Psalms 146:8

Psa 146:8 The LORD openeth [the eyes of] the blind: the LORD raiseth them that are bowed down: the LORD loveth the righteous:

Ver. 8. The Lord openeth the eyes] Both of body and mind, as in the Gospel. As for those miracles, which Tacitus and Suetonius attribute to Vespasian (as that he made a blind man see with spittle, healed another that was lame, and another that had a dry hand, by treading upon it), they are the miracles of Christ, which those profane authors would cast upon their emperor. Tacitus writeth that the blind man said to Vespasian that the god Serapis sent him to him. Now, the Paynims did think that the Christians did worship Serapis, as appeareth by the Epistle of Adrian, the emperor, to Severianus, the consul, that in the town of Alexandria they that worshipped Serapis were Christians, &c.

The Lord raiseth, &c.] As he did that daughter of Abraham in the Gospel, whom Satan had bound and bowed down twelve years, Luk 13:16, and as he doth still, Isa 61:1.

The Lord loveth the righteous] And this is more than all the rest. God dispenseth outward blessings, but not always in love.

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.

8. (Psa 146:8) Jehovah opens (the eyes of) the blind; Jehovah raises up the bowed down; Jehovah loves the righteous. The ellipsis in the first clause is not so harsh in Hebrew as in English, because the verb is almost confined, in usage, to the eyes, and would at once suggest them to a Hebrew reader. All the verbs are of the participial form, opening, raising, loving, i. e. continually doing so. The first clause is applicable both to bodily and mental blindness. Compare Deu 28:29, Isa 59:10, Job 12:25. The second clause is borrowed from Psa 145:14.

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

146:8-9 The fourfold repetition of the name of the Lord emphasizes that only he heals, unburdens, loves, and protects.

Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Though he visit them by affliction, hunger, imprisonment and such like, yet his fatherly love and pity never faileth them, yea, rather to his these are signs of his love.

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

Verse 8. Openeth the eyes of the blind] He brings us out of our prison-house, from the shadow of death, and opens our eyes that we may behold the free light of the day. And it is the Lord only that can open the eyes of any son of Adam, and give him to see his wretchedness, and where help and salvation may be found.

Raiseth them that are bowed down] Through a sense of their guilt and sinfulness.

The Lord loveth the righteous] These he makes partakers of a Divine nature; and he loves those who bear his own image.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

(8) Openeth.—Here, and through the verse, the verbs are participles. The elliptical “open the blind” is easily understood.

Blindness is sometimes figurative of distress and helplessness (Deu_28:29; Isa_59:9, &c), sometimes of want of mental or spiritual discernment, as Isa_29:18; Isa_42:7, &c. Here, most probably, the former.

Raiseth.—See Psa_145:14.

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

8. Blindness is a figure for moral and spiritual ignorance and insensibility, and helplessness in general. Cp. Isa_29:18; Isa_35:5; Deu_28:19; Job_12:25; Isa_59:9-10.

raiseth up them that are bowed down] As Psa_145:14.

loveth] And therefore, as P.B.V., careth for them. But is not this an accidental mistake, introduced into the Great Bible of 1540? Coverdale (1535) and the Great Bible of 1539 have loveth.

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.

The Lord openeth the eyes of the blind,.... Who are corporeally blind; the eyes of many such were opened by Christ when here on earth, and one who was born blind; and such who are spiritually blind as to any knowledge of divine things, of God in Christ, of the way of life and salvation by Christ, of the Spirit and his operations, of their state and condition by nature, or of the things of the Gospel; the eyes of many such he opens so as to see their sin and danger, their want of righteousness, and need of Christ, and salvation by him; this is usually done by means of the ministry of the word, which is as an eye salve; but the work is Christ's, and a work of almighty power it is; see Isa 35:4;

the Lord raiseth them that are bowed down; as he did in a literal sense the poor woman that was bowed together, Luk 13:11, and as he does in a spiritual sense such as are heavy laden with sin, and pressed with the burden of it; that are depressed with Satan's temptations, and labour under sore afflictions and exercises; all which he supports his people under, and delivers them out of; and cheers and refreshes their souls with discoveries of his love and grace unto them; see Psa 145:14;

the Lord loveth the righteous; not self-righteous persons; these are not loved by God the Father, who preferred a publican to one of them; nor by Christ, who came not to call them to repentance; nor by the Spirit, who reproves and convinces men of self-righteousness; nor by angels, who rejoice at one sinner that repents more than over ninety and nine just persons who in their own opinion need no repentance: but such who are righteous through Christ's righteousness imputed to them, and there are none righteous in any other way; and these Christ loves, not for any righteousness in them, or done by them; nor does his love flow from his own righteousness upon them, for he loved them from all eternity; and his engaging and undertaking to work out a righteousness for them, and the bringing in of that righteousness, were the fruits and effects of his love to them, and evidences of it; he suffered for them when they were in themselves unjust; he died for them when sinners, ungodly, and enemies; nevertheless, as they are clothed with his perfect righteousness, and are introduced unto him and presented before him in this raiment of needle work, this clothing of wrought gold, this fine linen clean and white; he takes delight and pleasure in them, and they appear a glorious church, without spot or wrinkle, or any such thing.

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

The Lord openeth the eyes of the blind - This is the sixth reason for what is stated as to the blessedness of those who put their trust in the Lord. The language here would be applicable to bodily or to mental blindness. Compare the notes at Psa 119:18 : “Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law.” See also the notes at Isa 35:5 : “Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened.”

The Lord raiseth them that are bowed down - This is the seventh reason why they are happy who trust in the Lord. It is that those who are crushed and bowed down under the weight of care, trouble, and calamity, are raised up by him, or are sustained and comforted. See the notes at Psa 145:14 : “The Lord upholdeth all that fall, and raiseth up all those that be bowed down.”

The Lord loveth the righteous - This is the eighth reason why those who trust in the Lord are happy. It is a characteristic of God, and a foundation for praise, that he loves those who obey law; who do that which is right.

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

The eyes of the blind; either,

1. The eyes of their mind, which he enlightens and directs in doubtful and difficult causes; or,

2. Their bodily eyes, which he did abundantly by his Son Jesus Christ.

Loveth the righteous, even when he doth afflict them, which also he doth out of love, Heb 12:6.

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

Ver. 8. The LORD openeth the eyes of the blind. Jesus did this very frequently, and hereby proved himself to be Jehovah. He who made the eye can open it, and when he does so it is to his glory. How often is the mental eye closed in moral night! And who can remove this dreary effect of the fall but the Almighty God This miracle of grace he has performed in myriads of cases, and it is in each case a theme for loftiest praise.

The Lord raiseth them that are bowed down. This also Jesus did literally, thus doing the work peculiar to God. Jehovah consoles the bereaved, cheers the defeated, solaces the despondent, comforts the despairing. Let those who are bowed to the ground appeal to him, and he will speedily upraise them.

The LORD loveth the righteous. He gives to them the love of complacency, communion, and reward. Bad kings affect the licentious, but Jehovah makes the upright to be his favoured ones. This is greatly to his glory. Let those who enjoy the inestimable privilege of his love magnify his name with enthusiastic delight. Loved ones, you must never be absent from the choir! You must never pause from his praise whose infinite love has made you what you are.

Ver. 8. Openeth the eyes of the blind. Literally, "openeth the blind" i.e., maketh them to see. The expression may be used figuratively, as a remedy applied either to physical helplessness, as De 28:29 Isa 59:9-10 Job 12:25 or to spiritual want of discernment, as Isa 29:18 42:7, 18 43:8. Here the context favours the former. J.J. Stewart Perowne.

Ver. 8. The LORD openeth the eyes of the blind. The Hebrew does not mention the eyes of the blind. Hilary renders it sapientificat. The Arabic version follows the same. Jehovah by his wisdom illumines dark minds. It is mental blindness which is the common affliction of men. John Lorinus.

Ver. 8. The blind. The large number of blind persons to be seen feeling their way along the streets in Cairo and Alexandria has been noticed by Volney. "Walking in the streets of Cairo", he says, "out of a hundred persons whom I met, there were often twenty blind, eighteen one eyed, and twenty others with eyes red, purulent, or spotted. Almost every one wears bandages, indicating that they either have or are recovering from ophthalmia." Ophthalmia is, in fact, one of the scourges of Egypt, as all physicians know. Its prevalence must be attributed in a great degree to the sand which the wind blows into the eyes; but one can understand how in Oriental countries in general the excessive heat of the sun must make blindness much commoner than it is with us.

It is not therefore surprising to any one who knows the East to find the blind so often mentioned in the gospel history, and to meet in Scripture with so many allusions to this infirmity. Of the twelve maledictions of the Levites there is one against him "who maketh the blind to go out of the way": De 27:18. "The spirit of God hath anointed me", said Jesus, quoting from Isaiah, "to preach the gospel to the poor, and recovery of sight to the blind": Lu 4:19. "The Lord", says David, "setteth at liberty them that are bound; the Lord giveth sight to the blind." Felix Bovet (1824), in "Egypt, Palestine, and Phoenicia",

1882.

Ver. 8. (first clause). Spiritual blindness, its curse, cause, and cure.

Ver. 8. (second clause). Who are the people? Who raises them? How he does it. And what then?

Ver. 8. (third clause). God's love to the righteous.

1. He made them righteous.

2. They are like him.

3. They love him.

4. Their purposes are one with his own.

Psalms 146:9*

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

The Lord openeth the eyes of the blind. (comp. Isa_35:5) The spiritually blind would seem to be meant, rather than the physically blind, since there is no record of any restoration of physical sight in the Old Testament. The Lord raiseth them that are bowed down. (see Psa_145:14) "Bowed down," i.e., under the hand of oppressors. The Lord loveth the righteous. This lies at the root of all, and shows that the various deliverances spoken of in vers. 7-9 are to be understood as deliverances of the righteous out of their troubles.

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

"God" - See here that the meaning is [that] it is not appropriate that a man lean on another man and if a man is to be strengthened from him, [it should be that] he leans on him in his prayer to God(i.e. the man is a conduit for salvation which is requested in prayer to God), and so too if he is hungry or he is imprisoned [he will be saved], and so too if he gets an affliction of the eyes, or he was continually forced to stay in bed [because of sickness], he should not lean on a doctor.

And the meaning of "God loves the righteous" is that he will guard them and they will not be oppressed or hungry or bound or blind or coerced.

Ibn Ezra on the Tanakh — English translations: “Sefaria Community Translation” (CC0 1.0 (public-domain dedication)); “Yalkut, Sifsei Chachomim Chumash, Metsudah Publications, 2009” (CC BY 4.0); and “Commentary of Ibn Ezra on Isaiah - trans. by M. Friedlander, 1873” (public domain). Text via Sefaria.