Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Psalms 116:4
Then called I upon the name of the LORD; O LORD, I beseech thee, deliver my soul.
4. the name of Jehovah, more emphatically than Jehovah alone, denotes His revealed character (Exo 34:5), to which the Psalmist appealed, and not in vain.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Then called I upon the name of the Lord – Upon the Lord. I had no other refuge. I felt that I must perish unless he should interpose, and I pleaded with him for deliverance and life. Compare the notes at Psa 18:6.
O Lord, I beseech thee, deliver my soul – My life. Save me from death. This was not a cry for salvation, but for life. It is an example for us, however, to call on God when we feel that the soul is in danger of perishing, for then, as in the case of the psalmist, we have no other refuge but God.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Then called I upon the name of the Lord,…. Upon the Lord himself in prayer for speedy deliverance; or “in the name of the Lord” h, in the name of the Messiah, the only Mediator between God and man; “saying”, as follows, and which word may be supplied,
O Lord, I beseech thee, deliver my soul; from these sorrows and pains, from these afflictions and distresses, from death and the grave, and from wrath, and a sense of it, and fears about it.
h “in nomine Domini”, Montanus, Musculus, Vatablus.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
4. Then called I At a moment when my case was beyond all human help.
Upon the name “A stronger expression than merely to call upon the Lord,” (Hengstenberg,) for it supposes the supplicant’s faith to rest assuredly on the historically manifested character of God.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Psa 116:4 Then called I upon the name of the LORD; O LORD, I beseech thee, deliver my soul.
Ver. 4. Then called I upon the name of the Lord ] That strong tower, whereunto the righteous run and are safe, Pro 18:10 . Others have other refuges, the witch of Endor, the god of Ekron, the arm of flesh, &c.
O Lord, I beseech thee
Deliver my soul
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Then called I = I will call, as in Psa 116:13. See the Structure.
my soul = me (emphatic). Hebrew. nephesh. App-13.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
called: Psa 22:1-3, Psa 30:7, Psa 30:8, Psa 34:6, Psa 50:15, Psa 118:5, Psa 130:1, Psa 130:2, 2Ch 33:12, 2Ch 33:13, Isa 37:15-20, Isa 38:1-3, Joh 2:2
O Lord: Psa 6:4, Psa 22:20, Psa 25:17, Psa 40:12, Psa 40:13, Psa 142:4-6, Psa 143:6-9, Luk 18:13, Luk 23:42, Luk 23:43
Reciprocal: Gen 12:8 – called Jdg 16:28 – called 1Sa 30:6 – was greatly 2Sa 22:4 – I will 2Sa 22:7 – my distress Psa 9:13 – thou Psa 107:19 – General Psa 120:1 – my distress Isa 37:3 – General Lam 3:55 – General Mat 14:30 – Lord Luk 8:24 – Master Act 2:24 – loosed
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
The psalmist cried out in prayer for physical deliverance from death, and the Lord granted his request. This led him to magnify God’s graciousness, righteousness, and compassion. Psa 116:6 suggests that he may have been in danger of dying because he had been foolish or ignorant.
"The simple is a revealing description to use, for in the Old Testament it has no trace of merit. ’The silly’ would hardly be too strong a term for these gullible, feckless people who roam the pages of Proverbs drifting into trouble. It is humble of the psalmist to identify with them; it is humble of God to have time for them (if ’them’ is the right pronoun for us to use)." [Note: Ibid., p. 409.]