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Hear my prayer, LORD! Let my cry come to you.
Verse 1. Himself. All agree that David wrote this psalm as a model of resignation. The occasion is not known. Bert.—It may express the sentiments of the captives, ( Calmet.) or of converts to Christianity, (Euseb.) and is written with inimitable sweetness.
LORD or GOD in all caps is from the Hebrew יהוה Yahweh except when otherwise noted as being from the short form יה Yah.
Don’t hide your face from me in the day of my distress. Turn your ear to me. Answer me quickly in the day when I call.
For my days consume away like smoke. My bones are burned as a torch.
Verse 3. Diseases. He had described captivity as an illness. Psalms 101. Calmet.—God graciously forgives sin, and removes bad habits. He preserves us from falling, and grants us the victory, with all our reasonable requests. Worthington.
My heart is blighted like grass, and withered, for I forget to eat my bread.
By reason of the voice of my groaning, my bones stick to my skin.
Verse 5. Eagle’s. Which get fresh feathers every year, like other birds. Isaiah 40:31. Calmet.—The eagle retains its vigour for a long time, ( Bible.) though many fabulous accounts have been given of its renovation. Bert.—The new birth in baptism, (Theod.) or by faith, (Euseb.) or the resurrection of Christ are thus insinuated, (S. Leo, ser. i.) as well as ( Bible.) our resurrection and state of grace. The one is necessarily connected with the other, and both senses are good. Worthington.
I am like a pelican of the wilderness. I have become as an owl of the waste places.
Verse 6. Mercies. Hebrew “Justice” in protecting the innocent.
I watch, and have become like a sparrow that is alone on the housetop.
My enemies reproach me all day. Those who are mad at me use my name as a curse.
For I have eaten ashes like bread, and mixed my drink with tears,
Verse 9. Ever. He executes his threats, but soon pardons us. Calmet.—Hebrew “he will not plead always, nor watch to surprise us for ever;” ( Calmet.) or “retain” his anger. Bert.—He is inclined to pity us, and only inflicts a temporal punishment on the penitent, as Christ has paid their ransom. Worthington.
because of your indignation and your wrath; for you have taken me up and thrown me away.
Verse 10. Iniquities. Which deserved eternal reprobation.
My days are like a long shadow. I have withered like grass.
Verse 11. Earth. There is no proportion between God’s mercy and our crimes. Calmet.—Sins are perfectly washed away, ( Worthington.) and not barely covered, as the east cannot be the west. Bert.—Sin remitted “sets for ever.” Saint Augustine
But you, LORD, will remain forever; your renown endures to all generations.
You will arise and have mercy on Zion, for it is time to have pity on her. Yes, the set time has come.
For your servants take pleasure in her stones, and have pity on her dust.
Verse 14. He remembereth. Rom. Septuagint and psalter, and so forth “Remember.” Other copies agree with us. Calmet.—God compassionates the frailty of those who fear him. Origen falsely inferred from verse 9 that the devils and the damned would one day be saved. But this is contrary to Scripture. verse 17. Matthew 25. Revelation 20. and so forth Worthington.
So the nations will fear the LORD’s name, all the kings of the earth your glory.
For the LORD has built up Zion. He has appeared in his glory.
Verse 16. In him. Or “over it;” the flower. Or the spirit of God’s indignation will overwhelm him. The soul of man departs, and cannot naturally be reunited with the body, though it greatly desire that union. Calmet.—The longest life is but like the duration of a flower, (Isaiah 40:6. Bible.) and the splendour of the noblest families is not better in the sight of God. Saint Augustine
He has responded to the prayer of the destitute, and has not despised their prayer.
Verse 17. Justice. In protecting the oppressed, ( Calmet.) and rendering to every one according to his deserts abundantly. Bible.—God never punishes more than a person’s crimes have merited. Exodus 20:5 and 34:6. Calmet.
This will be written for the generation to come. A people which will be created will praise the LORD,
Hebrew: יה Yah
for he has looked down from the height of his sanctuary. From heaven, the LORD saw the earth,
Verse 19. All. When Christ shall sit in judgment, (Bert.) and the wicked be suffered no longer to disturb the order of things, and the joy of the elect. Bible.
to hear the groans of the prisoner, to free those who are condemned to death,
Verse 20. His angels. You who have executed the orders of God for our delivery, help us to return him thanks. Calmet.—Hearkening. Lit. “to hear,” ( Bible.) or that all may learn to obey God’s mandates when they perceive how carefully the angels put them in execution. Bert.
that men may declare the LORD’s name in Zion, and his praise in Jerusalem,
Verse 21. Hosts. Sun, and so forth which never deviate from their regular course.
when the peoples are gathered together, the kingdoms, to serve the LORD.
Verse 22. Soul. In vain should we behold all nature praising God, if we neglected that duty. Bert.—All the works of the Most High praise him, being under his dominion. Worthington.
He weakened my strength along the course. He shortened my days.
I said, “My God, don’t take me away in the middle of my days. Your years are throughout all generations.
Of old, you laid the foundation of the earth. The heavens are the work of your hands.
They will perish, but you will endure. Yes, all of them will wear out like a garment. You will change them like a cloak, and they will be changed.
But you are the same. Your years will have no end.
The children of your servants will continue. Their offspring will be established before you.”