Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Psalms 119:28
My soul melteth for heaviness: strengthen thou me according unto thy word.
28. When my soul dissolves in tears (Job 16:20) for grief, strengthen me according to Thy promise.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
My soul melteth – Margin, droppeth. The Hebrew word here employed – dalaph – means to drop, to drip, to distil, spoken of a house, as when the rain drops through the roof, Ecc 10:18; then, to shed tears, to weep, Job 16:20 – and this seems to be the meaning here. The idea of melting is not properly in the word, and the term weep would better express the meaning. His soul seemed to drop tears. It overflowed with tears. Yet there is an idea of abundant or constant weeping. It is not a gush of emotion, as when we say of one that he is bathed in tears; it is the idea of a steady flow or dropping of tears – slow, silent, but constant – as if the soul were dripping away or dissolving. Thus the idea is more striking and beautiful than that of melting. It is quiet but continuous grief that slowly wears away the soul. There are two kinds of sorrow:
(a) the one represented by floods of tears, like fierce torrents that sweep all away, and are soon passed;
(b) the other is the gentle dropping – the constant wearing – the slow attrition caused by inward grief, that secretly but certainly wears away the soul.
The latter is more common, and more difficult to be borne than the other. The Septuagint and the Latin Vulgate render this, My soul slumbereth.
For heaviness – This word means grief, sorrow, vexation. Pro 14:13; Pro 17:21. It is here silent grief; hidden sorrow. How many thus pine in secret, until life slowly wears away, and they sink to the grave.
Strengthen thou me – Give me strength to meet this constant wearing away – this slow work of sorrow. We need strength to bear great and sudden sorrow; we need it not less to bear that which constantly wears upon us; which makes our sleep uneasy; which preys upon our nerves, and slowly eats away our life.
According unto thy word – See Psa 119:9, Psa 119:25.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 28. My soul melteth] dalaph signifies to distil, to drop as tears from the eye. As my distresses cause the tears to distil from my eyes, so the overwhelming load of my afflictions causes my life to ebb and leak out.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Melteth, like wax before the fire; it hath no strength nor consistency left in it, but consumeth or pineth away.
For heaviness; through grief, partly for my extreme danger and misery; and principally for my sins, and thy wrath and terrors following upon them.
Strengthen thou me, that so I may bear my burdens patiently and cheerfully, and vanquish all my temptations.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
28-32. In order to adhere to Hisword, we must seek deliverance from temptations to sin as well asfrom despondency.
enlargeor, “expand”
my heartwith graciousaffections.
HE.(Ps 119:33-40).
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
My soul melteth for heaviness,…. Like wax before the sun or fire; or flows like water; drops a, as the word signifies, and dissolves into tears, through grief and sorrow for sins committed; or by reason of Satan’s temptations, or divine desertions, or grievous troubles and afflictions; which cause heaviness, lie heavy, and press hard;
strengthen thou me according unto thy word; to oppose corruptions, withstand temptations, bear up under trials and afflictions, and do the will of God. And the word of God is a means of strengthening his people to do these things; it is the spiritual bread which strengthens man’s heart, and in the strength of which, like Elijah, he walks many days, and goes from strength to strength: and there are many gracious words of promise, which may be pleaded with God to this purpose; that he will help, strengthen, and uphold his people; that he will renew their strength, and that as their day is their strength shall be.
a “stillavit”; Pagninus, Montanus; “distillet”, Vatablus; “stillat”, Junius & Tremellius, Piscator, Cocceius, Michaelis.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
28 My soul melteth for heaviness: strengthen thou me according unto thy word. 29 Remove from me the way of lying: and grant me thy law graciously.
Here is, 1. David’s representation of his own griefs: My soul melteth for heaviness, which is to the same purport with v. 25, My soul cleaveth to the dust. Heaviness in the heart of man makes it to melt, to drop away like a candle that wastes. The penitent soul melts in sorrow for sin, and even the patient soul may melt in the sense of affliction, and it is then its interest to pour out its supplication before God. 2. His request for God’s grace. (1.) That God would enable him to bear his affliction well and graciously support him under it: “Strengthen thou me with strength in my soul, according to thy word, which, as the bread of life, strengthens man’s heart to undergo whatever God is pleased to inflict. Strengthen me to do the duties, resist the temptations, and bear up under the burdens, of an afflicted state, that the spirit may not fail. Strengthen me according to that word (Deut. xxxiii. 25), As thy days so shall thy strength be.” (2.) That God would keep him from using any unlawful indirect means for the extricating of himself out of his troubles (v. 29): Remove from me the way of lying. David was conscious to himself of a proneness to this sin; he had, in a strait, cheated Ahimelech (1 Sam. xxi. 2), and Achish, 1Sa 21:13; 1Sa 27:10. Great difficulties are great temptations to palliate a lie with the colour of a pious fraud and a necessary self-defence; therefore David prays that God would prevent him from falling into this sin any more, lest he should settle in the way of it. A course of lying, of deceit and dissimulation, is that which every good man dreads and which we are all concerned to beg of God by his grace to keep us from. (3.) That he might always be under the guidance and protection of God’s government: Grant me thy law graciously; grant me that to keep me from the way of lying. David had the law written with his own hand, for the king was obliged to transcribe a copy of it for his own use (Deut. xvii. 18); but he prays that he might have it written in his heart; for then, and then only, we have it indeed, and to good purpose. “Grant it me more and more.” Those that know and love the law of God cannot but desire to know it more and love it better. “Grant it me graciously;” he begs it as a special token of God’s favour. Note, We ought to reckon God’s law a grant, a gift, an unspeakable gift, to value it, and pray for it, and to give thanks for it accordingly. The divine code of institutes and precepts is indeed a charter of privileges; and God is truly gracious to those whom he makes gracious by giving them his law.
Fuente: Matthew Henry’s Whole Bible Commentary
28. My soul droppeth away for grief As a little before he said that his soul cleaved to the dust, so now, almost in the same manner, he complains that it melted away with grief. Some are of opinion that he alludes to tears, as if he had said that his soul was dissolved in tears. But the simpler meaning is, that his strength was poured out like water. The verb is in the future tense, yet it denotes a continued action. The prophet assures himself of a remedy for this his extreme sorrow, provided God stretch out his hand towards him. Formerly, when almost lifeless, he entertained the expectation of a revival through the grace of God; now also, by the same means, he cherishes the hope of being restored to renovated and complete vigor, notwithstanding he was nearly consumed. He repeats the expression, according to thy word, because, apart from his word, God’s power would afford us little comfort. But when he comes to our aid, even should our courage and strength fail, his promise is abundantly efficacious to fortify us.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(28) MeltethThe Hebrew word is used in Ecc. 10:18 of a dripping roof of a house; in Job. 16:20 of weeping. The LXX. and Vulg. have slumbered, which suits far better with the next clause, which is literally, make me rise up. Symmachus has distils.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
Psa 119:28. My soul melteth, &c. Or, My soul droppeth for heaviness; raise thou me, &c. It has been thought by some, that David utters this sad complaint in compunction for the guilt of his supposed deceit, and the consequences of that deceit, at Nob: But Dr. Delaney vindicates him entirely from any such charge. See Life of David, b. 1 Chronicles 11.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Psa 119:28 My soul melteth for heaviness: strengthen thou me according unto thy word.
Ver. 28. My soul melteth ] Heb. droppeth away like water; I weep out my life, together with my grief.
Strengthen thou me according to thy word
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
melteth = weepeth. Occurs only here. Job 16:20. Ecc 10:18.
word. As in Psa 119:9. Some codices read plural; but other codices, with Septuagint and Vulgate, read “by (or in) thy words” (plural)
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
soul: Psa 22:14, Psa 107:26, Jos 2:11, Jos 2:24
melteth: Heb. droppeth
strengthen: Psa 27:14, Psa 29:11, Deu 33:25, Isa 40:29, Isa 40:31, Zec 10:12, Eph 3:16, Phi 4:13
Reciprocal: 1Pe 1:6 – ye are
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Psa 119:28. My soul melteth Like wax before the fire, through godly sorrow for sin; or sinks under the weight of my affliction. Strengthen thou me That so I may bear my burdens patiently and cheerfully, and may vanquish all temptations, and may not bring fresh trouble and distress upon myself by relapsing into sin.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
119:28 My soul melteth for heaviness: strengthen thou me according unto thy {c} word.
(c) If God did not maintain us by his word, our life would drop away like water.