Psalms 89:16-18 - Joseph Benson’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

In thy name shall they rejoice all the day That is, in the knowledge and remembrance of thy name, or of thy infinite power and goodness, revealed and imparted to them; and in thy righteousness Whereby thou art both inclined, and, in some sort, engaged to hear the prayers of thy people, and to save them from all their enemies; or, in and by thy mercy, for righteousness frequently means mercy; or in and through the obedience unto death of him who is the Lord our righteousness, and is made of God unto us righteousness, and through the righteousness of faith in him, Romans 4:3; Romans 4:22-24, shall they be exalted To the dignity of thy sons and daughters here, and to the heavenly inheritance hereafter. For thou art the glory of their strength All that strength in which they do, or may glory, is from thee as the gift of thy grace: and to thee alone belongs the glory of all their victories over their enemies, and of all their achievements. In thy favour our horn shall be exalted The efforts of our power shall be crowned with victory and success. For the Lord is our defence Here the psalmist assigns the reason of his confidence, that their horn should be exalted. And the Holy One of Israel is our King Having therefore so powerful a deliverance and protector, we have no reason to despair of our restitution to our former felicity. Hebrew, ליהוה מגננו, to Jehovah belongs our shield, or, as the margin reads it, our shield is of the Lord, our King is the Holy One of Israel. Our relation to God, as his worshippers and subjects, is the ground of our confidence for deliverance and protection. If God be our ruler, he will be our defender, and who is he then that can harm us?