| Scripture |
Expanded Comments |
| 1 'Give ye thanks to Jehovah, For good, for to the age [is] His kindness:' |
O give thanks – This Psalms was probably written on the occasion of the dedication of the Temple. R4297:1
Endureth for ever – To a full completeness. R5427:3
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| 2 Let the redeemed of Jehovah say, Whom He redeemed from the hand of an adversary. |
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| 3 And from the lands hath gathered them, From east and from west, From north, and from the sea. |
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| 4 They wandered in a wilderness, in a desert by the way, A city of habitation they have not found. |
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| 5 Hungry yea thirsty, Their soul in them becometh feeble, |
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| 6 And they cry unto Jehovah in their adversity, From their distress He delivereth them, |
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| 7 And causeth them to tread in a right way, To go unto a city of habitation. |
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| 8 They confess to Jehovah His kindness, And His wonders to the sons of men. |
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| 9 For He hath satisfied a longing soul, And a hungry soul hath filled [with] goodness. |
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| 10 Inhabitants of dark places and death-shade, Prisoners of affliction and of iron, |
Sit in darkness – Failing to search the Scriptures that they may know the will and counsel of God. R2240:6
Bound in affliction – Our first parents--driven out of the Garden of Eden because of disobedience. SM156:3
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| 11 Because they changed the saying of God, And the counsel of the Most High despised. |
The words of God – The Scriptures--by not putting them into practice. R2241:1
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| 12 And He humbleth with labour their heart, They have been feeble, and there is no helper. |
Brought down – Penalty for disobedience. (See Psa. 107:10) SM157:1
With labour – The sentence, that man should earn his bread by the sweat of his face, was designed of the Lord to be a blessing. SM157:1
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| 13 And they cry unto Jehovah in their adversity, From their distresses He saveth them. |
Then they cried – Before being used of the Lord and prepared for further great things at his hand, Israel needed to learn dependence upon him. R3983:5
As the Lord taught us to pray, "Abandon us not in temptation, but deliver us from the evil one." (Matt. 6:13) R3983:6
In their trouble – Present distresses and tribulations are all working out for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, if we are rightly exercised thereby. R3983:6
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| 14 He bringeth them out from the dark place, And death-shade, And their bands He draweth away. |
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| 15 They confess to Jehovah His kindness, And His wonders to the sons of men. |
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| 16 For He hath broken doors of brass, And bars of iron He hath cut. |
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| 17 Fools, by means of their transgression, And by their iniquities, afflict themselves. |
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| 18 All food doth their soul abominate, And they come nigh unto the gates of death, |
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| 19 And cry unto Jehovah in their adversity, From their distresses He saveth them, |
They cry – Such a cry implies that the sins and weaknesses of the flesh were contrary to the transgressor's will. All such who cry unto the Lord in sincerity and faith shall be heard. R3103:4
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| 20 He sendeth His word and healeth them, And delivereth from their destructions. |
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| 21 They confess to Jehovah His kindness, And His wonders to the sons of men, |
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| 22 And they sacrifice sacrifices of thanksgiving, And recount His works with singing. |
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| 23 Those going down [to] the sea in ships, Doing business in many waters, |
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| 24 They have seen the works of Jehovah, And His wonders in the deep. |
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| 25 And He saith, and appointeth a tempest, And it lifteth up its billows, |
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| 26 They go up [to] the heavens, they go down [to] the depths, Their soul in evil is melted. |
They go down again – Stormy troubles of the sea--a graphic description of some of our trials and difficulties. SM745:1
Trouble – Rendered "evil" in "I create evil." (Isa. 45:7) A125
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| 27 They reel to and fro, and move as a drunkard, And all their wisdom is swallowed up. |
Reel to and fro – "The earth shall reel to and fro like a drunkard" (Isa. 24:20) as the judgments of the Lord fall heavily on the wayward and disobedient. R5989:5
Vainly endeavoring to right itself, maintain a footing and re-establish itself. D551
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| 28 And they cry to Jehovah in their adversity, And from their distresses He bringeth them out. |
Cry unto the LORD – When the world is frenzied with fear and despair. They will see then that unless the Lord helps them, all is lost. OV420:2
Out of their distresses – A picture of how the Kingdom of Christ will be inaugurated. OV420:2
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| 29 He establisheth a whirlwind to a calm, And hushed are their billows. |
The storm – Mankind is experiencing a mighty whirlwind on the social sea; selfishness is always stirring up a storm on every possible occasion. God permits this so humanity will learn to appreciate our great Savior. R5695:6,3, R5696:1
How suddenly the Adversary may at times bring against us a whirlwind of temptation or of opposition or of persecution. R3324:6
The storms may seem to come from the world, but really beyond the world is the Adversary. R3325:4, R5239:2
These storms may be right inside our own person--storms of anger, passion, or resentment. R5239:4
Those who do not have storms, trials, and difficulties lack proof that they are God's children. (Heb. 12:7, 8) R5239:2
The 6000 years of sin and death have been one continuous storm with occasional brief lulls. R5239:5
This trouble and the glory to follow are the theme of all the holy prophets. R5696:3
The difficulties of life have been valuable to the Church. R5695:6
A calm – The storms of life may go on, but the Lord speaks peace to us. R5696:1
In due time, Christ will bid all storms to cease. R5695:3
In a storm at sea, the voyager feels his own littleness and realized no human arm can calm that storm; but our Heavenly Father can calm the storms of trouble. R5239:1
By the storms and sunshine of life, the Lord is bringing us to the desired haven. SM745:1
The great rest for mankind from the evil one for a thousand years. R3325:4
Illustrated by the miracle of Jesus' calming the sea. R3324:1
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| 30 And they rejoice because they are quiet, And He leadeth them to the haven of their desire. |
Desired haven – Beyond the veil--the New Jerusalem. SM743:1
To that condition of heart and character which he can approve as worthy of life eternal. SM746:T
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| 31 They confess to Jehovah His kindness, And His wonders to the sons of men, |
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| 32 And they exalt Him in the assembly of the people, And in the seat of the elders praise Him. |
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| 33 He maketh rivers become a wilderness, And fountains of waters become dry land. |
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| 34 A fruitful land becometh a barren place, For the wickedness of its inhabitants. |
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| 35 He maketh a wilderness become a pool of water, And a dry land become fountains of waters. |
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| 36 And He causeth the hungry to dwell there, And they prepare a city of habitation. |
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| 37 And they sow fields, and plant vineyards, And they make fruits of increase. |
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| 38 And He blesseth them, and they multiply exceedingly, And their cattle He doth not diminish. |
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| 39 And they are diminished, and bow down, By restraint, evil, and sorrow. |
Affliction – Rendered "evil" in "I create evil." (Isa. 45:7) A125
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| 40 He is pouring contempt upon nobles, And causeth them to wander in vacancy no way. |
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| 41 And setteth on high the needy from affliction, And placeth families as a flock. |
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| 42 The upright do see and rejoice, And all perversity hath shut her mouth. |
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| 43 Who [is] wise, and observeth these They understand the kind acts of Jehovah! |
Shall understand – And that constitutes authority to teach. F295
Have confidence in the Lord and in his times and seasons. R5697:1
It is ours to know the outcome. R5696:1
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