Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Psalms 74:11
Why withdrawest thou thy hand, even thy right hand? pluck [it] out of thy bosom.
11. Why drawest thou back thy hand, even thy right hand?
(Pluck it) out of thy bosom (and) consume (them).
The right hand which in days of old was stretched out to annihilate the Egyptians (Exo 15:12), is now as it were thrust idly into the folded garment. Cp. Lam 2:3.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Why withdrawest thou thy hand, even thy right hand? – Why dost thou not stretch forth thy hand for our deliverance? The hand, especially the right hand, is the instrument by which we wield a sword, or strike a blow; and the expression here is equivalent to asking why God did not interfere and save them.
Pluck it out of thy bosom – As if God had hidden his hand beneath the folds of his garment, or had wrapped his robe tightly around him. It seemed as if he had done this, as if he looked calmly on, and saw the temple fired, the synagogues burned up, the land laid waste, and the people slaughtered, without an attempt to interpose. How often are we constrained to use similar language – to ask a similar question – when iniquity abounds, when crime prevails, when sinners are perishing, when the church mourns – for God seems to have withdrawn his hand, and to be looking on with unconcern! No one can tell why this is so; and, without irreverence, or a spirit of complaining, but deeply affected with the mystery of the fact, we may ask Why this is so.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 11. Why withdrawest thou thy hand] It has been remarked, that as the outward habit of the easterns had no sleeves, the hands and arms were frequently covered with the folds of the robe; and in order to do any thing, the hand must be disentangled and drawn out. The literal version of the Hebrew is: “To what time wilt thou draw back thy hand; yea, thy right hand, from within thy bosom?” Consume; that is, manifest thy power, and destroy thy adversaries. I have, in the introduction to the book of Psalms, spoken of the old metrical version by Sternhold and Hopkins, and have stated that it was formed from the original text. A proof of this may be seen by the learned reader in this and the preceding verse; where, though their version is harsh, and some of their expressions quaint almost to ridicule, yet they have hit the true meaning which our prose translators have missed: –
Ver. 10. When wilt thou once, Lord, end this shame,
And cease thine en’mies strong?
Shall they always blaspheme thy name,
And rail on thee so long?
Ver. 11. Why dost thou draw thy hand aback,
And hide it in thy lap?
O pluck it out, and be not slack
To give thy foes a rap!
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Why withdrawest thou thy hand? why dost thou suspend or forbear the exercise of that power, which thou hast so oft put forth on the behalf of thy people?
Pluck it out of thy bosom, in which thou now seemest to hide it, as idle persons use to do, Pro 19:24; 26:15. Bestir thyself on the behalf of thy people.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
11. Why cease to help us?(Compare Psa 3:7; Psa 7:6;Psa 60:5).
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
Why withdrawest thou thy hand, even that right hand?…. By which is meant the power of God; by which he made the heavens and the earth, and all things therein, and supports them in their beings; by which the work of his grace is wrought in the hearts of his people, and they are upheld; and by which he conquers their enemies, and saves them: this may be said to be withdrawn when he denies his people the help and succour they have had from him; when he seems to have forsaken the work of his hands; when there is not that success in the ministry of the word there formerly was, his arm being not revealed and made bare; and when the enemies of religion prosper and get ground; and when the Lord seems to be altogether inactive and unconcerned, like a man that folds up his arms under his arm holes, or hides his hands in his bosom, see Ps 44:23 wherefore it follows:
pluck it out of thy bosom; as he will one day, and strike with a home blow, antichrist and his followers, and destroy them with his rod of iron, with which he will break them in shivers as a potter’s vessel; and all his enemies shall feel the lighting down of his arm with the indignation of his anger; and then this request will be fulfilled: the word used signifies to “consume” a; and Kimchi interprets it, consume the enemy out of thy bosom, which is the house of the sanctuary; his secret place, as the bosom is to man; but both senses of the word maybe retained, and the meaning be, pluck it out of thy bosom to consume them b: also it signifies to restrain c; and the sense may be, as the above writer observes, restrain it, that it may not return to thy bosom, till thou hast executed judgment on the wicked.
a “consume”, Montanus, Gejerus. b So some in Vatablus. c “Cohibe”, Junius & Tremellius.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
11. How long wilt thou withdraw thy hand? It is easy to see what the prophet here intends, and yet interpreters are not agreed as to the words. Some by the word hand, in the first part of the verse, understand the left hand, to distinguish it from the right hand, mentioned in the last clause of the verse. But this is mere trifling; for when he uses the term right hand, he simply repeats the same thing according to his usual manner. Some translate the verb כלה, kalah, the last word of the verse, by hinder or restrain, as if the prophet had said, Do thou at length stretch forth thy hand, which has been kept too long in thy bosom. But this is a forced sense, to which they have recourse without any color of reason. Those who translate it consume understand the midst of God’s bosom, as denoting allegorically his temple, (228) an interpretation of which I cannot approve. It will be better to continue the interrogation to the last word in this way: “How long wilt thou withdraw thy hand? Yea, wilt thou withdraw it from the midst of thy bosom? Consume, therefore, these ungodly men who so proudly despise thee.” We may also not improperly view the words as a prayer that as God’s enemies persuaded themselves that he was slothful and idle, because he did not bestir himself, nor openly lift up his hand; he would cause them to feel that he was perfectly able to destroy them with his nod alone, although he should not move so much as a finger.
(228) “The Jewish Arab reads, ‘Turn not from them thy hand, even thy right hand, but consume them out of the midst of thy house,’ giving a note, that the house of God is called חיק.” — Hammond
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(11) Why withdrawest thou.Literally, returnest, i.e., into the ample folds of the Eastern robe. The poet is thinking of Exo. 4:7.
Pluck it out of thy bosom.Literally, out of the midst of thy bosom consume. For the same absolute use of this verb comp. Psa. 59:13. The clause is an instance of pregnant construction (comp. Psa. 74:7), and is plainly equivalent to, Why dost thou not pluck out thy right hand to consume?
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
11. Pluck it out of thy bosom With the orientals the hand in the bosom indicates a state of rest, inaction. “In the folds of the garment, in front of the body, they keep their little valuables, (see Psa 79:12, and note,) and there, when they are perfectly at ease, they place their hands.” Roberts.
Psa 74:11. Why withdrawest thou thy hand Their upper garments having no sleeves, the arms were wrapped up and covered under them; and consequently, when the hand was made use of, it must have been disengaged from the garment, and made bare. The phrase, why withdrawest thou thy hand? must therefore imply inactivity, and that God suspended the exercise of his power, and was an inactive spectator of the miseries of his people. In the next verses the Psalmist proceeds to encourage himself in the hopes of deliverance from God, by a review of the mighty works which he had heretofore wrought for his people. See Taylor’s Hebrew Concordance.
Psa 74:11 Why withdrawest thou thy hand, even thy right hand? pluck [it] out of thy bosom.
Ver. 11. Why withdrawest thou thy hand ] Some by hand understand the left hand, and so both hands are withdrawn, yea, held behind ( retrovertis ), after the manner of those that have little to do, and less to care for.
Out of thy bosom bosom. Figure of speech Anthropopatheia. App-6. Septuagint adds here “Selah”. If this was in the primitive text, it marks the division of the Structure; and connects the conclusion of the prayer with the wonderful ground of the plea based upon it; which, with (Psa 74:12) and (verses: Psa 74:13-17) constitute the central members and subjects of the Psalm.
withdrawest: Isa 64:12, Lam 2:3
pluck it out: As the outward habit of the easterns has no sleeves, the hands and arms are frequently covered with the folds of the robe; and, in order to do anything, the hand must be disentangled, and drawn out. Psa 44:23, Psa 78:65, Psa 78:66
Reciprocal: Exo 15:6 – right hand 1Sa 4:3 – Wherefore 2Ki 19:14 – spread it Psa 3:7 – Arise Psa 7:9 – Oh Psa 44:3 – thy right Psa 60:5 – save Psa 83:13 – O my Pro 19:24 – General Lam 5:1 – behold Eze 7:22 – face
GOD AS SILENT AND INACTIVE
Why withdrawest Thou Thy hand?
Psa 74:11
I. This is a great complaint, but it is a complaint of faith.Hardly a gleam of light is to be found throughout. The Psalmist sits in the midst of national desolation and pours out his soul to God, in passionate appeal for His help, and protest against His silence and inactivity. This is not the song of an atheist, but the wail of a believer. He has a past experience of Gods power and a present conviction thereof. The signs of that power are in day and night, in summer and winter. The one place from which He seems to be absent is the place of His peoples distress. The ground of the Psalmists plea is not the distress of these people finally. It is rather that the enemy reproaches the name of Jehovah and blasphemes it. In that central complaint the name Jehovah, which is ever suggestive of the essential Helper, emerges, and there only in the psalm. The master consciousness of the moment is that of God the Mighty One, but there is that deeper knowledge of Him as the Helper of the needy.
II. Again we are thankful that such a psalm has a place here, for it is so true to much human experience.When the heart is hot and restless and it seems as though God had forsaken His own, he is a wise man who turns to Him in a song, even though the song be only a complaint.
Illustrations
(1) Have respect unto the covenant. Here is the master-keyheavens gate must open to this. His covenant He will not break, nor alter the thing that hath gone forth out of His lips. The Lord had promised to bless the seed of Abraham, and make them a blessing; here they plead that ancient word, even as we also may plead the covenant made with the Lord Jesus for all believers. What a grand word it is!
(2) Let us go back on the past. Has God purchased us to cast us aside? Was He our king of old, and will He not work for our salvation still? Did He divide the sea, and break Rabab in pieces, to stultify all His work by deserting us? Aye, and there is no plea so potent as to remind God of His covenant, sealed with the blood of the Cross. Even if we are utterly undeserving and evil, have respect unto the I Wills of Thy covenant.
74:11 Why withdrawest thou thy hand, even thy right hand? {g} pluck [it] out of thy bosom.
(g) They join their deliverance with God’s glory and power, knowing that the punishment of the enemy would be their deliverance.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Fuente: Church Pulpit Commentary
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes