Save your people, and bless your inheritance. Be their shepherd also, and bear them up forever.
Parallel Translations
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Save your people, and bless your inheritance. Be their shepherd also, and bear them up forever.
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Save thy people, and bless thine inheritance: feed them also, and lift them up for ever.
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Save Thy people, and bless Thine inheritance; and tend them, and carry them for ever.
Cross-references (23)
Passages linked to Psalms 28:9 in the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge, ordered by reader-vote popularity; verse text shown in World English Bible.
- Isaiah 40:11 He will feed his flock like a shepherd. He will gather the lambs in his arm, and carry them in his bosom. He will gently lead those who have their young.
- Psalms 78:71 from following the ewes that have their young, he brought him to be the shepherd of Jacob, his people, and Israel, his inheritance.
- Deuteronomy 9:29 Yet they are your people and your inheritance, which you brought out by your great power and by your outstretched arm.”
- Isaiah 63:9 In all their affliction he was afflicted, and the angel of his presence saved them. In his love and in his pity he redeemed them. He bore them, and carried them all the days of old.
- 1 Kings 8:51 (for they are your people, and your inheritance, which you brought out of Egypt, from the middle of the iron furnace);
- Matthew 2:6 ‘You Bethlehem, land of Judah, are in no way least among the princes of Judah: for out of you shall come a governor, who shall shepherd my people, Israel.’ ”
- Ephesians 1:18 having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope of his calling, and what are the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,
- 1 Kings 8:53 For you separated them from among all the peoples of the earth, to be your inheritance, as you spoke by Moses your servant, when you brought our fathers out of Egypt, Lord Yahweh.”
- Ezra 1:4 Whoever is left, in any place where he lives, let the men of his place help him with silver, with gold, with goods, and with animals, in addition to the free will offering for God’s house which is in Jerusalem.’ ”
- Psalms 25:22 Redeem Israel, God, out of all his troubles.
- Micah 7:14 Shepherd your people with your staff, the flock of your heritage, who dwell by themselves in a forest, in the middle of fertile pasture land, let them feed; in Bashan and Gilead, as in the days of old.
- Psalms 14:7 Oh that the salvation of Israel would come out of Zion! When Yahweh restores the fortunes of his people, then Jacob shall rejoice, and Israel shall be glad.
- Psalms 80:14-19 Turn again, we beg you, God of Armies. Look down from heaven, and see, and visit this vine, the stock which your right hand planted, the branch that you made strong for yourself. It’s burned with fire. It’s cut down. They perish at your rebuke. Let your hand be on the man of your right hand, on the son of man whom you made strong for yourself. So we will not turn away from you. Revive us, and we will call on your name. Turn us again, Yahweh God of Armies. Cause your face to shine, and we will be saved.
- Isaiah 46:3 “Listen to me, house of Jacob, and all the remnant of the house of Israel, that have been carried from their birth, that have been carried from the womb.
- Jeremiah 10:16 The portion of Jacob is not like these; for he is the maker of all things; and Israel is the tribe of his inheritance: Yahweh of Armies is his name.
- Jeremiah 31:7 For Yahweh says, “Sing with gladness for Jacob, and shout for the chief of the nations. Publish, praise, and say, ‘Yahweh, save your people, the remnant of Israel!’
- Ezekiel 34:23-24 I will set up one shepherd over them, and he will feed them, even my servant David. He will feed them, and he will be their shepherd. I, Yahweh, will be their God, and my servant David prince among them. I, Yahweh, have spoken it.
- Micah 5:2 But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, being small among the clans of Judah, out of you one will come out to me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings out are from of old, from ancient times.
- Micah 5:4 He shall stand, and shall shepherd in the strength of Yahweh, in the majesty of the name of Yahweh his God: and they will live, for then he will be great to the ends of the earth.
- Deuteronomy 1:31 and in the wilderness where you have seen how that Yahweh your God carried you, as a man carries his son, in all the way that you went, until you came to this place.”
- Deuteronomy 32:9 For Yahweh’s portion is his people. Jacob is the lot of his inheritance.
- 2 Samuel 7:7 In all places in which I have walked with all the children of Israel, did I say a word to any of the tribes of Israel, whom I commanded to be shepherd of my people Israel, saying, ‘Why have you not built me a house of cedar?’ ” ’
- 2 Samuel 21:3 and David said to the Gibeonites, “What should I do for you? And with what should I make atonement, that you may bless Yahweh’s inheritance?”
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
Explain this verse (16 sources)
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John Calvin 1540 · Public Domain In this verse he shows that it was not…
In this verse he shows that it was not so much his own welfare as the welfare of the whole Church which was the object of his concern, and that he neither lived nor reigned for himself, but for the common good of the people. He well knew that he was appointed king for no other end. In this he declares himself to be a type of the Son of God, of whom, when Zechariah (Zechariah 9:9) predicts that he would come “having salvation,” there is no doubt that he promises nothing to him apart from his members, but that the effects of this salvation would diffuse themselves throughout his whole body. By this example, accordingly, he prescribes a rule to earthly kings, that, devoting themselves to the public good, they should only desire to be preserved for the sake of their people. “Que tout la prospetite qu’ils se souhaitent soit a cause du peuple. — Fr. “That all the prosperity they desire should be for the sake of the people.”
“Veu que la plus grand part rejette et desdaigne de porter le joug de Christ.” — Fr.
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“Qu’il n’en est pas digne.” — Fr. “That he is not worthy of it.”
John Calvin's Commentaries (1540-1563) — public domain. Text from the Calvin Translation Society English edition (1840s-50s) via the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (ccel.org). Calvin's coverage is partial (roughly two-thirds of the Bible); uncommented books and verses are honest gaps, never fabricated. The 19th-century editor's footnotes and remarks are omitted so the notes are faithfully Calvin's own voice.
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain Psa 28:9 Save thy people, and bless thine inheritance:…
Psa 28:9 Save thy people, and bless thine inheritance: feed them also, and lift them up for ever.
Ver. 9. Save thy people] The Church must share in our prayers.
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And bless thine inheritance] Which cannot but be dear to thee.
Feed them also] For they are but ill-favouredly fed by Saul.
Lift them up] Over all their enemies, as Psa 27:6.
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain Thine inheritance; Israel, for whom I pray; partly because…
Thine inheritance; Israel, for whom I pray; partly because thou hast in some sort committed them to my charge, and partly because Saul did not take due care of them.
Lift them up; raise them out of their low and afflicted condition, in which they are, by reason of Saul’s weakness and neglect, and by the prevailing power of the Philistines, and advance them to a state of safety and honour, and that not for a season, but with constancy and perpetuity, as it follows.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain Save thy people,.... The psalmist begins the psalm with…
Save thy people,.... The psalmist begins the psalm with petitions for himself, and closes it with prayers for the people of God; whom God has chosen for his people, taken into covenant to be his people, and given them to his son as such; these he has resolved to save, and has appointed Christ, and sent him into the world, to be the Saviour of them; and to them he makes known and applies the great salvation by his Spirit: so that this prayer was a prayer of faith, as are also the following petitions;
and bless thine inheritance; the people whom the Lord has chosen for his inheritance, and has given to Christ as his portion, and are his peculiar possession; and these he blesses with all spiritual blessings, with grace here, and glory hereafter, as is requested;
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feed them also; as the shepherd does his flock, by leading them into green pastures, by giving them the bread of life, by nourishing them with the word and ordinances, by the means or his ministering servants, who are under-shepherds appointed to feed the saints with knowledge and understanding;
and lift them up for ever; above their enemies, and out of the reach of them; bear and carry them now, as the shepherd does his lambs, in his arms and bosom; and raise them out of their graves, and give them the dominion in the morning of the resurrection, and cause them to reign as kings and priests with Christ, as they ever will.
Next: Psalms Chapter 29
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain Verse 9. Save thy people] Continue to preserve them…
Verse 9. Save thy people] Continue to preserve them from all their enemies; from idolatry, and from sin of every kind.
Bless thine inheritance] They have taken thee for their God; thou hast taken them for thy people.
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Feed them] רעה raah signifies both to feed and to govern. Feed them, as a shepherd does his flock; rule them, as a father does his children.
Lift them up for ever.] Maintain thy true Church; let no enemy prevail against it. Preserve and magnify them for ever. Lift them up: as hell is the bottomless pit in which damned spirits sink down for ever; or, as Chaucer says, downe all downe; so heaven is an endless height of glory, in which there is an eternal rising or exaltation. Down, all down; up, all up; for ever and ever.
ANALYSIS OF THE TWENTY-EIGHTH PSALM
There are three parts in this Psalm: -
I. A prayer, Ps 28:1-6.
II. A thanksgiving, Ps 28:6-9.
III. A prayer for the Church, Ps 28:9.
I. The first part is a prayer to God; in which he first requests audience, Ps 28:2: "Hear me." And his prayer is so described, that it sets forth most of the conditions requisite in one that prays: -
1. The object - GOD: "Unto thee, O Lord, do I cry."
2. His faith: "To thee I cry, who art my rock."
3. His fervour: It was an ardent and vehement prayer: "I cry."
4. Humility; it was a supplication: "Hear the voice of my supplication."
5. His gesture: "I lift up my hands."
6. According to God's ORDER: "Towards thy holy temple."
1. The argument he uses to procure an audience; the danger he was in: "Lest, if thou be silent, I become like them that go down to the pit."
2. Then he expresses what he prays for, which is, that either
1. He might not be corrupted by the fair persuasions of hypocrites:
2. Or that he might not be partaker of their punishments: "Draw me not away with the wicked." Upon whom he sets this mark: "Who speak peace - but mischief is in their hearts."
3. Against whom he uses this imprecation, which is the second part of his prayer: "Give them according to their own deeds," c.
4. For which he gives this reason: They were enemies to God and to his religion far from repentance, and any hope of amendment: "They regard not the words of the Lord, nor the operation of his hands; therefore he shall destroy them, and not build them up."
II. Then follows an excellent form of thanksgiving, which he begins with "Blessed be the Lord;" and assigns the reasons, which express the chief parts of thanksgiving.
I. That God heard him: "He hath heard the voice of my supplication."
2. That he would be his Protector: "The Lord is my strength and my shield."
3. For his grace of confidence: "My heart trusted in him."
4. That from him he had relief: "I am helped."
5. The testification and annunciation of this gratitude: "Therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; and with my song will I praise him." He remembers the indenture: "I will DELIVER THEE, - thou shalt PRAISE ME." And, therefore, with heart and tongue he gives thanks.
6. And that God might have all the honour, he repeats what he said before: "The Lord is their strength," c., that is, of all them that were with him.
III. He concludes with a prayer, in which he commends the whole Church to God's care and tuition.
1. "Save thy people," in the midst of these tumults and distractions.
2. "Bless thine inheritance" that they increase in knowledge, piety, and secular prosperity.
3. "Feed them:" Give them a godly king.
4. "Lift them up for ever:" Make their name famous among the Gentiles; let them increase and multiply till thy Church embraces all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues. This hath the Lord promised.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Joseph Benson 1811 · Public Domain Psa 28:9. Bless thine inheritance — Israel, for whom…
Psa 28:9. Bless thine inheritance — Israel, for whom he prays, not as his people, but as God’s. Save thy people: thine inheritance. God’s interest in them lay nearer his heart than his own. Feed them also — As a shepherd does his flock, as רעם, regnem, signifies. Bless them with all things needful for life and for godliness. Or, rule them, as the margin renders it. Direct their counsels and actions aright, and overrule their affairs for good. Set pastors over them that shall feed and rule them with wisdom and understanding, Jer 3:15. And lift them up for ever — Raise them out of their low and afflicted condition, and advance them to a state of safety and honour, and that not for a season only, but with constancy and perpetuity. Lift them up to thy glorious and heavenly kingdom. There, and there only, will the saints be lifted up for ever, never more to sink or be depressed. Observe well, reader, only those whom God feeds and rules, who are willing to be taught, guided, and governed by him, shall be saved, and blessed, and lifted up for ever.
Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Albert Barnes 1834 · Public Domain Save thy people - All thy people. The psalm…
Save thy people - All thy people. The psalm appropriately closes with a prayer for all the people of God. The prayer is offered in view of the deliverance which the psalmist had himself experienced, and he prays that all the people of God might experience similar deliverance and mercy.
And bless thine inheritance - Thy heritage; Thy people. The Hebrew word properly means “taking possession of anything; occupation.” Then it comes to mean “possession; domain; estate:” Num, Psa 18:21. Thus it is used as applied to the territory assigned to each tribe in the promised land: Jos 13:23. Thus also it is applied to the people of Israel - the Jewish nation - as the “possession” or “property” of Yahweh; as a people whom he regarded as His own, and whom, as such, He protected: Deu 4:20; Deu 9:26, Deu 9:29. In this place the people of God are thus spoken of as His special possession or property on earth; as that which He regards as of most value to Him; as that which belongs to Him, or to which He has a claim; as that which cannot without injustice to Him be alienated from Him.
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Feed them also - Margin, “rule.” The Hebrew word refers to the care which a shepherd extends over his flock. See Psa 23:1, where the same word, under another form - “shepherd” - is used. The prayer is, that God would take the same care of His people that a shepherd takes of his flock.
And lift them up for ever - The word used here may mean “sustain” them, or “support” them; but it more properly means “bear,” and would be best expressed by a reference to the fact that the shepherd carries the feeble, the young, and the sickly of his flock in his arms, or that he lifts them up when unable themselves to rise. See Isa 40:11, note; Isa 63:9, note. The word “forever” here means simply “always” - in all circumstances; at all times. In other words, the psalmist prays that God would “always” manifest Himself as the Friend and Helper of His people, as He had done to him. It may be added here, that what the psalmist thus prays for God’s “will” to be done. God “will” save His people; He will bless His heritage; He will be to them a kind and faithful shepherd; He will sustain, comfort, uphold, and cherish them always - in affliction; in temptation; in death, forever. They have only to trust in Him, and they will find Him to be more kind and faithful than the most tender shepherd ever was to his flock.
Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown 1871 · Public Domain The special prayer for the people sustains this view.
The special prayer for the people sustains this view.
feed them--as a shepherd (Psa 23:1, &c.).
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Next: Psalms Chapter 29
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain 9. Save thy people—The burden of his soul was…
9. Save thy people—The burden of his soul was for God’s people. From this standpoint we must judge of all his utterances in prayer and praise. Psalms 3, 19, close in a similar way.
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain 9. thine inheritance] Israel. Cp. Deu_4:20.
9. thine inheritance] Israel. Cp. Deu_4:20.
feed them] Lit. shepherd them. Cp. Psa_23:1; 2Sa_7:7. Govern them in the adaptation of this verse in the Te Deum is from the Vulg. rege.
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lift them up] Exalt them; as the word is used in 2Sa_5:12. But we should probably render as in R.V., bear them up; either as a shepherd carries his sheep (Isa_40:11), continuing the idea of the preceding word; or as a father carries his child, a figure often applied to Jehovah’s care for Israel. See Deu_1:31; Isa_46:3-4; Isa_63:9. Cp. too Exo_19:4; Deu_32:11.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain (9) Feed . . . lift them up.—These words…
(9) Feed . . . lift them up.—These words suggest comparison with Isa_40:11; Isa_63:9. The incorporation of this petition in the Te Deum is one of those interesting facts that link the Christian worship with the Jewish.
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain Save thy people, and bless thins inheritance. "In conclusion,…
Save thy people, and bless thins inheritance. "In conclusion, the psalmist prays that the Lord would do eternally that which he had done now" (Hengstenberg) and "bless" his people keep them from evil, and give them all that is good. Feed them also. As a shepherd does his flock. (comp. Psa_23:1, 2 Isa_40:11) And lift them up for ever. Some explain the" lifting up" as carrying in his arms over rough places a prolongation of the shepherd metaphor (Kay; "Speaker"s Commentary"); but, perhaps, the more ordinary meaning of the Hebrew word "lift up on high," "raise above others which is preferred by Bishop Horsley, Rosenmuller, and Hengstenberg, is intended.
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Charles H. Spurgeon 1885 · Public Domain Ver. 9. This is a prayer for the church…
Ver. 9. This is a prayer for the church militant, written in short words, but full of weighty meaning. We must pray for the whole church, and not for ourselves alone. Save thy people. Deliver them from their enemies, preserve them from their sins, succour them under their troubles, rescue them from their temptations, and ward off from them every ill. There is a plea hidden in the expression, "thy people:" for it may be safely concluded that God's interest in the church, as his own portion, will lead him to guard it from destruction. Bless thine inheritance. Grant positive blessings, peace, plenty, prosperity, happiness; make all thy dearly purchased and precious heritage to be comforted by thy Spirit. Revive, refresh, enlarge, and sanctify thy church. Feed them also. Be a shepherd to thy flock, let their bodily and spiritual wants be plentifully supplied. By thy word, and ordinances, direct, rule, sustain, and satisfy those who are the sheep of thy hand. And lift them up for ever. Carry them in thine arms on earth, and then lift them into thy bosom in heaven. Elevate their minds and thoughts, spiritualise their affections, make them heavenly, Christlike, and full of God. O Lord, answer this our petition, for Jesus' sake.
Ver. 9. Lift them up. The word here used may mean sustain them, or support them; but it more properly means bear, and would be best expressed by a reference to the fact, that the shepherd carries the feeble, the young, and the sickly of his flock in his arms, or that he lifts them up when unable themselves to rise. Albert Barnes.
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Ver. 9. "A prayer for the church militant." See Exposition and Spurgeon's Sermons, No. 768.
Charles H. Spurgeon's The Treasury of David (1869–1885) — public domain. Psalms only. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
The Biblical Illustrator 1887 · Public Domain Save Thy people, and bless Thine inheritance; feed them…
Psa_28:9
Save Thy people, and bless Thine inheritance; feed them also and lift them up for ever.
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A prayer for the Church militant
Here are four choice blessings.
I. save thy people. This prayer may refer--
1. To their conversion.
2. Their sanctification.
3. Their recovery from backsliding.
4. Their deliverance from temptation.
5. The need of the whole church. If we pray this prayer we must try and save souls.
II. bless thine inheritance. After men are saved they have still many wants: such as--
1. Greater unity in the Church.
2. More earnestness.
3. More happiness.
When we pray this prayer select some out of Gods inheritance and pray especially for them. And take care practically to prove the sincerity of your prayer.
III. feed them also. Hence pray--
1. For ministers to be provided.
2. A clear insight into Gods truth.
3. Invoke communion with Christ. And here, also, see that we practically carry out this prayer.
IV. lift them up for ever. Gods people want lifting up, they are heavy by nature. They need it--
1. In character.
2. When in conflict; and--
3. At the last, that we may get home to be with God; (C. H. Spurgeon.)
An intercession sublimely catholic
This short prayer contains a sketch of the blessedness of the good--here called Gods people and His inheritance.
I. deliverance. Save Thy people. They are in danger. From what must men be delivered in order to be made happy? Sin. This is the great enemy.
1. Man must be delivered from its guilt. Sin resting on the conscience is the thundercloud of hell; this cloud must be blotted out.
2. Man must be delivered from its dominion. Man under the control of sin must be miserable. He has eternal battling with self, the universe, and God.
3. Man must be delivered from its consequences--remorse, despair, etc. From all this man must be saved, and the salvation can only be accomplished through Jesus Christ.
II. guardianship. Feed them also, that is, take care of them. Be to them what the faithful shepherd is to the sheep.
1. Ward off the enemy, Keep the lion and the wolf at a distance.
2. Restrain from dangers. Let not the flock fall over precipices, or go into bewildering thickets.
3. Supply with provisions. Lead them into green pastures. All this the Great Shepherd of souls does for His flock.
III. sustentation. Lift them up for ever. Deal tenderly with them, as the shepherd with the weaklings of his flock. It is said of Christ that He shall lead His people like a flock, etc. (Homilist.)
A benevolent prayer
1. For salvation.
2. For blessing.
3. For a Shepherds care. (J. E. Scott.)
The secret source of the saints supplies
An old Scotch baron was attacked by his enemy, who encamped before his gates, and would allow no provisions to enter them. He continued the siege long enough to have exhausted the supplies within, but there were no signs of capitulation. Weeks and months passed away, and yet no surrender. After a long time the besieger was surprised, one morning, to see a long line of fish, fresh from the sea, hung over the wall, as much as to say, We can feed you; and surely you cannot starve us out so long as there are fish in the sea, for we have an underground connection with it, and the supply is exhaustless! So Satan may besiege our gates, but he can never compel us to surrender, for our food comes, not through the gates, but from above, and through channels invisible to his eye, the supply of which is inexhaustible..
Psa_29:1-11
The Biblical Illustrator, edited by Joseph S. Exell (c. 1880s–1900s) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 your inheritance
your inheritance
This speaks about the people of God as if they were something God inherited. AT: "your possession" or "those who belong to you" (See: Metaphor)
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Be their shepherd and carry them forever
The writer speaks about Yahweh as if he were a shepherd and the people are his sheep. A shepherd would carry a sheep if it needed help or protection. AT: "Be like their shepherd and protect them forever" (See: Metaphor)
translationWords
bless
inherit
shepherd
eternity
unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.
Tyndale Open Study Notes 2022 · CC BY-SA 4.0 28:9 The poem closes with intercession for the Lord’s…
28:9 The poem closes with intercession for the Lord’s people. • Bless Israel, your special possession: See 29:11; 133:3.
Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.