Psalms 37:26

Psa 37:26 [He is] ever merciful, and lendeth; and his seed [is] blessed.

Ver. 26. He is ever merciful, and lendeth] Heb. Every day, according to others’ necessity and his own ability; for to stretch beyond the staple were to mar all. But he is ever "ready to distribute, willing to communicate," 1Ti 6:17, as Mr Wiseheart, the Scotch martyr, whose charity had never an end, night, day, nor noon, saith Mr Fox; and Thomas Tomkins, an English martyr, very forward to lend, looking for nothing again.

And his seed is blessed] Heb. is in the blessing, that is, receiveth grace and communication of all true goodness from God; and praises, goodwill, and good wishes from men (Diod.).

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.

26. (Psa 37:26) On the contrary, he has enough, not only for himself, but for his poorer neighbours. All the day (long), i.e. continually, as a habitual employment, (he is) showing mercy, doing acts of kindness, and lending, as an act of charity, not as a commercial operation, which was unknown among the ancient Hebrews. See above, on Psa 15:5.—And his seed (is) for a blessing, i.e. happy themselves and a source of happiness to others. The form of expression seems to be borrowed from the promise to Abraham in Gen 12:2.

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

his seed is blessed--literally, "for a blessing" (Gen 12:2; Psa 21:6). This position is still true as the rule of God's economy (Ti1 4:8; Ti1 6:6).

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 26. He is ever merciful and lendeth] כל היום חונן kol haiyom chonen, "all the day he is compassionate." He is confirmed in the habit of godliness: he feels for the distresses of men, and is ready to divide and distribute to all that are in necessity.

And his seed is blessed.] The preceding words were not spoken casually; his seed, his posterity, is blessed; therefore they are not abandoned to beg their bread.

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

26 He is daily merciful The Psalmist here repeats what he had already said, that the grace of God is a fountain of all blessings which can never be exhausted; and, therefore, while it is displayed towards the faithful, they not only have enough for the supply of their own wants, but are able also liberally to assist others. What he adds concerning their seed is variously expounded. That he is speaking of the children of the godly, there can be no doubt; and this is evident from the preceding verse. But when he says that they shall be for blessing, some understand it as if he had said, They shall be the ministers of God’s liberality: so that, according to them, the sense would be, that they shall follow the good example of their fathers in helping the poor, and in exercising liberality towards all men. But I fear that this exposition is too refined. Nor do I admit the interpretation which has been given by others, that the meaning is, that the grace of God shall be so signally manifested towards the children of the godly, that their names shall be employed in a form of prayer, when prosperity and success are prayed for. This mode of expression, I allow, is to be so understood in various places; but here, in my opinion, David designs nothing more than to extol the continuation of God’s favor from the fathers to their children: as if he had said, God’s blessing does not terminate with the death of the righteous man, but it extends even to his children. And there is indeed no inheritance more certain to which our children may succeed us, than when God, receiving them in like manner into his fatherly favor, makes them partakers of his blessing.

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.

26. All the day long he dealeth graciously and lendeth (R.V.). Cp. Psa_37:21; Psa_112:5. The righteous not only have abundance, but know how to use it (Isa_32:5-8).

27, 28 a., b. Stanza of Samech.

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.

Depart from evil, and do good,.... Depart from evildoers, and their evil ways; join not with them, nor fret and be envious at them; but do acts of beneficence, and all good works; since righteous men, and their seed, are not forsaken, but blessed of God; See Gill on Psa 34:14;

and dwell for evermore; or "thou shalt dwell for evermore" (z); see Psa 37:3; that is, in everlasting habitations, in the house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens, Luk 16:9. The Targum is, "that thou mayest dwell in everlasting life".

(z) "et habitabis in seculum", Pagninus, Vatablus, Piscator; so Aben Ezra & Kimchi.

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

He is ever merciful - Margin, as in Hebrew, “all the day.” That is, it is his character; he is constantly in the habit of showing kindness. He does not do it at intervals, or only occasionally, but it is this that marks the character of the man. He is known by this. The word “merciful” here means kind, compassionate, benignant - and particularly in this respect, that he is willing to “lend” to others when he has the means.

And lendeth - The wicked man “borrows,” but does not pay again Psa 37:21; the righteous man “lends” to his neighbor.

And his seed is blessed - His children; his posterity, as the result of this conduct on his part. The effect of what he does passes over from him to them, conveying rich blessings to them.

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

He is so far from begging from others, that he hath ability as well as inclination to give or lend to others, as need requires.

His seed is blessed, not only with spiritual, but with temporal blessings. So far shall he be from wasting his estate, and undoing himself and family by his bounty and charity, as covetous worldlings objected or feared.

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

Ver. 26. He is ever merciful, and lendeth. The righteous are constantly under generous impulses; they do not prosper through parsimony, but through bounty. Like the bounteous giver of all good, of whom they are the beloved sons, they delight in doing good. How stingy covetous professors can hope for salvation is a marvel to those who read such verses as this in the Bible. And his seed is blessed. God pays back with interest in the next generation. Where the children of the righteous are not godly, there must be some reason for it in parental neglect, or some other guilty cause. The friend of the father is the friend of the family. The God of Abraham is the God of Isaac and of Jacob.

Ver. 26. He is ever merciful, and lendeth; and his seed is blessed. He, the good man, is merciful to himself, for mercy, like charity, begins at home; he is not afraid to eat a good meal because he hath children. And he is merciful to others too; for he will lend and do good to whom he can, and then his seed fares the better for it. Mark, that the more he gives and lends in doing works of mercy, the better it is for his children; for those children are ever best provided for whose parents bear this mindthey had rather trust God with their children, than their children with riches; and have made this their hope, that though they die, yet God lives. Did but one of those rich and wretched parents (who pinched and pined himself to make his son a gentleman, forsooth), rise from the dead, and see that proverb of Solomon fulfilled in himself, "He begetteth a son, and in his hand is nothing; "I persuade myself, the rumination of this would afflict him in his soul as much as any one pain of sense, even in hell itself. O consider this, you that now live and see it in others; and remember withal, that if your goods be either ill gotten, or worse kept, it may be your children's case when you are departed, and feel it, though you see it not. Matthew Griffith.

Ver. 26. The righteous man's merciful disposition, generous action, and rich reward.

Ver. 26. The benediction of the good man's family: what it is, and what it is not.

Psalms 37:27*

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

26. Ever merciful, and lendeth—Literally, all the day he is merciful, and lendeth. With the Hebrews, where absolute poverty was the inevitable lot of the masses, (their population being estimated at about 6,000,000, on a territory about one third the area of New York State,) borrowing and lending had a more emphatic significance than with us; and this ability to lend implied competence, while the disposition and practice of daily beneficence are quoted as evidence and causes of prosperity. See on Psa_37:21, and Psa_112:5; Psa_112:9

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

He is ever merciful, and lendeth (comp. ver. 21). This psalm contains a good deal of repetition, perhaps intended to emphasize certain portions of its teaching (see vers. 1, 7, 8; 3, 27; 11, 22, 29; 7, 34, etc.). And his seed is blessed. (comp. Psa_25:13 Psa_102:28 Psa_112:2)

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

Blessed - Not only with spiritual, but with temporal blessings.

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

All day long the righteous man is gracious to the poor and lends to them.

and his seed This seed that he sows with his charity will ultimately be blessed.

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.