Psalms 65:1-13 - Arthur Peake's Commentary on the Bible

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Bible Comments

LXV. A Psalm of Thanksgiving.

Psalms 65:1-4. For pardon and the joy of Temple worship.

Psalms 65:1. waiteth for: read beseemeth (LXX).

Psalms 65:2. all flesh may mean no more than all Jews (cf. Isaiah 66:23 and Joel 2:28), but is better taken in a wider sense.

Psalms 65:3. Read, against us (LXX).

Psalms 65:5-8. For God's sovereignty in nature. In Psalms 65:5 read afar off on the sea-coasts, and observe in Psalms 65:5 and Psalms 65:8 the approach to a universal religion, the religion of humanity, as distinct from a merely national religion. They imply much more distinctly than Psalms 65:2 some feeling after God on the part of the heathen.

Psalms 65:8. The evening, like the day, is personified and goes forth from its house to cover the earth.

Psalms 65:9-13. For an abundant harvest, which probably furnished the immediate occasion of the hymn.

Psalms 65:9. waterest it: substitute givest it abundance. The river of God is the ocean above the firmament (Genesis 1:6 f.*, Genesis 7:11), which descends in rain from time to time for so preparest thou the earth (mg.): i.e. as described in Psalms 65:10, viz. by watering the furrows, etc.

Psalms 65:11. Wherever God passes over the earth, fruitfulness attends His steps.

Related Commentaries of Psalms 65:1

Psalms 65:1-13

1 Praise waitetha for thee, O God, in Sion: and unto thee shall the vow be performed.

2 O thou that hearest prayer, unto thee shall all flesh come.

3 Iniquities prevail against me: as for our transgressions, thou shalt purge them away.

4 Blessed is the man whom thou choosest, and causest to approach unto thee, that he may dwell in thy courts: we shall be satisfied with the goodness of thy house, even of thy holy temple.

5 By terrible things in righteousness wilt thou answer us, O God of our salvation; who art the confidence of all the ends of the earth, and of them that are afar off upon the sea:

6 Which by his strength setteth fast the mountains; being girded with power:

7 Which stilleth the noise of the seas, the noise of their waves, and the tumult of the people.

8 They also that dwell in the uttermost parts are afraid at thy tokens: thou makest the outgoings of the morning and evening to rejoice.b

9 Thou visitest the earth, and waterest it: thou greatly enrichest it with the river of God, which is full of water: thou preparest them corn, when thou hast so provided for it.

10 Thou waterest the ridges thereof abundantly: thou settlestc the furrows thereof: thou makest it soft with showers: thou blessest the springing thereof.

11 Thou crownest the year with thy goodness; and thy paths drop fatness.

12 They drop upon the pastures of the wilderness: and the little hills rejoiced on every side.

13 The pastures are clothed with flocks; the valleys also are covered over with corn; they shout for joy, they also sing.