Psalms 99:7

Psa 99:7 He spake unto them in the cloudy pillar: they kept his testimonies, and the ordinance [that] he gave them.

Ver. 7. They kept his testimonies] And so showed that they called upon God with a true heart, in full assurance of faith, Heb 10:22.

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 99:7. He spake unto them in the cloudy pillar — That is, to some of them: to Moses frequently, and to Aaron sometimes, as Num 12:5. And although it is not anywhere expressly said that God spake unto Samuel out of the cloudy pillar, yet, as Dr. Hammond observes, it is probable enough from his history that he did so; for when Samuel was so signally heard by God at Mizpeh, 1 Samuel 7., it is said, 1Sa 7:9, The Lord answered him; and 1Sa 7:10, The Lord thundered with a great thunder, which supposes a cloud, if not a cloudy pillar; and so this answering of Samuel with thunder, must be God’s speaking to him at this time out of the cloud. They kept his testimonies — This is added, not only for their commendation, but for the instruction of the Israelites, to teach them that God would not hear the prayers of them who did not keep his commandments.

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

7. (Psa 99:7) In a pillar of cloud he speaks to them. They kept his testimonies and the statute he gave unto them. The first clause may be figuratively understood as denoting any special divine communication, or what was literally true of Moses and Aaron (Exo 33:9, Num 12:5, Deu 31:15) may be here applied to all three indiscriminately. The verse contains a second lesson drawn from the history of the theocracy, to wit, the necessity of obedience no less than of prayer. It was true, God spoke to these men in an extraordinary manner; but it was for the purpose of making known his will, and that will they obeyed. For the meaning of testimonies, see above, on Psa 93:5. The last clause may be construed as an independent proposition, and he gave a statute to them, i.e. he rewarded their obedience by revealing to them new laws. But the sense thus obtained is not so clear or natural as that afforded by the relative construction, and the statute (which) he gave them.

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

99:7 The Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron from the pillar of cloud (Exod 33:9; Num 12:5-6), and for a time, the people responded to the revelation.

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

Verse 7. He spake unto them in the cloudy pillar] That is, he directed all their operations, marchings, and encampments by this cloudy pillar. See Ex 33:9.

They kept his testimonies] Do ye the same, and God will be your portion as he was theirs.

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

7. In the pillar of cloud he speaketh unto them,

When they keep his testimonies, and the statute which he hath given them.

7. He reveals Himself once more as He spoke to His people of old by the mediation of Moses. See Exo_33:7 ff. The second line virtually expresses the condition of prevailing prayer—obedience to the revealed will of God.

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.

He spake unto them in the cloudy pillar,.... In the pillar of the clouds of glory, as the Targum; in which the Lord went before the children of Israel in the wilderness, to lead them, and protect them from heat in the day, Exo 13:21, that is, he spake in this to Moses and Aaron; for it ceased when they came to the land of Canaan; instances of which see in Exo 19:9, some have thought that the Lord might speak to Samuel also out of a cloud, when he called upon him, and it thundered, since clouds and thunder go together, Sa1 12:18, the cloudy pillar was a type of Christ; and it is by him the Lord has spoken all his mind and will, when he was clothed with a cloud, or became obscure in the form of a servant; and it is through him, the Mediator, that men have access to God, and answers of prayer from him:

they kept his testimonies; the law, and the precepts of it, which were testifications of the mind and will of God; these Moses, Aaron, and Samuel, kept, though not perfectly, yet sincerely, from a principle of love, and with a view to the glory of God:

and the ordinance that he gave them; the ordinance of the passover, with the several rituals of the ceremonial law, which was an ordinance of God until the Messiah came; and we, under the Gospel dispensation, ought to keep the ordinances of Christ in faith and love, as they have been delivered to us; and such only can expect to be heard and answered by the Lord; and this is the reason of the mention of these things; see Psa 66:18.

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

He spake unto them in the cloudy pillar - He spake to the men of other times; to those who called upon his name. It cannot be meant literally that he spake to “Samuel” from the “cloudy pillar” - the pillar which guided the Israelites in the wilderness, unless that term be understood in the general sense as denoting the “Shechinah” - the visible symbol of the divine presence - the cloud that rested on the ark. The idea is, that God his people in ancient times from the cloud - the symbol of his presence; that he communed with them; that he heard their prayers; that he gave them his commandments; that he interposed in their behalf, and that it was not a vain thing that they worshipped him. All this was as true of Samuel - it is as true now of those who call upon God - as it was of Moses and Aaron.

They kept his testimonies ... - They obeyed his laws, and he thus heard and answered them.

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

Unto them, i.e. to some of them; for the expression is only indefinite, and therefore doth not necessarily reach to all of them: to Moses frequently; to Aaron, Exo 19:24; 33:9-11; Num 12:5; and for Samuel, he answered him, if not by words, yet really and by his actions, thundering against the Philistines, 1Sa 7:9, &c, which supposeth a cloud, if not a cloudy pillar.

They kept his testimonies, and the ordinance that he gave them: this is added, not only for their commendation, but for the instruction of the Israelites, to teach them that God will not hear the prayers of them who do not keep his commandments.

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

Ver. 7. He spake unto them in the cloudy pillar. We have had mention of the ark and the shekinah, and now of the fiery cloudy pillar, which was another visible token of the presence of God in the midst of Israel. Responses came to Moses and Aaron out of that glorious overshadowing cloud, and though Samuel saw it not, yet to him also came the mystic voice which was wont to thunder forth from that divine canopy. Men have had converse with God, let men therefore speak to God in return. He has told us things to come, let us in return confess the sins which are past; he has revealed his mind to us, let us then pour out our hearts before him.

They kept his testimonies. When others turned aside they were faithful; in their hearts they laid up his word, and in their lives they obeyed it. When he spake to them they observed his will, and therefore when they spake to him he yielded to their desires. This keeping of the divine testimonies is a virtue all too rare in these our days; men run after their own views and opinions, and make light of the truth of God; hence it is that they fail in prayer, and scoffers have even dared to say that prayer avails not at all. May the good Lord bring back his people to reverence his word, and then will he also have respect unto the voice of their cry.

And the ordinance that he gave them. His practical precept they observed as well as his doctrinal instruction. Ordinances are not to be trifled with, or testimonies will also be despised; and the converse is also true, a light estimate of inspired dogma is sure to end in neglect of moral virtues. To Moses, Aaron, and Samuel special and personal charges were committed, and they were all true to their trust, for they stood in awe of the Lord, their God, and worshipped him with their whole souls. They were very different men, and had each one a work to do peculiar to himself, yet because each was a man of prayer they were all preserved in their integrity, fulfilled their office, and blessed their generation. Lord, teach us like Moses to hold up our hands in prayer and conquer Amalek, like Aaron to wave the censer between the living and the dead till the plague is stayed, and like Samuel to say to a guilty people, "God forbid that I should sin against the Lord in ceasing to pray for you; "if thou wilt make us mighty with thee in prayer, we shall also be kept faithful before thee in the service which thou hast laid upon us.

Ver. 7. They kept his testimonies. For this reason they were so promptly heard, even as the Lord himself says, "If a man love me he will keep my words, "and again, "If ye abide in me and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will and it shall be done unto you." And the ordinance that he gave them. They not only observed the precepts which bind men in general, but the peculiar obligation of governing, directing, and teaching the people committed to them. Bellarmine.

Ver. 7 (first clause). The revelation of the cloud, or what God foreshadowed to Israel in the cloudy pillar.

1. That God was willing to commune with man.

2. That sinful man could not see God and live.

3. That God should become incarnate, veiled in flesh as in the cloud.

4. That he should be their shelter, protector, guide.

5. That God manifest in the flesh should lead them to the Promised LandHeaven. C. D.

Psalms 99:8*

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

7. He spake unto them in the cloudy pillar—That is, unto Moses and Aaron, and through them to the people, as Exo_19:9; Num_12:5; and to Samuel, 1Sa_3:10; 1Sa_7:9-10.

They kept his testimonies—Beautiful is this pious example of these heads and leaders of the nation.

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

He spake unto them in the cloudy pillar. (see Exo_33:9, "And it came to pass, as Moses entered into the tabernacle, the cloudy pillar descended, and stood at the door.., and the Lord talked with Moses They kept his testimonies, and the ordinance that he gave them. Moses was known as "the servant of the Lord". (Deu_34:5 Jos_1:1, Jos_1:2, etc.) He was "faithful in all his house, as a servant". (Heb_3:5) Aaron was "the saint of the Lord". (Psa_106:16) This general obedience was, however, departed from in some few instances (see the comment on ver. 8).

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

Spake - To some of them: to Moses and Aaron, Exod. xix, 24; xxxiii, 9-11; 1 Sam. vii, 9, &c.

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

In a pillar of cloud He would speak to them Even with Samuel. This is what is stated (I Sam. 9: 11f.): “and they said to them, Is the seer here? and they answered them and said, He is (יֵש).” You will see a cloud attached to his doorway, as Scripture says (Num. 9:20): “And sometimes the cloud would be...”

they kept His testimonies and the statute He gave them The statute that He gave them.

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.