How precious is your loving kindness, God! The children of men take refuge under the shadow of your wings.
Parallel Translations
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How precious is your loving kindness, God! The children of men take refuge under the shadow of your wings.
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How excellent is thy lovingkindness, O God! therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of thy wings.
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(36-8) How precious is Thy lovingkindness, O God! and the children of men take refuge in the shadow of Thy wings.
Cross-references (17)
Passages linked to Psalms 36:7 in the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge, ordered by reader-vote popularity; verse text shown in World English Bible.
- Psalms 86:5 For you, Lord, are good, and ready to forgive, abundant in loving kindness to all those who call on you.
- Ruth 2:12 May Yahweh repay your work, and a full reward be given to you from Yahweh, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge.”
- Psalms 91:4 He will cover you with his feathers. Under his wings you will take refuge. His faithfulness is your shield and rampart.
- 1 John 3:1 See how great a love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God! For this cause the world doesn’t know us, because it didn’t know him.
- 1 John 4:9-10 By this God’s love was revealed in us, that God has sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son as the atoning sacrifice for our sins.
- Psalms 17:8 Keep me as the apple of your eye. Hide me under the shadow of your wings,
- Psalms 139:17 How precious to me are your thoughts, God! How vast is their sum!
- Psalms 31:19 Oh how great is your goodness, which you have laid up for those who fear you, which you have worked for those who take refuge in you, before the sons of men!
- Exodus 34:6 Yahweh passed by before him, and proclaimed, “Yahweh! Yahweh, a merciful and gracious God, slow to anger, and abundant in loving kindness and truth,
- Psalms 86:15 But you, Lord, are a merciful and gracious God, slow to anger, and abundant in loving kindness and truth.
- John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life.
- Psalms 63:7 For you have been my help. I will rejoice in the shadow of your wings.
- Psalms 145:7-8 They will utter the memory of your great goodness, and will sing of your righteousness. Yahweh is gracious, merciful, slow to anger, and of great loving kindness.
- Psalms 57:1 Be merciful to me, God, be merciful to me, for my soul takes refuge in you. Yes, in the shadow of your wings, I will take refuge, until disaster has passed.
- 2 Peter 1:4 by which he has granted to us his precious and exceedingly great promises; that through these you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world by lust.
- Luke 13:34 “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, like a hen gathers her own brood under her wings, and you refused!
- 1 Peter 2:6-7 Because it is contained in Scripture, “Behold, I lay in Zion a chief cornerstone, chosen and precious: He who believes in him will not be disappointed.” For you who believe therefore is the honor, but for those who are disobedient, “The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone,”
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
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John Calvin 1540 · Public Domain 7 O God! how precious is thy loving-kindness! Some…
7 O God! how precious is thy loving-kindness! Some explain these words in this sense: That the mercy of God is precious, and that the children of men who put their trust in it are precious; but this is a sense too far removed from the words of the text. Others understand them as meaning, that the mercy of God is very great to the gods, that is to say, to the angels and the sons of men; but this is too refined. I am also surprised that the Jewish Rabbins have wearied and bewildered themselves, without any occasion, in seeking to find out new and subtile interpretations, since the meaning of the prophet is of itself perfectly evident; namely, that it is because the mercy of God is great and clearly manifested, that the children of men put their trust under the shadow of it. As David has hitherto been speaking in commendation of the goodness of God, which extends to every creature, the opinion of other commentators, who consider that David is here discoursing of the peculiar favor which God manifests towards his children, is in my judgment very correct. The language seems to refer in general to all the sons of men, but what follows is applicable properly to the faithful alone. In order to manifest more clearly the greatness of divine grace, he thus speaks in general terms, telling us, that God condescends to gather together under his wings the mortal offspring of Adam, as it is said in Psalm 8:4,
“What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?”
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The substance of the passage is this: The ungodly may run to every excess in wickedness, but this temptation does not prevent the people of God from trusting in his goodness, and casting themselves upon his fatherly care; while the ungodly, whose minds are degraded, and whose hearts are polluted, never taste the sweetness of his goodness so as to be led by it to the faith, and thus to enjoy repose under the shadow of his wings. The metaphorical expression of wings, as applied to God, is common enough in Scripture. By it God teaches us that we are preserved in safety under his protecting care, even as the hen cherishes her chickens under her wings; and thus he invites us kindly and affectionately to return to him.
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 36:7 How excellent [is] thy lovingkindness, O God!…
Psa 36:7 How excellent [is] thy lovingkindness, O God! therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of thy wings.
Ver. 7. How excellent (Heb. precious) is thy lovingkindness!] That special love and favour that thou vouchsafest to thine own elect only. Oh, this is incomparable and inexpressible! It maketh a vast difference between the righteous and the wicked, though the blind world observeth it not.
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Therefore the children of men] Who are also the children of God, by a better birth, Joh 1:12-13, and that is their greatest preferment, 1Jn 3:1. Ludovicus, surnamed the Saint, king of France, would needs be called Ludovicus de Pissiaco rather than take greater titles, because there he became a Christian. He thought no birth to a new birth in Christ, no parentage to that of God to his Father.
Put their trust in the shadow of thy wings] As chickens in a storm, or when the puttock threateneth, hover and cover under the hen. See Psa 91:4 Mat 23:37.
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 Thy loving-kindness; or, thy mercy; for it is the…
Thy loving-kindness; or, thy mercy; for it is the same word which is used and so rendered, Psa 36:5. The sense is, Though all thine attributes now reckoned, and the rest of them, be excellent and glorious, yet above all thy mercy is most
excellent or precious and amiable, as being most necessary and beneficial unto us, poor sinful, miserable men.
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Put their trust under the shadow of thy wings, i.e. cheerfully commit themselves to thy care and kindness, notwithstanding their own sinfulness, and the rage and power of their adversaries, against all which thy mercy is a sufficient security.
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 How excellent is thy lovingkindness, O God,.... Which has…
How excellent is thy lovingkindness, O God,.... Which has appeared to men and not angels, to some and not others; to the chief of sinners, who are by nature children of wrath as others; in choosing, redeeming, and calling them, taking them into his family, and making them heirs of eternal glory; and all this of his sovereign good will and pleasure, there being nothing in them that could move him to it; which lovingkindness was in his heart from everlasting, and will never change in him, nor depart from them; and hence it must be most excellent and precious:
therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of thy wings; not all men; for all have not faith, only some, to whom it is given to believe, and who know the Lord and his lovingkindness; by which they are induced and encouraged to trust in him, to betake themselves to him for mercy and protection, which they find in him: the allusion is either to the hen that gathers her chickens under her wings, and protects them in time of danger, and so it expresses both the paternal affection of God to his people, and the protection of them; or else to the wings of the cherubim over the mercy seat, between which the Lord sat and communed with his people, and showed mercy and favour to them, which encouraged them to trust in him.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Wesley 1765 · Public Domain Loving-kindness - Though all thine attributes be excellent, yet,…
Loving-kindness - Though all thine attributes be excellent, yet, above all, thy mercy is most excellent, or precious and amiable.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain Verse 7. How excellent is thy loving-kindness] He asks…
Verse 7. How excellent is thy loving-kindness] He asks the question in the way of admiration; but expects no answer from angels or men. It is indescribably excellent, abundant, and free; and, "therefore, the children of Adam put their trust under the shadow of thy wings." They trust in thy good providence for the supply of their bodies; they trust in thy mercy for the salvation of their souls. These, speaking after the figure, are the two wings of the Divine goodness, under which the children of men take refuge. The allusion may be to the wings of the cherubim, above the mercy-seat.
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 36:7-8. How excellent is thy loving-kindness — Or…
Psa 36:7-8. How excellent is thy loving-kindness — Or thy mercy: for it is the same word which is so rendered, Psa 36:5. The sense is, though all thine attributes be excellent and glorious, yet, above all, thy mercy is most excellent, or precious and amiable, as being most necessary and beneficial unto us, poor sinful miserable men. Therefore the children of men put their trust, &c. — Cheerfully commit themselves to thy care and kindness, notwithstanding their own sinfulness, and the rage and power of their adversaries; against all which thy mercy is a sufficient security. They shall be abundantly satisfied — That is, those children of men who trust in thee, as he now said, though they are straitened, oppressed, and persecuted; yet they shall not only be protected and supported for the present; but in due time shall have all their wants and desires fully satisfied. Hebrew, ירוין, jirvejun, shall be watered, or made drunk, that is, shall be, as it were, overwhelmed with the abundance of its blessings. With the fatness of thy house — With those rich and delightful provisions which thou hast prepared for them in the place of thy worship on earth, thy tabernacle, where thou displayest thy glory, communicatest thy blessings, and acceptest the prayers and praises of thy people. The benefit of holy ordinances is the fatness of God’s house here below, sweet to a sanctified soul, and strengthening to the spiritual and divine life; with this God’s people are abundantly satisfied; they desire nothing more in this world than to live a life of communion with God; and to have the comfort of the promises. But the full, the complete satisfaction is reserved for the future state, and the house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. Every vessel will be perfectly full there. Thou shalt make them drink of the river of thy pleasures — Pleasures that are truly divine; which not only come from thee, as the author of them, but which terminate in thee as the matter and centre of them; which, being purely spiritual, are of the same nature with those of the glorious inhabitants of the heavenly world, and bear some analogy even to the delights of the Eternal Mind. There is a river of these pleasures always full, always fresh, always flowing. There is enough for all, enough for each, enough for evermore, Psa 46:4. God has not only provided this river for his people, but he makes them to drink of it; works in them a gracious appetite for these spiritual enjoyments, and, by his Spirit, refreshes their souls with them. In heaven they shall for ever drink of them, and shall be satiated with a fulness of joy.
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 How excellent - Margin, as in Hebrew: “precious.” The…
How excellent - Margin, as in Hebrew: “precious.” The word used here is one that would be applicable to precious stones 1Ki 10:2, 1Ki 10:10-11; or to the more costly kind of stones employed in building, as marble 2Ch 3:6; and then, anything that is “costly” or “valuable.” The meaning is, that the loving-kindness of God is to be estimated only by the value set on the most rare and costly objects.
Is “thy loving-kindness - Thy mercy. The same word is used here which occurs in Psa 36:5, and which is there rendered “mercy.” It is not a new attribute of God which is here celebrated or brought into view, but the same characteristic which is referred to in Psa 36:5. The repetition of the word indicates the state of mind of the writer of the psalm, and shows that he delights to dwell on this; he naturally turns to this; his meditations begin and end with this. While he is deeply impressed by the “faithfulness,” the “righteousness,” and the “judgment” of God, still it is His “mercy” or His “loving-kindness” that is the beginning and the ending of his thoughts; to this the soul turns with ever new delight and wonder when reflecting on the character and the doings of God. Here our hope begins; and to this attribute of the Almighty, when we have learned all else that we can learn about God, the soul turns with ever new delight.
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Therefore - In view of that mercy; or because God is a merciful God. It is not in his “justice” that we can take refuge, for we are sinners, but the foundation of all our hope is his mercy. A holy creature could fly to a holy Creator for refuge and defense; he who has given himself to Him, and who has been pardoned, can appeal to his “faithfulness;” but the refuge of a sinner, as such, is only his “mercy;” and it is only to that mercy that he can flee.
The children of men - literally, “the sons of man;” that is, the human race, considered as descended from their great ancestor, or as one family. The meaning is not that all the children of men actually do thus put their trust in the mercy of God - for that is not true; but:
(a) all may do it as the children of men, or as men; and
(b) all who do “put their trust under the shadow of his wings” confide in His mercy alone, as the ground of their hope.
Under the shadow of thy wings - As little, helpless birds seek protection under the wings of the mother-bird. See the notes at Mat 23:37; compare Deu 32:11-12.
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 shadow of thy wings--(Compare Deu 32:11; Psa 91:1).
shadow of thy wings--(Compare Deu 32:11; Psa 91:1).
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 7. Shadow of thy wings—A strong anthropomorphism, indicating the…
7. Shadow of thy wings—A strong anthropomorphism, indicating the protection of love and tenderness. Psa_63:7; Mat_23:37
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 7. How excellent] How precious (R.V.). It is the…
7. How excellent] How precious (R.V.). It is the Psalmist’s treasure. Cp. Psa_139:17.
O God] The substitution of God for Jehovah is significant. The Psalmist is speaking of a love which extends beyond the limits of the chosen people, and embraces all mankind. The children of men—lit. sons of man (Psa_14:2) are men regarded as earthborn and mortal in contrast to God.
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therefore &c.] And the children of men take refuge &c. (R.V.). Cp. Psa_17:7-8, note; Rth_2:12.
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 (7) How excellent.—Better, how precious.
(7) How excellent.—Better, how precious.
Therefore . . .—Better, the simple conjunction, and sons of men, they find shelter, &c
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Shadow of thy wings.—See Psa_17:8, Note.
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 How excellent is thy loving-kindness, O God! The psalmist,…
How excellent is thy loving-kindness, O God! The psalmist, having made mention of the "loving-kindness of God" as his most characteristic quality (ver. 5), and again brought it into notice as causing him to provide so carefully for all his creatures (ver. 6), cannot.refrain from glorifying the quality whereto he has called attention. "How excellent or, how precious (Kay, Alexander, Cheyne, Revised Version) is thy loving-kindness!" How does it exceed all that we could have anticipated! How far does it go beyond all that we deserve! Therefore the children of men put their trust (or, shall put their trust, or shall take refuge) under the shadow of thy wings. (comp. Psa_17:8 Psa_57:1 Psa_63:7, etc.) Encouraged by the consideration of thy goodness, the beney Adam, the children of weak, frail, sinful man, shall take heart, and lay abide their natural timidity, and turn to thee, and put their trust in thee, gathering themselves under the shadow of thy protecting wings, and looking to thee, and thee only, for safety and defence. (see Rth_2:12)
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. 7. How excellent is thy lovingkindness, O God.…
Ver. 7. How excellent is thy lovingkindness, O God. Here we enter into the Holy of Holies. Benevolence, and mercy, and justice, are everywhere, but the excellence of that mercy only those have known whose faith has lifted the veil and passed into the brighter presence of the Lord; these behold the excellency of the Lord's mercy. The word translated excellent may be rendered "precious; "no gem or pearl can ever equal in value a sense of the Lord's love. This is such a brilliant as angels wear. King's regalia are a beggardly collection of worthless pebbles when compared with the tender mercies of Jehovah. David could not estimate it, and therefore, after putting a note of admiration, he left our hearts and imagination, and, better still, our experience, to fill up the rest. He writes how excellent! because he cannot tell us the half of it. Therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of thy wings. The best of reasons for the best of courses. The figure is very beautiful. The Lord overshadows his people as a hen protects her brood, or as an eagle covers its young; and we as the little ones run under the blessed shelter and feel at rest. To cower down under the wings of God is so sweet. Although the enemy be far too strong for us, we have no fear, for we nestle under the Lord's wing. O that more of Adam's race knew the excellency of the heavenly shelter! It made Jesus weep to see how they refused it: our tears may well lament the same evil.
Ver. 7. How excellent is thy lovingkindness, O God! etc. The expressions here which denote the abundance of divine blessings upon the righteous man, seems to be taken from the temple, from whence they were to issue. Under the covert of the temple, the wings of the cherubim, they were to be sheltered. The richness of the sacrifices, the streams of oil, wine, odours, etc., and the light of the golden candlestick, are all plainly referred to. Samuel Burder.
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Ver. 7. Therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of thy wings. The word signifies to fly, to betake one's self to a place of safety: as the chickens in danger to be seized on, fly under the wings of the hen. "Under whose wings thou art come to trust." Ru 2:12. The helpless bird pursued by the kite, in danger to be devoured, runs under the shadow of the dam. Thus it is with a sinner at the first working of faith, he apprehends himself pursued by wrath and judgment; he knows if they seize on him he must perish without remedy. Oh, the sad condition of such a soul! Oh, but he sees Christ spreading his wings ready to secure perishing sinners; he hears him inviting in the gospel to come under his shadow! Oh, how sweet is that voice to him (however, while senseless he rejected it)! He hears, obeys, and runs to Christ for shelter, and so he is safe. How excellent is thy lovingkindness, O God! therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of thy wings. David Clarkson.
Ver. 7. Thy wings. A common figure in the Psalms, taken more immediately, in my opinion, from the wings of the cherubim overshadowing the mercyseat which covered the ark; but more remotely from the birds, which defend their young from the solar rays by overshadowing them with their wings. Francis Hare (Bishop), 1740.
Ver. 7.:
In lonesome cell, guarded and strong I lie,
Bound by Christ's love, his truth to testify,
Though walls be thick the door no hand unclose,
God is my strength, my solace, and repose.
In a letter of Jeronius Segerson, written in the prison at Antwerp to his wife, named Lysken, who likewise lay a prisoner there, 1551.
Ver. 7. The object, reasons, nature, and experience of faith.
Ver. 7-8. Admiration! Confidence! Expectation! Realisation!
Psalms 36:8*
Ver. 7-8. Admiration! Confidence! Expectation! Realisation!
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 How excellent is Thy loving-kindness, O God.
Psa_36:7-8
How excellent is Thy loving-kindness, O God.
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The excellence of Gods loving-kindness
I. The subject of the text. Thy loving-kindness, O God.
1. Manifested--
(1) In creation.
(2) In providence.
(3) In grace.
2. Felt or experienced--
(1) In conversion.
(2) In reconciliation and adoption.
(3) In Christian fellowship and communion with God.
(4) In ordinances and promises.
(5) In heaven.
II. Its excellence. This appears--
1. In being manifested to the most unworthy.
2. In the multitude of blessings of which it is the source.
3. It gives security in all dangers, and produces confidence.
4. It is infinitely satisfying.
5. It is constant.
6. It is pregnant with prospective blessedness and ineffable glory.
Application.
1. Does your experience lead you to admire this loving-kindness?
2. If not, it is a proof of slothfulness, and barrenness, and calls for repentance.
3. However much of this loving-kindness you enjoy now, it is but a foretaste. (Helps for the Pulpit.)
The guests of the Lord
How excellent is Thy loving-kindness, O Lord! Here is a burst of doxology born out of a great contemplation. This man sings but as the linnet sings; he sings because he must; his song is the spontaneous outbreaking of a jubilant soul. So many of our doxologies are forced and artificial; they are not natural and inevitable. This mans song is the sure and certain issue of prepared and definite conditions. He has been surveying the wondrous power of God. And where has the meditation taken place? In the open air. He is a great lover of nature, and as he fixes his wondering eye upon its glories, Nature becomes to him a literature, and he discerns the character of God. It is a long and leisurely meditation. Moment by moment he seems to peer into ever-deepening depths in the immeasurable sky. Thy mercy, O Lord, is in the heavens! Thy mercy is just like what I am gazing at! Depth beyond depth, and a comprehension that encircles everybody! And then he turns to the gathering clouds, brewing away in the south-west, and coming with their ladened treasures to moisten the slopes of Carmel, and to drench the dried plains with their fertilizing wealth. And again his heart reads the spiritual evangel brought by this material messenger. Thy faithfulness reacheth out of the clouds! The looming storm, the gathering darkness, are not chaotic forces raging at will without command; they are all in the charge of the Almighty God! The clouds drop fatness! Then his eyes wander away to the uplifted mountains, to Hermon and to distant Lebanon, or across to the hills of Moab. These are the emphases in the landscape, the abiding realities amid all its shifting moods. The river comes and goes; there is time of drought and time of plenty! Generations arise and pass away, but in each succeeding day the harvester looks up from the feverish plains and sees the cool and towering heights of the unchanging Lebanon. Thy righteousness is like the great mountains! Whatever happens, that endures! And so his contemplative eye wanders about in this great field of spiritual symbolism, till the heart glows and burns in the accumulated glory. How excellent is Thy loving-kindness, O God! Surely we might imitate the psalmist in this fruitful method of devotion. Now this loving-kindness, so precious and so excellent, represents itself to the psalmist as a home for the soul, a home in which all the children of men can be the guests of God. The loving-kindness of our Lord is just the guest-house of the soul! For what does the psalmist assure us we may find in this gracious home? First., it offers us shelter. Therefore the children of men take refuge under the shadow of Thy wings. I think there is something very pathetic in the conjunction. After the towering mountains, and the far-stretched heavens, and the battalions of storm-clouds, and the mysterious sea, he mentions the children of men. He appears to be half-terrified and half-confident in the association. Man seems so pitiably small by the side of the colossal phenomena of the material world. And yet, although the psalmist trembles for a moment in the sense of his own insignificance, he soon recovers the confidence of his soul. Therefore the children of men fake refuge under the shadow of Thy wings. That is the privilege of the sons of God. We can hide in the immediate presence of the Creator of all things, We can turn into the loving-kindness of God as little chicks cuddle under their mothers wings. There is room for everybody, always and everywhere. The peril or the crisis never finds us far away from home. But in the guest-house we not only find shelter and security, we find gracious and perfect sustenance. They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of Thy house. The Lord always gives His guest the best. The word fatness literally means the top of a thing. The top of milk is the cream, and it is always the cream of things with which our Lord entertains His children. Thou feedest them with the finest of the wheat. He provides fat visions for the mind, delivering us from poor and thin conceptions of God, of man, of life and duty. He provides fat promises for the heart, saving us from thin and poor affections, from emotions in which there is no strength and no sacrificial ministry. And He provides fat energies for the will, nourishing us into powers of resoluteness which make us invulnerable in the pilgrim way. And with this fatness we are to be abundantly satisfied. There are so many unsatisfied people in our streets, possessed of comforts, but no comfort, having found ease but not having gained peace. But the food of the Lord is to abundantly satisfy, and the heart is to be at rest. He satisfieth thy mouth with good things. But more than shelter and sustenance are to be given to us. Our great Host entertains His guests with rare delights. Thou shelf make them drink of the river of Thy pleasures. This may mean the pleasures that God provides us, Or it may mean Gods own pleasures, or it may probably mean both. The things that give pleasure to the Lord are to give joy to us, In what does our Lord find His delight? He delighteth in mercy! And I am to drink of this river, and to relish the taste of it, and to find it a gracious delight. There is joy in heaven over one sinner that repenteth! And of this river I am to drink, and my heart is to be glad at the prodigals return. When I see another rejoicing I am to rejoice, and in my delight I shall share the joy of the Lord. And all these pleasures are to come my way like a river. They are not to be like a pool, exposed to the immediate drought, dried up in the critical day. And the psalmist, before closing his doxology, gives us the great secret of this all-sufficient hospitality. With Thee is the fountain of life. All good is to be found in God. All our springs are in Him, the springs of impulse, and desire, and will, and of all vitality. (J. H. Jowett, M.A.)
The excellence of Gods loving-kindness
I. Take the words directly and absolutely, as they lie in themselves.
1. Gods loving-kindness is most excellent, that is, His favour and good-will (Psa_30:5; Psa_63:3; Psa_106:4).
(1) In regard of the subject of it, by considering whose it is.
(2) In regard of the fulness of it. He that hath but Gods favour, what can he be said to want? Theres nothing here in the world, but when a man has as much of it as his heart can wish, yet he will still want somewhat with it, and that sometimes which he can least be without; but he that hath an interest in Gods loving-kindness, he hath all good things made over to him, so far forth as he hath use and need of them.
(3) In regard of the efficacy of it, it is such as is of sweet influence wheresoever it is; it makes comforts to be so much the more comfortable, and it makes crosses to be so much the more tolerable and beneficial.
(4) For its freeness and impartiality.
(5) For its continuance and duration. Whom He loves, He loves to the end (Isa_54:8).
2. The psalmist blesses God for His activity of goodness to His church, for that loving-kindness which does put itself forth in His proceedings and dispensations to them. Now this also as well as the former is very excellent, and that in these regards.
(1) In regard of the substance of it, and the materials whereof it consists, which are various. God has shown His loving-kindness to His church in divers expressions. In giving them His Son for their redemption, and reconciliation to Himself; how excellent is His loving-kindness here (Rom_8:32). In the ordinances and means of grace. In His Spirit, and the workings thereof, whereby His ordinances and ministry are made effectual to those who enjoy them. In His care of it, and providence towards it.
(2) In regard of the extent of it, enlarging and diffusing itself.
(3) In regard of the peculiarity and appropriation of it.
II. Consider the words reflexively, as coming from the psalmist.
1. Here is a sound judgment.
2. A special favour. David does not only speak here out of judgment, and the strength of his understanding; but out of sense and the certainty of his experience, who had found and felt the workings of this special favour, and accordingly speaks triumphantly about it. The frequent thoughts upon this point are such as may be very beneficial to us; and may have a very great influence upon our lives.
(1) To quicken us to duty, and to make us so much the more diligent in our business.
(2) To restrain us from sin, and to make us so much the more shy of our miscarriages.
(3) To satisfy us in our afflictions, and to make us more contented with our condition.
3. Here is a thankful acknowledgment.
4. Here is a joyful publication (Psa_92:2) calls for showing forth the loving-kindness of the Lord (Psa_63:8). (T. Herren, D. D.)
Therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of Thy wings.--
The character and privileges of Gods people
I. Their character. They highly esteem the loving-kindness of God.
II. Their privileges.
1. They shall be abundantly satisfied, etc.
2. They drink of the river of His pleasures. All joy is theirs. (D. Rees.)
The Biblical Illustrator, edited by Joseph S. Exell (c. 1880s–1900s) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
C. I. Scofield 1917 · Public Domain (See Scofield "Psa 2:12").
trust
(See Scofield "Psa 2:12").
The Scofield Reference Bible (1917 edition), notes by C. I. Scofield — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 How precious is your covenant faithfulness
How precious is your covenant faithfulness
The word "precious" refers to how greatly the writer values Yahweh's covenant faithfulness. The abstract noun "faithfulness" can be translated as an adjective. AT: "I greatly value how you are faithful to your covenant" (See: Abstract Nouns)
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They feast upon the abundance of your house
Eating much food as guests in a house is a metaphor for God providing all his people need. AT: "They will have all they need because you will provide it to them" or "You have plenty to give, and you will provide them with all they need" (See: Metaphor)
you let them drink from the river of your delights
There are two metaphors here. God's abundant blessings are spoken of as if they are the water in a flowing river. Also, those who receive those blessings are spoken of as if they are drinking them like water. AT: "your precious blessings are like a river from which you will let them drink" (See: Metaphor)
fountain of life
"source of life"
in your light we will see light
Here "light" is a metaphor for true knowledge. AT: "when you enlighten us, we will know the truth" or "your light is what enables us to know the truth about you" (See: Metaphor)
translationWords
precious
God
refuge
shadow
house
bless
fountain
life
light
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 36:7-8 God invites all humanity to the banquet in…
36:7-8 God invites all humanity to the banquet in his house (cp. Prov 9:1-6).
Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.