Psalms 22:30

30. It shall be accounted &c.] i.e. as R.V. marg., It shall be counted unto the Lord for his generation. Better, however, as R.V. text, It shall be told of the Lord unto the next generation. But here again it seems best slightly to alter the text, and following the LXX to connect the first word of Psa_22:31 with Psa_22:30 : It shall be told of the Lord unto the generation that shall come: for (1) the generation needs the qualification which R.V. supplies by inserting next: and (2) they shall come absolutely in the sense of they shall come into being is doubtful.

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.

Psa 22:30 A seed shall serve him; it shall be accounted to the Lord for a generation.

Ver. 30. A seed shall serve him] And be saved by him, a remnant reserved for royal use, a chosen generation, Rom 9:20 Isa 53:10.

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_22:30

A seed shall serve Him.

Good men as seeds

This figurative expression signifies Christ and His people, who yield true obedience to God,--they are called by this name in a spiritual and figurative, but most appropriate sense. The idea is taken from the operations of the husbandman, who carefully reserves every year a portion of his grain for seed. Though it be small, compared with all the produce of his harvest, yet he prizes it very highly and estimates it by the value of that crop which it may yield in the succeeding autumn. Nor does he look only to the quantity; he pays particular regard to the quality of the seed. He reserves only the best, nay, he will put away his own if spoiled, that he may procure better. The very smallest quantity of really good seed is, to him, an object of great desire, and if by grievous failure of crops he should not be able to procure more than a single grain, yet would he accept it thankfully, preserve it carefully, and plant it in the most favourable soil. Such is the source from which the metaphor is taken. (John Stevenson.)

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

Psa 22:30. A seed shall serve him — Christ shall not want a seed or posterity, for though the Jewish nation will generally reject him, the Gentiles shall come in their stead. It shall be accounted for a generation — That believing seed shall be reputed, both by God and men, the generation, or people of the Lord, as the Jews formerly were.

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

31. (Psa 22:30). Posterity shall serve him; it shall be related of the Lord to the (next) generation. The last restriction to be done away is that of time. The effects of this salvation shall no more be confined to the present generation than to the higher classes of society, or the natural descendants of the patriarchs.—A seed, i.e. posterity, the seed of those who witness or first hear of the event.—Shall serve him, i.e. worship and obey Jehovah, the same thing that is expressed by eating and bowing down in Psa 22:30 (29) above. The means of this conversion shall be the perpetuated knowledge of what God has done.—Generation is used absolutely, as in Psa 71:18, where it means not this generation, but the next. The complete phrase occurs below, Ps. 28:14 (13), Psa 78:4. The Lord. The original is not Jehovah, but Adhonai, the divine name properly denoting sovereignty. See above, on Psa 2:4; Psa 21:2. The exposition above given of the verse before us is equally agreeable to usage, and much better suited to the context, than the one which makes it mean that a seed shall be reckoned by the Lord (as belonging) to the generation, i. e. to the generation of his people. (See below, on Psa 24:6.) It is highly improbable that the passive verb has a meaning wholly different from that of the corresponding active form in Psa 22:23 (22) above.

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

22:30 Future generations will join those from the past who praised the Lord (22:3-5). The descendants of the godly will receive blessings (22:30-31), unlike the offspring of the wicked (21:10).

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

Meaning, the prosperity, which the Lord keepeth as a seed to the Church to continue his praise among men.

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

it shall be accounted to the Lord for, &c.--or, "it shall be told of the Lord to a generation." God's wonderful works shall be told from generation to generation.

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Verse 30. Shall be accounted to the Lord for a generation.] They shall be called Christians after the name of Christ.

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

30. Their seed shall serve him. The more to exalt the greatness of the benefit, he declares that it will be of such a character that posterity will never forget it. And he shows how it will come to be perpetuated, namely, because the conversion of the world, of which he has spoken, will not be for a short time only but will continue from age to age. Whence we again conclude, that what is here celebrated is not such a manifestation of the glory of God to the Gentile nations as proceeds from a transitory and fading rumor, but such as will enlighten the world with its beams, even to the end of time. Accordingly, the perpetuity of the Church is here abundantly proved, and in very clear terms: not that it always flourishes or continues in the same uniform course through successive ages, but because God, unwilling that his name should be extinguished in the world, will always raise up some sincerely to devote themselves to his service. We ought to remember that this seed, in which the service of God was to be preserved, is the fruit of the incorruptible seed; for God begets and multiplies his Church only by means of his word.

The expression, To be registered to the Lord for a generation, is explained in two ways. Some take the Hebrew word דור, dor, for a succession of ages, and explain the clause thus: They shall be registered to the Lord age after age. Others take it for generation, in the sense in which the word natio [nation] is used in the Latin tongue. As both these senses suit very well, and come almost to the same thing, I leave my readers at liberty to choose between them. I am, however, I admit, rather inclined to the opinion, that by this word is designated God’s chosen people and peculiar nation, which may be accounted the heritage of God. Farther, as the name Jehovah, which is expressive of God’s essence, is not here used as it is a little before, but the word Adonai, I do not disapprove of the opinion of those who think that Christ is here expressly invested with authority over The Hebrew word Adonai is derived from a verb which signifies to direct, rule, judge; and it therefore signifies director, ruler, judge.

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.

(30) A seed . . .—Better, Posterity shall serve Him. About Jehovah it shall be told to the (coming) generation. The article makes for this interpretation. Others, as in Psa_87:6, understand a reference to the census; but the parallelism is against this reference. The next verse repeats the same thought in another form.

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

A seed shall serve him,.... That is, Christ shall always have a seed to serve him in every age; a remnant according to the election of grace; see Rom 9:29; so that as the former verses speak of the amplitude of Christ's kingdom, through the calling of the Gentiles, these words and the following express the duration of it: and this "seed" either means Christ's seed; so the Septuagint version, and others that follow it, render it, "my seed"; the spiritual seed and offspring of Christ, which the Father has given him, and which shall endure for ever, Isa 53:10; or else the church's seed, which comes to the same thing; not the natural seed of believers, but a succession of godly men in the church, who are born in her, and nursed up at her side; see Isa 59:21; such shall, and do, in every age serve Christ, willingly and cheerfully, in righteousness and true holiness, without slavish fear, and yet with reverence and godly fear. The Chaldee paraphrase is, "the seed of Abraham shall serve before him"; but this seed designs not the Jews only, but the Gentiles also, and chiefly;

it shall be accounted to the Lord for a generation; of his people, his children whom he accounts of, reckons, and esteems as such; or the seed shall be reckoned to the Lord, as belonging to him, "unto generation"; that is, in every generation (q), throughout all ages, to the end of time; so the Targum, "to an after generation"; or "a generation to come".

(q) "in quacunque generatione", Noldius, p. 236. No. 1076.

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

A seed shall serve him - A people; a race. The word used here, and rendered “seed” - זרע zera‛ - means properly “a sowing;” then, a planting, a plantation; then. seed sown - of plants, trees, or grain; and then, a generation of men - children, offspring, posterity: Gen 3:15; Gen 13:16; Gen 15:5, Gen 15:13; et al. Hence, it means a race, stock, or family. It is used here as denoting those who belong to the family of God; his children. Compare Isa 6:13; Isa 65:9, Isa 65:23. The meaning here is, that, as the result of the work performed by the sufferer, many would be brought to serve God.

It - To wit, the seed mentioned; the people referred to.

Shall be accounted to the Lord for a generation - The word here rendered “Lord” is not יהוה Yahweh, but אדני 'Âdônay, a word which is often used as a name of God - and should not be printed here in small capitals. Prof. Alexander renders this, it seems to me improperly, “It shall be related of the Lord to the next generation.” So DeWette and Hengstenberg. But the common rendering appears to me to furnish a better signification, and to be more in accordance with the meaning of the original. According to this the idea is, that the seed - the people referred to - would be reckoned to the Lord as a generation of his own people, a race, a tribe, a family pertaining to him. They would be regarded as such by him; they would be so estimated by mankind. They would not be a generation of aliens and strangers, but a generation of his people and friends. Compare Psa 87:6.

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

Christ shall not want a seed or posterity, Heb 2:13; for though the Jewish nation should generally reject and forsake him, which may seem to be here implied, Christ shall have many disciples or followers, and the Gentiles shall come in their stead. Compare this promise with that, he shall see his seed, Isa 53:10. Or, their

seed, i.e. the seed of the Gentile worshippers last mentioned. Christian religion shall not be the business of one age, but, as the Gentiles shall believe in Christ, so shall their posterity in succeeding generations; this being God’s usual method, to take children into covenant with their parents, of which see Deu 10:15; 30:19; Psa 69:36; Isa 43:5; 44:3. And as when the Jews refused Christ, their children were cast out of the covenant with them; so when the Gentiles embraced the gospel covenant, their children were admitted with them.

It shall be accounted to the Lord for a generation; that believing seed shall be reputed, both by God and men, the generation, or children, or people of the Lord, as the Jews formerly were. But upon the Jews’ contempt of Christ and the gospel, the Gentiles shall come in their stead, and enjoy their titles and privileges. Compare this place with Psa 87:5.

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

Ver. 30. A seed shall serve him. Posterity shall perpetuate the worship of the Most High. The kingdom of truth on earth shall never fail. As one generation is called to its rest, another will arise in its stead. We need have no fear for the true apostolic succession; that is safe enough.

It shall be accounted to the Lord for a generation. He will reckon the ages by the succession of the saints, and set his accounts according to the families of the faithful. Generations of sinners come not into the genealogy of the skies. God's family register is not for strangers, but for the children only.

Ver. 30. A seed shall serve him. This figurative expression signifies Christ and his people, who yield true obedience to Godthey are called by this name in a spiritual and figurative, but most appropriate sense. The idea is taken from the operations of the husbandman who carefully reserves every year a portion of his grain for seed. Though it be small, compared with all the produce of his harvest, yet he prizes it very highly and estimates it by the value of that crop which it may yield in the succeeding autumn. Nor does he look only to the quantity, he pays particular regard to the quality of the seed. He reserves only the best, nay, he will put away his own if spoiled, that he may procure better. The very smallest quantity of really good seed, is, to him, an object of great desire, and if by grievous failure of crops, he should not be able to procure more than a single grain, yet would he accept it thankfully, preserve it carefully, and plant it in the most favourable soil. Such is the source from which the metaphor is taken. John Stevenson.

Ver. 30. The perpetuity of the church.

Ver. 30. (last clause). Church history, the marrow of all history.

Psalms 22:31*

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

30. A seed shall serve him—Posterity shall serve him—the descendants of the first generation of worshippers and their converts who succeed them. No limitation of time shall be fixed to Messiah’s honour and dominion.

It shall be accounted—Numbered and registered, as the word denotes.

To the Lord—Unto Adonah, not Jehovah; a title of dominion, and applies to Christ here, as in Psa_110:1; Psa_110:5, where see notes.

For a generation— For the generation. The definite article belongs here, but is syncopated by the preposition. The “generation” is equal to “a peculiar people,” or purchased people. 1Pe_2:9. “Generation,” here, is not used of time, but of kind, quality, species, (as Psa_14:5; Psa_24:6; Psa_73:15;) running through all generations of time. Psa_48:13; Psa_78:4

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

A seed shall serve him. The Church is founded on a rock, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. So long as the world endures, Christ shall always have worshippers a "seed" which will "serve" him. It shall be accounted to the Lord for a generation. If we accept this rendering, we must understand that the seed of the first set of worshippers shall be the Lord"s people for one generation, the seed of the next for another, and so on. But it is suggested that the true meaning is, "This shall be told of the Lord to generation after generation" (so Hengstenberg, Kay, Alexander, and our Revisers).

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

A seed - Christ shall not want a seed or posterity, for though the Jewish nation will generally reject him, the Gentiles shall come in their stead. A generation - That believing seed shall be reputed both by God and men, The generation, or people of the Lord, as the Jews formerly were.

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

A generation to come

Here "A generation" represents the people of a generation. The phrase "to come" speaks about a future time as if it were something that travels and arrives somewhere. AT: "People in the future generations" (See: Metonymy and Metaphor)

the next generation

Here "generation" represents the people of that generation. AT: "the people of the next generation" or "their children" (See: Metonymy)

of the Lord

"about the Lord" or "about what the Lord has done"

tell of his righteousness

The abstract noun "righteousness" can be stated as an adjective. AT: "tell of the righteous things he has done" (See: Abstract Nouns)

translationWords

generation

servant

lord

righteous

people group

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

They shall eat all the best of the earth and prostrate themselves Lit. they shall eat and prostrate themselves all the best of the earth. This is a transposed verse. The humble shall eat all the best of the earth and prostrate themselves to the Lord with praise and thanksgiving for the good. דשני means the good, the fat of the earth. [People at] all the ends of the earth will see all this and return to the Lord.

before Him shall...kneel Then all the dead of nations [will kneel] from Gehinnom but He will not have mercy upon them to revive their souls from Gehinnom.

his soul [The soul] of each one.

He will not quicken Lit. He did not quicken. Our Sages (Mid. Ps. 22:32) derived from this verse that the dead, before their death, at the time their soul is taken, see the countenance of the Shechinah.

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.

All the fat ones of earth shall eat and worship: All that go down to the dust shall bow before Him, even he who cannot keep his soul alive. – My revered father of blessed memory explained the verse as having two applications: that the Gentiles – those, that is, who are prosperous and flourishing and who turn to the Lord – shall remain so then, for God will accept them on their repentance, and they shall eat, and worship God, and praise Him for all the goodness; but there are some of the Gentiles whom He will not receive, even if they should bow before Him – those, namely, who have harried Israel; for they are those that go down to the dust, meaning they shall be in Gehenna; neither will God preserve alive the soul of one of them, as the Prophet says (Joel 4:21): “I will cleanse – (but of) their blood I do not cleanse.” For for all the evil things they have done to Israel they shall be able to give indemnity, as it says (Is. 60:17): “For brass I will bring gold”; but the blood of man they shall not be able to indemnify, therefore their life shall be (taken) in the place of their life: and this interpretation is correct. The learned Rabbi Abraham, however, has expounded the whole verse in another sense. He says: “the fat ones of the earth are those who enjoy themselves in this world, in eating every kind of delicacy; and if they have their delight in this world, in their latter days they shall worship and bow down before the angel who gathers their spirit, and not one of them shall be able to save his soul alive. And this is an intimation that their soul shall perish in the world to come, in contradistinction to the meek, of whom he says that their soul shall live for ever.” And what he says about (bowing down) “before the angel who gathers their spirit” is Midrashic (interpretation): and so they say in the Haggadic interpretation (Babli, Niddah 30 b; Shoher Tob, with a slight change): “For to Me every knee shall bow” (Is. 45:23) that is, at the day of death, as it is said, “before Him shall they bow, all that go down to the dust.”

Radak on the Tanakh — English translations: “Sefaria Community Translation” (CC0 1.0 (public-domain dedication)); “Eliyahu Munk, HaChut Hameshulash” (CC BY 4.0); “Rabbi Mike Feuer, Jerusalem Anthology” (CC BY 4.0); and “R. David Kimhi on the first book of Psalms, Translated by R.G. Finch, London, 1919” (public domain). Text via Sefaria.