For his anger [endureth but] a moment; in his favour [is] life: weeping may endure for a night, but joy [cometh] in the morning.
Ver. 5. For his anger endureth but a moment] Though it lasts all a man's life; for what is that to eternity? Puncture est quod vivimus et puncto minus. But it soon repenteth the Lord concerning his servants; whom, out of love displeased, he correcteth for a short braid, Isaiah 54:7,8 1Co 14:17 Isa 26:20 Hebrews 10:37. Tantillum, tantillum, adhuc pussillum. Bear up, therefore, faint not, fret not.
Flebile principium melior fortuna sequetur.
If our sorrows be long, they are light; if sharper, the shorter. The sharp north east wind never lasteth three days; nothing violent is permanent.
In his favour is life] Vita in voluntate, else we should die in our sins; but his favour never faileth. Kimchi here noteth that of those thirteen attributes of God, Exodus 34:7, twelve are mercy, and one only is anger. Joseph, for his thirteen years of servitude and imprisonment, had fourscore years' freedom and preferment. David's persecution by Saul was but a moment to his following happiness, when once he came to the kingdom.
Weeping may endure for a night] Diseases and aches are worst toward night. At eventide, lo, there is trouble; but before morning it is gone, Isaiah 17:14; mourning lasteth but till morning, and then departeth; as did Lot's two angels. The morning of the resurrection, howsoever, shall put a period to all our miseries, and make a plentiful amends.
But joy cometh in the morning] Heb. singing; flebilibus modis modus adhibebitur. God turneth his people's sighing into singing, their musing into music, tears into triumph, wringing of hands into clapping of hands for joy, &c. And as there is a vicissitude of nights and days, so of crosses and mercies of God's people, while they are in this vale of misery and valley of tears. God chequereth his providences (saith one) white and black; he speckleth his work, as is set forth by those speckled horses among the myrtle-trees, Zechariah 1:8. Mercies and crosses are interwoven. This world is called a valley of tears, or, as some render it, of mulberry trees, Psalms 84:6. Between them both they may make up an emblem of the saints' condition here. Tears are moist; mulberries grow in dry places. God's people have their interchanges of joys and sorrows while here. See in this and the following verses the circle God goes in with them. David was afflicted and delivered in this verse; in the next he grew wanton. Then he is troubled again, Psalms 30:7, crieth again, Psalms 8:9. God turneth his mourning into mirth again, Psalms 30:11,12 .