Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Psalms 30:12
To the end that [my] glory may sing praise to thee, and not be silent. O LORD my God, I will give thanks unto thee forever.
12. my glory ] My soul, as in Psa 7:5 (note); Psa 57:8.
for ever ] All the days of my life. See 1Sa 1:22 compared with 1Sa 1:28. But the Psalmist’s words had a larger meaning than he could as yet know (Rev 22:3 ff.).
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
To the end that my glory may sing praise to thee – Margin, my tongue, or my soul. DeWette renders it, my heart. The Aramaic Paraphrase: that the honorable of the world may praise thee. The Septuagint and the Latin Vulgate: my glory. The reference is, undoubtedly, to what the psalmist regarded as most glorious, honorable, exalted, in himself. There is no evidence that he referred to his tongue or his heart particularly, but the expression seems to be equivalent to my highest powers – all the powers and faculties of my nature. The tongue would indeed be the instrument of uttering praise, but still the reference is rather to the exalted powers of the soul than to the instrument. Let all that is capable of praise within me, all my powers, be employed in celebrating the goodness of God.
And not be silent – Be employed in praise.
O Lord my God, I will give thanks unto thee for ever – Compare the notes at Isa 38:20. This verse states the purpose which the psalmist now saw that God intended to accomplish by his dealings with him in the varied scenes of his past life; and his own purpose now as he entered his new abode. The purpose of God, in all these various dealings – in the prosperity which had been bestowed on him Psa 30:6-7; in the reverses and trials by sickness or otherwise which had come upon him Psa 30:3, Psa 30:7; and in the deliverance which God had granted him in answer to his prayers Psa 30:2-3, Psa 30:10-11 – was, that he should learn to praise the Lord. His own purpose now, as he entered his new habitation and dedicated it to God, was, to praise God with his highest powers forever: to consecrate all that he had to his gracious preserver; to make his house, not a habitation of gaiety and sin, but an abode of serious piety – a home where the happiness sought would be that which is found in the influence of religion. It is scarcely necessary to add that every new dwelling should be entered by a family with feelings similar to these; that the first act of the head of a family on entering a new habitation – whether it be a palace or a cottage – should be solemnly to consecrate it to God, and to resolve that it shall be a house where His praises shall be celebrated, and where the influence of religion shall be invoked to guide and sanctify all the members of the household.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 12. To the end that my glory may sing] The word cabod, which we here translate glory, is sometimes taken to signify the liver. Here it is supposed to mean the tongue; why not the heart? But does not David mean, by his glory, the state of exaltation and honour to which God had raised him, and in which he had before too much trusted; forgetting that he held it in a state of dependence on God? Now he was disciplined into a better sentiment. My glory before had sung praise to myself; in it I had rested; on it I had presumed; and intoxicated with my success, I sent Joab to number the people. Now my glory shall be employed for another purpose; it shall give thanks to God, and never be silent. I shall confess to all the world that all the good, the greatness, the honour, the wealth, prosperity, and excellence I possess, came from God alone; and that I hold them on his mere good pleasure. It is so; therefore, “O Lord my God, I will give thanks unto thee for ever.”
The old Psalter translates and paraphrases the last verse thus: – That my joy syng til the, and I be noght stanged: Lord my God withouten ende I sal schryf til the. The dede and the sorrow of oure syn God turnes in til joy of remission; and scheres oway oure sekk-(drives away our distress) and umgyfs (surrounds) qwen we dye, with gladness. That oure joy syng til hym, that has gyfen us that joy; for we be no more stanged (stung) with conscience of syn: na drede of dede or of dome; bot withouten ende we sal loue (praise) him. Na tunge may telle na herte may thynk the mykelnes of joy that es in louing (praising) of hym in gast, and in sothfastnes, i.e., spirit and truth.
ANALYSIS OF THE THIRTIETH PSALM
There are two parts in this Psalm: –
I. The giving of thanks for delivery from a great danger, Ps 30:1-3.
II. An exhortation to others to follow his example, and thus acknowledge God’s merciful dealings with them, Ps 30:4-12.
I. He begins with thanksgiving: “I will extol thee, O Lord;” and adds the causes.
1. “Thou hast lifted me up,” as one out of a deep dark pit.
2. “Thou hast not made my foes to triumph over me;” but rather turned their mirth into sadness.
3. “Thou hast healed me;” – both in body and mind.
4. “Thou hast brought up my soul from the grave;” restored me to life, when apparently condemned to death.
5. He earnestly sought these blessings: “O Lord my God, I cried unto thee,” and thou didst for me all that I have mentioned.
II. After having given thanks, he calls on the saints to acknowledge and celebrate the goodness of God to him and to others: “Sing unto the Lord,” c. And to induce them to do this, he gives the instance in himself, that God was angry with him, but soon appeased.
1. He was angry, but his anger endured but a moment but life, and a continuance of it, are from his favour.
2. And justly angry he was for his sin and carnal confidence: “In my prosperity I said, I shall never be moved.”
3. The effect of his anger was: “He hid his face, and I was troubled.”
This is the example that he sets before the saints, that they be not secure when the world goes well with them; lest they have experience of God’s displeasure, as he had.
Next he shows the means he used to avert God’s wrath; and this he proposes as a pattern for all to follow in like cases.
1. He betook himself to prayer. 2. He sets down the form he used.
1. He that is ill sends for the physician – so did I. This was the fruit of my chastisement; I cried unto thee, O Lord; and unto the Lord I made supplication.
2. And the form he used was this: – I earnestly pleaded with God thus: 1. “What profit is there in my blood when I go down to the pit?” 2. “Shall the dust praise thee? shall it declare thy truth?” 3. Can a dead man praise thee, or canst thou make good thy promises to the dead? 4. And he concluded with, “Hear, O Lord, and have mercy upon me; O Lord, be thou my helper.”
3. He shows the effect of his prayer: “Thou hast turned my mourning into dancing, thou hast put off my sackcloth, and girded me with gladness.”
4. For what end God did this: “That my glory may sing praise to thee, and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give thanks to thee for ever.”
Now, O ye saints, 1. You see my case; 2. You see what course I took; 3. You see the effect; 4. You see the end why God was so good to me, that I should praise him. To you, who are in my state, I propose my example. Betake yourselves to God in your necessities; and, having obtained deliverance by earnest prayer and faith, remember to return praise to God for his ineffable goodness.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
My glory; my soul; or rather, my tongue, to which both singing and silence most properly belong. See Poole “Psa 7:5“; See Poole “Psa 16:9“.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
12. Though “my” issupplied before “glory” it is better as in Ps16:9, to receive it as used for tongue, the organ ofpraise. The ultimate end of God’s mercies to us is our praise to Him.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
To the end that [my] glory may sing praise to thee, and not be silent,…. Meaning either his soul, the more noble and glorious part of him; or the members of his body, his tongue, which is the glory of it, and with which he glorified God; see Ps 16:9; compared with Ac 2:26, this was the end that was to be answered by changing the scene of things; and which was answered;
O Lord my God, I will give thanks unto thee for ever; to the end of life, as long as he had a being, and to all eternity, Ps 104:33. Jerom interprets the whole psalm of the resurrection of Christ.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
12. That my glory may sing praise to thee. In this verse he more fully expresses his acknowledgement of the purpose for which God had preserved him from death, and that he would be careful to render him a proper return of gratitude. Some refer the word glory to the body, and some to the soul, or the higher powers of the mind. Others, as the pronoun my, which we have supplied, is not in the Hebrew text, prefer to translate it in the accusative case, supplying the word every man, in this way: That every man may celebrate thy glory; as if the prophet had said, This is a blessing worthy of being celebrated by the public praises of all men. But as all these interpretations are strained, I adhere to the sense which I have given. The Hebrew word כבוד, kebod, which signifies glory, it is well known, is sometimes employed metaphorically to signify the tongue, as we have seen in Psa 16:9. And as David adds immediately after, I will celebrate thy praise for ever, the context demands that he should particularly speak of his own duty in this place. His meaning, therefore, is, O Lord, as I know that thou hast preserved me for this purpose, that thy praises may resound from my tongue, I will faithfully discharge this service to thee, and perform my part even unto death. To sing, and not be silent, is a Hebrew amplification; as if he had said, My tongue shall not be mute, or deprive God of his due praise; it shall, on the contrary, devote itself to the celebration of his glory.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(12) My glory.The suffix is wanting in the Hebrew, and in all the older versions except LXX. and Vulg. The Chaldee versions make the word concrete and render the nobles. The Syriac, reading the verb in a different person, makes glory the objectthen will I sing to thee, Glory. My glory would, as in Psa. 108:1, mean my heart. (See Note, Psa. 16:9.) Without the pronoun, we must (with Jerome) understand by glory renown or praise, which, as it were, itself raises songs; or it must be concrete, everything glorious.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
12. My glory Equal to my soul, as the most excellent part of man. See Gen 49:6, and note on Psa 16:9. The result of David’s prayer and of the divine dispensation to him is, that from his soul he may praise God, and “give thanks for ever.”
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Psa 30:12. To the end that my glory, &c. The Philistines had invaded David soon after his establishment on the throne, and before he had taken possession of his new-built palace; so that he was engaged in fresh difficulties, and could not enjoy the tranquillity which he promised himself. In this unexpected exigency he applied himself to God; and the effect was, his being soon delivered out of all his fears, by the utter defeat of his enemies; which he describes by the pleasing expression of God’s turning his mourning into dancing; putting off his sackcloth, and girding him with gladness. He had now an opportunity of dedicating his house, and taking possession of it, with all those tokens of joy which were usual on such occasions; and with those solemn praises to God which he owed him as his great deliverer, and the kind author of his prosperity. The word my not being in the original, this clause might be better rendered, That every one may sing glory to thee, and not be silent: “They who celebrate with me the dedication of my house, and all my people who see and share in my prosperity.” Chandler.
REFLECTIONS.1st, Every house of a child of God will be a sanctuary where prayer and praise are daily offered.
1. David begins with the voice of thanksgiving for the mercies that he had tasted; his foes sought his ruin, he was sick perhaps in body, and afflicted in mind; the grave seemed to be open to receive him; but he cried, and the Lord heard him, and delivered him out of all his troubles; therefore he well resolves, I will extol thee, for thou hast lifted me up; will declare thy greatness and goodness, and ascribe the whole of my salvation to thy power and grace. Note; (1.) We brought into the world with us the disease of mortal corruption; it is matter of unspeakable joy, if, by the blood and grace of Jesus, our dying souls are healed. (2.) Recoveries from sickness deserve songs of praise, and that the life preserved by God’s mercy be anew devoted to his glory. (3.) In all afflictive cases, whether of body or mind, the prayer of faith availeth much,always for consolation, and frequently for bodily health.
2. He calls upon others to join in the song of praise. Sing unto the Lord, O ye saints of his: this is the character of God’s people; they are separated from sin, and by divine grace renewed in righteousness and true holiness; and therefore they give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness; pleased with beholding this glorious attribute of their God; satisfied in the righteousness of all his ways, and deriving comfort from the consideration that, as in a measure they resemble him now, they shall shortly awake up in his perfect image. For his anger endureth but a moment; not that we are to impute to him any such imperfection or turbulence in his holy mind as we feel; but, according as men chastise in anger those who offend them, God deals thus with those who sin against him; but to true believers, even this is not the stroke of an enemy, but the rod of a father, gently correcting us for our good. In his favour is life; spiritual life, eternal life, which is the sure portion of the faithful, notwithstanding momentary afflictions. Weeping may endure for a night; and some wearisome nights our sins and folly provoke God to make us feel, when he withdraws, and darkness and distress surround us; but joy cometh in the morning; the season of sorrow is short; and, as the welcome sun returning dispels the shadows of the night, so does God return to lift up the light of his countenance on his mourning saints, and wakens up their joyful praises. Note; In all our troubles here, we should remember that they are light afflictions, and but for a moment; the far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory which is to follow, will abundantly compensate.
2nd, We are ever apt to be running to extremes, too elated with comfort, or too dejected in distress. This was David’s case:
1. In his prosperity he grew secure, confident that he should never be moved: his foes all vanquished, and his throne firmly settled, he thought himself fixed as a mountain: and, though he ascribes it to divine grace, he seems to place some trust of his stability on himself. Note; Worldly prosperity is dangerously intoxicating; it is what lulls men in general asleep.
2. Trouble overtook him; and dejection of soul, from the fear of God’s favour being withdrawn, sunk him low into the dust, yet not into despair; he cried unto the Lord, and made his supplication; finding his weakness, and feeling now where alone his strength lay, he pleads hard for mercy and help in this his time of need. Note; In our lowest frames, let nothing drive us from prayer; as long as we cry to God, there is hope in our end.
3. Soon the glad change appears; while he is speaking, God answers; his sorrows turn to joy; his mourning is ended, and songs of melody and love declare the praises of him who brought him out of darkness into his marvellous light: such experience engages his glory, his soul, his tongue to praise God for ever; and these lively expressions of his gratitude he trusts shall not only last while life and breath endure below, but be perpetuated through the countless ages of eternity. Go then, thou redeemed soul, and do likewise.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
REFLECTIONS
READER, let us behold our glorious Head in this beautiful Psalm, and then, in his name, we also shall set up our banners. When he had by himself purged our sins, and when, by the sacrifice of himself once offered, he had forever perfected them that are sanctified, think how highly the Father exalted him, and, as our glorious Mediator, gave him a name, which is above every name. Hail, thou risen, holy, exalted, high, and glorious Saviour. We bow the knee before thee, and with joy confess, that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. And now, Lord, in thy light, shall we see light. Beholding thy personal triumphs, and feeling, by the sweet constraining tokens of thy love and grace, how highly we bear a part in all that concerns thee, we begin already the Song in thee, and extol our God and King, who hath delivered us from the pit wherein is no water, and will bring us from the grave of death, to a joyful resurrection, when the Lord shall come to gather his saints together, and to be admired in all them that believe. And although, while going home to our Father’s home, we meet with a chequered path in the way, yet the everlasting day, which hath no night, is hastening. Heaviness may endure for the night, but ere long all heaviness will be done away. The Lord himself is our everlasting light, and our God our glory.
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Psa 30:12 To the end that [my] glory may sing praise to thee, and not be silent. O LORD my God, I will give thanks unto thee for ever.
Ver. 12. To the end that my glory may sing praise to thee ] i.e. That my tongue, oiled from a heart enlarged, may exalt thee, according to my bounden duty and thine abundant desert. A good tongue, that watcheth all opportunities to glorify God and edify others, is certainly a man’s great glory; but an evil tongue is his foul shame. Basil expoundeth glory by , the spirit or soul. The Chaldee Paraphrast, Laudabunt te honorabiles mundi, The glorious ones of the world shall praise thee.
O Lord my God, I will give thanks unto thee for ever
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
my glory. Put by Figure of speech Metonymy (of Effect), App-6, for “myself”, referring either to the tongue (Psa 108:1 or powers of mind which give the praise. To the chief Musician. See App-64. Though written for a special occasion, Psalm 30 was handed over to the chief Musician for public use, and in connection with any other dedication.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
my glory
i.e. my tongue, or my soul. Gen 49:6; Psa 16:9; Psa 57:8
Fuente: Scofield Reference Bible Notes
my glory: that is, my tongue, or my soul, Psa 16:9, Psa 57:8, Gen 49:6
and: Luk 19:40, Act 4:20
I will: Psa 13:6, Psa 71:14, Psa 71:23, Psa 145:2, Psa 146:1, Psa 146:2, Rev 4:8, Rev 4:9, Rev 7:12
Reciprocal: Neh 12:43 – God Psa 7:1 – O Psa 18:49 – will I give thanks Psa 23:6 – goodness Psa 28:7 – therefore Psa 61:8 – sing Psa 63:3 – lips Psa 71:15 – My mouth Psa 108:1 – I will Psa 118:15 – voice Psa 145:1 – I will bless Psa 145:21 – My mouth Ecc 7:14 – the day Isa 38:9 – writing Isa 38:20 – therefore Luk 6:21 – ye shall laugh Luk 17:15 – General 2Co 9:15 – Thanks Col 3:16 – singing Jam 3:9 – Therewith
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
JOY FOR HEAVINESS: GLADNESS FOR SACKCLOTH
Thou hast turned my heaviness into joy: Thou hast put off my sackcloth, and girded me with gladness.
Psa 30:12 (Prayer Book Version)
I. The first reason for the Easter joy is the triumph and satisfaction enjoyed by our Lord Himself.We sympathise reverently with the awful sorrow of our adorable Lord and Friend; and thus we enter, in some far-off way, into the sense of triumph, unspeakable and sublime, which follows beyond it. It is His joy which inspires ours; it turns our heaviness into joy, and puts off our sorrow, and girds us with gladness.
II. Easter joy is inspired by the sense of confidence with which Christs resurrection from the dead invigorates our grasp of Christian truth.The understanding, be sure, has its joy, no less than the heart; and a keen sense of intellectual joy is experienced when we succeed in resting truth, or any part of it, on a secure basis. Akin to the joy of students and workers is the satisfaction of a Christian when he steadily dwells on the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. Our Lords resurrection is a foundation on which all truth in the Christian creedthat is, distinctively Christian, and not merely theisticreally rests. It is beside the empty tomb of the risen Jesus that Christian faith feels itself on the hard rock of fact; here we break through the tyranny of matter and sense, and rise with Christ into the immaterial world.
III. We may hope to meet our friends, not as formless, unrecognisable shades, but with the features, the expressions, which they wore on earth.Christs resurrection is the model as well as the warrant of our own. Nay, more, all men shall rise with their bodies. And if they whom we call the dead know anything of what is passing here on earth, then we may believe that the Easter festival is for them too, in whatever measure, an occasion of rejoicing, and that the happiness of the Church on earth is responded to from beyond the veil.
Canon Liddon.
Illustration
This is the song of a man who has been in the depths, but who stands now on the sun-crowned heights.
Let me remember the depths. I need to do so, if my spiritual life is to thrive. Thus I am kept lowly and humble. Thus I gain the largest and most adequate conception of my Saviours power and love. Thus I recall the great constraining motive to serve and obey.
Yes, but let me be just as certain of the heights. After the night of weeping, the morning of joy; why should I live as if the gloomy and heavy shadows still enveloped me? Instead of turning my gaze inward to my own moods and frames and words and waysthere is neither certitude nor peace nor help for pain in that quarterlet me look out and up to my glorious Lord. Such a sufficiency is in Him; in His sacrifice, His intercession. His Holy Spirit, His prevailing power, His infinite love. In a profounder acquaintance with Him lies the antidote to fear. In fellowship day by day with Him, mine is a sure dwelling and a quiet resting-place.
Fuente: Church Pulpit Commentary
Psa 30:12. To the end that my glory My soul, or rather, my tongue; for to the tongue both singing and silence most properly belong; may sing praise to thee May bear testimony to thy truth and faithfulness, manifested in fulfilling thy promises, and may ascribe to thee the glory and praise due to thy infinite perfections.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
30:12 To the end that [my] {l} glory may sing praise to thee, and not be silent. O LORD my God, I will give thanks unto thee for ever.
(l) Because you have preserved me that my tongue should praise you, I will not be unmindful of my duty.