Psalms 59:16

Psa 59:16 But I will sing of thy power; yea, I will sing aloud of thy mercy in the morning: for thou hast been my defence and refuge in the day of my trouble.

Ver. 16. In the morning] That time wherein they thought to have surprised me, 1Sa 19:11, but thou hast secured me. See Isa 65:14.

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_59:16-17

But I will sing of Thy power; yea, I will sing aloud of Thy mercy in the morning.

Meditation and praise

I. The subject of the psalmists meditation.

1. He meditated upon the Divine mercy. All the perfections of the Divine nature are glorious, and furnish matter for delightful meditation. But it is from His mercy that we draw our chief consolation, encouragement, and hope.

2. He contemplated God as his refuge in trouble. Thou hast been my defence and refuge, etc. We have every encouragement to put our trust in God. He is represented as a rock, a fortress, a high tower, a shield, and a buckler. God as a refuge--

(1) Is near--always at hand.

(2) Affords the greatest security.

(3) Is suitable. Our troubles differ, but He is a suitable refuge in every trouble,

(4) David proved God as his refuge. Saul had laid plots to destroy him, but the Lord had delivered him. We also have obtained support and relief by trusting in God.

3. He contemplated God as his strength and confided in His power. In what respects are we to consider God as the strength of His people?

(1) He defends them from danger by His power.

(2) He assists and strengthens them for duty by His grace.

II. The influence of the psalmists meditation. It led him to praise God.

1. Praising God is most reasonable.

2. Is a pleasant and delightful exercise.

3. Should be a part of every days employment. Divine goodness is daily manifested, and should be daily acknowledged.

4. Will tend to prepare us to meet the trials which may yet be before us.

5. Will tend to meeten us for the enjoyment of heaven.

6. Requires a suitable frame of mind. True praise springs from gratitude; and is promoted by a consideration of what God is, what He has (lone for us, and what he has promised to do for us.

Conclusion.

1. How great are the privileges of the people of God!

2. How important seriously to consider whether we are interested in these privileges.

3. Learn the importance of continuing to make God our refuge in trouble. (Anon.)

In the morning.--

Morning energy

The morning is my time fixed for my meeting the Lord. What meaning there is in the word morning; it is a cluster of rich grapes. Let me crush them and drink the sacred wine. In the morning --then God meant me to be at my best in strength and hope; I have not to climb in my weariness; in the night I have buried yesterdays fatigue, and in the morning I take a new lease of energy. Give God thy strength--all thy strength He asks only what He first gave. In the morning--then He may mean to keep me long that He may make me rich. In the morning--then it is an endless road He bids me climb, else how could I reach it ere the sun be set? Sweet morning! there is hope in its music. (Joseph Parker.)

The God of my mercy.--

Personal appropriation of mercy

If God show mercy to thousands, labour to know that this mercy is for you. He is the God of my mercy. A man that was ready to drown saw a rainbow; saith he, What am I the better, though God will not drown the world, if I drown. So, what are we the better--God is merciful--if we perish? Let us labour to know Gods special mercy for us. (Watson.)

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Psa_60:1-12

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

Ver. 16. Let them wander up and down for meat. Like dogs that have missed the expected carcass, let them go up and down dissatisfied, snapping at one another, and too disappointed to be quiet and take the matter easily.

And grudge if they be not satisfied. Let them act like those who cannot believe that they have lost their prey: like a herd of Oriental dogs, unhoused, unkennelled, let them prowl about seeking a prey which they shall never find. Thus the menial followers of Saul paraded the city in vain hope of satisfying their malice and their master. "Surely, "say they, "we shall have him yet. We cannot endure to miss him. Perhaps he is in yonder corner, or concealed is such a hiding place. We must have him. We grudge him his life. Our lust for his blood is hot, nor can we be persuaded but that we shall light upon him." See the restlessness of wicked men; this will increase as their enmity to God increases, and in hell it will be their infinite torment. What is the state of the lost, but the condition of an ambitious camp of rebels, who have espoused a hopeless cause, and will not give it up, but are impelled by their raging passions to rave on against the cause of God, of truth, and of his people.

Ver. 16. Let them wander up and down, etc. A beggarly and indigent, and so an unsatisfied and wearisome condition, shall be their lot; the greatest worldly plague that can fall on any--large appetites and no possessions or acquires to satisfy them. Henry Hammond.

Ver. 16. And grudge if they be not satisfied. A contented man, if he has not what he would have, yet doth not grudge, doth not quarrel with providence, nor fret within himself; but those whose God is their belly, if that be not filled and its appetites gratified, fall out both with God and themselves. It is not poverty, but discontent that makes a man unhappy. Matthew Henry.

Ver. 16. The hunger of a dog is deservedly their plague, of whom a resemblance of that unclean animal's disposition hath been the sin. Reader, be it thy care to avoid such sins, and cultivate a spirit of lively devotion; that, instead of receiving thy portion where there is weeping, wailing, and gnashing of teeth, thou mayest sing to the God of thy mercy for ever. Benjamin Boothroyd.

None.

Psalms 59:16*

Ver. 16. But I will sing of thy power. The wicked howl, but I sing and will sing. Their power is weakness, but thine is omnipotence; I see them vanquished and thy power victorious, and for ever and ever will I sing of thee.

Yea, I will sing aloud of thy mercy in the morning. When those lovers of darkness find their game is up, and their midnight howlings die away, then will I lift up my voice on high and praise the lovingkindness of God without fear of being disturbed. What a blessed morning will soon break for the righteous, and what a song will be theirs! Sons of the morning, ye may sigh tonight, but joy will come on the wings of the rising sun. Tune your harps even now, for the signal to commence the eternal music will soon be given; the morning cometh and your sun shall go no more down for ever.

For thou hast been my defence. The song is for God alone, and it is one which none can sing but those who have experienced the lovingkindness of their God. Looking back upon a past all full of mercy, the saints will bless the Lord with their whole hearts, and triumph in him as the high place of their security.

And refuge in the day of my trouble. The greater our present trials the louder will our future songs be, and the more intense our joyful gratitude. Had we no day of trouble, where were our season of retrospective thanksgiving? David's besetment by Saul's bloodhounds creates an opportunity for divine interposition and so for triumphant praise.

Ver. 16. We must not pass by the contrast with the wretched condition of the wicked, which is indicated by the pronoun hmh, they, in Ps 59:15, an ygaw, but I, which are in exact antithesis; also the "evening, "mentioned above, and the "morning, "now occurring for the times of trouble and happiness, and the dog like noise of the wicked, and the singing with joyful sound of David, to pass by other particulars, likewise give to the diverse states additional difference. Hermann Venema.

Ver. 16. Cantabo and exaltabo, I will sing, and I will sing aloud. Here is singing only of God's power; but there is singing aloud of his mercy; as if his mercy were more exaltable than his power, and that reached the very heavens; this unto the clouds. Ps 26:5. From Humphrey Sydenham's Sermon, entitled, "The Well toned Cymball, "1637.

Ver. 16. The heavenly chorister.

I. His song is sweet in contrast with the revilings of

others--but I.

II. It treats of subjects which terrify others--thy

power.

III. It grows louder on tender themes--thy mercy.

IV. It has its choice seasons--in the morning.

V. It is tuned by experience--for thou hast.

VI. It is all to God's glory--thy power,

thy mercy, thou hast.

Psalms 59:17*

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

17. (Psa 59:16). And I will sing thy strength, and celebrate in the morning thy mercy; for thou hast been a high place to me, a refuge in my distress. The pronoun at the beginning is emphatic, I, on my part, as contrasted with these wretches. Thy strength or power, thus exerted in my behalf. In the morning, or at break of day, which is the primary meaning of the term. The phrase is in obvious antithesis to at evening in Psa 59:14. There may also be allusion to the frequent use of night and morning, as emblems of suffering and relief. Compare the words of David in 2Sa 23:4. A height, high place, or place of safety, as in Psa 59:9 above. In my distress, or retaining the original construction, in distress to me. The form of expression is the same as in Psa 18:6.

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

Which didst use the policy of a weak woman to confound the enemy’s strength, as 1 Sam. 19:12.

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

Contrast the lot of God's servant, who employs his time in God's praise.

sing aloud . . . in the morning--when they retire famishing and disappointed, or it may denote delightful diligence in praise, as in Psa 30:5.

Next: Psalms Chapter 60

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 16. I will sing of thy power] For it was because thy hand was upon me for good, that I have thus succeeded in my enterprises.

Yea, I will sing aloud of thy mercy] I shall publish abroad what thou hast done; and done not for my worthiness, nor for the worthiness of the people; but for thy own mercy's sake.

In the day of my trouble.] When I came with small means and feeble help, and had the force and fraud of many enemies to contend with, besides the corruption and unfaithfulness of my own people; thou wast then my defence; and in all attacks, whether open or covered, my sure refuge. I will, therefore, sing of thy mercy in the morning-I will hasten to acquit myself of a duty I owe to thee for such singular interpositions of mercy and power.

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

16 But I will sing of thy power By this he does not mean merely that he would have occasion to sing at some future period, but prepares himself presently for the exercise of thanksgiving; and he proceeds to acknowledge that his deliverance would be at once an illustrious effect of Divine power, and conferred of mere grace. It may be true, that David escaped at this time from the hands of his enemies without stir, and with secrecy, through the dexterity of his wife; still, by means of this artifice, God disappointed the preparations and forces of Saul, and may, therefore, with propriety be said to have exerted his power. We may suppose, however, that David takes occasion, from this particular instance, to look further back, and embrace, in his view, the various Divine interpositions which he had experienced.

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.

16, 17. Render,

Yet as for me, I shall sing of thy strength;

Yea, I shall sing aloud of thy lovingkindness in the morning:

For thou hast been a high tower for me,

And a refuge In the day of my distress.

Unto thee, O my strength, will I make melody,

For God is my high tower, the God of my lovingkindness.

Thou hast been, for in the language of faith he looks back upon the deliverance from the morning of peace which succeeds the night of anxiety.

The refrain is slightly varied from Psa_59:9 : the patient waiting of the night is changed into the joyous song of the morning.

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.

Unto thee, O my strength, will I sing,.... That is, to God, whom he made his strength, and put his trust in for strength, and from whom he received it; and he therefore determined to sing praise to him for it, and give him the glory of it;

for God is my defence: as before in Psa 59:9;

and the God of my mercy; See Gill on Psa 59:10.

Next: Psalms Chapter 60

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

But I will sing of thy power - That is, I will praise thee for the manifestation of thy power in rescuing me from danger.

Yea, I will sing aloud of thy mercy in the morning - When the light dawns; when these troubles are over; when the night of calamity shall have passed by. There is an allusion here, probably, to the fact that they encompassed the place of his abode at night Psa 59:6, Psa 59:14; but there is also the implied idea that that night was emblematic of sorrow and distress. The morning would come; morning after such a night of sorrow and trouble; a morning of joy and gladness, when he would feel that he had complete deliverance. Then would he praise God aloud. Compare the notes at Isa 21:12.

For thou hast been my defense and refuge in the day of my trouble - That is, he looked to the time when he would feel this; when looking back he could say this; when in view of it he would praise God.

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

16. But I will sing of thy power—The antithesis is here brought out between David’s enemies and himself. They shall wander up and down like hungry dogs for food and find nothing; but I, fully rescued, will “sing of thy power,” etc.

In the morning—Contrasted with the night work of his enemies. They continue all night in fruitless attempts to destroy me, but I, in the morning, will sing… of thy mercy.

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

But I will sing of thy power; rather, of thy strength the same word as that used in vers. 9 and 17. Yea, I will sing aloud of thy mercy in the morning. When the morning came, David had escaped, (1Sa_19:12) and could "sing of God"s mercy" securely at Ramah, where he had joined Samuel. For thou hast been my Defense and Refuge in the day of my trouble; or, my High Tower, as in vers. 9 and 17.

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

you have been my high tower and a refuge

High towers and refuges are places that people can go to for shelter from their enemies. The psalmist speaks of God protecting him as if God were a strong, safe shelter. AT: "you have protected me like a high tower and a refuge" (See: Metaphor)

in the day of my distress

"whenever I have had troubles"

To you, my strength, I will sing praises

"To you, my strength" can be combined as one clause. AT: "You are my strength, so I will sing praises to you" (See: Sentence Structure)

my strength

God's being the psalmist's strength represents God protecting him. AT: "my protector" (See: Metonymy)

for God is my high tower

High towers are places that people can go to for shelter from their enemies. The psalmist speaks of God protecting him as if God were a strong, safe shelter. AT: "you have protected me like a high tower" (See: Metaphor)

the God of covenant faithfulness

The abstract noun "faithfulness" can be translated with an adjective. This can be expressed in a separate sentence. AT: "He is the God who is faithful to his covenant" (See: Abstract Nouns)

translationWords

strength

watchtower

refuge

day

praise

God

covenant faithfulness

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 will roam about to eat as the dogs do all night if they are not sated, so that they can lodge out of satiety, and sleep.

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.