| Scripture |
Expanded Comments |
| 1 To the chief Musician. A Psalm of David, the servant of Jehovah, who spoke to Jehovah the words of this song in the day that Jehovah had delivered him out of the hand of all his enemies and out of the hand of Saul. And he said, I will love thee, O Jehovah, my strength. |
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| 2 Jehovah is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my *God, my rock, in whom I will trust; my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my high tower. |
And the horn – Horns are symbols of power. T42
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| 3 I will call upon Jehovah, who is to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies. |
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| 4 The bands of death encompassed me, and torrents of Belial made me afraid. |
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| 5 The bands of Sheol surrounded me, the cords of death encountered me. |
The sorrows of hell – The bonds of Sheol, oblivion, the fear of death. E362
A figure in which trouble is represented as hastening one to the tomb. R2599:3
Prevented me – Seized me. E362
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| 6 In my distress I called upon Jehovah, and I cried out to my God; he heard my voice out of his temple, and my cry came before him, into his ears. |
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| 7 Then the earth shook and quaked, and the foundations of the mountains trembled and shook, because he was wroth. |
The earth shook – Verses 7 to 19 give a vivid description of the awful time of trouble. R5735:4
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| 8 There went up a smoke out of his nostrils, and fire out of his mouth devoured: coals burned forth from it. |
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| 9 And he bowed the heavens, and came down; and darkness was under his feet. |
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| 10 And he rode upon a cherub and did fly; yea, he flew fast upon the wings of the wind. |
He rode upon a cherub – Jehovah is frequently spoken of as dwelling between, or above, the cherubim. R529:6*
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| 11 He made darkness his secret place, his tent round about him: darkness of waters, thick clouds of the skies. |
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| 12 From the brightness before him his thick clouds passed forth: hail and coals of fire. |
And coals of fire – To batter down man's pride, selfishness, and prejudices, and consume these. B153
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| 13 And Jehovah thundered in the heavens, and the Most High uttered his voice: hail and coals of fire. |
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| 14 And he sent his arrows, and scattered mine enemies; and he shot forth lightnings, and discomfited them. |
Sent out his arrows – Divine truth slaughtering the hosts of error. R5493:6; CR164:4; SM51:T
See comments on Psalm 45:5
Shot out lightnings – Diffusions of knowledge. R511:2
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| 15 And the beds of the waters were seen, and the foundations of the world were uncovered at thy rebuke, Jehovah, at the blast of the breath of thy nostrils. |
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| 16 He reached forth from above, he took me, he drew me out of great waters: |
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| 17 He delivered me from my strong enemy, and from them that hated me; for they were mightier than I. |
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| 18 They encountered me in the day of my calamity, but Jehovah was my stay. |
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| 19 And he brought me forth into a large place; he delivered me, because he delighted in me. |
Brought me – The David class, heirs of the Kingdom. R4242:6*
Large place – The place of freedom. R4243:1*
The place of justification and consecration--seated with Christ in heavenly places. R4243:2*
Delivered me – In two ways--deliverance out of the vexations and deliverance in the distresses. R4243:2*
Either by removal of difficulties, or by increased grace and ability to stand the trials. R4243:2*
Not as individuals, but as members of the Body of Christ. R4243:2*
Not necessarily from financial troubles, but he will give us peace and rest. R5218:1
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| 20 Jehovah hath rewarded me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands hath he recompensed me. |
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| 21 For I have kept the ways of Jehovah, and have not wickedly departed from my God. |
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| 22 For all his ordinances were before me, and I did not put away his statutes from me; |
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| 23 And I was upright with him, and kept myself from mine iniquity. |
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| 24 And Jehovah hath recompensed me according to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands in his sight. |
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| 25 With the gracious thou dost shew thyself gracious; with the upright man thou dost shew thyself upright; |
Shew thyself merciful – If we come to God's Word as reverent students, expecting to find therein the delineation of the character and plan of God, it will be revealed to us. R3337:1
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| 26 With the pure thou dost shew thyself pure; and with the perverse thou dost shew thyself contrary. |
With the pure – A person's idea concerning God is a fair index of his relation toward God. R139:6*
The froward – These can warp and twist the Scriptures to suit their own ideas. R3337:1
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| 27 For it is thou that savest the afflicted people; but the haughty eyes wilt thou bring down. |
High looks – "A haughty spirit precedes a fall." (Prov 16:18) R3337:2
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| 28 For it is thou that makest my lamp to shine: Jehovah my God enlighteneth my darkness. |
Enlighten my darkness – To those humble and faithful ones whom the Lord has been leading. R3337:4
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| 29 For by thee I have run through a troop; and by my God have I leaped over a wall. |
By thee I have – "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me." (Phil. 4:13) R2154:3
Through a troop – Of opposing enemies. R3337:5
Over a wall – Of bondage into the glorious liberty of a son of God. R3337:5
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| 30 As for *God, his way is perfect; the word of Jehovah is tried: he is a shield to all that trust in him. |
As for God, his way – God's way is his plan or purpose, that which he purposes to accomplish, and which is steadily working out. R3336:3
Is perfect – Just, merciful, wise, benevolent, practicable and sure of a glorious termination. R3337:5
Nothing short of perfection can find favor in the eyes of God. R1610:2
God created man perfect, in his own image or likeness, not in the image and likeness of a monkey. CR208:6*
But we received our lives from our parents, and so on back to father Adam. Our first parents sinned, and thus the curse of death came upon the race. HG650:2
Our blemishes came to us from our parents, not from God. R2285:1
Therefore God is not the author of sin. R1225:2, R1782:4
Therefore we are to be so fully in accord with God's arrangements that we will not be disturbed or distressed by the fact that some will go into the Great Company and that others will go into the Second Death. Q498:7
Is tried – When fully understood it will stand the test of every argument that could be formed against it as to its justice, wisdom and benevolence. R3337:5
He is a buckler – A defense. R3337:5
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| 31 For who is +God save Jehovah? and who is a rock if not our God? |
For who is God – Who is mighty. R3337:5
Who is a rock – A safe anchorage to our souls. R3337:5
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| 32 The *God who girdeth me with strength, and maketh my way perfect, |
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| 33 Who maketh my feet like hinds' feet, and setteth me upon my high places; |
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| 34 Who teacheth my hands to war, and mine arms bend a bow of brass; |
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| 35 And thou didst give me the shield of thy salvation, and thy right hand held me up; and thy condescending gentleness hath made me great. |
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| 36 Thou didst enlarge my steps under me, and mine ankles have not wavered. |
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| 37 I pursued mine enemies, and overtook them; and I turned not again till they were consumed. |
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| 38 I crushed them, and they were not able to rise: they fell under my feet. |
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| 39 And thou girdedst me with strength to battle; thou didst subdue under me those that rose up against me. |
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| 40 And mine enemies didst thou make to turn their backs unto me, and those that hated me I destroyed. |
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| 41 They cried, and there was none to save; --unto Jehovah, and he answered them not. |
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| 42 And I did beat them small as dust before the wind; I did cast them out as the mire of the streets. |
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| 43 Thou hast delivered me from the strivings of the people; thou hast made me the head of the nations: a people I knew not doth serve me. |
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| 44 At the hearing of the ear, they obey me: strangers come cringing unto me. |
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| 45 Strangers have faded away, and they come trembling forth from their close places. |
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| 46 Jehovah liveth; and blessed be my rock; and exalted be the God of my salvation, |
The LORD liveth – Securely anchored in him, we may trust and not be afraid. R3337:5
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| 47 The *God who hath avenged me, and hath subjected the peoples to me; |
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| 48 Who hath delivered me from mine enemies: yea, thou hast lifted me up above them that rose up against me; from the man of violence hast thou delivered me. |
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| 49 Therefore will I give thanks to thee, Jehovah, among the nations, and will sing psalms to thy name. |
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| 50 It is he who giveth great deliverances to his king, and sheweth loving-kindness to his anointed, to David, and to his seed for evermore. |
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