Thy righteousness is like the great mountains; thy judgments are a great deep: O LORD, thou preservest man and beast.
Thy righteousness ... the great mountains - literally 'the mountains of God.' The righteousness of God is that whereby He recompenses every man according to his works, awarding salvation to the righteous, and destruction to the wicked. This stands immovable as the mountains, which no earthly power can shake and displace. This "righteousness" is an additional guarantee of security to His trusting people, besides His "mercy" and His "faithfulness" (Psalms 36:5). Another future of the comparison is the 'greatness' and height of the mountains. Standing prominent, and towering above the surrounding country, the mountains direct the beholder's thoughts naturally to the pre-eminent greatness of God, raised so infinitely above every creature. Therefore they are called 'the mountains of God:' just as the cedars, the stateliest among the trees, are called 'the cedars of God,' (Psalms 80:10, margin)
Thy judgments are a great deep - (Job 11:7-8; Romans 11:33). His "judgments" are His judicial dealings in the moral government of the world, whereby He confounds the wicked and vindicates the good at last. His providence wonderfully cooperates with His "righteousness" for this end (Isaiah 28:29). The idea is that of an ocean, immeasurable in vastness as well as depth. The same Hebrew ( tªhowm (H8415)) is used of the flood in Noah's days (Genesis 7:11), "the great deep," or abyss.
Preservest man and beast. The preservation of the 'beasts' implies that He who cares for the humblest of His creatures will much more care for His immortal creature, man, especially for His saints (Matthew 10:29-31). The reference to the flood may here still be sustained (cf. Psalms 29:10; Psalms 32:6). God then showed His 'preserving' love for the beasts as well as for man. Shall not He whose glory it is that He 'preserves man and beast' now preserve His own people from their malicious foes?