every Christian, or believer in Christ, is an anointed one; and has received the unction from the Holy One, the oil of true grace. And the request is, that God would not turn such away from him, and cause them to depart from his throne of grace, ashamed and disappointed; but hear and answer their petitions, for his Son’s sake. In 2Ch 6:42; it is added, “remember the mercies of David thy servant”; the kind and good things promised to him, and perform them.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
10. For thy servant David’s sake, etc. Some would connect the first part of the verse with the preceding, without adducing reasons against this, it must at once strike the reader that this verse must be taken together. Before entering upon an explanation of the Psalmist’s meaning I may just say that it would be to put a forced sense upon the words were we to understand by turning away the face of thy Christ depriving us of a view of the Redeemer. We may infer with certainty from Solomon’s prayer, that they are a request that God would show favor to the king. The same expression is employed by Bathsheba in the request which she made to her son Solomon, “Turn not away thy face,” meaning that he would not cast her out of his sight. (1Kg 2:20.) It is an expression tantamount to shewing displeasure; and we might say a word or two in reference to it because the other idea of referring the words to our Redeemer is plausible, and might mislead persons of little discernment. Nothing more, then, is here asked than that God would not despise and reject the prayers which David had preferred in the name of all the people. The favor is asked for David’s sake, only because God had made a covenant with him. So far as that privilege was concerned, he did not stand exactly upon the footing of any other ordinary man. The prayer, in short, is to the effect that God in remembrance of his promise would show favor to the posterity of David, for though this prayer for the Church must be considered as dictated to each of the kings, the foundation was in the person of David. The Church was thus taught figuratively that Christ, as Mediator, would make intercession for all his people. As yet he had not appeared in the flesh, nor entered by the sacrifice of himself into the Holiest of all, and in the meantime the people had a figurative Mediator to embolden them in their supplications.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(10) The most obvious construction of this verse is that which makes it an intercession, on the ground of the Divine partiality for David, in behalf of another princeone of his successorsby the people at large. In the original (2Ch. 6:42) it is of course Solomon who prays for himself; here (see Introduction) we must naturally think of one of the Asmonean princes. The expression to turn away the face, of a suppliant, instead of turning from him, is borrowed from court etiquette. (Comp. 1Ki. 2:16, margin.)
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
10. David’s sake anointed These terms must be taken as synonymous, as in Psa 132:17 and Psa 89:20. It is not unreasonable that David should invoke a blessing upon himself for the sake of his own piety and integrity. Examples of this kind are not infrequent. See 2Ki 20:3; Neh 13:14; Jer 15:15. The only supposed difficulty lies in this rare use of the third person, but it must be considered the language is highly courtly and reverential. Hengstenberg says: “That the ‘anointed’ is no other than David, is evident from the parallelism from Psa 132:1 to Psa 132:17.” No other king, or “anointed,” than David is introduced throughout the psalm.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Psa 132:10 For thy servant David’s sake turn not away the face of thine anointed.
Ver. 10. For thy servant David’s sake] For thy covenant’s sake made with him, and for thy Christ’s sake, who is oft called David, as Hos 3:5 , so for the Lord’s sake, Dan 9:17 .
Turn not away the face of thine anointed
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Psa 132:10-12
10For the sake of David Your servant,
Do not turn away the face of Your anointed.
11The Lord has sworn to David
A truth from which He will not turn back:
Of the fruit of your body I will set upon your throne.
12If your sons will keep My covenant
And My testimony which I will teach them,
Their sons also shall sit upon your throne forever.
Psa 132:10-12 This strophe surely alludes to 2 Samuel 7. Notice the conditional element of Psa 132:12 related to each individual descendant but the larger purpose of God expressed in 2Sa 7:14-16.
Notice the sound play of so many of the verbs of Psa 132:10-12 starting with .
1. do not turn away – BDB 996, KB 1427, Hiphil jussive
2. has sworn – BDB 989, KB 1396, Niphal perfect
3. He will not turn away – same root as #1 but Qal imperfect
4. I will set upon Your throne – BDB 1011, KB 1483, Qal imperfect
5. if your sons will keep My covenant – BDB 1036, KB 1581, Qal imperfect (notice the conditional aspect, cf. 1Ki 9:4-9; Psa 89:30-45)
Psa 132:10 Your anointed This is the term (BDB 603) from which the title Messiah comes. See SPECIAL TOPIC: MESSIAH .
Psa 132:12 covenant See Special Topic: Covenant .
testimony See Special Topic: Terms for God’s Revelation .
forever See Special Topic: Forever (‘olam) .
Psa 132:11 The Lord has sworn to David As David swore in Psa 132:2, now YHWH responds with His own oath. This oath is known as the Davidic covenant (cf. 2 Samuel 7; Psa 89:3; Psa 89:35).
Fuente: You Can Understand the Bible: Study Guide Commentary Series by Bob Utley
Thine anointed = i.e. David. Not “Zerubbabel”, no such oath made to him.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
thy servant: 1Ki 11:12, 1Ki 11:13, 1Ki 11:34, 1Ki 15:4, 1Ki 15:5, 2Ki 19:34, Hos 3:5
turn not: Psa 84:9, Psa 89:38, Psa 89:39, 2Ch 6:42
Reciprocal: 1Ki 2:16 – deny me not Psa 18:50 – to his Isa 10:27 – because
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
132:10 For thy {g} servant David’s sake turn not away the face of thine anointed.
(g) As you first made promise to David, so continue it to his posterity that whatever they ask for their people, it may be granted.