Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Psalms 66:3
Say unto God, How terrible [art thou in] thy works! through the greatness of thy power shall thine enemies submit themselves unto thee.
3. How terrible art thou in thy works! ] Better as R.V., How terrible are thy works! Cp. Psa 65:5; Rev 15:3.
through the greatness of thy power ] Rather, of thy strength; cp. Psa 46:1; Psa 63:2; Psa 68:33-34.
submit themselves unto thee ] Or, come cringing unto thee. The word, which means literally to lie (hence P.B.V. be found liars unto thee) and so to yield feigned obedience, denotes the unwilling homage paid by the conquered to their conqueror. Cp. Psa 18:44; Psa 81:15; Deu 33:29.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Say unto God – In your songs of praise. Let your songs be directly addressed to him, setting forth the grounds of that praise, or the reasons why it is due to him.
How terrible art thou in thy works! – How fearful! how much to be reverenced! The meaning is, that the manifestations of his power and greatness, in the events which occur under his government, are suited to impress the mind with awe and reverence.
Through the greatness of thy power – By the putting forth of thy power. Or, Thou hast such power over thine enemies as to be able to compel them to submit to thee.
Shall thine enemies submit themselves unto thee – Margin, Lie, or yield reigned obedience. The Hebrew word means to lie, to speak lies; then, to feign, to flatter, to play the hypocrite. It is thus applied to the vanquished, who make a hollow profession of submission and love to their victors. See the word explained in the notes at Psa 18:44; compare Psa 81:15; Deu 33:29; Job 31:28. The meaning here is, that he had power to subdue them, and to compel them to acknowledge his right to reign. It is the putting forth of mere power which is here referred to; and all that such power can do, is to secure outward and reigned submission. It cannot of itself secure the submission of the heart, the will, and the affections. That is to be secured by love, not by power; and the difference between the submission of the true people of God and that of all others is that the former are subdued by love, the latter by power; the submission of the former is genuine, that of the latter is forced. The inhabitants of heaven will be submissive to God because they love him; the dwellers in hell will be restrained by power, because they cannot deliver themselves. So now, the submission of a true child of God is that of love, or is a willing submission; the submission of a hypocrite is that of fear, when he feigns obedience because he cannot help it, or because he simply dreads the wrath of God. The object here is to celebrate the power of God, and it was sufficient, in order to set that forth, to say that it awed, and outwardly subdued the enemies of God.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 3. How terrible art thou ] Consider the plagues with which he afflicted Egypt before he brought your fathers from their captivity, which obliged all his enemies to submit.
Thine enemies submit themselves] Literally, lie unto thee. This was remarkably the case with Pharaoh and the Egyptians. They promised again and again to let the people go, when the hand of the Lord was upon them: and they as frequently falsified their word.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
How terrible art thou in thy works! To wit to thine enemies, as it follows. Submit themselves unto thee, Heb. lie unto thee, i.e. profess subjection to thee, not sincerely and freely, but by constraint, and out of a servile fear.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
3, 4. A specimen of the praise.
How terrible(ComparePs 65:8).
submit(CompareMargin), show a forced subjection (Ps18:44), produced by terror.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
Say unto God,…. Or, “concerning God” t, as some; or, “before God”, as the Targum; say to him as follows, in psalms and hymns of praise:
how terrible art thou in thy works! or “reverend” u; to be feared and reverenced with a godly fear on account of them; such as the works of nature and providence, which are stupendous and marvellous, fearfully and wonderfully wrought; and especially those of grace and redemption, in which the goodness of Christ is manifest, and for which he is to be feared: unless rather his judgments upon his enemies are here meant; who, though he is a Lamb to his own people, is the Lion of the tribe of Judah to them, whom he will break in pieces as a potter’s vessel it may be read, “how terrible”, or “tremendous”, is everyone of “thy works”; so Aben Ezra, and also Jarchi, who interprets the next clause,
through the greatness of thy power, thus,
“when thou showest to the world thy power, by the pestilence, or sword, or famine, or lightnings:”
shall thine enemies submit themselves unto thee? in a lying, flattering, and deceitful manner, as the word w here used signifies;
[See comments on Ps 18:44]; or, as the above interpreters,
“they shall, through the greatness of fear, confess the lies and transgressions they have committed.”
It will be a forced, and not a free, confession and submission; Christ’s enemies, whether they will or not, will be obliged to own that he is Lord, to the glory of God the Father, Php 2:10.
t “dicite de Deo”, Campensis apud Gejerum; and some in Michaelis. u “reverendus”, Junius Tremellius. w “mentientur”, V. L. Musculus, Montanus “mendaciter se dedunt”, Junius & Tremellius, Piscator, Amama.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
3. Say unto God, How terrible art thou in thy works! Here he proceeds to state the grounds why he would have us to praise God. Many content themselves with coldly descanting to others of his praises, but with the view of awakening and more deeply impressing our hearts, he directs us to address ourselves immediately to God. It is when we hold converse with him apart, and with no human eye to witness us, that we feel the vanity of hypocrisy, and will be likely to utter only what we have well and seriously meditated in our hearts. Nothing tends more to beget a reverential awe of God upon our spirits than sisting ourselves in his presence. What the Psalmist adds is fitted and designed to produce the same feeling, that through the greatness of God’s power, his enemies feign submission to him Are they who would perversely and obstinately revolt from his service, forced to humble themselves before him, whether they will it or not, how much more, then, ought his own children to serve him, who are invited into his presence, by the accents of tenderness, instead of being reduced to subjection by terror? There is an implied contrast drawn between the voluntary homage which they yield, as attracted by the sweet influences of grace, and that slavish obedience which is wrung reluctantly from the unbeliever. The Hebrew word here used for to lie, signifies to yield such a submission as is constrained, and not free or cordial, as Psa 18:45. Neither the words nor the scope favor the other senses which have been suggested, as, that his enemies would acknowledge themselves to have been deceived in their hopes, or that they would deny having ever intended hostilities against him. There are many ways in which hypocrites may lie, but nothing more is meant by the Psalmist here, than that the power of God is such as to force them into a reluctant subjection.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
3. Say unto God The psalmist now directs how to fulfil the requirement of Psa 66:2: namely, by rehearsing and proclaiming the great events which have transpired, and ascribing them to God.
Terrible thy works The redemption of Israel from Egypt and Babylon was accomplished by acts of divine power which struck the idolatrous nations with terror. Thus is it in all ages. The triumph of the Church is the downfall of Christ’s enemies. Grace and judgment play their respective parts. See Psalms 2; Revelation 18; Rev 19:1-8.
Submit themselves , ( kahhash,) rendered “submit,” properly signifies to deceive, to lie, to feign, and must be here understood of that feigned submission, outward and formal but unreal and heartless which captives yield to a conqueror. So in Psa 18:44; Psa 81:15. Thus “the haters of the Lord shall submit themselves” with forced confession, being subdued and terrified at the majesty, power, and glory of God.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Psa 66:3. Thine enemies submit themselves unto thee According to the original, iekachashu leka, lie unto thee. See on Psa 18:44.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
If we read these verses with reference to the great work of redemption wrought upon the heart of a sinner, how very decisive are they of the covenant promises made to the person of the Redeemer by the Father, concerning the certainty of his success: Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power. Rule thou in the midst of thine enemies. See Psa 110 throughout; Psa 114 throughout: Psa 45:3-5 .
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Psa 66:3 Say unto God, How terrible [art thou in] thy works! through the greatness of thy power shall thine enemies submit themselves unto thee.
Ver. 3. Say unto God ] Hereby it appeareth that this, among other psalms of like nature, was written for the perpetual use of the Church, and to serve for a set form of praising God, as occasion required, either in public or private.
Shall thine enemies submit themselves unto thee How terrible: Psa 47:2, Psa 65:5, Psa 76:12, Exo 15:1-16, Exo 15:21, Jdg 5:2-4, Jdg 5:20-22, Isa 2:19, Isa 64:3, Jer 10:10
through: Psa 18:44, Psa 22:28, Psa 22:29, Psa 68:30, Psa 81:15
submit themselves: or, yield feigned obedience, Heb. lie, Psa 78:35, Psa 78:36
Reciprocal: Exo 8:8 – and I will Exo 8:29 – deal Exo 34:10 – a terrible Deu 33:29 – found liars 1Sa 6:5 – give glory 1Sa 13:12 – I forced 2Sa 1:2 – he fell 2Sa 7:23 – great things 2Sa 19:18 – fell down 2Sa 22:45 – submit themselves 1Ki 21:29 – Ahab 1Ch 16:25 – he also 1Ch 17:21 – greatness Ezr 9:3 – sat Neh 4:14 – great Neh 9:32 – our God Job 37:23 – excellent Psa 18:39 – subdued Psa 45:5 – people Psa 65:8 – afraid Psa 66:5 – terrible Psa 92:5 – O Lord Psa 96:4 – he is Psa 99:3 – thy great Psa 145:5 – will speak Isa 25:3 – General Isa 40:10 – his arm Isa 41:5 – the ends Isa 48:1 – not in truth Jer 3:10 – feignedly Jer 6:20 – To what Nah 1:3 – great Mar 5:6 – he ran Luk 20:20 – feign 2Ti 1:5 – unfeigned Jam 4:7 – Submit 2Pe 2:3 – with
66:3 Say unto God, How terrible [art thou in] thy works! through the greatness of thy power shall thine enemies {b} submit themselves unto thee.
(b) As the faithful obey God willingly, so the infidels disguise themselves as obedient out of fear.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes