| Scripture |
Expanded Comments |
| 1 An instruction, by Ethan the Ezrahite. |
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| Of the kind acts of Jehovah, to the age I sing, To all generations I make known Thy faithfulness with my mouth, |
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| 2 For I said, 'To the age is kindness built, The heavens! Thou dost establish Thy faithfulness in them.' |
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| 3 I have made a covenant for My chosen, I have sworn to David My servant: |
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| 4 'Even to the age do I establish thy seed, And have built to generation and generation thy throne. Selah. |
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| 5 and the heavens confess Thy wonders, O Jehovah, Thy faithfulness also [is] in an assembly of holy ones. |
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| 6 For who in the sky, Compareth himself to Jehovah Is like to Jehovah among sons of the mighty |
The mighty – Hebrew, El, signifying strong or powerful; applicable to any powerful being, especially to the most powerful, the Almighty Jehovah. R296:2
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| 7 God is very terrible, In the secret counsel of His holy ones, And fearful over all surrounding Him. |
To be feared – Not treated with irreverent familiarity. R2002:2[R2002:2]
When the people, contrary to the Law, looked into the Ark (symbol of the divine presence), and God punished them. R2002:6[R2002:6]
A feeling of profound respect, often mingled with awe and affection. R2002:3[R2002:3]
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| 8 O Jehovah, God of Hosts, Who [is] like Thee a strong Jah And Thy faithfulness [is] round about Thee. |
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| 9 Thou [art] ruler over the pride of the sea, In the lifting up of its billows Thou dost restrain them. |
Raging of the sea – The restless masses of mankind. A318[A318]
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| 10 Thou hast bruised Rahab, as one wounded. With the arm of Thy strength Thou hast scattered Thine enemies. |
With thy strong arm – The power of Jehovah; in the highest sense, Jesus. E47
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| 11 Thine [are] the heavens the earth also [is] Thine, The habitable world and its fulness, Thou hast founded them. |
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| 12 North and south Thou hast appointed them, Tabor and Hermon in Thy name do sing. |
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| 13 Thou hast an arm with might, Strong is Thy hand high Thy right hand. |
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| 14 Righteousness and judgment [Are] the fixed place of Thy throne, Kindness and truth go before Thy face. |
Justice – Jehovah's government is based on justice, not on mercy. R4980:6, R5857:1; OV229:4; SM661:1; R586:5
Justice must also be the foundation principle governing our lives, the foundation of all Christian character. R5431:5, R5857:1
Only after we have rendered justice are we at liberty to practice love towards another. SM354:1
The results of injustice will be more injurious to the doer than to the victim. R4500:6
Represented by the slab of the Mercy Seat, above which the glory of the Lord appeared in the Most Holy. T124
The basic principle of God's character. R2120:5
If God were an unjust God we could never depend on him. R5857:1
All the power, all the justice, all the wisdom of God must be used in accord with his own character, which is love. R5210:6
Its value manifested in the great expense at which God maintained it inviolate--the sacrifice of his only begotten Son. R1275:2*
Judgment – Equity. R769:2
Are the habitation – The foundation. Otherwise his creation would become filled with imperfect beings. E472
The just sentence against Adam would have stood forever had no acceptable substitute been found. E421
While love can guide divine justice, justice must rule. R5159:6
The principle which underlies all God's dealings with his creatures; God's unchanging business principle. R5884:1
Justice is the basis of love. R5266:1
Therefore the satisfaction of justice is the satisfaction of God. Q388:T
Therefore God cannot justly set aside his own laws. HG309:1
Throne – Empire. R5210:6
Mercy and truth – God maintains the even tenor of his rule of righteousness, but makes special provision for the sinner race through Christ Jesus. SM662:1
God's own character (love) and law (justice) are twin bulwarks, each as high and strong as the other. R2328:1
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| 15 O the happiness of the people knowing the shout, O Jehovah, in the light of Thy face they walk habitually. |
That know – Can distinguish the joyful sound of the heavenly message. R2569:3
The joyful sound – Turnah, Jubilee (Lev. 25:9), the Gospel. "Good tidings of great joy, which shall be unto all people." (Luke 2:10) R2569:5, R2568:3
Shout. Jubilee means "time of shouting" or "shout." R2025:3*
The "shout" (of encouragement) (1 Thes 4:16) should be understood to be the people's response to the Jubilee trumpet blown by the priests. R2026:2
The new song of Moses and the Lamb. R2569:6
They – Those whom God has blessed with a knowledge of Present Truth. R2570:1
Shall walk – In the narrow way of self-control and self-sacrifice, even unto death. R2570:4
In the light – Shall be his blessed people. R2570:4
In the path "that shineth more and more unto the perfect day." (Prov 4:18) R2570:4
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| 16 In Thy name they rejoice all the day, And in Thy righteousness they are exalted, |
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| 17 For the beauty of their strength [art] Thou, And in Thy good will is our horn exalted, |
Our horn – Horns are symbols of power. T42
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| 18 For of Jehovah [is] our shield, And of the Holy One of Israel our king. |
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| 19 Then Thou hast spoken in vision, To Thy saint, yea, Thou sayest, I have placed help upon a mighty one, Exalted a chosen one out of the people, |
Laid help upon – Because a sinless sacrifice was needed. E96
Accomplishing salvation through the Son--every feature is of the Father and by the Son. R3172:3
One that is mighty – Mighty to deliver from the power of death. SM116:2
Fully qualified. R3172:3
Primarily our Lord Jesus, but subsequently The Christ complete--Head and Body. R1936:2
"Mighty to save" --having both the right and power to call the dead to life, and the ability to instruct, discipline and lead back to the perfect estate. R3951:2, R713:2
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| 20 I have found David My servant, With My holy oil I have anointed him. |
David my servant – Christ. The name David means "beloved." R1364:2
David's character was a beautiful type of Christ. R1936:5
Anointed him – In the following verses the "sure mercies" of David (Isa. 55:3) are enumerated. R1936:5, R1364:2
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| 21 With whom My hand is established, My arm also doth strengthen him. |
With whom my hand – Power, dominion, kingdom. R1936:4
Mine arm – Of support and strength. R1936:4
Strengthen him – To perform the great preparatory work of sacrifice. R1936:4
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| 22 An enemy exacteth not upon him, And a son of perverseness afflicteth him not. |
Afflict him – "All things shall work together for good to those who love God." (Rom 8:28) R1936:4
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| 23 And I have beaten down before him his adversaries, And those hating him I plague, |
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| 24 And My faithfulness and kindness [are] with him, And in My name is his horn exalted. |
Shall his horn – Authority and power. R1936:4
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| 25 And I have set on the sea his hand, And on the rivers his right hand. |
In the sea – His power will in due time control all the restless, ungovernable masses of the world. R1936:4
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| 26 He proclaimeth me: 'Thou [art] my Father, My God, and the rock of my salvation.' |
Art my father – Realizing communion and fellowship with God even in the midst of their earthly trials. R1936:5
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| 27 I also first-born do appoint him, Highest of the kings of the earth. |
Him my firstborn – "The firstborn of all creation." (Col. 1:15) E87
Head of the "Church of the firstborn." (Heb. 12:23) R1936:5
The Logos was Jehovah God's first creative act as respects intelligent beings. SM491:2
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| 28 To the age I keep for him My kindness, And My covenant [is] stedfast with him. |
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| 29 And I have set his seed for ever, And his throne as the days of the heavens. |
His seed also – The redeemed and restored race of mankind. R1936:5
By redemption and regeneration. R1364:2
To endure for ever – They shall have everlasting life. R1936:5
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| 30 If his sons forsake My law, And in My judgments do not walk; |
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| 31 If My statutes they pollute, And My commands do not keep, |
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| 32 I have looked after with a rod their transgression, And with strokes their iniquity, |
Then – During the Millennial age. A303
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| 33 And My kindness I break not from him, Nor do I deal falsely in My faithfulness. |
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| 34 I profane not My covenant, And that which is going forth from My lips I change not. |
My covenant – The Abrahamic and the New covenants, particularly. R3109:2
Not break, nor alter – "I am the same, I change not." (Mal. 3:6) R3107:3
"That we might have strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us: which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast." (Heb. 6:18, 19) R3109:3
The Lord would have his people similarly faithful to their covenants. R3109:5
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| 35 Once I have sworn by My holiness, I lie not to David, |
Not lie unto David – Unto Christ. R1936:5
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| 36 His seed is to the age, And his throne [is] as the sun before Me, |
His seed – The genealogical records, as given by Matthew and Luke, prove that Jesus was the son of David. R944:1*
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| 37 As the moon it is established to the age, And the witness in the sky is stedfast. Selah. |
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| 38 And Thou, Thou hast cast off, and dost reject, Thou hast shown Thyself wroth With Thine anointed, |
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| 39 Hast rejected the covenant of Thy servant, Thou hast polluted to the earth his crown, |
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| 40 Thou hast broken down all his hedges, Thou hast made his fenced places a ruin. |
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| 41 Spoiled him have all passing by the way, He hath been a reproach to his neighbours, |
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| 42 Thou hast exalted the right hand of his adversaries, Thou hast caused all his enemies to rejoice. |
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| 43 Also Thou turnest back the sharpness of his sword, And hast not established him in battle, |
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| 44 Hast caused [him] to cease from his brightness, And his throne to the earth hast cast down. |
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| 45 Thou hast shortened the days of his youth, Hast covered him over [with] shame. Selah. |
Hast thou shortened – Prophetic of the painful circumstances of Jesus' sacrificial death. R1205:2
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| 46 Till when, O Jehovah, art Thou hidden For ever doth Thy fury burn as fire |
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| 47 Remember, I pray Thee, what [is] life-time Wherefore in vain hast Thou created All the sons of men |
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| 48 Who [is] the man that liveth, and doth not see death He delivereth his soul from the hand of Sheol. Selah. |
His soul – Being. R205:4
Hand of the grave – Power of sheol, oblivion, death. E348, E365
It is not the body, but the being, soul, that dies. R205:4, R277:1
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| 49 Where [are] Thy former kindnesses, O Lord. Thou hast sworn to David in Thy faithfulness, |
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| 50 Remember, O Lord, the reproach of Thy servants, I have borne in my bosom all the strivings of the peoples, |
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| 51 Wherewith Thine enemies reproached, O Jehovah, Wherewith they have reproached The steps of Thine anointed. |
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| 52 Blessed [is] Jehovah to the age. Amen, and amen! |
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