Psalms 119:149

Psa 119:149 Hear my voice according unto thy lovingkindness: O LORD, quicken me according to thy judgment.

Ver. 149. Hear my voice according unto thy lovingkindness] Showed heretofore to others of thy servants, and to me frequently.

Quicken me according to thy judgment] i.e. According to thy promise.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Psa 119:149-150. O Lord, quicken me — Stir me up to love and serve thee, and make me vigorous, lively, and cheerful in thy work; according to thy judgment — According to thy word, which is often called God’s judgment; or, according to thy manner of dealing with thy people. They draw nigh — To me. They are at hand, and ready to seize upon me; that follow after mischief — Or rather, as רדפי זמהmay, perhaps, be more properly rendered, that pursue me with malicious subtlety. They are far from thy law — They cast away from them all thoughts of, and respect to, thy law, which forbids such wicked practices.

Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

149. (Psa 119:149) My voice hear according to thy mercy, O Jehovah, according to thy judgments quicken me. According to the promises annexed to thy commandments.

Joseph Addison Alexander, The Psalms Translated and Explained (1850) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Or, custom.

Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain. Text via Bolls.life.

Here, 1. David applies to God for grace and comfort with much solemnity. He begs of God to hear his voice: "Lord, I have something to say to thee; shall I obtain a gracious audience?" Well, what has he to say? What is his petition and what is his request? It is not long, but it has much in a little: "Lord, quicken me; stir me up to that which is good, and make me vigorous, and lively, and cheerful in it. Let habits of grace be drawn out into act." 2. He encourages himself to hope that he shall obtain his request; for he depends, (1.) Upon God's lovingkindness: "He is good, therefore he will be good to me, who hope in his mercy. His lovingkindness manifested to me will help to quicken me, and put life into me." (2.) Upon God's judgment, that is, his wisdom ("He knows what I need, and what is good for me, and therefore will quicken me"), or his promise, the word which he has spoken, mercy secured by the new covenant: Quicken me according to the tenour of that covenant.

Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole Bible (1708–1710) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

149. Hear my voice, O Jehovah! according to thy mercy. In the first place he declares, that the goodness of God was the only ground of his hope of being heard by him. Whatever blessings the saints may plead for in prayer, their opening argument must be the free and unmerited grace of God. Nor is the term judgments By “judgments,” Calvin means “God’s Word,” as the reader will observe from what follows.

Walford translates, “Revive me, e Jehovah! according to thy wonted manner.”

John Calvin's Commentaries (1540-1563) — public domain. Text from the Calvin Translation Society English edition (1840s-50s) via the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (ccel.org). Calvin's coverage is partial (roughly two-thirds of the Bible); uncommented books and verses are honest gaps, never fabricated. The 19th-century editor's footnotes and remarks are omitted so the notes are faithfully Calvin's own voice.

(149) According to Thy judgment.—See Note, Psa_119:132. We must certainly here give the Hebrew noun the meaning of a “custom,” which it bears there. (Comp. Prayer Book version, “according as Thou art wont.”)

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

149. according to thy judgment] Or, ordinance, “the gracious rule of action Thou hast laid down for Thyself; Thy method of dealing with those that seek Thee early” (Kay). P.B.V. and R.V. marg. as thou art wont take mishpâṭ (‘judgement’) to mean rule, custom. Cp. A.V. of Psa_119:132. The LXX, Targ. and Jer. support the singular, but if the plural be read, according to the Massoretic vocalisation, as in Psa_119:156, the sense will not differ greatly. Thy judgements will mean the various examples of God’s rule of action which declare His will to preserve the life of His servants.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

RESH.--The Twentieth Part.

RESH. Consider mine affliction, and deliver me,.... Or, "look upon mine affliction" (e); as in Psa 25:18. The Lord seems as if he did not, when he does not grant his gracious presence to his people; or does not arise to the help and deliverance of them so soon as they desire and expect: but he always sees and beholds their afflictions; he cannot do otherwise, since he is the omniscient God; and not only so, but he is the author, appointer, and orderer of them; yea, he looks upon them with an eye of pity and compassion, which is what is here prayed for: he sympathizes with his people in all their afflictions, supports them under them, pays kind visits to them, sanctifies his hand, and in his own time delivers them out of all; which none else can but himself, and he has power to do it, and has promised it, and does perform: see Psa 50:15;

for I do not forget thy law: the precepts of it; to observe it as a rule of walk and conversation, as a lamp to the feet, and a light to the path, as a directory of the good and perfect will of God: or, "thy doctrine"; the doctrine of the word, the precious truths of it, which were his support under afflictions; and when either of them have a place in the heart, and are written there, they cannot easily be forgotten. This the psalmist mentions, not as if his not forgetting the law or doctrine of God was meritorious of deliverance from affliction, but as a descriptive character of such the Lord does deliver.

(e) "vide", Pagninus, Montanus, Musculus, Cocceius; "intuere", Gejerus.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Hear my voice, according unto thy loving-kindness - According to thy mercy; thy goodness. Let that be the rule in answering me; not my deserts, or even the fervour of my prayers. We can desire no better rule in answer to our prayers.

O Lord, quicken me - Give me life; cause me truly to live. See the notes at Psa 119:40.

According to thy judgment - Thy law as a rule of judgment; thy revealed truth, with all its gracious promises.

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

According to thy word, which is oft called God’s judgment; or, according to thy custom or manner of dealing with me and with others of thy people; as this word is taken above, Psa 119:132.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

Ver. 149. Hear my voice according unto thy lovingkindness. Men find it very helpful to use their voices in prayer; it is difficult long to maintain the intensity of devotion unless we hear ourselves speak; hence David at length broke through his silence, arose from his quiet meditations, and began crying with voice as well as heart unto the Lord his God. Note, that he does not plead his own descryings, nor for a moment appeal for payment of a debt on account of merit; he takes the free-grace way, and puts it, "according unto thy lovingkindness." When God hears player according to his lovingkindness he overlooks all the imperfections of the prayer, he forgets the sinfulness of the offerer, and in pitying love he grants the desire though the suppliant be unworthy. It is according to God's lovingkindness to answer speedily, to answer frequently, to answer abundantly, yea, exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or even think. Lovingkindness is one of the sweetest words in our language. Kindness has much in it that is most precious, but loving kindness is doubly dear; it is the cream of kindness.

O Lord, quicken me according to thy judgment. This is another of David's wise and ardent prayers. He first cried, "Save me; "then, "Hear me; "and now, "Quicken me." This is often the very best way of delivering us from trouble, to give us more life that we may escape from death; and to add more strength to that life that we may not be overloaded with its burdens. Observe, that he asks to receive quickening according to God's judgment, that is, in such a way as should be consistent with infinite wisdom and prudence. God's methods of communicating greater vigour to our spiritual life are exceedingly wise; it would probably be in vain for us to attempt to understand them; and it will be our wisdom to wish to receive grace, not according to our notion of how it should come to us, but according to God's heavenly method of bestowing it. It is his prerogative to make alive as well as to kill, and that sovereign act is best left to his infallible judgment. Hath he not already given us to have life more and more abundantly? "Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence."

Ver. 149. Prayer hearing the result of love; prayer answering ruled by wisdom.

Ver. 149. Quickening.

1. A prayer of unquestionable necessity: "quicken me."

2. Twin pleas of irresistible power: "thy lovingkindness:" "thy judgment." C.A.D.

Ver. 149. The two accordings.

1. The "according, "to which a believer hopes to be heard by God: "Hear my voice according unto thy loving kindness."

(a) The believer is fully aware of his own unworthiness,

and the imperfections of his prayers, therefore he

would have God to accept him and interpret them after

the rule of his own lovingkindness.

(b) Nor does he hope in vain; God's loving kindness

overlooks the imperfections, and supplies the omissions.

(c) What a blessed thing it is, that while the Holy Spirit

helps our infirmities, the groanings that cannot be

uttered are read in their true meaning by divine

lovingkindness!

2. The "according" to which he expects to be answered by God: "Quicken me according to thy judgment." "Judgment" here may mean the revealed word. Then

(a) He expects to be answered certainly.

(b) He expects to be answered wisely.

(c) He expects to be answered fully, as all his needs

require.

(d) He expects that every answer should quicken spiritual

life, making him holy.

J.F.

Psalms 119:150*

Charles H. Spurgeon's The Treasury of David (1869–1885) — public domain. Psalms only. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

Hear my voice according unto thy loving-kindness; i.e. "hear me, and, according to thy mercy, grant my prayer." O Lord, quicken me according to thy judgment; or, "according to the rules that thou settest thyself" (comp. ver. 132).

The cry for more.

The Revised Version has a marginal note which is suggestive, "Quicken me, O Lord, as thou art wont;" but this is given also in the Prayer-book Version, and for ver. 156. The point suggested is, that when a soul has received spiritual blessing from God, it can never be satisfied unless that blessing is renewed. Or, to put it in another way, the good man can heartily rejoice in the gracious past, but he cannot be satisfied with what has been, or with what he has had he always wants the past to become the present.

I A MAN MAY SAVE SINGLE BLESSINGS FROM GOD. We are accustomed to think of "quickening" as a single Divine act, and to say, "Ye must be born from above." And if by quickening we mean the imparting of new life, that must be a single blessing. But a life existing may need quickening; and in that sense the blessing may be renewed. Life is full of single blessings from God, and these may unduly occupy our attention. They really are the only indications of the blessings that attend us every day in life. They are like the miracles of Jesus, which do but show what the Father God is doing for us, in healing and providing, every day.

II A MAN MAY HAVE CONTINUOUS BLESSINGS FROM GOD. If we may use language that properly applies only to man, we may say that God gets into the habit of blessing us with his daily quickenings. He blesses us as he is wont to do. There is a ground of confidence in this. God in the soul"s life is like God in nature. He is in such a way of making his sun rise day by day, that we have come to depend on it. But there is a side of peril in this for us. God"s regularity in blessing makes us either set up a claim, or miss the recognition of God"s hand. He has sometimes to break the continuity in order to arouse our attention.

III A MAN MAY HAVE PRESENT BLESSINGS FROM GOD. That is, blessings recognized as present; the soul awake to observe that they are present, and so responding aright to them. When the soul wants more it is prepared to recognize God"s quickening grace actually with it to-day. What God has done, and what God usually does, are not enough. The soul cannot rest unless it knows and feels what God is doing. R.T.

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Judgment - According to thy word.

John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.

in your covenant faithfulness

The abstract noun "faithfulness" can be translated with an adjective. AT: "because you are faithful to your covenant" (See: Abstract Nouns)

they are far from your law

"they have strayed from your law" or "they do not pay any attention to your laws"

translationWords

voice

covenant faithfulness

life

Yahweh

promise

righteous

decree

persecute

law

unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.