13, 14<\/strong>. The Psalmist dwells upon Jehovah’s all-seeing omniscience in order to emphasise the peculiar privilege of His people. Throned in heaven (1Ki 8:39<\/span> ff.) He surveys all mankind. Cp. Psa 11:4<\/span>; Psa 14:2<\/span>; Psa 102:19-20<\/span>.<\/p>\n The Lord looketh from heaven – <\/B>heaven is represented as his abode or dwelling; and from that place he is represented as looking down upon all the nations of the earth. The meaning here is, that he sees all that dwell upon the earth, and that, therefore, all that worship him are under his eye. He knows their wants, and he will watch over them to protect them. It is not merely to the abstract truth that God sees all who dwell upon the earth that the psalmist means to refer; but that those who are his friends, or who worship him, are all under his eye, so as to enjoy his watchful care and attention.<\/P> He beholdeth all the sons of men – <\/B>All the descendants of Adam, for this is the original. There is no improbability in supposing that the word Adam here (usually meaning man) is employed as a proper name to denote the great ancestor of the human race, and that the psalmist means to refer to the race as one great family descended from a common ancestor, though scattered abroad over the face of the world.<\/P><\/p>\n Verse 13<\/span>. The Lord looketh from heaven<\/B><\/I>] This and the following verse seem to refer to God’s providence<\/I>. He sees all that is done in the earth, and his eye is on all the children of men.<\/P> <\/p>\n 13. looketh<\/B>intently (Isa14:16<\/span>).<\/P><\/p>\n The Lord looketh from heaven<\/strong>,…. Where his throne and temple are, upon the earth and men, and things in it, as follows;<\/p>\n he beholdeth all the sons of men<\/strong>; the evil and the good; which is contrary to the sense of many wicked men, who imagine he takes no notice of what is done here below; but his eye is upon all, upon all the workers of iniquity, how secret soever they may be; and not only his eye of Providence is upon good men, but his eye of love, grace, and mercy; and he has a special and distinct knowledge of them: agreeably to this are some expressions of Heathen writers; says one e,<\/p>\n “the eye of God sees all things;”<\/p>\n says another f,<\/p>\n “there is a great God in heaven who sees all things, and governs.”<\/p>\n e , &c. Hesiod. Opera & Dies, l. 1. v. 263. f , &c. Sophoclis Electra, v. 174, 175.<\/p>\n 13. Jehovah looked down from heaven. The Psalmist still proceeds with the same doctrine, namely, that human affairs are not tossed hither and thither fortuitously, but that God secretly guides and directs all that we see taking place. Now he here commends God’s inspection of all things, that we on our part may learn to behold, and to contemplate with the eye of faith, his invisible providence. There are, no doubt, evident proofs of it continually before our eyes; but the great majority of men, notwithstanding, see nothing of them, and, in their blindness, imagine that all things are under the conduct of a blind fortune. Nay, the more plenteously and abundantly that he sheds his goodness upon us, the less do we raise our thoughts to him, but preposterously settle them down immovably on the external circumstances which surround us. The prophet here rebukes this base conduct, because no greater affront can be offered to God than to shut him up in heaven in a state of idleness. This is the same as if he were to lie buried in a grave. What kind of life would God’s life be, if he neither saw nor took care of any thing? Under the term throne, too, the sacred writer shows, from what is implied in it, what an absurd infatuation it is to divest God of thought and understanding. He gives us to understand by this word, that heaven is not a palace in which God remains idle and indulges in pleasures, as the Epicureans dream, but a royal court, from which he exercises his government over all parts of the world. If he has erected his throne, therefore, in the sanctuary of heaven, in order to govern the universe, it follows that he in no wise neglects the affairs of earth, but governs them with the highest reason and wisdom. <\/p>\n 13-15<\/strong>. <\/strong> The psalmist reiterates the personal and minute inspection of the hearts of all men, to show that this knowledge will make a sure pathway for infinite power to execute eternal justice. <\/p>\n He fashioneth their hearts alike <\/strong> The Hebrew yahhad, <\/em> translated “alike,” and usually translated together, <\/em> here means, wholly, altogether. <\/em> The idea is, that the creation and endowment of man’s heart <\/strong> his intellective, moral, and psychical being <\/strong> is wholly, or altogether, God’s work. The Septuagint renders it , alone, <\/em> and the Vulgate, sigillatim, individually, every one of them. <\/em> The argument requires this sense. God alone made the heart, and he alone perfectly understands all its workings. The passage is parallel to Psa 94:9-10<\/span><\/p>\n 3). Declaration of God’s Sovereignty Over The World (13-19).<\/p>\n a). God looks down on men and sees all that they do (13-15).<\/p>\n Psa 33:13-15<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n <\/strong><\/p>\n YHWH looks from heaven,<\/p>\n He beholds all the sons of men,<\/p>\n From the place of his habitation he looks forth,<\/p>\n Upon all the inhabitants of the earth,<\/p>\n He who fashions the hearts of them all,<\/p>\n Who considers all their works.<\/p>\n The Psalmist then reminds us of God’s sovereignty over the world as He looks down on it from heaven. Compare Psa 22:28<\/span>, ‘for the Kingly Rule is YHWH’s, and He is the ruler over the nations’. He see all the sons of men, as He looks continually forth from His dwellingplace on all the inhabitants of earth (compare Psa 11:4<\/span>; Psa 14:2<\/span>; Psa 102:19-20<\/span>). And it is He Who fashions all their hearts (He ‘works within them to will and do of His good pleasure’ – Php 2:13<\/span>; compare Zec 12:1<\/span>, ‘He shapes the spirit of man within him’), and considers all that they do. Nothing escapes His attention. ‘All things are naked and open to the eyes of Him with Whom we have to do’ (Heb 4:13<\/span>).<\/p>\n b). None are saved apart from His sovereign power (16-19).<\/p>\n Psa 33:16-17<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n <\/strong><\/p>\n ‘There is no king saved by the size of an army (multitude of a host),<\/p>\n A mighty man is not delivered by great strength.<\/p>\n A horse is a vain thing (literally ‘a delusion’) for safety,<\/p>\n Nor does he deliver any by his great power.<\/p>\n The stress here is on the fact that whatever happens on earth, it is all under His control. Men look for deliverance to their armies and weapons of war, the champion looks to his great strength, the cavalry look to their mighty horses, but all are failing instruments. Unless He determines it they will fail in their purpose. For in the end deliverance or otherwise belongs to YHWH. Napoleon said that God was on the side of the big battalions. God agreed, but declared that it was He Who has the big battalions.<\/p>\n ‘There is no king saved by the size of an army.’ It may appear so from an earthly point of view, but if so, it was only because it was within YHWH’s purposes. How then can men be certain that they will be saved? And the answer is by trusting in YHWH. ‘Who is like to you, saved by YHWH?’ (Deu 33:29<\/span>). Compare Psa 20:7<\/span>, ‘some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we will make mention of the Name of YHWH our God’; see also Psa 44:3<\/span> ff.; Psa 60:11-12<\/span>.<\/p>\n ‘A horse is a vain thing (literally ‘a delusion’) for safety, nor does he deliver any by his great power.’ Powerful and swift though a horse may be, it cannot totally be relied on. Once again it depends on YHWH’s will and purpose. Compare Pro 21:31<\/span>, ‘the horse is prepared against the day of battle, but victory is of YHWH’, and Isa 31:1<\/span>; Isa 31:3<\/span>, ‘woe to those who go down to Egypt for help, and stay on horses and trust in chariots because they are many, and in horsemen because they are very strong, but they look not to the Holy One of Israel, nor seek YHWH — the Egyptians are men and not God, and their horses are flesh and not spirit’. We must therefore put our trust in One Who is God and Who never fails.<\/p>\n Psa 33:18-19<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n ‘Behold, the eye of YHWH is on those who fear him,<\/p>\n On those who hope in his covenant love,<\/p>\n To deliver their soul from death,<\/p>\n And to keep them alive in famine.<\/p>\n What matters for those who would be delivered is that they have YHWH’s eye upon them (Psa 32:8<\/span>; Psa 34:15<\/span>), and that they are united with Him within His covenant, so that He can show them His covenant love and His faithfulness towards them. He it is, and not their fast horses, who can deliver a person from death, and can keep them alive in famine. As well as war, famine was a common problem in those days, compare Psa 37:19<\/span>; Isa 51:19<\/span>; Jer 18:21<\/span>.<\/p>\n Psa 33:13 The LORD looketh from heaven; he beholdeth all the sons of men.<\/p>\n Ver. 13. The Lord looketh from heaven<\/strong> ] Ita respicit universos quasi singulos, ita singulos quasi solos.<\/em> And this doctrine of God’s particular providence is, fides nationum quarum Deus est Dominus,<\/em> saith Kimchi, taught in the Church only.<\/p>\n NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Psa 33:13-17<\/p>\n 13The Lord looks from heaven;<\/p>\n He sees all the sons of men;<\/p>\n 14From His dwelling place He looks out<\/p>\n On all the inhabitants of the earth,<\/p>\n 15He who fashions the hearts of them all,<\/p>\n He who understands all their works.<\/p>\n 16The king is not saved by a mighty army;<\/p>\n A warrior is not delivered by great strength.<\/p>\n 17A horse is a false hope for victory;<\/p>\n Nor does it deliver anyone by its great strength. <\/p>\n Psa 33:13-17 This strophe focuses on YHWH’s immanence (cf. Psa 14:2; Psa 102:19). He knows what is happening on earth in individual lives (cf. Exo 3:7-9; Mat 6:25-34; Mat 10:30; Luk 21:18; Act 27:34; this same imagery is found in several OT texts, i.e., 1Sa 14:45; 2Sa 14:11; 1Ki 1:52). Faithful followers’ lives are not controlled by luck, chance, fate, but are directed by faith, by God! Live boldly for Him! <\/p>\n Notice the number of times all (BDB 481) appears in this Psalm, Psa 33:8 a,b, 13b, 14b, 15a,b. YHWH created and takes note of all His human creation! Life is a gift with a purpose. All humans will give an account to God for their stewardship of that gift! <\/p>\n Psa 33:15 YHWH fashions (BDB 427, KB 428, Qal participle, cf. Gen 2:7-8; Gen 2:19) all humans and knows their lives (cf. Psalms 139). He is a proper judge because He knows our will, motives, acts, and consequences. <\/p>\n Psa 33:16-17 Human events, history, is not haphazard but purposeful. YHWH even uses evil for His purposes. Things do not just happen! Now to be fair, this is a fallen world and all that occurs is not the will of YHWH. He allows our choices to bear fruit (i.e., good or bad). The earth has been affected by mankind’s sin (cf. Genesis 3; Isa 53:6; Rom 8:18-23). The mystery is how <\/p>\n 1. YHWH’s sovereignty <\/p>\n 2. human choices <\/p>\n 3. physical activity mesh <\/p>\n The eyes of faith search for God in all events (cf. Psa 33:18-22). The wicked search for power, riches, evils, disasters and opportunities for self! Humans should not hope in military power (cf. Psalms 2). <\/p>\n the sons of men = humanity. Hebrew. adam (with Art.) App-14. <\/p>\n The Eye of Jehovah <\/p>\n Psa 33:13-22<\/p>\n The comprehensiveness of Gods providence, Psa 33:13-15. No one, however lowly or abject, is beneath notice. It is not that all hearts are alike in their aptitudes or intensity, but that there is not one that does not bear some trace, however defaced, of His image and superscription.<\/p>\n Gods watchfulness, Psa 33:16-19. The preparations that men make against peril and poverty often fail them. A horse is a vain thing for safety. If God is not with you, His fleet foot will not deliver you in the day of battle, when the enemy bears down on you in force. But Gods unslumbering eye watches over them that fear Him, especially if they are not possessed of horses; and at the moment when He can help them best, He will intervene to deliver. Remember Psa 20:7.<\/p>\n The certainty of Gods help, Psa 33:20-22. Let us await His time to act. Trust is certain to bear fruit in joy. They that hope in God shall have abundant cause to praise Him. Be of good cheer! Even now you can hear the footfall of the advancing angel-host! Get ready to praise Him!<\/p>\n looketh: Psa 11:4, Psa 14:2, Psa 102:19, Gen 6:12, 2Ch 16:9, Job 28:24, Pro 15:3, Lam 3:50 <\/p>\n beholdeth: Psa 53:2, Jer 23:23, Jer 23:24, Heb 4:13 <\/p>\n Reciprocal: Gen 11:5 – General 1Ki 8:30 – and hear 2Ch 6:29 – what prayer Psa 66:7 – his eyes Psa 80:14 – look down Jer 32:19 – for<\/p>\n Psa 33:13-15. He beholdeth all the sons of men Although he had a special relation to Israel, yet he hath a general care over all mankind, all whose hearts and ways he observes. He fashioneth their hearts alike <\/p>\n , hajotzer jachad lib-bam, It is he that formed their hearts, one and all, and consequently must know what are their thoughts and intentions: or, in the present tense, as our version renders it, He formeth, and so it refers to the works of Gods providence; and the psalmist having said that God sees and observes all men, now adds, that he rules and governs them; yea, even their hearts, which are most unmanageable, he disposes and inclines according to the counsel of his will. Alike, or, equally, one as well as another; whether they be Jews or Gentiles, bond or free, princes or peasants; all are alike subject to his jurisdiction. He considereth all their works Both outward and inward, all the workings of their minds and actions, and all their endeavours and actions. How great then must be the advantage of living in the favour, and under the protection, of this great Being, who, from the watch-tower of his eternal throne, beholdeth, directeth, and controlleth, at pleasure, not only the actions and the words, but the very thoughts and imaginations of all the inhabitants of the earth! Horne.<\/p>\n 33:13 The LORD {i} looketh from heaven; he beholdeth all the sons of men.<\/p>\n (i) He proves that all things are governed by God’s providence and not by fortune.<\/p>\n The LORD looketh from heaven; he beholdeth all the sons of men. 13, 14. The Psalmist dwells upon Jehovah’s all-seeing omniscience in order to emphasise the peculiar privilege of His people. Throned in heaven (1Ki 8:39 ff.) He surveys all mankind. Cp. Psa 11:4; Psa 14:2; Psa 102:19-20. Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and … Continue reading “Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Psalms 33:13”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-14391","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-commentary"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14391","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14391"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14391\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14391"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14391"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.biblia.work\/bible-commentary\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14391"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible <\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: You Can Understand the Bible: Study Guide Commentary Series by Bob Utley<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: F.B. Meyer’s Through the Bible Commentary<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"