Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Psalms 68:9
Thou, O God, didst send a plentiful rain, whereby thou didst confirm thine inheritance, when it was weary.
9. Thou, O God, didst send &c.] Or, dost send, a general truth, illustrated by God’s dealings with Israel. The verse is explained by, many to refer to the manna and the quails which God ‘rained down’ upon the Israelites (Exo 16:4; Psa 78:24; Psa 78:27); or generally, to all the gifts and blessings which He bestowed upon them in the wilderness. But ‘dwelt’ in Psa 68:10 (though the word is sometimes used of the temporary sojourn in the wilderness, e.g. Num 25:1; Deu 1:46) is most naturally understood of the settlement in Canaan, and the antecedent to ‘therein’ must be ‘thine inheritance,’ i.e. the promised land, which is called God’s inheritance in Exo 15:17; Jer 2:7; Psa 79:1; 2Ma 2:4, “The mount which Moses ascended and viewed the inheritance of God.” Psa 68:9 will thus refer to the gracious preparation of the land of Canaan to be the home of Israel. In contrast to the land of Egypt from which they had come, and the wilderness through which they had passed, it was a land of abundant rain (Deu 11:10-12; Psa 65:9): though it too had known what it was to be ‘weary’ with drought (Gen 47:13). But a plentiful rain, lit. rain of bounteousnesses, is not perhaps to be limited to the literal meaning, but may include all blessings which God pours out upon His people of His gracious liberality.
whereby thou didst confirm ] Omit whereby, which is not in the Heb. Confirm may mean stablish as in Exo 15:17; Psa 48:8; or prepare, LXX .
weary ] Cp., though the word is different, Psa 63:1.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Thou, O God, didst send a plentiful rain – Margin, shake out. Prof. Alexander, a rain of free gifts. The Septuagint and the Vulgate render it, a voluntary or willing rain. The Syriac, the rain of a vow. The Hebrew word translated plentiful means free, voluntary, of its own accord – nedabah – (See the notes at Psa 51:12, where it is rendered free); then it means that which is given freely; and hence, abundantly. It means, therefore, in this place, plentiful, abundant. The reference, however, is to the manna, with which the people were supplied from day to day, and which seemed to be showered upon them in abundance. The word rendered didst send means properly to shake out, as if God shook the clouds or the heavens, and the abundant supplies for their needs were thus shaken out.
Whereby thou didst confirm thine inheritance, when it was weary – Thou didst strengthen thy people when they were exhausted, or were in danger of fainting. In other words, God sent a supply of food – manna, quails, etc. – when they were in the pathless wilderness, and when they were ready to perish.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Psa 68:9
Thou, O God, didst send a plentiful rain, whereby Thou didst confirm Thine inheritance when it was weary.
Refreshing showers
The language is figurative. There is no mention of any rain in Israels history. It was a rain of gifts. He rained down manna upon them, etc. I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and floods, etc. Now, the resemblance to the rain holds good–
I. In their abundance. It is a plentiful rain. So is it with Gods grace
II. In their refreshing, reviving nature. See it in the fields; so is it in human hearts.
III. In their seasonableness–when Gods inheritance was weary. They have been weary times which have preceded the outpouring of the grace of God. See this in history; in homes and Churches; in individual hearts. (E. W. Shalders, B. A.)
Blessing for a weary heritage
I. God has a possession in this world which may be pre-eminently called His own. Thine inheritance. The Church is His–
1. By special choice.
2. By right of conquest.
3. By voluntary self-surrender of His believing people.
II. This heritage upon earth is often exposed to the exhausting influence of trial and discouragement.
1. The length of the way.
2. Open enemies.
3. False friends.
4. Delay of harvest, and fear of final loss.
III. God is at no loss for means and instruments to refresh and replenish His church in critical seasons.
1. These promised influences are timely and seasonable.
2. They are copious and abundant
3. They are fertilizing and vitally influential. (Homiletic Magazine.)
A gracious rain refreshes Gods inheritance when weary
I. The people of God are His inheritance. This implies that He peculiarly loves, delights in, and cultivates His inheritance; and receives from them, in return, those fruits of righteousness, of worship, and of praise, in which the revenue of His glory consists.
II. This inheritance, from a variety of causes, is sometimes weary, By too much intercourse with the world; by too close an attention to business; by too free an indulgence in the enjoyments of life; the people of God become barren and unfruitful. And when they are brought to a sense of their condition, no land parched with drought ever thirsted more for the refreshing rain of heaven than they long for the renewing grace of God.
III. When it is weary, God, in great compassion, sends a gracious rain upon his inheritance, and refreshes it. There is not a more perceptible effect produced upon the face of nature, by the rain which descends from heaven, than in the soul of man, by the rain of heavenly grace. What a verdure; what a freshness, in the one case; and in the other, what a serenity of soul; what a kindness of temper; what a humbleness of mind; what a sanctity of heart; what a blessed hope; what an unspeakable peace; what a reviving like the corn; what a growing like the lily; what a casting forth of roots as Lebanon; what a spreading of the branches of the tree of life; what an olive-like beauty–are the fruits of this gracious rain, this heavenly refreshing! The refreshing of which we speak does not produce feelings and affections merely grateful. The beauty which is imparted is the beauty of holiness. It is a beautifying of the meek with salvation. Ask yourselves, then, this question: Am I refreshed by the Word of God? Does it come to me not in word only, but in power, in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance? (M. Jackson.)
Refreshing influences
Trace the analogy between the effects of rain on the earth and the influence of the Holy Spirit on the Church.
I. Cleansing. No rain in March, no rain in April, and no rain till the middle of May; the grass, the flower, the shrub, the bush, and the tree were covered with malarial excrescences, parasites, blight and dust. How long would it take the women of England, with brush and duster in hand, to dust the hedges, the gardens, the forests and the fields? They sadly needed it–months without a wash, their beauty was gone. But the rain came, washed away the dust, drowned the parasites, and removed all hindrances to growth. This is the present need of the Church of God: showers of blessings; the washing of regeneration. Conformity to the habits of society, worldliness, talebearing, scandalizing, pride, selfishness, envy, strife, hypocrisy, uncharitableness, assumption of holiness–these are the dust, the excrescences, the parasites, which mar the beauty and retard the growth of the Church of Christ in our day. We need a downpour of the Holy Ghost to wash all away.
II. Fertilizing (Psa 72:6). The mown field suggests the condition of those who are exhausting themselves in the service of Christ, or, at least, those who are throwing off crop after crop of work and experience for the benefit of others. These Christians are the pillars of the truth; towards them our hearts go forth. They are so busy at work that they cannot find fault with others; and so sensible are they of their own unworthiness that they never sit in judgment upon their fellow-Christians. Their motto is, To spend and be spent for Christ. But human energy is inexhaustible, and it needs replenishing–rain upon the mown grass. The rain fills the fibres of the tree, and penetrates the ground to water the roots, so does the influence of prayer water the soul.
III. Ripening. You see the husbandman looking at the cornfield when about ripe. A good shower ripens and fills the grain. The ripeness of the soul is like a shock of corn. God is looking out, and pours His Spirit upon it. (T. Davies, D. D.)
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
Verse 9. Didst send a plentiful rain] geshem nedaboth, a shower of liberality. I believe this to refer to the manna by which God refreshed and preserved alive the weary and hungry Israelites.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Send a plentiful rain; either,
1. In the wilderness; where they oft wanted water, and were by Gods extraordinary care supplied with it. Or rather,
2. In the land of Canaan, which he calls Gods inheritance in the next words; as also Exo 15:17, and in many other places of Scripture; in which Gods people are said to dwell in the next verse, of which, and the things done in it, lie speaks in the following verses, and which, being destitute of those constant supplies from the overflowings of a great river which Egypt enjoyed, God took a special care to supply with rain as occasion required; of which see Deu 11:10,11.
Confirm; or, stablish, or support, or sustain.
Thine inheritance; either thy people; or rather thy land, as was now said. Weary; dry and thirsty, and parched with excessive heat, and ready to faint for want of rain: compare Psa 63:1.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
9, 10. a plentiful raina rainof gifts, as manna and quails.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
Thou, O God, didst send a plentiful rain,…. Not of water literally taken, as when the Israelites passed through the sea,
Ps 77:17; or when the thunderings and lightnings were on Mount Sinai, at the giving of the law, which are commonly attended with rain,
Ex 19:16; or in the land of Canaan, which was the land that drank in the water of the rain of heaven, De 11:11; nor the rain of manna and of quails, as Arama, Ex 16:4; but either the effusion of the Holy Spirit, ordinary or extraordinary; that, on the day of Pentecost, in consequence of Christ’s ascension, prophesied of in this psalm, was a “plentiful” one indeed; when the disciples were filled with the Holy Ghost, and baptized with it: yea, the ordinary measure of the Spirit’s grace in conversion is abundant, and exceeding abundant; it is shed abundantly through Christ, and superabounds sin, and may be called, as the words here signify, “a rain of liberalities” s, or a free and liberal rain; for it comes from the free grace of God, and makes those on whom it descends a willing people in their obedience. The Spirit of God is a free Spirit; and, where he is, there is liberty, in the exercise of grace, and in the discharge of duty. Or else the ministration of the Gospel t is meant; which is compared to rain, De 32:2. This, especially in the first times of the Gospel, was a very large and plentiful one; it being sent all over the world, and brought forth fruit in every place: this was also a “liberal” one, flowed from the free grace of God; the subject of it is free grace; and the tendency and effect of it are, to make men free from the bondage of the law, and the spirit of bondage which that induces. The Targum is,
“thou hast let down the dews of quickening, and the rains of good pleasure;”
grace, or free favour;
whereby thou didst confirm thine inheritance when it was weary; that is, the church, as the Targum explains it; the inheritance of Christ, which he has chosen, the Father has given him, and he possesses: the people of God, “weary” with the burdensome rites and ceremonies of the law; with their own sins and corruptions, a burden too heavy for them to bear; with the sins of others, among whom they dwell; with the temptations of Satan, with which they are annoyed; with the persecutions of the men of the world, which make them weary sometimes, and faint in their minds; and with the common afflictions of life, which often make them weary of life itself. Now, by the plentiful ministration of the doctrines of the Gospel, accompanied with the Spirit and grace of God, the hearts of the Lord’s people are refreshed, as the weary, dry, and thirsty land, is with a comfortable shower of rain; and by it weary souls have rest, or at least are directed by it to Christ, where they find it: and as the earth is “prepared” u, as the word used signifies, by rain, for the nourishment of plants; so is the church by the Gospel, whose plants are an orchard of pomegranates, for the reviving and fructifying of those who are planted in it; whereby they appear to be trees of righteousness, and the planting of the Lord; and so are confirmed, settled, and established in the house of God, and in the truths of the Gospel.
s “pluviam munificentiarum”, Montanus; “vel liberalitatum”, Vatablus, Gejerus, Michaelis; so Ainsworth; to the same purpose the Tigurine version, Cocceius, Junius Tremellius. t “Dicitur de pluvia”, Psal. lxviii. 10. “quae effusionem Spiritus sancti, et praeconium evangelii designat”. Stockius, p. 660. u “parasti eam”, Michaelis “praeparas”, Gejerus.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
9. Thou, O God! shalt make a liberal rain to fall (19) upon thine inheritance Mention is made here of the continued course of favor which had been extended to the people from the time when they first entered the promised land. It is called the inheritance of God, as having been assigned over to his own children. Others understand by the inheritance spoken of in the verse, the Church, but this is not correct, for it is afterwards stated as being the place where the Church dwelt. The title is appropriately given to the land of Canaan, which God made over to them by right of inheritance. David takes notice of the fact, that, from the first settlement of the seed of Abraham in it, God had never ceased to make the kindest fatherly provision for them, sending his rain in due season to prepare their food. The words translated a liberal rain, read literally in the Hebrew a rain of freenesses, and I agree with interpreters in thinking that he alludes to the blessing as having come in the exercise of free favor, (20) and to God, as having of his own unprompted goodness provided for all the wants of his people. Some read a desirable rain; others, a rain flowing without violence, or gentle; but neither of these renderings seems eligible. Others read a copious or plentiful rain; but I have already stated what appears to me to be the preferable sense. It was a proof, then, of his Divine liberality, that God watered the land seasonably with showers. There is clearly a reference to the site of Judea, which owed its fertility to dews and the rains of heaven. In allusion to the same circumstance, he speaks of its being refreshed when weary. The reason is assigned — because it had been given to his chosen people to dwell in. On no other account was it blessed, than as being the habitation of God’s Church and people. The more to impress upon the minds of the Jews their obligations to Divine goodness, he represents them as pensioners depending upon God for their daily food. He fed them upon the finest of the wheat, giving them wine, and honey, and oil in abundance — still he proportioned the communication of his kindness so as to keep them always dependent in expectation upon himself. Some, instead of reading, Thou wilt prepare with thy goodness, etc., render it, Thou wilt prepare with rich food; but, without absolutely objecting to this translation, I rather think that he adverts to the circumstance of God’s being led to provide for his people entirely by his own good pleasure.
(19) Heb. Shall shake out, i. e. , from the clouds, a liberal rain.
(20) Ainsworth reads, “a rain of liberalities.” Horsley, “a shower of unmerited kindnesses;” “literally,” says he, “ a plentiful rain, rain being used here metaphorically.”
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(9, 10) Thou, O God . . .The text of these two verses literally runs, A rain of gifts thou shakest out, O God, on thine inheritance, and when exhausted didst refresh it. Thy living creatures dwell therein; thou makest provision of thy goodness for the afflicted, O God. The rain of gifts has been variously explained as actual showers, blessings of prosperity, outpourings of the Holy Spirit. Both the latter might no doubt be implied in the expression, but some particular material blessing seems indicated, and in connection with the desert wanderings the rain of manna suggests itself. By thine inheritance we understand Gods people, as in Deu. 4:20; Psa. 28:9, &c. The living creatures in the next verse will then probably be the quails; and a slight emendation, lately suggested, carries conviction along with it. It consists in bringing thy living creatures into Psa. 68:9, and, by the insertion of a letter, to read instead of they dwell thereinthey are satisfied with it (comp. Psa. 78:24-25). This gives the rendering, and when it was exhausted thou didst refresh it with thy living creatures; they are satisfied therewith. (Burgess.)
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
9. Confirm thine inheritance, when it was weary Literally, Thine inheritance, when it was faint, thou hast established. The privations of the desert naturally induced impatience, doubts, and murmurings, but from time to time the people were re-established in faith and constancy by those opportune supplies. Thus, God tempers the trial. 1Co 10:13. “Inheritance” is a term of endearment, and points to the intimate relation of Israel to God as Father, Proprietor, and Lord. Deu 32:9
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Psa 68:9. Thou, O God, didst send a plentiful rain What this shower was, is not by all agreed. Sometimes the Israelites were supplied with wells, and at other times God gave them miraculously water from rocks. The dropping of the heavens, in the foregoing verse, cannot be intended; because this plentiful rain is spoken of as a distinct thing from it. And the description of a shower, as it were voluntarily falling, distinguished it from a thunder-shower, occasioned by the violent bursting of the clouds. I think, therefore, that this shower relates to the manna and the quails which were rained down on them from heaven. Thus God told them, I will rain bread from heaven for you, Exo 16:4. And the Psalmist puts them in mind, He commanded the clouds from above, and opened the doors of heaven, and rained down manna upon them to eat, and gave them of the corn of heaven; Psa 78:23-24. He rained flesh also upon them as dust, and feathered fowls as the sand of the sea, Psa 68:27. This may truly be called a kind of spontaneous shower; as both the manna and the quails offered themselves to their hands, without any pains or labour in the people to procure them. By this shower, says the sacred writer, thou didst confirm thine inheritance; (see Deu 32:9.) that is, “didst recruit and refresh thy people;” for they greatly needed it, as they were weary; i.e. tired and almost worn out with hunger, the hardships of which they bore with great impatience and murmuring. See Exo 16:3.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
What is this plentiful rain, which Jehovah sent upon his inheritance, but Christ himself? He, it was said, should come down like rain upon the mown grass; Psa 72:6 . And when Jesus comes to a church, to a land, to a people, to an individual, what gifts and graces of the Spirit doth he bring with him, to bless, and refresh, and make happy? Reader! observe, the expression, to confirm the Lord’s inheritance. Yes! the gift of God’s dear Son is a confirmation of all covenant-promises. Hence the Lord made both the wilderness and Canaan, with types only of gospel mercies, to blossom as a rose. Hence the Lord sent the quails, and the manna, and the milk and honey, as so many tokens of divine favor, and as a pledge of the everlasting riches of the Lord Jesus, in the enjoyment of whom Jehovah would confirm his covenant with Abraham forever. Gen 12:3 . In the faith of this, the Patriarchs lived and died, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and embraced them: and thus in the overflowing goodness of the Lord, the Lord manifested his love to his poor. Heb 11:13 .
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Psa 68:9 Thou, O God, didst send a plentiful rain, whereby thou didst confirm thine inheritance, when it was weary.
Ver. 9. Thou, O God, didst send a plentiful rain ] Heb. Thou didst speak out a rain of liberalities. Spiritually this meaneth the doctrine of the gospel, Deu 32:2 Isa 45:8 Hos 14:6 , and the gifts of the Holy Ghost, bestowed freely and plentifully.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
didst: Psa 65:9-13, Psa 77:16, Psa 77:17, Psa 78:24-27, Deu 11:10-12, Deu 11:14, Eze 34:26
send: Heb. shake out
confirm thine inheritance: Heb. confirm it.
Reciprocal: Lev 26:4 – Then I 1Ki 8:36 – give rain 2Ch 6:27 – send rain Psa 84:6 – the rain Psa 119:22 – Remove Isa 41:17 – the poor Joh 14:28 – If Act 14:17 – and gave
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Psa 68:9. Thou, O God, didst send a plentiful rain, &c. Hebrew, , , geshem nedaboth, a rain of spontaneousness, or liberality. The Seventy render it, , a spontaneous, voluntary, or free rain. As we do not read of any showers of rain that fell during the continuance of the Israelites in the wilderness, except that before mentioned on Sinai, the people being supplied with water, partly from wells which they found, and partly by miracle from rocks, Dr. Chandler thinks the plentiful rain here mentioned relates to the manna and the quails, which were rained down on them from heaven. Thus God promised, I will rain bread from heaven for you, Exo 16:4; and the psalmist observes, Psa 68:23-24; Psa 68:27, He opened the doors of heaven, and rained down manna upon them to eat, and gave them of the corn of heaven. He rained flesh also upon them as dust, and feathered fowls as the sand of the sea. This, he thinks, may truly be called a kind of spontaneous shower; as both the manna and the quails offered themselves to their hands without any pains or labour in the people to procure them. By this shower, says the sacred writer, thou didst confirm thine inheritance, (see Deu 32:9;) that is, didst recruit and refresh thy people; for they greatly needed it, as they were weary; that is, tired, and almost worn out with hunger, the hardships of which they bore with great impatience and murmuring. There is, however, one great objection to this interpretation of the passage. It does not seem to comport with the next verse, which speaks of the congregation of Israel as dwelling in the inheritance refreshed by this rain, which inheritance was certainly the land of Canaan. In this they had dwelt for many ages when David wrote this Psalm, and though they had sometimes been chastised with drought, yet they had often witnessed the descent of abundant rains upon their country, which were the more necessary and desirable, because it was hilly and of a dry soil, and not watered, like Egypt, by the overflowings of a great river. See Deu 11:10-11.