Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Psalms 17:7
Show thy marvelous lovingkindness, O thou that savest by thy right hand them which put their trust [in thee] from those that rise up [against them].
7. Shew thy marvellous lovingkindness ] Lit., Make marvellous thy lovingkindnesses: Vulg. mirifica misericordias tuas. Cp. Psa 31:21, and note on Psa 9:1. The word implies a signal intervention on his behalf. The need is great, but God’s power is greater.
Parallel passages decide in favour of connecting O thou that savest by thy right hand (Psa 60:5; Psa 20:6). R.V. follows the original in transferring by thy right hand to the end of the verse for emphasis. But the balanced brevity of the Hebrew (the whole verse contains but six words) defies translation. For put their trust, cp. Psa 16:1; for those that rise up against thee, cp. Psa 59:1, Psa 18:48. Grammatically possible, but unsupported by analogy, is the rendering of R.V. marg., from those that rise up against thy right hand; cp. P.B.V., from such as resist thy right hand, which follows the LXX, Vulg., and Jer. ( a resistentibus dexterae tuae).
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Show thy marvelous loving-kindness – The literal translation of the original here would be, distinguish thy favors. The Hebrew word used means properly to separate; to distinguish; then, to make distinguished or great. The prayer is, that God would separate his mercies on this occasion from his ordinary mercies by the manifestation of greater powers, or by showing him special favor. The ordinary or common mercies which he was receiving at the hand of God would not meet the present case. His dangers were much greater than ordinary, his wants were more pressing than usual; and he asked for an interposition of mercy corresponding with his circumstances and condition. Such a prayer it is obviously proper to present before God; that is, it is right to ask him to suit his mercies to our special necessities; and when special dangers surround us, when we are assailed with especially strong temptations, when we have unusually arduous duties to perform, when we are pressed down with especially severe trials, it is right and proper to ask God to bestow favors upon us which will correspond with our special circumstances. His ability and his willingness to aid us are not measured by our ordinary requirements, but are equal to any of the necessities which can ever occur in our lives.
O thou that savest by thy right hand – Margin, that savest those that trust in thee from those that rise up against thy right hand. The Hebrew will admit of either construction, though that in the text is the more correct. It is, literally, Saving those trusting, from those that rise up, with thy right hand. The idea is, that it was a characteristic of God, or that it was what he usually did, to save by his own power those that trusted him from those who rose up against them. That is, God might be appealed to to do this now, on the ground that he was accustomed to do it; and that, so to speak, he would be acting in character in doing it. In other words, we may ask God to do what he is accustomed to do; we may go to him in reference to his well-known attributes and character, and ask him to act in a manner which will be but the regular and proper manifestation of his nature. We could not ask him to do what was contrary to his nature; we cannot ask him to act in a way which would be out of character. What he has always done for people, we may ask him to do for us; what is entirely consistent with his perfections, we may ask him to do in our own case.
By thy right hand – By thy power. The right hand is that by which we execute our purposes, or put forth our power; and the psalmist asks God to put forth his power in defending him. See Isa 41:10; Job 40:14; Psa 89:13.
From those that rise up against them – From their enemies.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 7. Show thy marvellous lovingkindness] David was now exposed to imminent danger; common interpositions of Providence could not save him; if God did not work miracles for him, he must fall by the hand of Saul. Yet he lays no claim to such miraculous interpositions; he expects all from God’s lovingkindness.
The common reading here is haphleh chasadeycha, “distinguish thy holy ones;” but haple, “do wonders,” is the reading of about seventy MSS., some ancient editions, with the Septuagint, Vulgate, Chaldee, Syriac, and Arabic. The marginal reading of this verse is nearer the original than that of the text.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Thy marvellous loving-kindness, to wit, in preserving and delivering me; which, if thou dost, I must ever acknowledge it to be an act of kindness, or free grace, or undeserved bounty, yea, and of marvellous kindness, because of my extreme and pressing dangers, out of which nothing but a wonder of Gods mercy and power can save me.
By thy right hand, i. e. by thy great power.
In thee, or, in it, i.e. in thy right hand, as was now expressed.
From those that rise up against them; or, because of (as the Hebrew prefix mem oft signifies, as Psa 12:6, and elsewhere) those exalt themselves, (as this word signifies, Job 20:27; 27:7; Psa 49:1) not only against me, but against thee, who hast engaged and declared thyself for me. So this prayer is like that Psa 66:7, Let not the rebellious exalt themselves. But this place is otherwise translated in the margin of our Bibles, with which divers others, both ancient and later interpreters, agree, and that more agreeably to the order of the words in the Hebrew text,
O thou that savest (or usest to save)
them which trust in thee (or, as the Hebrew word may be properly rendered without any supplement, believers) from those that rise up against thy right hand, i.e. either against thy mighty power, which thou hast already showed in my wonderful preservation; or against thy counsel (which is called Gods hand, Act 4:28) and revealed will concerning my advancement to the kingdom, which divers of these men did knowingly oppose, as may be gathered from 2Sa 3:9,10. Or, against the man (which word is oft understood, whereof examples have been given, and more we shall have in this book) of thy right hand, as David is called, Psa 80:17. According to this translation his prayer is enforced with a double motive, to wit, his trust in God, and his enemies opposition against God.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
7. Showset apart as specialand eminent (Exo 8:18; Psa 4:3).
thy right handfor Thypower.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
Show thy marvellous loving kindness,…. Such is the lovingkindness of God to his people in Christ; which is sovereign, free, special, distinguishing, everlasting, and unchangeable; it is better than life, and passes knowledge; and which is set upon men and not angels, some and not all, and these many of them the worst and vilest of men, and all of them by nature children of wrath as others; and which has appeared in choosing them in Christ, putting them into his hand, and making a covenant with him for them; in sending him into the world to suffer and die for them; in regenerating, adopting, justifying, pardoning, and saving them with an everlasting salvation; all which is marvellous in their eyes, and will be the wonder of men and angels to all eternity: this sometimes is hidden from the objects of it, as it might be from the psalmist, and therefore he desires a manifestation of it to him; or else his sense is, that God would show to others in what a marvellous manner he loved him, by the help, deliverance, and salvation he would give him. Such a petition will agree with Christ; see Ps 40:10. Some render the words b, “separate thy lovingkindness”, or cause it to pass “from them that rise up on” or “against thy right hand”; but these were never the objects of it; and there is no separation of them from it, nor of that from them who are interested in it, Ro 8:38; much better may it be rendered, “separate” or “distinguish thy lovingkindness” c; that is, let it appear that I have special interest in thy lovingkindness, distinct from others; distinguish me by thy lovingkindness, remember me with that which thou bearest to a peculiar people, Ps 106:4;
O thou that savest by thy right hand; either by his power, or by the man of his right hand, his own son;
them which put their trust [in thee]; not in men, not in an arm of flesh, not in themselves, in their own power, wisdom, riches, and righteousness; but in the Lord their God, who is the Saviour of all men, but especially of them that believe, 1Ti 4:10; for these he saves both in a temporal and in a spiritual manner;
from those that rise up [against them]; from all their spiritual enemies, sin and Satan; and from all outward ones, from the men of the world, oppressors and violent persecutors, who are afterwards described: the phrase, “by thy right hand”, is by some, as Aben Ezra, connected with the word trust, and rendered, “them which trust in thy right hand” d; either in the grace, mercy, and favour of God, dispensed by his right hand; or in his strength, and the mighty power of his arm; and by others it is joined to the last clause, and so it stands in the original text, and rendered, “from those that rise up against thy right hand” e; and so the words describe such persons who in a bold and presumptuous manner set themselves against God, and strengthen themselves against the Almighty; who resist his counsel and will, oppose themselves to the Lord and his Anointed, the man of his right hand, made strong for himself; and to his saints, who are as dear to him as his right hand, and who are preserved by him in the hollow of his hand.
b Kimchi Ben Melech. c “separa”, Junius Tremellius “segrega”, Montanus so some in Vatablus; see Ainsworth. d – “eos qui fidunt in dextera tua”, so some in Vatablus, Castalio, Ainsworth; “recipentes se ad dexteram suam”, Junius Tremellius. e “ob insurgentes in dexteram tuam”, Pagninus, Montanus, Cocceius so Michaelis, Gejerus, Musculus.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
7. Make marvellous thy mercies. As the word הפלה, haphleh, signifies sometimes to make wonderful, or remarkable, and sometimes to separate and set apart, both these senses will be very suitable to this passage. In Psa 31:19, the “goodness” of God is said to be “laid up” in store as a peculiar treasure “for them that fear him,” that he may bring it forth at the proper season, even when they are brought to an extremity, and when all things seem to be desperate. If, then, the translation, separate and set apart thy mercy, is preferred, the words are a prayer that God would display towards his servant David the special grace which he communicates to none but his chosen ones. While God involves both the good and the bad in danger indiscriminately, he at length shows, by the different issue of things, in regard to the two classes, that he does not confusedly mingle the chaff and the wheat together, seeing he gathers his own people into a company by themselves, (Mat 3:12, and Mat 25:32.) I, however, prefer following another exposition. David, in my judgment, perceiving that he could only be delivered from the perilous circumstances in which he was placed by singular and extraordinary means, betakes himself to the wonderful or miraculous power of God. Those who think he desires God to withhold his grace from his persecutors do too great violence to the scope of the passage. By this circumstance there is expressed the extreme danger to which David was exposed; for otherwise it would have been enough for him to have been succoured in the ordinary and common way in which God is accustomed daily to favor and to aid his own people. The grievousness of his distress, therefore, constrained him to beseech God to work miraculously for his deliverance. The title with which he here honors God, O thou preserver of those who trust [in thee,] serves to confirm him in the certain hope of obtaining his requests. As God takes upon him the charge of saving all who confide in him, David being one of their number, could upon good ground assure himself of safety and deliverance. Whenever, therefore, we approach God, let the first thought impressed on our minds be, that as he is not in vain called the preserver of those who trust in him, we have no reason whatever to be afraid of his not being ready to succor us, provided our faith continue firmly to rely upon his grace. And if every way of deliverance is shut up, let us also at the same time remember that he is possessed of wonderful and inconceivable means of succouring us, which serve so much the more conspicuously to magnify and manifest his power. But as the participle trusting, or hoping, is put without any additional word expressing the object of this trust or hope, (361) some interpreters connect it with the last words of the verse, thy right hand, as if the order of the words were inverted. They, therefore, resolve them thus, O thou preserver of those who trust in thy right hand, from those who rise up against them. As this, however, is harsh and strained, and the exposition which I have given is more natural, and more generally received, (362) let us follow it. To express, therefore, the meaning in one sentence, the Psalmist attributes to God the office of defending and preserving his own people from all the ungodly who rise up to assault them, and who, if it were in their power, would destroy them. And the ungodly are here said to exalt themselves against the hand of God, because, in molesting the faithful whom God has taken under his protection, they openly wage war against him. The doctrine contained in these words, namely, that when we are molested, an outrage is committed upon God in our person, is a very profitable one; for having once declared himself to be the guardian and protector of our welfare, whenever we are unjustly assailed, he puts forth his hand before us as a shield of defense.
(361) Poole observes, that the Hebrew phrase for “them which trust,” might be properly rendered without any supplement, “believers.”
(362) Calvin’s rendering is the same as that of the Septuagint, Vulgate, and Syriac versions
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(7) Shew.Literally, Separate; but (comp. Psa. 4:3), from its use to express Gods providential care of Israel in distinction to other nations, acquires in addition the idea of wonder and miracle (Exo. 8:22; Exo. 9:4; Exo. 11:7, &c). The LXX. and Vulgate, make thy mercies appear wonderful.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
7. Show thy marvellous loving-kindness Literally, Set apart, distinguish, make honourable, thy loving kindness; work in an extraordinary manner. He would seem to call for some special miracle, but all God’s acts of deliverance are special and wonderful. See Exo 33:16 and Psa 4:3, where “separated” and “set apart” mean, to be made honourable.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Psa 17:7. Shew, &c. Magnify thy mercies, O thou, &c.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Over and above all covenant promises we are commanded to seek divine favor. And the apostle tells the Ephesians, by way of encouragement so to do, that God is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we can ask or think. Eph 3:20 . These mercies may well be called marvellous!
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
“Handfuls of Purpose”
For All Gleaners
“… Marvellous lovingkindness.” Psa 17:7
The word “lovingkindness” would have been enough by itself, yet here is the word “marvellous” attached to it as if to help out the wholeness of its meaning. We read in another place of the marvellous goodness of God. We read also that God did great and marvellous works in the field of Zoan. The finest expression of this kind we find in the speech of Paul, wherein he speaks of the “marvellous light” of the Gospel. It was not light only, but marvellous light. There was a distinctiveness of glory about it which dazzled the eyes of the soul. This is the experience of every man who comes into close and vital association with God. He is continually surprised at the bounty of heaven, at the tenderness of the divine fatherhood, at the largeness of the divine love; surprise follows surprise in ever-growing amazement, because imagination is left behind, and expression utterly fails when the goodness of God is contemplated. We must not reckon God’s providences amongst common things. They do not belong to a class, as if they were parts of a whole. They are individual, outstanding, altogether unique and special. So the Bible must not be set in a row with other books, it must have no common enumeration; for ever it must be The Book, the one Book, the only Book, the marvellous Book. We cannot overtake God and enter into competition with him: we light our candle, but we must not hold it to the sun. The candle itself, could it speak, would say when the sun arose upon it, This is a marvellous light! So say all the stars, as they retire from the majesty of the advancing morning. Let us glory in the specialty of divine communications and heavenly revelations.
Fuente: The People’s Bible by Joseph Parker
Psa 17:7 Shew thy marvellous lovingkindness, O thou that savest by thy right hand them which put their trust [in thee] from those that rise up [against them].
Ver. 7. Show thy marvellous lovingkindness, &c ] Mirificas benignitates tuas; less than a marvellous mercifulness will not serve David’s turn, he was so hardly bestead; ut nisi mirabiliter feceris, pereo. We now alive have lived in an age of miracles; and God hath dealt with our land, not according to his ordinary course, but according to his prerogative; by a miracle of his mercy have we hitherto subsisted, and by a prop of his extraordinary patience.
O thou that savest, &c.
From those that rise up against them
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
put their trust = flee for refuge. Hebrew. hasah. App-69.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
trust
(See Scofield “Psa 2:12”).
Fuente: Scofield Reference Bible Notes
Show: Psa 31:21, Psa 78:12, Rom 5:20, Rom 5:21, Rev 15:3
savest: etc. or, savest them which trust in thee, from those that rise up against thy right hand, Psa 5:11, Psa 5:12, Psa 10:12-16, 1Sa 17:45-57, 1Sa 25:28, 1Sa 25:29, 2Ki 19:22, 2Ki 19:34, 2Ch 16:9
by thy: Psa 20:6, Psa 44:3, Psa 60:5, Exo 15:6, Isa 41:10, Act 2:33
Reciprocal: Psa 3:1 – many Psa 7:1 – save Psa 18:30 – a buckler Psa 18:35 – right Psa 57:1 – shadow Psa 138:7 – and thy right Dan 9:18 – incline
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Psa 17:7. Show thy marvellous loving-kindness Namely, in preserving and delivering me: which, if thou dost, I must ever acknowledge it to be an act of kindness, or free grace and mercy, yea, and of marvellous kindness, because of my extreme and pressing dangers, out of which nothing but a miracle of divine mercy and power can save me; O thou that savest by thy right hand By thy great power, and needest not the agency of any other; them which put their trust in thee Or, in it, namely, thy right hand, as was now expressed; from those that rise up against them Hebrew,
, me-mithkomemim, from, or, because of, those that exalt themselves, not only against me, but also against thee, who hast engaged and declared thyself for me. But the latter clause of this verse is differently translated in the margin, and, as many eminent interpreters, both ancient and modern, think, more agreeably to the Hebrew text. The reader, therefore, will please to attend to it, and to observe, that rising up against Gods right hand, a sin which, according to that translation, David charges upon his enemies, signifies opposing Gods power, or counsels, whether respecting the exaltation of David, and the Messiah his seed, or any other of his dispensations.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
17:7 Shew thy marvellous lovingkindness, O thou that savest by thy right hand them which put their trust [in thee] from those that {g} rise up [against them].
(g) For all rebel against you, who trouble your Church.