PUBLIC-DOMAIN CHRISTIAN BOOK
John Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible — Psalms
Gill, John, 1697-1771 · 746,590 words · 1615 reading sections
Psalms 119:15
Psalms 119:15 Ver. 15. I will meditate in thy precepts,.... In his own mind; revolve them in his thoughts; consider well the nature, excellency, usefulness, and importance of them, and the obligations he lay under to observe them. The Targum is, "I will speak of thy precepts;'' in conversation to others, and recomme…
159 wordsSECTION 1322Psalms 119:16
Psalms 119:16 Ver. 16. I will delight myself in thy statutes,.... In looking over them; in meditating on them; in obeying them, and walking according to them; as every good man does delight in the law of the Lord, after the inward man, Ro 7:22; see Ps 119:24; I will not forget thy word: he took all proper methods to …
93 wordsSECTION 1323Psalms 119:17
Psalms 119:17 g, GIMEL.--The Third Part. Ver. 17. GIMEL. Deal bountifully with thy servant,.... Which character is mentioned, not by way of plea or argument for favour, but as expressive of modesty, sense of duty, and obligation to it. He pleads not his services by way of merit; but prays that God would deal bountifu…
313 wordsSECTION 1324Psalms 119:18
Psalms 119:18 Ver. 18. Open thou mine eyes,.... The eyes of my heart or understanding, as Kimchi; or, "reveal mine eyes" {t}; take off the veil from them: there is a veil of darkness and ignorance on the hearts of all men, with respect to divine and spiritual things; their understandings are darkened, yea, darkness it…
350 wordsSECTION 1325Psalms 119:19
Psalms 119:19 Ver. 19. I [am] a stranger in the earth,.... As all his fathers were, and all the saints are; not to divine and spiritual things; to God, and communion with him; to Christ, and the knowledge of him; to the Spirit, and his operations in their hearts; to their own hearts, and the plague of them; to the Gos…
33,421 wordsSECTION 1326Psalms 120:1
Psalms 120:1 INTRODUCTION TO PSALM 120 A Song of degrees. This psalm, and the fourteen following, are called "songs of degrees", or "ascents" {o}; for what reason it is not easy to say. Some think it refers to the music of them, and that this is the name of the tune to which they were set; or the first word of a song…
521 wordsSECTION 1327Psalms 120:2
Psalms 120:2 Ver. 2. Deliver my soul, O Lord, from lying lips, [and] from a deceitful tongue. Not from such lips, and such a tongue of his own, which David abhorred; though every good man desires to be kept from speaking lies and deceit; nor from the company of those who have such lips and tongues, which he was determ…
249 wordsSECTION 1328Psalms 120:3
Psalms 120:3 Ver. 3. What shall be given unto thee?.... Or, "what shall [it] give unto thee?" {s} That is, what shall the deceitful tongue give unto thee, O my soul? or to thee, to anyone that hears and reads this psalm? It is capable of giving thee a deal of trouble, of doing thee a deal of mischief; and of injuring …
242 wordsSECTION 1329Psalms 120:4
Psalms 120:4 Ver. 4. Sharp arrows of the mighty, with coals of juniper. Some think these words describe lying lips, and a false tongue; which are like arrows, sharp ones, sent out from a bow drawn with a mighty hand, which come with great force, suddenly and swiftly, and do much mischief; see Ps 11:2; and to "coals of…
366 wordsSECTION 1330Psalms 120:5
Psalms 120:5 Ver. 5. Woe is me, that I sojourn in Mesech,.... Meshech was a son of Japheth, Ge 10:2; whose posterity are thought by some to be the Muscovites {z} and Scythians, a barbarous sort of people: Mesech is frequently mentioned with Tubal and his brother, and with Gog and Magog, Eze 38:2; the Targum here calls…
443 wordsSECTION 1331Psalms 120:6
Psalms 120:6 Ver. 6. My soul hath long dwelt with him that hateth peace. The God of peace, against whom their carnal minds are enmity itself; Christ, the Prince of peace, the Man, the Peace, who has made peace by the blood of his cross, whom the world hates; the sons of peace, the quiet in the land, against whom the w…
185 wordsSECTION 1332Psalms 120:7
Psalms 120:7 Ver. 7. I [am for] peace,.... Am wholly peace; a man of peace, as Aben Ezra; of a peaceable disposition, devoted to peace; love it, seek and pursue it, as every good man does, who is called to it, and in whose heart it rules: such follow peace with all men, and the things which make for it; and, as much a…
223 wordsSECTION 1333Psalms 121:1
Psalms 121:1 INTRODUCTION TO PSALM 121 A Song of degrees. The inscription of the Syriac version is, "one of the songs of ascent out of Babylon.'' Aben Ezra thinks it was composed on account of Israel, when in a siege and distress; or, adds he, on account of the children of our captivity; the present state of the Je…
539 wordsSECTION 1334Psalms 121:2
Psalms 121:2 Ver. 2. My help [cometh] from the Lord, which made heaven and earth. Who helps his people out of the hands of all their enemies, and out of all their troubles and afflictions; he helps them in the performance of duty, in the exercise of grace, in bearing the cross, in fighting the Lord's battles, and on i…
214 wordsSECTION 1335Psalms 121:3
Psalms 121:3 Ver. 3. He wilt not suffer thy foot to be moved,.... This is either an address of the psalmist to his own soul; or to any other good man, his friend and acquaintance, assuring of stability, and of final perseverance in grace to glory. The Lord keeps the feet of his saints from falling: he will not suffer …
299 wordsSECTION 1336Psalms 121:4
Psalms 121:4 Ver. 4. Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep. He that kept Israel or Jacob, when asleep, and appeared to him in a dream, and promised to keep him in all places, and did; who found his posterity in the wilderness, and kept them as the apple of his eye: he keeps his spiritual Israe…
231 wordsSECTION 1337Psalms 121:5
Psalms 121:5 Ver. 5. The Lord [is] thy keeper,.... This explains more fully who it is that keeps Israel and particular believers, and confirms the same; not a creature, but the Lord; the Word of the Lord, as the Targum, in Ps 121:7: Christ, the Word and Wisdom of God; who is the keeper of his people by the designation…
439 wordsSECTION 1338Psalms 121:6
Psalms 121:6 Ver. 6. The sun shall not smite thee by day,.... With its rays, which it shoots forth like darts, and which fly swiftly, and pierce and hurt: hence Apollo, the same with the sun, is represented with a bow and arrows {o}; so the rays of the sun seem to be called in Hab 2:11; nor the moon by night; this cl…
594 wordsSECTION 1339Psalms 121:7
Psalms 121:7 Ver. 7. Thee Lord shall preserve them from all evil,.... The Word of the Lord, as the Targum. Not from the evil of affliction, though from that as a penal evil; or as a real one, it being made to work for good: but from the evil of sin; not from the being or commission of it; but from its dominion and dam…
213 wordsSECTION 1340Psalms 121:8
Psalms 121:8 Ver. 8. The Lord shall preserve thy going out, and thy coming in,.... In transacting all the business of life, in going in and out about it; in all ways, works, and conversation; in journeying and travelling; in all affairs, civil and religious; and not only preserve, but prosper in all, Ps 1:3; the Lord …
362 wordsSECTION 1341Psalms 122:1
Psalms 122:1 INTRODUCTION TO PSALM 122 A Song of degrees of David. This is the first of the songs of degrees that bears the name of David: and Kimchi thinks they only were written by him which have his name to them; though he, Abendana, and others, are of opinion that this psalm was composed with a view to the captiv…
471 wordsSECTION 1342Psalms 122:2
Psalms 122:2 Ver. 2. Our feet shall stand within thy gates, O Jerusalem. Which is to be understood not merely literally of the city of Jerusalem, and of continuance in the possession of it, it being lately taken out of the hands of the Jebusites; but spiritually of the church of God, which is often called by this name…
161 wordsSECTION 1343Psalms 122:3
Psalms 122:3 Ver. 3. Jerusalem is builded as a city that is compact together. In David's time the upper and lower city were joined together, the streets regularly built, the houses contiguous, not straggling about, here and there one {c}. So the church of God, like that, is built in a good situation, on a rock and hil…
245 wordsSECTION 1344Psalms 122:4
Psalms 122:4 Ver. 4. Whither the tribes go up, the tribes of the Lord,.... The twelve tribes of Israel; the males of them went up three times a year to Jerusalem to worship, at the feasts of passover, pentecost, and tabernacles; and was typical of the church of Christ, where the worship of God is carried on, his word …
269 wordsSECTION 1345Psalms 122:5
Psalms 122:5 Ver. 5. For there are set thrones of judgment,.... In Jerusalem as the Targum; here were courts of judicature, and thrones for the judges to sit upon, to execute judgment and justice to the people; the thrones of the house of David; the Targum is, "thrones in the house of the sanctuary, for the kings of…
217 wordsSECTION 1346Psalms 122:6
Psalms 122:6 Ver. 6. Pray for the peace of Jerusalem,.... This is said to the persons that solicited the psalmist to go into the house of the Lord; to the truly godly among the tribes that went thither to worship; to his brethren and companions, for whose sake he wished well to Zion; to praying souls, who should not b…
486 wordsSECTION 1347Psalms 122:7
Psalms 122:7 Ver. 7. Peace be within thy walls,.... The word say might be supplied; for this, with the following, seem to be petitions the psalmist puts into the mouths of those he desires to pray for Jerusalem's peace; and he directs them to pray in this manner, to take with them such words as these, and pray to the …
334 wordsSECTION 1348Psalms 122:8
Psalms 122:8 Ver. 8. For my brethren and companions' sakes,.... Who were regenerated by the spirit of God; adopted into his family, and children of the same father; stood in the same relation to Christ the firstborn, and members of the same church; and so brethren: partners in the same blessings and promises of the co…
182 wordsSECTION 1349Psalms 122:9
Psalms 122:9 Ver. 9. Because of the house of the Lord our God,.... Not because of his own palace, nor because of his own house and family; nor because of his own personal interest; though all were concerned in the peace of Jerusalem: but chiefly because of the sanctuary of the Lord, as the Targum; because of the worsh…
139 wordsSECTION 1350Psalms 123:1
Psalms 123:1 INTRODUCTION TO PSALM 123 A Song of degrees. This psalm is not thought to be written by David, but by some other person in later times; and at a time, as is clear, when the people of God were much exposed to the scorn and contempt of men. Dr. Patrick thinks it was written by some pious person; perhaps by…
585 wordsSECTION 1351Psalms 123:2
Psalms 123:2 Ver. 2. Behold, as the eyes of servants [look] unto the hand of their masters; [and] as the eyes of a maiden unto the hand of her mistress,.... To direct them in their work and business, to point out unto them what they shall do; which is often done by a motion of the hand of the master or mistress, or ra…
537 wordsSECTION 1352Psalms 123:3
Psalms 123:3 Ver. 3. Have mercy upon us, O Lord, have mercy upon us,.... Merit is not pleaded; for, though servants, they knew they were unprofitable ones: but mercy is asked; whether by the awakened sinner, under first convictions, or by the backsliding professor, for forgiveness of sins, under a sense of them, or as…
292 wordsSECTION 1353Psalms 123:4
Psalms 123:4 Ver. 4. Our soul is exceedingly filled with the scorning of those that are at ease,.... That are in easy and affluent circumstances; abound in the things of this world, and have more than heart can wish; have no outward trouble, as other men, or as the saints have; nor any uneasiness of mind, on account o…
312 wordsSECTION 1354Psalms 124:1
Psalms 124:1 INTRODUCTION TO PSALM 124 A Song of degrees of David. Some think this psalm was written by David, after the conquest of the Philistines and Ammonites, and other nations that rose up against him and Israel, like the proud waves of the sea, and spread themselves like a flood; and whose destruction was like…
716 wordsSECTION 1355Psalms 124:2
Psalms 124:2 Ver. 2. If [it had not been] the Lord who was on our side,.... This he repeats both for the confirmation of it, and to excite the attention of the Israelites to it; as well as to observe that it was not once only, but again and again, many times the Lord appeared to be on their side. The Targum renders it…
241 wordsSECTION 1356Psalms 124:3
Psalms 124:3 Ver. 3. Then they had swallowed us up quick,.... Or "alive"; as the earth swallowed up Korah and his company; or as the fish swallowed up Jonah; or rather as ravenous beasts swallow their prey; to which the allusion is. The people of God are comparable to sheep and lambs, and such like innocent creatures:…
120 wordsSECTION 1357Psalms 124:4
Psalms 124:4 Ver. 4. Then the waters had overwhelmed us,.... People, comparable to waters for their multitude, Strength, force, and impetuosity; which bear down all before them, and against which there is no standing; which, like the waters of the flood, overflow and destroy all they pass over. These are the floods of…
232 wordsSECTION 1358Psalms 124:5
Psalms 124:5 Ver. 5. Then the proud waters had gone over our soul. The wicked, who, through their pride, persecute the poor saints: these proud tyrants and persecutors would prevail over them, to their ruin and destruction; who, for their number, force, and strength, and especially for their pride and haughtiness, are…
86 wordsSECTION 1359Psalms 124:6
Psalms 124:6 Ver. 6. Blessed [be] the Lord,.... Here begins the church's thanksgiving for deliverance from all their enemies, their proud persecutors; and from all afflictions and troubles by them; which they could never have been delivered from, had not the Lord appeared for them; and therefore it is but just that he…
183 wordsSECTION 1360Psalms 124:7
Psalms 124:7 Ver. 7. Our soul is escaped as a bird out of the snare of the fowlers,.... The people of God are like little birds, being harmless and innocent, singing forth the praises of God for his goodness to them; as also because weak and unable to resist their foes; and worthless in themselves, like sparrows, as t…
241 wordsSECTION 1361Psalms 124:8
Psalms 124:8 Ver. 8. Our help [is] in the name of the Lord,.... This is the conclusion the church draws from the scene of Providence in her favour; this is the instruction she learns from hence, that her help is in the Lord only, and not in any creature; and that it is right to put her trust and confidence in the Lord…
190 wordsSECTION 1362Psalms 125:1
Psalms 125:1 INTRODUCTION TO PSALM 125 A Song of degrees. Who was the penman of this psalm, and on what occasion written, is not certain. It describes the safety and security of the church and people of God; foretells the deliverance of them from the oppressions of their enemies; the blessings of goodness that should…
590 wordsSECTION 1363Psalms 125:2
Psalms 125:2 Ver. 2. As the mountains [are] round about Jerusalem,.... There was Mount Zion on the side of the north, and the mount of Olives on the east, and other mountains on the other sides of it; so that it was encompassed with them, and was naturally as well as artificially fortified. Tacitus {k} describes Jerus…
302 wordsSECTION 1364Psalms 125:3
Psalms 125:3 Ver. 3. For the rod of the wicked shall not rest upon the lot of the righteous,.... Which, according to Kimchi, is Jerusalem; but Aben Ezra interprets it of the Israelites that inherit the land. And, the people of God are no doubt designed; the Lord's justified and chosen ones, his portion, and the lot of…
437 wordsSECTION 1365Psalms 125:4
Psalms 125:4 Ver. 4. Do good, O Lord, unto [those that be] good,.... That are made so by the Spirit and grace of God; for none are naturally good, but evil; only such who are regenerated and made new creatures, who have a good work of grace begun in them; who have the good Spirit of God, and his good graces, and the g…
285 wordsSECTION 1366Psalms 125:5
Psalms 125:5 Ver. 5. As for such as turn aside unto their crooked ways,.... The ways of sin, immorality, or error; which are crooked ways, not agreeing with the word of God, the rule of faith and practice. This seems to design not openly profane sinners, who have always lived in a course of sin and wickedness; but car…
300 wordsSECTION 1367Psalms 126:1
Psalms 126:1 INTRODUCTION TO PSALM 126 A Song of degrees. This psalm is generally thought to have been written by Ezra, or some good man returned from the Babylonish captivity, and on account of it: the inscription in the Syriac version of it, besides observing it to be a song of degrees or ascents, and without a nam…
726 wordsSECTION 1368Psalms 126:2
Psalms 126:2 Ver. 2. Then was our mouth filled with laughter,.... Who before mourned, and hung their harps on the willows, and could not sing the Lord's song in a strange land; but now, as their hearts were filled, with joy, this was externally and visibly seen in their countenances, and expressed with their mouths an…
307 wordsSECTION 1369Psalms 126:3
Psalms 126:3 Ver. 3. The Lord hath done great things for us,.... These words are generally supposed to be the words of the Jews, taking up those of the Gentiles, and confirming them; acknowledging that the Lord had done great things for them indeed; which, had they not owned, they would have been exceeding ungrateful;…
272 wordsSECTION 1370Psalms 126:4
Psalms 126:4 Ver. 4. Turn again our captivity, O Lord,.... This prayer for the return of the captivity shows that it was not as yet: though some think that this is a petition of those that were returned from captivity, for those of their brethren that stayed behind; who, enjoying the sweets of their liberty, pray for …
281 wordsSECTION 1371Psalms 126:5
Psalms 126:5 Ver. 5. They that sow in tears shall reap in joy. A proverbial expression, encouraging faith in prayer put up for the return of the captivity, whether in a literal or spiritual sense. Praying or seeking the Lord is sowing in righteousness, Ho 10:12; which is often attended with tears and weeping; the issu…
271 wordsSECTION 1372Psalms 126:6
Psalms 126:6 Ver. 6. He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed,.... Which he sows in tears. This is but a repetition and confirmation of what is before expressed in different words; and may be applied, as to a praying saint, so to a faithful preacher of the word. The word is the precious seed which he bea…
457 wordsSECTION 1373Psalms 127:1
Psalms 127:1 INTRODUCTION TO PSALM 127 A Song of degrees for Solomon. This psalm was written for Solomon; that is, for the sake of Solomon, as Aben Ezra interprets it; of concerning Solomon, as Jarchi: and so the Syriac title, "it was said by David concerning Solomon.'' Perhaps it was composed by David, after Natha…
1,176 wordsSECTION 1374Psalms 127:2
Psalms 127:2 Ver. 2. [It is] vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late,.... A description of an industrious and laborious person, who takes great pains to get a livelihood, or increase his substance; see Ps 104:23; which, yet, as in the former instances, depends upon the blessing of divine Providence, Pr 10:4. For…
352 wordsSECTION 1375Psalms 127:3
Psalms 127:3 Ver. 3. Lo, children [are] an heritage of the Lord,.... As all success, safety, and the blessings of life, depend on the providence of God; so this very great blessing is a gift of his; having children, and those good ones, as the Targum interprets it; for of such only can it be understood: so, in a spiri…
161 wordsSECTION 1376Psalms 127:4
Psalms 127:4 Ver. 4. As arrows [are] in the hand of a mighty man,.... Are shot out with great strength; come with much force, and do execution, and do not return in vain; with which men defend themselves, and annoy their enemies; see Jer 50:9; so [are] children of the youth: not young children, or children in their y…
177 wordsSECTION 1377Psalms 127:5
Psalms 127:5 Ver. 5. Happy [is] the man that hath his quiver full of them,.... That is, his house full of them; called a quiver, referring to arrows before mentioned, this being the case in which they are put up: to have many children was always reckoned a great temporal blessing and happiness; see Job 1:2. The Septua…
319 wordsSECTION 1378Psalms 128:1
Psalms 128:1 INTRODUCTION TO PSALM 128 A Song of degrees. This psalm very probably was written by the same hand as the former, and seems to have some connection with it; as that shows that all things depend on the providence and goodness of God; and that all blessings, particularly children, are the gift of God; this…
258 wordsSECTION 1379Psalms 128:2
Psalms 128:2 Ver. 2. For thou shall eat the labour of thine hands,.... That is, thou that fearest the Lord, and walkest in his ways. It is an apostrophe, or address to such, even to everyone of them; instancing in one part of the blessedness that belongs to them, enjoyment of what their hands have laboured for; which …
315 wordsSECTION 1380Psalms 128:3
Psalms 128:3 Ver. 3. Thy wife [shall be] as a fruitful vine by the sides of thine house,.... The vine being a weak and tender tree, which needs propping and supporting; and often is fastened to the sides of a house, to which the allusion here is; whereunto it cleaves, and on which it runs up, and bears very agreeable …
588 wordsSource & rights
Public domain; John Gill (1697–1771). Source item is marked Public Domain on Internet Archive.
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Historical Christian writing; not Scripture.