Psalms 44:18

Psa 44:18 Our heart is not turned back, neither have our steps declined from thy way;

Ver. 18. Our heart is not turned back] Metaphora a stadio, saith Vatablus. As those that run a race stand not at a stay, much less turn back again; so neither have we either stopped or stepped backward, but advanced still toward the mark, having Nondum metam, We have not yet attained, for our motto, as St Paul had, Php 3:12; being in nothing terrified by our adversaries, nor afraid with any amazement, Php 1:28 1Pe 3:6.

Neither have our steps declined] We have watched over every particular action; God’s people are best when at worst.

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.

19. (Psa 44:18). Our heart has not turned back and our steps declined from thy path. The force of the negative extends to both clauses, as in Psa 9:19 (18). Heart and steps are put for inward affection and its fruit, external action. Turned back and turned aside are natural and common figures for moral delinquency. Thy path, the way of thy commandments.

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

declined--turned aside from God's law.

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

Our heart is not turned back,.... To its original hardness, blindness, and bondage, to its former sin and folly, to cherish, gratify, and fulfil its lusts and desires; not from God, from love to him, faith in him, and desires after him; nor from his worship and service; their trials had no such influence upon them as to cause them to apostatize from God, neither in heart, nor in action;

neither have our steps declined from thy way; from the way of his commandments, from the paths of holiness, truth, and faith, being directed and guided therein by the counsel of the Lord, and kept and preserved by his power.

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

Our heart is not turned back - That is, We have not turned away from thy service; we have not apostatized from thee; we have not fallen into idolatry. This must mean that such was not at that time the characteristic of the nation; it was not a prominent thing among the people; there was no such general and pervading iniquity as to explain the fact that these calamities had come upon them, or to be properly the cause of these troubles.

Neither have our steps declined from thy way - Margin, goings. The idea as expressed by our translators is, that the people had not departed from the path prescribed by God; that is, from what he required in his law. The Septuagint and the Vulgate render it, “Thou hast turned our steps from thy way;” that is, though our heart is not turned back, and we have not revolted from thee, yet thou hast turned our steps from thy way, or hast turned us from the way of thy favor and from prosperity. The rendering in the common version, however, is more in conformity with the idea in the original.

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

Is not turned back, to wit, from thee, or thy worship and service, unto idols, as it follows, Psa 44:20.

Neither have our steps declined from thy way: because it is easy and ordinary falsely to pretend sincerity of heart, which men cannot discern nor confute, they prove it from the unblamableness of their lives and actions.

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

Ver. 18. Our heart is not turned back, neither have our steps declined from thy way. Heart and life were agreed, and both were true to the Lord's way. Neither within nor without had the godly sufferers offended; they were not absolutely perfect, but they were sincerely free from all wilful transgression. It was a healthy sign for the nation that her prophet poet could testify to her uprightness before God, both in heart and act; far oftener the case would have worn quite another colour, for the tribes were all too apt to set up other gods and forsake the rock of their salvation.

Ver. 18. Our heart is not turned back. Serious piety has become a ludicrous subject with which the wanton wits of this atheistical world sport themselves; but behold the wisdom and goodness of God, exhibiting to the world undeniable testimonies of the truth of religion as often as the sincere professors thereof are brought to the test by afflictions from the hand of God, or persecutions from the hands of men. Lo! "here is the faith and patience of the saints; " here is their courage, meekness, and self denial, shining as gold in the fire. They have the real proofs of it before their eyes. Instead of casting them into hell, and convincing them by eternal fire, he is pleased to cast his own people into the fire of affliction, that they who scoff at them may be convinced at an easier and cheaper rate. It is no new thing to see the enemies of religion brought over to embrace it by the constancy and faithfulness of the saints in their trials and sufferings for it. God grant that the atheism of this present generation do not occasion a more fiery trial to the people of God in it than they have yet suffered. John Flavel.

Ver. 18. our heart. The word (bbl), or Greek kardia, that is rendered heart, both in the Old and New Testament, doth signify the understanding, the mind, will, affections, conscience, the whole soul. Our heart is not turned back. Our understandings and minds are the same as they were in a summer's day, though now we be in a winter's storm; though now we be afflicted, tossed, broken, and persecuted, yet notwithstanding, our heart is not turned back, our mind, will, affections, and conscience, our whole soul, is the same now as before. Thomas Brooks.

Ver. 18. (first clause). When we may be sure that our heart has not apostatised.

Ver. 18.

1. The position of the heart in religionit comes first.

2. The position of the outer moral life in religionit follows the heart.

3. Necessity of the agreement of the two.

4. The need that both should be faithful to God.

Ver. 18. Connection between the heart and the life, both in constancy and apostasy.

Ver. 18. God's delight in the progress of the upright. Thomas Brooks.

Upright hearts will hold on in the ways of God, and in the ways of well doing, notwithstanding all afflictions, troubles, and discouragements, they meet withal. Thomas Brooks.

Ver. 18. Thy ways. The ways of God are

(1) righteous ways;

(2) blessed ways;

(3) soul refreshing ways;

(4) transcendent waysways that transcend all other

ways;

(5) soul strengthening ways; and

(6) sometimes afflicted, perplexed, and persecuted

ways. Thomas Brooks.

Psalms 44:19*

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

Our heart is not turned back; i.e. turned away from God, as it was when they passed through the wilderness. (Psa_78:41) Neither have our steps declined from thy way. Neither in respect of inward feeling nor of outward act have we strayed from the right path.

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

Turned - From thy worship to idols.

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

Our heart has not turned back ... have not gone from your way

These two phrases are parallel. The writer speaks of loyalty to God as if it were following him, and disloyalty as if it were turning away from him. (See: Parallelism and Metaphor)

Our heart has not turned back

Here the word "heart" refers to the emotions, and specifically to loyalty and devotion. AT: "We have not stopped being loyal to you" (See: Metonymy)

you have severely broken us

The writer speaks of God's punishment as if it were breaking a fragile object. AT: "you have punished us severely" (See: Metaphor)

in the place of jackals

The writer speaks of Israel after God's punishment as if it were a wild, uninhabitable place. AT: "and made our land like a place where jackals live" (See: Metaphor)

jackals

a type of wild dog

covered us with the shadow of death

The writer speaks of death as if it is an object that casts a shadow over those who are about to die. AT: "made us so that we are about to die" (See: Metaphor)

If we have forgotten the name of our God

Here the word "name" refers to God, himself. To forget God is to stop worshiping him. This is something that did not happen. AT: "If we had forgotten our God" or "If we had stopped worshiping our God" (See: Metonymy and Hypothetical Situations)

spread out our hands to a strange god

Spreading out the hands is a gesture that people used to worship and pray to a god. AT: "worshiped a strange god" or "prayed to a strange god" (See: Symbolic Action)

would not God search this out?

The writer uses this question to express that God would know if they worshiped another god. AT: "God would certainly find out" (See: Rhetorical Question)

he knows the secrets of the heart

Here the word "heart" refers to the mind and thoughts. AT: "he knows what a person secretly thinks" (See: Metonymy)

we are being killed all day long

The phrase "all day long" is an exaggeration to emphasize that their people are being killed frequently. This can be stated in active form. AT: "we are always in danger of people killing us" (See: Hyperbole and Generalization and Active or Passive)

we are considered to be sheep for the slaughter

This can be stated in active form. AT: "people consider us to be sheep for the slaughter" (See: Active or Passive)

sheep for the slaughter

The writer compares the Israelites to sheep that people kill and eat. As sheep are helpless before those who kill them, so the Israelites are helpless before their enemies. (See: Metaphor)

translationWords

heart

turn

shadow

die

name

false god

ewe

slaughter

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