Visitest, to wit, in mercy, or with thy favour, as this word is oft used. The earth; the whole earth, which is full of thy bounty. So he continues to declare the general providence of God to all men and people. Or rather the land, or this land, for here is an emphatical article. And so he comes from God's general providence over all places and nations, to his particular and special providence over his people in the land of Canaan, whereof he gives one eminent and considerable instance, to wit. his giving them rain and fruitful seasons, and that after a time of drought and scarcity, to which it is not improbably supposed that this Psalm relates. And this may be the particular occasion for which the psalmist said that praise waited for God in Zion, Psalms 65:1. Waterest it: this is added to determine and explain the former general word, or to show how or wherein God visited it. With the river of God; either,
1. With the rivers which God hath made in the several parts of the earth, to make it moist and fruitful; although the fertility of the greatest part of the earth doth not depend so much upon the rivers below, as upon the rains from above. Or,
2. With the river Jordan, which sometimes overflowed its banks. But that overflow reached only to a small part of the land. Or rather,
3. With showers of rain, which he very significantly calls a river for their plenty, and the river of God, i.e. of God's immediate making and providing when he sees fit; which is opposed both to those little rivulets or channels which husbandmen or gardeners cut for the watering of their grounds; and to those greater rivers which run with a constant course, and by their little channels derived from them, or by their overflows, do water and enrich the earth, as Nilus did Egypt; to which these words may seem to have a special reference, especially if they be compared with Deuteronomy 11:10-12, &c. Thou preparest; by this means thou preparest the earth for bringing forth corn, and ripenest the corn in the earth. Preparest them; for them, to wit, the inhabitants of the earth or land here mentioned, for their use and benefit. Provided for it; or, disposed, or ordered, or prepared it, to wit, the earth, which without this would be hard and barren.