Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Psalms 64:9
And all men shall fear, and shall declare the work of God; for they shall wisely consider of his doing.
9. all men ] Upon men in general (cp. Psa 58:11) this judgement produces an impression of wholesome fear, in contrast to the profane fearlessness of the ungodly ( Psa 64:4).
And they declare the work of God,
And understand his operation:
publicly acknowledging that He rules in the world, and interpreting for themselves the meaning of the judgement. For ‘work,’ ‘operation,’ cp. Psa 28:5; for ‘understand,’ Psa 106:7; and generally, Hos 14:9.
The P.B.V. all men that see it presumes a slightly different and inferior reading.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
And all men shall fear – That is, a deep impression would be made, not only on the associates and companions of the wicked, but on all that should hear of what was done. People, in view of the just punishment of the wicked, would learn to reverence God, and to stand in awe of One so powerful and so just. Judgments, punishment, wrath, are adapted and designed to make a deep impression on mankind. On this principle, the final punishment of the wicked will make a deep and salutary impression on the universe forever.
And shall declare the work of God – Shall make it known to others. It will become a subject of conversation, or they will talk about it, as illustrating the divine perfections and character. Such should always be the effect of the judgments of God, for they illustrate his true character; they make known his attributes; they convey to the world lessons of the utmost importance. Nothing is more proper than to talk about the judgments of God, and to endeavor to derive from them the instructions which they are adapted to convey about the divine nature, and the principles of the administration under which the universe is placed. Wars, pestilences, famines, earthquakes, conflagrations, inundations, diseases, all teach important lessons about God; and each one bears its own special message to mankind.
For they shall wisely consider of his doing – They shall attentively and carefully consider it; they shall endeavor to derive such lessons from his dealings as they are suited to convey. In other words, an attentive consideration of his doings will contribute to maintain a just knowledge of world in subjection to him. God is thus always speaking to human beings; and nothing is more proper for human beings than to give their minds to a careful consideration of what is really intended to be taught us by the events which are occurring in his providential dealings.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Psa 64:9-10
And all men shall fear, and shall declare the work of God; for they shall wisely consider of His doing.
Preservation from enemies
I. An act of God. His enemies were strong and powerful, but God was omnipotent, and in Him was his help and trust; they designed his utter ruin, but God turned their mischief upon their own heads.
1. The suddenness of their destruction.
2. The manner of the discovery, and prevention of his danger.
II. Its effect upon men in general.
1. Fear, which naturally arises in mens minds upon the apprehensions of Gods irresistible power and greatness; for whom has an arm like God? or who can thunder with a voice like Him? yea, who can hear His voice and not tremble? or see His hand stretched out and not be afraid? All men shall fear, but fear alone will not profit us; for the devils tremble before the power they hate, and wicked men may dread Gods vengeance, where they are unwilling to see His hand; and therefore here follows another effect, which such signal actions have upon men.
2. They shall declare the work of God. And this is an effect as general and large as the other, though upon different accounts; for even they who are unwilling to own it shall be forced to acknowledge it, and they for whose sake it is done shall rejoice to publish it.
3. They shall wisely consider of His doing. That is, they shall better understand the method of Gods proceedings, and the reasons of His dealings in the world; for these things make it plain that God takes care of the affairs of His people, and that the enemies of His Church shall not be able to prevail against her.
III. A duty resulting from all these considerations, and chiefly incumbent on good men.
1. The righteous shall be glad in the Lord. A duty no less easy than pleasant, and that which we all seem to covet most; that which we eagerly pursue as the best of this worlds satisfaction, joy and rejoicing.
2. The righteous shall trust in Him. And good reason indeed to trust in Him, of whose favour and lovingkindness we have had so large experience; well may we rely on that power which is so able to protect us; well may we depend on that providence which so remarkably takes care of us.
3. All the upright in heart shall glory. They shall glory in His strength, and triumph in His favour. But that is not all; they shall glory in the confusion of the wicked, and rejoice in the continual disappointment of such treacherous designs. (H. Dove, D. D.)
Providential deliverance
I. The necessity there is of attention and consideration, to discover the hand of God, and the manner of its working, in those events of which we are informed either by history, or our own experience.
They shall consider of His doing.
II. The wisdom of thus considering–They shall wisely consider of His doing.
III. Certain marks whereby we may at any time discern an especial providence, Diligently to mark, and carefully to treasure up in our minds, the special providences of the Almighty, is the way to preserve and nourish our faith and hope in Him; it furnishes the grounds of our thankfulness and praise; it stirs up our finest feelings and very best affections toward Him; holy joy, humble reverence, and hearty love; it supports us under all our sufferings; and affords us comfort in all our sorrows. (Bishop Horne.)
All the upright in heart shall glory.–
All the upright in heart shall glory
1. The dispositions of the persons. All the upright in heart, and then, the retribution upon these persons, They shall glory, or, they shall be celebrated, they shall be praised. In the first, the qualification of the persons, we shall pass by these steps; first, that God in His punishments and rewardings proposes to Himself persons. God does not begin at a retribution, nor begin at a condemnation, before He have persons, persons fit to be rewarded, persons fit to be condemned. God did not first make a heaven and a hell, and after think of making man, that He might have some persons to put in them; but, first for His glory He made man, and for those, who, by a good use of His grace preserved their state, heaven; and for those who, by their own fault fell, He made hell. And, in the qualifications of these persons, He proposes first a rectitude, a directness, an uprightness; declinations downward, deviations upon the wrong hand, squint-eyed men, left-handed men (in a spiritual sense), He meddles not withal. They must be direct, and upright; and then, upright in heart; for, to be good to ill ends (as, in many eases, a man may be), God accepts not, regards not. But, let him be a person thus qualified, upright, upright because he loves uprightness, upright in heart; and then, he is infallibly embraced in that general rule, and proposition, that admits no exception. All the upright in heart shall be partakers of this retribution; and in these branches we shall determine our first part, first, that God proposes to Himself persons; persons thus and thus qualified; He begins at them. Secondly, that God had rather dwell Himself, and propose to us the considerations of good persons, than bad, of His mercies, than His judgments, for He mentions no other here, but persons capable of His retributions; and then, the goodness that God considers, is rectitude, and rectitude in the root, in the heart; and from that root grows that spreading universality, that infallibility. All such are sure of the reward. And then, in our second part, in the reward itself, though it be delivered here in the whole bar, in the ingot, in the wedge, in bullion, in one single word, Gloriabuntur, Laudabuntur, they shall glory, yet it admits this mintage, and coining, and issuing in lesser pieces, that first we consider the thing itself, the metal in which God rewards us, glory, praise; and then, since Gods promise is fastened upon that (we shall be praised), as we may lawfully seek the praise of good men, so must we also willingly afford praise to good men, and to good actions. And then, since we find this retribution fixed in the future (we shall be praised, we shall be in glory), there arises this consolation, that though we have it not yet, yet we shall have it; though we be in dishonour, and contempt, and under a cloud, of which we see no end ourselves, yet there is a determined future in God, which shall be made present, we shall overcome this contempt, we shall glory, we shall be celebrated; in which future the consolation is thus much farther exalted, that it is an everlasting future; the glory, and praise, the approbation which we shall receive from good men here, shall flow out and continue to the hosannas in heaven, in the month of saints, and angels, and to the Well done, good and faithful servant, in the mouth of God Himself. (John Donne, D. D.)
Gladness in God
It is only where there is much faith and consequent love that there is much joy. If there is but little heat about the bulb of the thermometer, no wonder that the mercury marks but a low degree. If there is but small faith, there will not be much gladness. The road into Giant Despairs castle is through doubt, which doubt comes from an absence–a sinful absence–in our own experience, of the felt presence of God, and the felt force of the verities of the Gospel. (A. Maclaren, D. D.)
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Psa 65:1-13
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
Verse 9. And all men shall fear] They endeavoured to hide their mischief; but God shall so punish them that all shall see it, and shall acknowledge in their chastisement the just judgment of God. The wicked, in consequence, shall fear, and,
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
All men, i.e. the greater number of those who shall see these events.
The work of God, i.e. this admirable work of Divine power, and wisdom, and faithfulness.
Wisely consider of his doing; learning wisdom by their folly and misery, and avoiding those evil courses which brought them to ruin.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
9, 10. Men, generally, willacknowledge God’s work, and the righteous, rejoicing in it, shall beencouraged to trust Him (Ps58:10).
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
And all men shall fear,…. Either God himself, or his judgments: they shall be frightened at them, learn righteousness by them, worship God, and give glory to him; they shall fear him as King of saints, his judgments being made manifest; not with a slavish fear, but with reverence and godly fear; see Re 11:13;
and shall declare the work of God; the punishments inflicted on wicked men; his work of justice and judgment, which is his work, his strange work; for there is no evil of punishment but the Lord has done it,
Isa 28:21;
for they shall wisely consider of his doings; consider that it is done by him, and done well and wisely, after the counsel of his own will; and so consider it as to be admonished, and take warning and caution by it. This is the use men in general should make of such dispensations of Providence; the use the righteous in particular make of them follows:
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
9 And all men shall see, and shall declare the work of God. He insists more fully upon the good effects which would result from the judgment executed in leading such as had formerly overlooked a Divine Providence altogether, to catch a spirit of inquiry from the singularity of the spectacle; and acquaint themselves with, and speak one to another of a subject hitherto entirely new to them. He intimates, that the knowledge of what God had so signally wrought would extend far and wide — for he says, all men, etc. The Hebrew verb שכל , shachal, employed, admits either of the neuter signification, they shall understand, or of the active, they shall cause others to understand. But as it is usual with David to repeat the same thing twice, perhaps the latter or transitive sense is preferable. Another desirable consequence which would flow from the deliverance granted is mentioned in the last verse, that it would afford matter of joy, hope, and holy triumph to the saints, who would be confirmed in expecting the same help from God which he had extended to his servant David. Those formerly called the righteous are now styled the upright in heart, to teach us, that the only righteousness which proves acceptable is that which proceeds from inward sincerity. This truth I have insisted upon at large elsewhere.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(9) For they shall wisely consider.Rather, And they understand his work.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
9. All men shall fear The wicked no less than the righteous shall recognise this judgment as of God. Psa 53:5.
And shall declare See on Psa 58:11
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Psa 64:9. For they shall wisely consider of For they shall understand, &c.
REFLECTIONS.1st, We have here, 1. David, in fear, crying to God for protection and safety. 2. He opens before God the wickedness of his enemies. Note; (1.) The people of God have been in every age the butt of the malignant tongue; and bitter words of reproach and infamy have been liberally shot forth against them. (2.) Daring sinners harden each other; and, having cast off God’s government, would fain flatter themselves they can elude his omniscience, and promise themselves impunity in their iniquities. (3.) They who are maliciously bent on mischief, stop at no pains to accomplish their designs: how few christians serve their Lord so assiduously, heart and hand, as the devil’s servants do their master!
2nd, Though the wicked say, God shall not see, he will awfully convince them of their folly.
1. By his judgments. God shall shoot at them with an arrow; suddenly shall they be wounded: one of his arrows shall do more terrible execution than all theirs; it shall pierce their hearts, and lay them dead at his feet, in the midst of their false and fatal security. Note; (1.) When God strikes, he strikes home, and there is no escape. (2.) The horrid imprecations of the passionate and profane, bring upon their own souls that damnation which they so impiously and rashly denounce on others.
2. The effects of these judgments would be great; fear of their plagues shall make beholders flee to save themselves from perishing among them. All that see it, struck with conviction, shall consider, and own God’s righteous vengeance, and declare it as an admonition to the rising generation. The righteous shall be glad at beholding God glorified, and shall rejoice in his salvation, thus manifested for them; and, by present experience of his gracious interposition, be encouraged to trust him in all future dangers. Note; (1.) It is wisdom to profit by the sufferings or punishments of others. (2.) Many a warning is lost by inconsiderateness. (3.) The persecutors of God’s people should read and learn, and tremble, while the door of hope is yet open. (4.) Though the misery of an enemy, simply considered, cannot be a good man’s delight; yet to be rescued from the oppressor, and to see God’s righteous judgments executed, is just matter of joy. (5.) They who make God their trust, shall find him their glory.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Psa 64:9 And all men shall fear, and shall declare the work of God; for they shall wisely consider of his doing.
Ver. 9. And all men shall fear ] Seeing such and such banged up in gibbets, as it were, for a terror to others, Poena ad paucos, metus ad omnes.
And shall declare the work of God
Abstulit hunc tandem Ruffini poena tumultum,
Absolvitque deos; et non iam ad culmina rerum
Iniustos crevisse queror; tolluntur in altum,
Ut lapsu graviore ruant –
fear: Psa 40:3, Psa 53:5, Psa 119:20, Jer 50:28, Jer 51:10, Rev 11:13
they: Psa 58:11, Psa 107:42, Psa 107:43, Isa 5:12, Eze 14:23, Hos 14:9
Reciprocal: Exo 9:16 – that my Num 23:23 – What hath Job 37:7 – that Psa 52:6 – righteous Psa 109:27 – General Ecc 3:14 – God doeth it Isa 14:16 – shall narrowly Isa 26:9 – for Eze 36:35 – they shall Act 5:5 – great Act 19:17 – and fear 2Ti 2:7 – Consider Rev 11:17 – thou hast
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge