Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Psalms 12:7
Thou shalt keep them, O LORD, thou shalt preserve them from this generation forever.
7. More exactly:
Thou, O Jehovah, wilt preserve them (as Psa 16:1);
Thou wilt guard him &c.
The first Thou is emphatic: them refers to the poor and needy of Psa 12:5: him in the second line singles out each one of the victims of persecution as the object of divine care. Comp. the similar change from plur. ( poor and needy) to sing. in Psa 12:5. But possibly we should follow the LXX and read us, instead of them and him, or at any rate in place of him.
this generation ] As the men of one age are commonly distinguished by special characteristics, generation acquires an ethical significance, and denotes kind, class, in good or bad sense. Comp. Psa 14:5; Pro 30:11-14; Mat 17:17.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
7, 8. Concluding expression of confidence in Jehovah’s protection, which is sorely needed when wickedness prevails unchecked.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Thou shalt keep them That is, the persons referred to in Psa 12:5 – the poor and the needy who were suffering from the wrongs inflicted on them. The idea is, that God would guard and defend them. They were safe in his hands. Compare Psa 37:3-7.
From this generation – This generation, or this race of detractors, flatterers, and oppressors. The idea is, that that entire generation was eminently wicked, and that none but God could deliver the poor and the needy from their designs.
Forever – That is, constantly, or as long as they would need the divine protection. God would not interpose and save them from the present trouble, and then leave them to the designs of their enemies, but he would always interpose as often as there was any need of his help. That is, they were now, and would be at all times, entirely safe. They had nothing to fear, for God was their refuge and their help.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 7. Thou shalt keep them – thou shalt preserve them] Instead of the pronoun them in these clauses, several MSS., with the Septuagint, the Vulgate, and the Arabic, have us. The sense is equally good in both readings. God did bring forth the Israelites from Babylon, according to his word; he separated them from that generation, and reinstated them in their own land, according to his word; and most certainly he has preserved them from generation to generation to the present day, in a most remarkable manner.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Thou shalt keep them; either,
1. The poor and needy, Psa 12:5, from the crafts and malice of this crooked and perverse generation of men, and for ever. Or,
2. Thy words or promises last mentioned, Psa 12:6. These thou wilt observe and keep (as these two verbs commonly signify) both now, and
from this generation for ever, i.e. Thou wilt not only keep thy promise to me in preserving me, and advancing me to the throne, but also to my posterity from generation to generation.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
7. them(Margin.)
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
Thou shall keep them, O Lord,…. Not the words before mentioned, as Aben Ezra explains it, for the affix is masculine and not feminine; not but God has wonderfully kept and preserved the sacred writings; and he keeps every word of promise which he has made; and the doctrines of the Gospel will always continue from one generation to another; but the sense is, that God will keep the poor and needy, and such as he sets in safety, as Kimchi rightly observes: they are not their own keepers, but God is the keeper of them; he keeps them by his power, and in his Son, in whose hands they are, and who is able to keep them from falling; they are kept by him from a total and final falling away; from the dominion and damning power of sin, and from being devoured by Satan, and from the evil of the world: and this the psalmist had good reason to believe, because of the love of God to them, his covenant with them, and the promises of safety and salvation he has made unto them;
thou shalt preserve them from this generation for ever; or “thou shalt preserve him” p; that is, everyone of the poor and needy, from the wicked generation of men in which they live, from being corrupted or intimidated by them; and who are described in the beginning of the psalm. Some take these words to be a prayer, “keep thou them, O Lord, and preserve them”, c. q and so the following words may be thought to be a reason or argument enforcing the request.
p “custodies eum”, Pagninus, Montanus, Gejerus, Michaelis; so Ainsworth. q “Custodi eum”, Tigurine version, Vatablus, “custodito eorum quemque”, Junius & Tremellius, Piscator.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
(Heb.: 12:8-9) The supplicatory complaint contained in the first strophe has passed into an ardent wish in the second; and now in the fourth there arises a consolatory hope based upon the divine utterance which was heard in the third strophe. The suffix eem in Psa 12:8 refers to the miserable and poor; the suffix ennu in Psa 12:8 (him, not: us, which would be pointed , and more especially since it is not preceded by ) refers back to the man who yearns for deliverance mentioned in the divine utterance, Psa 12:6. The “preserving for ever” is so constant, that neither now nor at any future time will they succumb to this generation. The oppression shall not become a thorough depression, the trial shall not exceed their power of endurance. What follows in Psa 12:8 is a more minute description of this depraved generation. is the generation whole and entire bearing one general character and doing homage to the one spirit of the age (cf. e.g., Pro 30:11-14, where the characteristics of a corrupt age are portrayed). (always without the article, Ew. 293, a) points to the present and the character is has assumed, which is again described here finally in a few outlines of a more general kind than in Psa 12:3. The wicked march about on every side ( used of going about unopposed with an arrogant and vaunting mien), when (while) vileness among () the children of men rises to eminence ( as in Pro 11:11, cf. Pro 29:2), so that they come to be under its dominion. Vileness is called from (cogn. ) to be supple and lax, narrow, low, weak and worthless. The form is passive just as is the Talm. (from = ), and it is the epithet applied to that which is depreciated, despised, and to be despised; here it is the opposite of the disposition and conduct of the noble man, , Isa 32:8, – a baseness which is utterly devoid not only of all nobler principles and motives, but also of all nobler feelings and impulses. The of is not the expression of simultaneousness (as e.g., in Pro 10:25): immediately it is exalted – for then Psa 12:8 would give expression to a general observation, instead of being descriptive – but is equivalent to , only it is intentionally used instead of the latter, to express a coincidence that is based upon an intimate relation of cause and effect, and is not merely accidental. The wicked are puffed up on all sides, and encompass the better disposed on every side as their enemies. Such is the state of things, and it cannot be otherwise at a time when men allow meanness to gain the ascendency among and over them, as is the case at the present moment. Thus even at last the depressing view of the present prevails in the midst of the confession of a more consolatory hope. The present is gloomy. But in the central hexastich the future is lighted up as a consolation against this gloominess. The Psalm is a ring and this central oracle is its jewel.
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
7. Thou, O Jehovah. Some think that the language of the Psalmist here is that of renewed prayer; and they, therefore, understand the words as expressive of his desire, and translate them in the optative mood, thus, Do thou, O Jehovah, keep them (266) But I am rather of opinion that David, animated with holy confidence, boasts of the certain safety of all the godly, of whom God, who neither can deceive nor lie, avows himself to be the guardian. At the same time, I do not altogether disapprove of the interpretation which views David as renewing his supplications at the throne of grace. Some give this exposition of the passage, Thou wilt keep them, namely, thy words; (267) but this does not seem to me to be suitable. (268) David, I have no doubt, returns to speak of the poor, of whom he had spoken in the preceding part of the psalm. With respect to his changing the number, (for, he says first, Thou wilt keep them, and, next, Thou wilt preserve him (269) it is a thing quite common in Hebrew, and the sense is not thereby rendered ambiguous. These two sentences, therefore, Thou wilt keep them, and Thou wilt preserve him, signify the same thing, unless, perhaps, we may say that, in the second, under the person of one man, the Psalmist intends to point out the small number of good men. To suppose this is not unreasonable or improbable; and, according to this view, the import of his language is, Although only one good man should be left alive in the world, yet he would be kept in perfect safety by the grace and protection of God. But as the Jews, when they speak generally, often change the number, I leave my readers freely to form their own judgment. This, indeed, cannot be controverted, that by the word generation, or race, is denoted a great multitude of ungodly persons, and almost the whole body of the people. As the Hebrew word דור, dor, signifies as well the men who live in the same age, as the space of time itself, David, without doubt, here means that the servants of God cannot escape, and continue safe, unless God defend them against the malice of the whole people, and deliver them from the wicked and perverse men of the age in which they live. Whence we learn that the world, at that time, was so corrupt, that David, by way of reproach, puts them all, as it were, into one bundle. Moreover, it is of importance again to remember what we have already stated, that he does not here speak of foreign nations, but of the Israelites, and God’s chosen people. It is well to mark this carefully, that we may not be discouraged by the vast multitude of the ungodly, if we should sometimes see an immense heap of chaff upon the barn-floor of the Lord, while only a few grains of corn lie hidden underneath. And then, however small may be the number of the good, let this persuasion be deeply fixed in our minds, that God will be their protector, and that for ever. The word לעולם, leolam, which signifies for ever, is added, that we may learn to extend our confidence in God far into the future, seeing he commands us to hope for succor from him, not only once, or for one day, but as long as the wickedness of our enemies continues its work of mischief. We are, however, from this passage, at the same time, admonished that war is not prepared against us for a short time only, but that we must daily engage in the conflict. And if the guardianship which God exercises over the faithful is sometimes hidden, and is not manifest in its effects, let them wait in patience until he arise; and the greater the flood of calamities which overflows them, let them keep themselves so much the more in the exercise of godly fear and solicitude.
(266) “ Que tu les gardes, Seigneur.” — Fr.
(267) This is the view adopted by Hammond. He refers the them to the words of the Lord mentioned in the preceding verse, and the him following to the godly, or just man, and explains the verse thus: ”Thou, O Lord, shalt keep, or perform, those words, thou shalt preserve the just man from this generation for ever.” The Chaldee version reads, “Thou wilt keep the just;” the Septuagint, Vulgate, Arabic, and Ethiopic versions read, “Thou wilt keep us;”
(268) “ Mais quant a ceux qui elisent, Tu les garderas, as avoir Tes paroles; l’exposition ne me semble pas propre.” — Fr.
(269) “ Car il dit premierement, Tu les garderas; et puis, Tu le preserveras .” — Fr.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
7. Thou shalt keep them That is, thy people, thy suffering people, though surrounded on all sides by wicked persecutors.
Thou shalt preserve them Hebrew, Thou wilt preserve him, the persecuted saint, the singular being used as a personification.
From this generation From the men of this age, and from the same men of every age. The character of the age is given in Psa 12:1-2. Compare Act 2:40; Mat 11:16; Mat 11:22. The hostile attitude of the world towards the Church distinguishes all generations.
For ever To eternity. The deliverance of the righteous shall not be temporal only, but perpetual, for ever. Less than this neither the language nor subject will admit.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
‘You will keep them, O YHWH.
You will preserve them from this generation for ever.
The wicked walk on every side,
When vileness is exalted among the sons of men.’
So through His word YHWH will keep His people and will continue to preserve them through the generations for ever. His words are the perfect antidote to unbelief, sin and deceit.
But meanwhile sin will continue to walk abroad, the unrighteous will appear to be on every side, and vileness will be exalted among men. They will boast about it. God is not deceived about the human race. He knows what men are. Thus must the godly look constantly to the word of God, and God will then preserve and keep them. Note that the opening ‘You’ is emphatic, for in the end it is only YHWH Who can keep His own and enable them to persevere.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Psa 12:7. Thou shalt keep them, &c. Thou shalt keep those [words] O Lord; thou shalt preserve him, &c.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
These verses seem to have no immediate connection with what went before; nevertheless they come in with a blessed conclusion, to ensure the faithfulness of Jehovah. What though bad men triumph and the faithful are minished, Jesus is the same, yesterday, and today, and forever. He will keep the feet of his saints, and the wicked shall be silent in darkness, for by strength shall no man prevail. 1Sa 2:9 .
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Psa 12:7 Thou shalt keep them, O LORD, thou shalt preserve them from this generation for ever.
Ver. 7. Thou shall keep them ] That is, Verba praedicta, the forementioned words or promises, saith Aben Ezra. Or, keep thou them (prayerwise), and so David puts God’s promises in suit. A certain good man having all taken from him, and his wife desiring to know how he and his family should live? He answered, he would now put his bond in suit; that is, he would urge God with his promises.
Thou shall preserve them
From this generation
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
them: i.e. the godly. Plural reference to “the faithful” of Psa 12:1.
them = him: refers to the man of grace (Psa 12:1).
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Psa 12:7
Psa 12:7
“Thou wilt keep them, O Jehovah, Thou wilt preserve them from this generation forever.”
As noted above, this is David’s exultant “Amen” to the glorious promise of Psa 12:5-6. All of God’s people are perpetually safe. As the Lord said, “Not a hair of your head shall perish.”
The fact that a whole generation may fall into the grossest and most shameful immorality is of no importance whatever, except as it pertains to the salvation or the condemnation of that generation. The Lord knoweth his own, and their safety is in the hands of the King Eternal.
E.M. Zerr:
Psa 12:7. God will see that his words are preserved indefinitely, from that day or generation to the end. Jesus said about the same thing in Mar 13:31.
Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary
thou shalt: Psa 16:1, Psa 37:28, Psa 37:40, Psa 121:8, Psa 145:20, Deu 33:3, 1Sa 2:9, Isa 27:3, 1Pe 1:5, Jud 1:1
them: etc. Heb. him, i.e. every one of them
this: Psa 10:18, Mat 3:7
Reciprocal: 1Ki 18:10 – they found thee not
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Psa 12:7. Thou shalt keep them Thy words or promises last mentioned. Hebrew, , tishmerem, thou wilt observe them; and what thou hast promised shall surely be performed, since with thee is no variableness nor shadow of turning. Thou wilt preserve them Hebrew, , titzrennu thou wilt keep him, that is, thy poor and lowly servant, (spoken of Psa 12:5,) from the craft and malice of this crooked and perverse generation of men, so that he shall neither be circumvented by treachery, nor crushed by power; and thou wilt keep him undefiled amid a corrupt age; and all that trust in and cleave to thee from generation to generation.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
12:7 Thou shalt keep {f} them, O LORD, thou shalt preserve them from this generation for ever.
(f) That is, yours though was only one man.
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
The "them" and "him" in Psa 12:7 in the NASB probably refer to the vulnerable godly of Psa 12:5. The NIV calls them "us." Alternatively, David may have meant God’s promises (Psa 12:6), but this seems less likely. David received encouragement and confidence from the Word of God that assured him of divine protection from the smug liars he found on every hand.