Psalms 136:17

Psa 136:17 To him which smote great kings: for his mercy [endureth] for ever:

Ver. 17. To him which smote great kings] Great, as those times accounted them, when every small city almost had their king; Canaan had thirty and more of them. Great also in regard of their stature and strength; for they were of the giant’s race, Deu 3:11-13 Amo 2:1

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_136:17-22

To Him which smote great kings.

Mercy in the destruction of tyrants

I. The mercy of God recognized in the destruction of tyrants.

1. It appears in their own destruction.

(1) If there be no future state it puts an end to their miseries.

(2) If there be, as we believe there is, a state of future punishment, the sooner the incorrigible sinner dies the better for himself; the longer he lives the more guilt he contracts, and the greater his guilt the greater his agonies in a world of retribution.

2. It appears in the relief afforded to the race. When such demons in human flesh are cut down, the world breathes freer, obstacles are swept from its path of progress; when the Pharaohs are engulfed the human Israel can march forward to promised lands.

II. The praises of God celebrated on account of the perpetuity of His mercy.

1. Because Divine mercy will always work for good. Therefore, the longer it continues, the better.

2. Because the future ages of the world will require mercy. There will be much for mercy to do on this planet yet, before the race will be brought hack into harmony with God.

3. Because we ourselves shall ever be dependent on mercy. (Homilist.)

Sihon and Og, or mercies in detail

These six verses reiterate the same fact. Is the tautology tedious; do the chimes weary you with their monotony? For my part I like a repetition in the tune of a psalm as well as in its language. No doubt one verse instead of these six might have sufficed. It might have run thus, Who slew famous kings, Sihon, king of the Amorites, Og, king of Bashan, and gave their land for a heritage to His people, for His mercy endureth for ever. That would have comprehended all the sense. But by this repetition we learn that it is well to dwell long and to dwell deliberately upon some of Gods dealings with Us. This is the theme on which I want to thread a few reflections. And--

I. It is well to deliberate long over the merciful side of Gods judgments. We might have thought it more natural if we had read, for His justice, or, for His vengeance endureth for ever. But though terrible for these tyrants, it was a great mercy for others. When tyrants die nations have time to breathe. When lions fall, or the wolves are slain, the deer and sheep have time to rest. Not mercy to the one man, perhaps, to Nero, Caligula, Tiberius or the like, but to the millions who groaned under his abominable rule. And so of huge systems of error and superstition which have oppressed men. They have passed away, and others shall, for His mercy endureth for ever.

II. Each mercy deserves to be remembered. See with what special point and emphasis each instance is put. They are thus given--

1. Because each mercy we have received is undeserved. In the very chapter which tells of these victories of Israel their murmurings and the fiery serpents that chastised them are told of also. It was to these people God gave these repeated victories.

2. Not one could be dispensed with. Had the Lord stopped when Sihon was slain, what would have become of Israel?

3. There was a peculiarity about each mercy. You never had two mercies from God that were quite alike.

4. But if any mercy deserves to be particularly remembered, it is early mercy. The children of Israel had not got their hands into fighting yet. They were young recruits. And so with ourselves, how we ought to remember Gods mercy to us in the beginning of our career.

III. Each mercy does really in itself deserve separate contemplation. How we dwell in detail and fulness on our troubles. Should we not do so also with our mercies? When I have got some trouble of my own, I think I generally find myself turning it inside out and showing every bit of it--every point of it--upside down, the wrong way up, the right way up, and all ways. Ought I not to do the same with my mercies?

IV. Continued benefits are a special proof of enduring mercy. For God to give one mercy might not prove that His mercy endureth for ever, but when no sooner is one given than another follows, and another follows that, the unbroken succession of wave upon wave in ceaseless regularity does show that His mercy endureth for ever. And is not this what so many of us have to tell of?

V. The overruling of trials is a subject to dwell upon with delight. Israel did not expect to have the territory of Sihon and Og. Their land was on the other side Jordan, but since they attacked them as unexpected foes, they got out of them unexpected territory. Unexpected trials often issue in unexpected advantages.

VI. That all this should be for the same persons further shows that His mercy, etc. For whom does Sihon, does Og, fall but for Israel? All is for them, undeserving, evil, full of provocation as they were. Is there one of us who might not justly be in hell before the clock ticks again, if it were not that His mercy endureth for ever? Do any say, My sins are strong, how can I master them? Cannot He who slew great kings, yea, famous kings, cannot He slay them? (C. H. Spurgeon.)

The Biblical Illustrator, edited by Joseph S. Exell (c. 1880s–1900s) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

17. (Psa 136:17) To him that smote great kings—for unto eternity (is) his mercy. Compare the parallel passage, Psa 135:10, which is here divided by the theme or chorus. See above, on Psa 136:8.

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

To him which smote great kings,.... Either the thirty one kings in the land of Canaan; or those who are after particularly mentioned; which seems best, since the kings of Canaan were petty kings, when these were greater ones;

for his mercy endureth for ever; the smiting of those kings were in mercy to Israel; both to preserve them from falling into their hands, and that they might possess their countries, as is later declared.

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

To him which smote great kings - On this passage see the notes at Psa 135:10-12. There is little difference in the two places, except that here the statement is divided by the refrain, “For his mercy endureth forever.” The idea in the whole passage, in view of the divine interposition in slaying the mighty kings, and in giving their land for a possession to the Hebrew people, is, that it was a proof of mercy and benevolence. It is benevolence to mankind and to the church of God - it is in the interests of humanity, of domestic peace, and of the charities of life, to remove wicked people from the world. This mercy may be manifested further, not merely in removing the wicked, but in transferring their possessions to those who will make a better use of them. Thus the possessions of these mighty kings, Sihon and Og, were transferred to the people of God, and lands which had been devoted to the service of blood, ambition, crime, pollution, and idolatry, became devoted to the service of religion and righteousness. In like manner, through the removal of a wicked man from the world by death, God may cause his wealth, accumulated by avarice and dishonesty, to be transferred to the hands of children who will make a good use of it - children converted as if in anticipation of this, and with a view to this. Among the highest expressions of mercy to the world may be, therefore, the removal of wicked princes in war - or the removal of wicked people, in other ranks of life, by death in any form.

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

Ver. 17. To him which smote great kings. Within sight of their inheritance Israel had to face powerful enemies. Kings judged to be great because of the armies at their back blocked up their road. This difficulty soon disappeared, for the Lord smote their adversaries, and a single stroke sufficed for their destruction. He who had subdued the really mighty ruler of Egypt made short work of these petty sovereigns, great though they were in the esteem of neighbouring princes.

For his mercy endureth for ever. Mercy, which had brought the chosen tribes so far, would not be balked by the opposition of boastful foes. The Lord who smote Pharaoh at the beginning of the wilderness march, smote Sihon and Og at the close of it. How could these kings hope to succeed when even mercy itself was in arms against them.

Evermore his mercy stands

Saving from the foe man's hands.

Ver. 17. Great kings. Great, as those times accounted them, when every small city almost had her king. Canaan had thirty and more of them. Great also in regard of their stature and strength; for they were of the giants' race. De 3:1-29 Am 2:1-16 John Trapp.

Ver. 17-22. See "Spurgeon's Sermons", No. 1285: "Sihon and Og; or, Mercies in Detail."

Psalms 136:18*

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

17-21. On these verses see notes on Psa_135:10-12. It is possible, as some have hinted, that Sihon and Og, with their powerful kingdoms, are here specially alluded to, because these rich trans-Jordanic regions were, at this date, lost to the Jewish territory, and, with Samaria and Galilee on the west, were never fully restored until after the captivity. But faith in their restoration the exiles sought to cherish and strengthen by the rehearsal of their ancient conquest by Moses and Joshua.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

To him which smote great kings. (see the comment on Psa_135:10) For his mercy, etc.

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

great kings Here he alluded to the thirty-one kings, and he compared for them Pharaoh and his host and the plagues of Egypt to mighty kings, harsher than they. Sihon was equal to all of them, [and Og was equal to all of them (Machzor Vitry)], each one individually, and so did he explain above (135: 11): “Sihon the king of the Amorites and Og the king of Bashan and all the kingdoms of Canaan.” So it is in the Aggadah.

Rashi on the Tanakh — English translations: “The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg” (CC BY 4.0); “Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934” (public domain); “The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J” (CC BY 4.0); and “The Book of Joshua, Metsudah Publications, 1997” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.