Distinctive Features of Psalm 80

February 17, 2025Posted inPsalms Commentary
Psalm 80 is a psalm of three movements or stanzas of unequal length. The first stanza (vv. 1–3) is introductory and calls on God to hear, stir up his strength and come to save Ephraim, Benjamin and Manasseh. The second stanza (vv. 4–7) asks God how long he will be angry with his people. The…

The Importance of Brotherly Admonition

February 14, 2025Posted inPsalms Commentary
One of the means our Lord has provided both to keep us from sin and to bring us back from it is brotherly admonition. The health of the church and its members demands it, but we seldom use it when we should. Probably there are many reasons for it, but I suspect that the main…

Psalm 80: Restore Us!

January 20, 2025Posted inPsalms Commentary
Psalm 80 is a psalm of three movements or stanzas of unequal length. The first stanza (vv. 1–3) is introductory and calls on God to hear, stir up his strength and come to save Ephraim, Benjamin and Manasseh. The second stanza (vv. 4–7) asks God how long he will be angry with his people. The…

Psalm 47: The Peoples and the People

January 13, 2025Posted inPsalms Commentary
In the psalms some translations do not always render the plural of the Hebrew word am (people) as peoples. Yet the psalms maintain a significant distinction between the singular and plural of the word. When it appears in the singular, it refers to Israel, the people of God. When it occurs in the plural, it…

Psalm 89: Renouncing the Unbreakable Covenant

January 9, 2025Posted inPsalms Commentary
Psalm 89 is theologically rich. Its main ideas are God’s covenant with David and his lovingkindness and faithfulness as revealed in it, but there are many other ideas as well: the glory, power and righteousness of God (vv. 6–14), the fear of God (v. 7), the blessedness of God’s people (vv. 15–18), election (v. 19),…

Psalm 85: A Psalm of Turning Back

December 30, 2024Posted inPsalms Commentary
The most frequently used and important word in Psalm 85 is a very common Hebrew word that means to return or turn back. It occurs five times in the first 8 verses of the psalm. The first time is in verse 1: You have shown favor, O Yahweh, to your land. You have turned back…

The Structure of Psalm 18

September 24, 2024Posted inPsalms Commentary
This psalm is a close copy of the song of David found in 2 Samuel 22. It's clear from both 2 Samuel and from the title of the psalm that David wrote it near the end of his life. He had defeated his enemies, consolidated his kingdom after the long and bitter struggle with Saul,…

The Unique Features of Psalm 145

September 21, 2024Posted inPsalm Translations, Psalms Commentary
A Praise of David1. I will exalt you, My God the king, And I will praise your name to forever and perpetuity.2. Every day I will bless you, And I will praise your name to forever and perpetuity,3. Great (is) Yahweh and much praised, And his greatness is not searchable.4. Generation to generation will laud…

Psalm 80: Restore us, O God!

May 21, 2024Posted inPsalms Commentary
Verse 2 of Psalm 80 shows us that this song of testimony belongs to the time following the end of the northern kingdom, and the Asaph mentioned here is not the Asaph whom David appointed to serve in the temple, but a later Asaph who may also have written Psalms 74 and 79. Those two…