Psalms 144:5-8 - Joseph Benson’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

Bow thy heavens and come down To help me before it be too late, remembering what a frail and perishing creature I am. “David having celebrated his victories over some of his enemies, and extolled the mercy and goodness of God, to whom he ascribed the achievement of them, now proceeds to request a further manifestation of the omnipotent arm in his favour against other hostile forces, which still threatened his country upon his accession to the throne.” Touch the mountains and they shall smoke As Sinai did at thy glorious appearance, Exodus 19:18. This is a figurative and poetical description of God's coming to take vengeance on his enemies, which is continued in the next verse. The images used are taken from the promulgation of the law on Sinai. Cast forth lightning and scatter them Namely, the enemies of David and Judah, such as the Philistines, Moabites, Ammonites, and Syrians: see 2 Samuel 5:8. Shoot out thine arrows Thy thunderbolts, or lightnings, as before; and destroy them Totally: for these weapons of thine are irresistible. Send thy hand Thy power; from above For from thence we look for help; deliver me out of great waters Which are ready to overflow me, namely, the multitude of enemies, which assault me on all sides; from the hand of strange children Either of the heathen nations, or of the rebellious Israelites. Whose mouth speaketh vanity Empty boasts, or vain threatenings which come to nothing; or false and deceitful promises and professions of friendship, which they cannot, or do not, make good; and their right hand, a right hand of falsehood “For, with that hand, as with a pledge, they confirmed the treaties of peace, and leagues of friendship made with Israel, all which they had perfidiously broken. Lifting up the hand was the usual ceremony at the taking of an oath, Genesis 14:22. So that this clause seems to be a repetition of the sense contained in the former: agreeably to which the Chaldee interprets the former part of the verse to mean a false oath; and the Arabic renders the latter part thus; and their oath is an oath of iniquity.” Dodd.