Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Psalms 140:7
O GOD the Lord, the strength of my salvation, thou hast covered my head in the day of battle.
7. O God the Lord ] Jehovah, Lord. Cp. Psa 109:21 (note); Psa 141:8.
thou hast covered my head ] Protected it as with a helmet. Cp. Psa 60:7; Isa 59:17; Eph 6:17 ; 1Th 5:8. The perfect tense might refer to past experience, but is probably to be taken as a perfect of certainty: thou wilt assuredly cover.
the day of battle ] Lit. of armour, when armour is needed. The language is of course figurative, for the ‘war’ which his enemies were making upon him was carried on with the weapons of slander and calumny.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
O God the Lord … – literally, Yahweh, Lord, the strength of my salvation The word rendered God, in the original, is Yahweh. The address is to Yahweh as the Lord; that is, as the supreme Ruler – who presides over all things. Him the psalmist acknowledged as his Lord and Ruler. The phrase the strength of my salvation means the strength or power on which my safety depends. I have no other hope of deliverance but in thee.
Thou hast covered my head in the day of battle – Thou hast been a shield unto me. Literally, In the day of arms, or of armor, 1Ki 10:25; Eze 39:9-10.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 7. Thou hast covered my head] Not only when I fought with the proud blaspheming Philistine; but in the various attempts made against my life by my sworn enemies.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
With thy powerful protection, as with a helmet or shield.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
7. day of battleliterally,”of armor,” that is, when using it.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
O God the Lord, the strength of my salvation,…. Temporal and spiritual, which he was able to effect; the mighty God and mighty Saviour: and this encouraged David to believe he should have deliverance; and this secured, confirmed, and established it to him; and to which he was the more induced by what experience he had had of the divine goodness to him, as follows:
thou hast covered my head in the day of battle; with the helmet of salvation, as Kimchi, Aben Ezra, and Arama observe; which, in a spiritual sense, is to a believer the hope of salvation, Eph 6:17 1Th 5:8; a defensive weapon to him; and protects him while he is engaging with his spiritual enemies in this his state of warfare, sin, Satan, and the world. Perhaps David may have respect to the divine protection of him, when he fought with Goliath. Salvation was Christ’s helmet, when he engaged with all his and our enemies; even with all the powers of darkness, and obtained deliverance for us, Isa 59:16.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
(7) In the day of battle.Literally, in the day of arms, i.e., when he was arming for fight. God covered the warriors head, i.e., provided the helmet of salvation (Isa. 59:17). (Comp. also Psa. 60:9 : Strength of my head.) Others, however, follow the LXX. and Authorised Version in understanding by day of arms the day of battle.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
7. O God the Lord The frequent use of the divine names is not tautological, but indicates the psalmist’s soul agony, and the earnestness of his appeal to the covenant faithfulness of God, bringing his piety imposingly into the foreground.
Covered my head As a helmet.
Compare Psa 6:7; Eph 6:17.
In the day of battle Hebrew, In the day of armour. The word neshek occurs ten times in the Old Testament, and never means battle, but always armour, armory, weapon. The reference is not to a battle, but to a preparation for a battle, and means, God had been his real shield or helmet (the cover of his head) when he armed himself for battle; or, more probably, it is an allusion to 1Sa 17:38-39, when Saul armed David to meet Goliath, and “put a helmet of brass upon his head,” which David declined, trusting alone in God. This coincides with the date we have given the psalm, and fully sustains the high import of the prayer.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Psa 140:7 O GOD the Lord, the strength of my salvation, thou hast covered my head in the day of battle.
Ver. 7. In the day of battle ] Heb. of armours; for battle David never had any with Saul, but declined it.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
GOD the Lord. Hebrew. Jehovah.Adonai. App-4. (2).
of. Genitive of character = my saving strength. covered = screened or protected. Not the same word as in Psa 140:9.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
the strength: Psa 18:1, Psa 18:2, Psa 18:35, Psa 27:1, Psa 28:7, Psa 28:8, Psa 59:17, Psa 62:2, Psa 62:7, Psa 89:26, Psa 95:1, Deu 33:27-29, Isa 12:2
thou hast covered: Psa 144:10, 1Sa 17:36, 1Sa 17:37, 1Sa 17:45-51, 2Sa 8:6, 2Sa 8:14
Reciprocal: Exo 15:2 – song Psa 43:2 – the God Psa 44:7 – But Psa 61:3 – thou Psa 88:1 – Lord Isa 33:6 – strength
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
140:7 O GOD the Lord, the strength of my salvation, thou {e} hast covered my head in the day of battle.
(e) He calls to God with lively faith, being assured of his mercies, because he had before time proved, that God helped him ever in his dangers.