Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Psalms 37:39
But the salvation of the righteous [is] of the LORD: [he is] their strength in the time of trouble.
39. their strength ] R.V. their strong-hold (Psa 27:1); or perhaps their asylum.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
39, 40. Stanza of Tav. Jehovah’s faithfulness to His own.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
But the salvation of the righteous is of the Lord – Or, salvation comes to the righteous from the Lord. While the wicked are cut off, the righteous shall be safe. There are evidently two ideas here:
(1) that there will be salvation to the righteous, while the wicked are cut off;
(2) that this comes from the Lord, and not from themselves.
It is not owing to any power of their own that they are safe, but is solely because they are kept by the Lord.
He is their strength in the time of trouble – See Psa 9:9, note; Psa 18:2, note.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Psa 37:39-40
The salvation of the righteous is of the Lord.
A testimony to free and Sovereign grace
The salvation of the righteous in the broadest sense of the word is of the Lord; and the more breadth of meaning we give to it, the more completely we shall see that it must be divine. At the same time, our life is made up of a series of salvations, and each of these is of the Lord. We are constantly being saved, saved from this and that form of danger and evil. As each daily trouble threatens to engulf us, we are saved from it. As each temptation, like a dragon, threatens to swallow us up, we are saved from it. Our God is the God of salvations.
I. This is the essence of sound doctrine. The salvation of the righteous is of the Lord, even of the Triune Jehovah, Father, Son and Holy Ghost, in–
1. The planning.
2. The providing.
3. The beginning.
4. The carrying on.
5. The completion.
II. This is a necessary fact. The saints recognize it; for–
1. Their inward conflicts make them know that God alone must work salvation. They are too fickle and feeble to save themselves.
2. Their outward temptations drive them to the same conclusion. They are well kept whom God keeps, but none else.
3. The worlds hate drives them away from all hope in that quarter. God is greater than a world in arms.
4. Their daily trials and afflictions would crush them if Omnipotence did not sustain them. Only Gods grace can be all-sufficient.
5. The perishing of hypocrites is a sad proof of how little man can do. Temporary believers perish like blossoms which never knit to fruit, and therefore fail from the tree.
III. This is a sweet consolation. This truth, that unto God the Lord belongeth the salvation of His saints, acts graciously–
1. Leading them to solid trust.
2. Exciting them to believing prayer.
3. Urging them to look out of self.
4. Inspiring them with great thoughts of God, and–
5. Leading them to offer adoring praise unto their Redeemer.
IV. This is a reason for humility.
1. It strips the righteous of all pride in the fact of their being saved.
2. Of all exaltation of self because they continue in their integrity.
3. Of all undue censure of the fallen; for they, themselves, would have failed had not the Lord upheld them.
4. Of all self-confidence as to the future, since their weakness is inherent and abiding.
5. Of all self-glorying, even in heaven, since in all things they are debtors to sovereign grace.
V. This is a fruitful ground of hope.
1. In reference to our own difficulties: God can give us deliverance.
2. In reference to our tried brethren: the Lord can sustain, sanctify, and deliver them.
3. In reference to seeking souls: we may leave their cases in the Saviours hands. He is able to save to the uttermost.
4. In reference to sinners: they cannot be too degraded, obstinate, ignorant, or false; God can work salvation even in the worst. (C. H. Spurgeon.)
Psa 38:1-22
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
Verse 39. The salvation of the righteous is of the Lord] It is the Lord who made them righteous, by blotting out their sins, and infusing his Holy Spirit into their hearts; and it is by his grace they are continually sustained, and finally brought to the kingdom of glory: “He is their strength in the time of trouble.”
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
The salvation of the righteous is of the Lord; and therefore it shall certainly come to them.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
39, 40. strength (Psa 27:1;Psa 28:8).
troublestraits(Psa 9:9; Psa 10:1).In trust and quietness is the salvation of the pious from all foesand all their devices.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
But the salvation of the righteous [is] of the Lord,…. Both their temporal, spiritual, and eternal salvation; particularly the latter, which is originally of the Lord, and springs from the thoughts, purposes, and resolutions of his heart: it is of him freely, of his rich grace and abundant mercy; and it is of him fully and completely; it is an entire salvation of soul and body; includes all blessings of grace and glory in it; it is to the uttermost, and from all sin, and every enemy; and it is of him only; there is no salvation in any other; and the glory of it is to be ascribed to him, even to Jehovah, Father, Son, and Spirit; for all the three divine Persons have a concern in it: the determination, contrivance, and settlement of it, is of Jehovah the Father; the impetration or effecting of it is of Jehovah the Son; and the application of it is of Jehovah the Spirit; [See comments on Ps 3:8];
[he is] their strength in the time of trouble; by reason of the hidings of God’s face, the temptations of Satan, the prevalence of corruptions, the weakness of grace, and the many afflictions that befall them from God and men; the Lord he is their strong hold and munition of rocks, whither they, betake themselves, and find help, protection, and safety; he puts underneath everlasting arms, bears them up, and upholds them with the right hand of his righteousness; and is the strength of their hearts, of their lives, and of their salvation.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
The salvation of the righteous cometh from Jahve; it is therefore characterized, in accordance with its origin, as sure, perfect, and enduring for ever. is an apposition; the plena scriptio serves, as in 2Sa 22:33, to indicate to us that is meant in this passage to signify not a fortress, but a hiding-place, a place of protection, a refuge, in which sense Arab. ma’adllh (the protection of God) and madwjhllh (the protection of God’s presence) is an Arabic expression (also used as a formula of an oath); vid., moreover on Psa 31:3. The moods of sequence in Psa 37:40 are aoristi gnomici. The parallelism in Psa 37:40 is progressive after the manner of the Psalms of degrees. The short confirmatory clause kicha’subo forms an expressive closing cadence.
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
39 The salvation of the righteous is from Jehovah The sum of the whole is, that whatever may happen, the righteous shall be saved, because they are in the hand of God, and can never be forgotten by him. This ought to be particularly noticed, that those who are greatly afflicted may be sustained by the assurance that the salvation which they expect from God is infallibly certain, because God is eternal, and governs the world by his power; as Christ said,
“
My Father, who gave them me, is greater than all,” (Joh 10:29.)
David still inculcates this principle, that as righteousness is approved of God, it can never happen that he should forsake his faithful servants, and deprive them of his help. He, therefore, exhorts true believers to depend upon God, not only when things prosper according to their desires, but even when they are sorely afflicted. By these words he teaches that it is enough, if God only impart strength to his servants, so that, when severely afflicted and oppressed with anguish, they may not faint under it, or that, when groaning under the weight of severe afflictions, they may not sink under the burden. To the same purpose also is the expression which David uses twice in the last verse, that God will deliver By this he admonishes the children of God to learn patiently to endure afflictions, and that, if God should prolong them, they should often recall this to their remembrance, that after he has tried their patience, he will in the end deliver them.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
Psa 37:39 But the salvation of the righteous [is] of the LORD: [he is] their strength in the time of trouble.
Ver. 39. But the salvation of the righteous, &c. ] Etenim ut paucis omnia complectar, their salvation, temporal and eternal, is of the Lord; so is also the destruction of the wicked, as is here necessarily implied.
He is their strength, &c.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
But. Some codices, with Syriac and Vulgate, omit “But”, thus making the Tau the first letter instead of the second.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
salvation: Psa 3:8, Isa 12:2, Jon 2:9, Eph 2:8
strength: Psa 9:9, Psa 46:1, Psa 91:15, Isa 33:2, Col 1:11, 2Ti 4:17
Reciprocal: 2Ch 16:8 – because 2Ch 32:22 – Lord Psa 41:1 – Lord Psa 62:1 – from Psa 97:10 – preserveth Psa 143:11 – bring Psa 145:19 – he also will Jer 3:23 – in the Lord Jer 14:8 – in time Jer 39:18 – because Dan 6:16 – Thy God Rev 7:10 – Salvation
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
37:39 But the {z} salvation of the righteous [is] of the LORD: [he is] their strength in the time of trouble.
(z) He shows that the patient hope of the godly is never in vain, but in the end has good success, though for a time God proves them by various temptations.
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
In conclusion, David focused again on the Lord. He is the salvation of those who take refuge in Him. He is their strength, help, and deliverer. Therefore the righteous should continue to trust in Him even when the wicked prosper and oppose them.
God’s people should not stop trusting in the Lord because the wicked prosper temporarily, nor should we despair when they seem to prevail against us. Rather, we should continue to trust in the Lord, take refuge in Him, and rely on His faithfulness to His promises. Reviewing His past faithfulness will enable us to do this.
"This poem, more explicitly than the torah psalms, articulates a close and predictable connection between deed and consequence. The purpose of such instruction (which indirectly attests the authority of the sovereign Creator) is to instill in the young socially acceptable modes of behavior. Such behavior contributes decisively to the well-being of the entire community. Thus the argument refers to God, but the case is made largely on utilitarian grounds-it works!" [Note: Brueggemann, p. 43.]