The LORD [is] in his holy temple, the LORD'S throne [is] in heaven: his eyes behold, his eyelids try, the children of men.
Ver. 4. The Lord is in his holy temple] i.e. In heaven, and there hence he both can and will do much for the relief of his poor oppressed, though the righteous can do little for themselves, Ubi deficit auxilium humanum incipit divinum (Philo). He also knows, and will clear their innocence; for he sits between the cherubims, whence he is wont to send help, Psalms 20:3, and hath his throne in heaven, whence he is wont to strike terror into the enemies, Psalms 18:8, &c.
The Lord's throne is in heaven] This is the same with the former, serving to set forth God's sufficiency, as the following words do his efficiency, those props of David's faith, answerable to Jachin and Boaz, those two brazen pillars in Solomon's temple, Dei solium est nostrum asylum.
His eyes behold, his eyelids try, the children of men] The eye of God is taken in Scripture (saith one) either for his knowledge or for his judgment; his eye in this text pointeth out his knowledge, his eyelids his critical descant. It is a manner of speech, saith another, taken from those men's actions who, being desirous to look upon a thing more intently, do wink with their eyes, or close up one of them, that they may see the better with the other.