PSALM 61 COMME�TARYEDITED BY GLE�� PEASE

For the director of music. With stringed instruments. Of David.

I�TRODUCTIO�

SPURGEO�, "TITLE. To the Chief Musician upon �eginah, a Psalm of David. The original indicates that both the hymn and the musical instrument were David's. He wrote the verses and himself sang them to the stringed instrument whose sound he loved so well. We have left the Psalms entitled Michtam, but we shall still find much precious meaning though the golden name be wanting. We have met with the title of this Psalm before, in Psalms 4:1-8; Psalms 6:1-10; Psalms 54:1-7; Psalms 55:1-23, but with this difference, that in the present case the word is in the singular number: the Psalm itself is very personal, and well adapted for the private devotion of a single individual.SUBJECT A�D DIVISIO�. This Psalm is a pearl. It is little, but precious. To many a mourner it has furnished utterance when the mind could not have devised a speech for itself. It was evidently composed by David after he had come to the throne, --see Psalms 61:6. The second verse leads us to believe that it was written during the psalmist's enforced exile from the tabernacle, which was the visible abode of God: if so, the period of Absalom's rebellion has been most suitably suggested as the date of its authorship, and Delitzsch is correct in entitling it, "Prayer and thanksgiving of an expelled King on his way back to his throne." We might divide the verses according to the sense, but it is preferable to follow the author's own arrangement, and make a break at each SELAH.

ELLICOTT, "Here we have the prayer of an Israelite living at a distance from his country, and declaring in the simplest possible manner that in spite of this banishment he does not feel remote from God nor deprived of the Divine protection. It is a forecast of the great principle of spiritual worship which Jesus Christ was to proclaim.

Tradition assigns this exquisite little song, with its fine spiritual discernment, to David. The repetition of the imagery of the high tower is in the Davidic style, but many critics think it breathes rather of the time of the captivity. Three equal stanzas of six short lines and elegant rhythm compose the poem.

Title—See title Psalms 4.

�eginah, properly negînath, probably an error for negînôth, as in Psalms 4, as the LXX. and Vulg. (“in hymns”) evidently read it. Or it may be an anomalous form of negînah, which, in Job 30:9, means a satirical song.

COKE, "Title. נגינת על למנצח lamnatseach al neginath.] The occasion of this psalm is very doubtful. Mudge thinks that it was composed upon the same occasion with the former. In which view the two first verses, says he, are a prayer to God, that he would conduct him safe in his attempt upon the city, which was otherwise too strong for him; probably, seated on an almost impregnable rock. In the three next he acknowledges the divine protection in bringing him back safe into his country. The sixth and seventh are spoken by the priests, or a chorus of priests, praying for long life to the king. In the last, the king concludes with saying, that he would every day thus pay his vows, by visiting God's temple and praising his name.

1 Hear my cry, O God; listen to my prayer.

BAR�ES, "Hear my cry, O God - See the notes at Psa_5:2. The word rendered cry in this place sometimes denotes a joyful shout - a shout of triumph; but the connection makes it certain that it here refers to the voice of prayer. It is implied that it was audible prayer, or that the psalmist gave utterance to his desires in words. It is language such as would be produced by deep distress; when a sad and burdened heart gives vent to its feelings in a loud cry for mercy.

Attend unto my prayer - Give ear; incline the ear to me, Psa_5:1; Psa_17:1, Psa_17:6; Psa_39:12; Psa_71:2.

CLARKE, "Hear my cry, O God - In the midst of a long and painful captivity, oppressed with suffering, encompassed with cruel enemies and isolent masters, I address my humble prayer to Thee, O my God.

GILL, "Hear my cry, O God,.... Being in distress; and which was vocally expressed with great fervency and importunity;

attend unto my prayer; which psalm was made by him, and not for him; inwrought in his heart by the Spirit of God, and put up by him with a true heart and full assurance of faith, and related to his own case in particular. Aben Ezra thinks that the former word designs public prayer, vocally and openly expressed; and that this intends prayer in the heart, or mental prayer; both the Lord hears and attends unto, and is here requested; which is marvellous grace and condescension in him.

HE�RY, "I. David's close adherence and application to God by prayer in the day of his distress and trouble: “Whatever comes, I will cry unto thee (Psa_61:2), - not cry unto other gods, but to thee only, - not fall out with thee because thou afflictest me, but still look unto thee, and wait upon thee, - not speak to thee in a cold and careless manner, but cry to thee with the greatest importunity and fervency of spirit, as one that will not let thee go except thou bless me.” This he will do, 1. Notwithstanding his distance from the sanctuary, the house of prayer, where he used to attend as in the court of requests: “From the end of the earth, or of the land, from the most remote and obscure corner of the country, will I cry unto thee.” Note, Wherever we are we may have liberty of access to God, and may find a way open to the throne of grace. Undique ad coelos tantundem est viae -Heaven is equally accessible from all places. “Nay, because I am here in the end of the earth, in sorrow and solitude, therefore I will cry unto thee.” Note, That which separates us from our other comforts should drive us so much the nearer to God, the fountain of all comfort. 2. Notwithstanding the dejection and despondency of his spirit: “Though my heart is overwhelmed, it is not so sunk, so burdened, but that it may be lifted up to God in prayer; if it is not capable of being thus raised, it is certainly too much cast down. Nay, because my heart is ready to be overwhelmed, therefore I will cry unto thee, for by that means it will be supported and relived.” Note, Weeping must quicken praying, and not deaden it. Is any afflicted? Let him pray, Jam_5:13; Ps. 102, title.

II. The particular petition he put up to God when his heart was overwhelmed and he was ready to sink: Lead me to the rock that is higher than I; that is, 1. “To the rock which is too high for me to get up to unless thou help me to it. Lord, give me such an assurance and satisfaction of my own safety as I can never attain to but by thy special grace working such a faith in me.” 2. “To the rock on the top of which I shall be set further out of the reach of my troubles, and nearer the serene and quiet region, than I can be by any power or wisdom of my own.” God's power and promise are a rock that is higher than we. This rock is Christ; those are safe that are in him. We cannot get upon this rock unless God by his power lead us. I will put thee in the cleft of the rock, Exo_33:22. We should therefore by faith and prayer put ourselves under the divine management, that we may be taken under the divine protection.

III. His desire and expectation of an answer of peace. He begs in faith (Psa_61:1): “Hear my cry, O God! attend unto my prayer; that is, let me have the present comfort of knowing that I am heard (Psa_20:6), and in due time let me have that which I pray for.”

JAMISO�, "Psa_61:1-8. Neginah - or, Neginoth (see on Psa_4:1, title). Separated from his usual spiritual privileges, perhaps by Absalom’s rebellion, the Psalmist prays for divine aid, and, in view of past mercies, with great confidence of being heard.

From the end— that is, places remote from the sanctuary (Deu_28:64).

CALVI�, "1.Hear my cry, O God! It is not exactly ascertained at what time this psalm was composed; but there seems to be some probability in the conjecture, that David had been for a considerable period in possession of the throne before he fell into the circumstances of distress which are here mentioned. I agree with those who refer it to the time of the conspiracy of Absalom; (402) for, had he not been an exile, he could not speak, as in the second verse, of crying from the ends of the earth. By using the term cry, he would intimate the vehemency of his desire; and it is a word which expresses inward fervency of spirit, without reference to the fact whether he may have prayed aloud, or in a low and subdued tone. The repetition which is employed denotes his diligence and perseverance in prayer, and teaches us that we should not faint and become discouraged in this exercise, because God may not have immediately and openly testified his acceptance of our petitions. There can be no question that, by the ends of the earth, he refers to the place of his banishment, as being cut off from access to the temple and the royal city. By some, indeed, the words have been understood figuratively, as meaning, that he prayed from the lowest deeps of distress; but I can see no foundation for this. In a subsequent part of the psalm, he calls himself King, a title never assumed by him before the death of Saul, and from this circumstance we may at once infer, that the time referred to was that when he fled in trepidation from the fury of his son Absalom, and hid himself in the wilderness of Mahanaim, and places of a similarly solitary description. Mount Zion was the place where the ark of the covenant had been deposited, and it was the seat of royalty; and David, when banished from this, which was the principal and most eligible locality, speaks as if he had been driven to the uttermost parts of the earth. Living, though he did, under the shadows of a legal dispensation, he did not cease to pray, because removed to a distance from the temple; and how inexcusable must our conduct be, privileged as we are of God, and called to draw near by the way which has been opened through the blood of Christ, if we break not through every hinderance which Satan presents to our communications with heaven? Let those who may have been deprived of the hearing of the word, and the dispensation of the sacraments, so as, in a manner, to be banished out of the Church, learn from the example of David to persevere in crying to God, even under these solitary circumstances. He adverts, in what follows, to his grief and anguish. He adds the fact of his being shut up from every method of escape, that the grace of God might be made more apparent in his deliverance. The Hebrew word עטף, ataph, which I have translated vexed, means occasionally to cover, or involve, which has led some to render the clause, while my heart is turned about; that is, tossed hither and thither, or agitated. This is a harsh translation. Others read with more propriety, while my heart is involved in cares and troubles, or overwhelmed. (403) I have adopted a simpler rendering, although I would not be understood as denying the metaphor, to which they suppose that there is an allusion. The clause, there can be no question, is inserted to intimate that he was not prevented by trouble from having recourse to God. �otice was taken already of the outward trial to which he was subjected, in distance from the sanctuary, and of his rising above this, so as to direct his cry to God; and in the words before us, we have his confession that he was far from being stoically insensible, being conscious of a severe inward struggle with grief and perplexity of mind. It is the duty, then, of believers, when oppressed with heaviness and spiritual distress, to make only the more strenuous efforts for

breaking through these obstacles in their approaches to God. His prayer is, that God would bring him to that safety from which he seems to be excluded. By a rock or citadel, he means, in general, secure protection, from which he complains of being shut out, as it was impossible to reach it unless he were raised by the hand of God. In looking round him, it seemed as if every place of shelter and safety were lifted up above his head and rendered inaccessible. He was cut off from all help, and yet, hopeless as deliverance appeared, he had no doubt of his safety, should God only extend his hand for interposition. This is the plain meaning of the passage, when divested of figure, that God was able to rescue him from danger, though all other help should be withdrawn, and the whole world should stand between him and deliverance; a truth which we would do well to consider seriously. In looking for deliverance from God, we must beware of yielding to the suggestions of sense; we should remember that he does not always work by apparent means, but delivers us when he chooses by methods inscrutable to reason. If we attempt to prescribe any one particular line of procedure, we do no less than wilfully limit his almighty power.

SPURGEO�, "Ver. 1. Hear my cry, O God. He was in terrible earnest; he shouted, he lifted up his voice on high. He is not however content with the expression of his need: to give his sorrows vent is not enough for him, he wants actual audience of heaven, and manifold succour as the result. Pharisees may rest in their prayers; true believers are eager for an answer to them: ritualists may be satisfied when they have, "said or sung" their litanies and collects, but living children of God will never rest till their supplications have entered the ears of the Lord God of Sabaoth.Attend unto my prayer. Give it thy consideration, and such an answer as thy wisdom sees fit. When it comes to crying with us, we need not doubt but that it will come to attending with God. Our heavenly Father is not hardened against the cries of his own children. What a consoling thought it is that the Lord at all times hears his people's cries, and is never forgetful of their prayers; whatever else fails to move him, praying breath is never spent in vain!EXPLA�ATORY �OTES A�D QUAI�T SAYI�GSTitle. The word �eginah (the singular of �eginoth) may be understood to be synonymous with the kinnor or harp: that is to say, the instrument of eight strings, probably played with a bow or plectrum. John Jess.Ver. 1. Hear my cry, O God; attend unto my prayer. Aquinas saith that some read the words thus, Intende ad cantica mea, attend unto my songs--and so the words may be safely read, from the Hebrew word hgr ranah, which signifies to shout or shrill out for joy-- to note that the prayers of the saints are like pleasant songs and delightful ditties in the ears of God. �o mirth, no music, can be so pleasing to us as the prayers of the saints are pleasing to God. Song of Solomon 2:14, Psalms 141:2. Thomas Brooks.Ver. 1. My cry. There is a text in Job where the "hypocrites in heart" are spoken of condemningly, because "they cry not when he bindeth them." I like to feel that no hard fortitude is required of the chastened child of God, but that it ought to feel, and may cry, under the rod, without a single rebellious thought. Mary B. M.

Duncan.Ver. 1-2. One ejaculation begetteth another. Hear my cry; attend unto my prayer (yet no words thereof mentioned); and Psalms 61:2. From the end of the earth will I cry: he had thus cried, and he will therefore cry again and again. As billows of temptation ever and anon stop his mouth and interrupt him, so as he now and then doth but peep above water, and get breathing space, he will thus cry, Lead me, or "guide me, "or carry me to yonder rock which is higher than I. Thomas Cobbet (1608-1686), on Prayer

COFFMA�, "Verse 1PSALM 61

PRAYER A�D THA�KSGIVI�G OF A� EXPELLED KI�G O� HIS WAY BACK TO THE THRO�E.[1]

PRAYER FOR A KI�G.[2]

THE EXILED KI�G PRAYS FOR RESTORATIO�.[3]

A PRAYER OF A DISTRAUGHT KI�G.[4]

A HYM� OF CO�FIDE�CE.[5]

THE ROCK THAT IS HIGHER THA� I.[6]

SUPERSCRIPTIO�: FOR THE CHIEF MUSICIA�; O� A STRI�GED I�STRUME�T.

A PSALM OF DAVID.

It will be seen from the titles which various scholars have given this psalm that the ascription to David as the author is generally assumed to be true; and as for the occasion, several view the time of David's absence from Jerusalem during Absalom's rebellion as correct.

This beautiful psalm, from the very earliest ages of the church, "Has been sung daily at Matins,"[7] as "A Morning Prayer." There are few religious hymnals today that do not have a song based on this psalm. "The Rock that is Higher than I," by E. Johnson, is an example.[8]

There are a number of erroneous interpretations proposed for this psalm. Leupold listed the following: (1) This is the prayer of a sick man. (2) It is the prayer of the nation of Israel. (3) It is a liturgical prayer for use at the festival of the covenant. "Such views are out of harmony with express statements in the text."[9]

There are also a number of different occasions, or dates, which have been proposed. Addis dated it during the Babylonian exile, or afterward, due to his

misunderstanding of "the ends of the earth" (Psalms 61:2), and the mention of "tent" in Psalms 61:4.[10] Several scholars, mentioned by Delitzsch, dated the psalm even later, during the times of Cyrus the Persian, or of the Ptolemies, or the Seleucidae, but he denounced them all as "worthless bubbles."[11]

By far, the most reasonable understanding of this psalm sees it as written by David, most probably at the time of Absalom's forcing him to flee across the Jordan River to Mahanaim.

This little pearl of a psalm is very short, but very beautiful. The three divisions proposed by Leupold will be followed here.

(1) An exile's prayer for help (Psalms 61:1-3).

(2) His plea to dwell with God forever (Psalms 61:4-5).

(3) His prayer for "The King" (Psalms 61:6-8).

A� EXILE'S PRAYER FOR HELP

Psalms 61:1-3

"Hear my cry, O God;

Attend unto my prayer.

From the end of the earth will I call unto thee when my heart is overwhelmed.

Lead me to the rock that is higher than I. For thou hast been a refuge for me,

A strong tower from the enemy."

"Hear my cry ... attend my prayer" (Psalms 61:1). �o situation can be bad enough that it does not call for prayer. When a man is through with praying, that man is through with any life that matters. As James stated it, "Is any among you suffering, let him pray" (James 5:13).

"From the end of the earth" (Psalms 61:2). "This need not refer to a remote area, the distance is magnified by the yearning to be back home."[12] To the Jew, anything east of the river Jordan would have been so designated. The Biblical note that Moses died "in a foreign land"[13] is proof of this.

"The rock that is higher than I" (Psalms 61:2). "This means the rock that is too high for me, the rock that I cannot reach unaided."[14] And just Who is that Rock? "This Rock is Christ."[15] For ancient Israel, the Rock was a symbol of the love and protection of God, a figure of the security, serenity and protection provided for the believer by the Lord. For this generation, "Our Lord Jesus Christ is the true Rock

for human souls."[16]

"When my heart is overwhelmed" (Psalms 61:2). "There are times when many of us are in anguish because of the feeling that God is displeased with us, or that we are separated from Him; and the rebellion of our own children, and the ingratitude and treachery of those whom we have trusted have simply overwhelmed us."[17] Such was the situation that pressed upon the heart of David.

"For thou hast been a refuge for me, a strong tower" (Psalms 61:3). This is the first of two reasons (the other is in Psalms 61:5) that the psalmist advances as reasons why God should hear him. His past experience had been such that David might confidently expect the continuation of God's help.

TRAPP, "Psalms 61:1 « To the chief Musician upon �eginah, [A Psalm] of David. » Hear my cry, O God; attend unto my prayer.

To the chief Musician upon �eginah, &c.] Vincenti in melodiis Davidis (Vatab.). It is probable that he made this psalm when, driven out of his kingdom by his son Absalom, he took up at Mahanaim beyond Jordan, 2 Samuel 17:24, and therehence prayed from the ends of the earth, or rather of the land, Psalms 61:2. Howbeit R. Obadiah saith, that this psalm is De pugna cum Aram in confinibus Israel, concerning the battle with the Syrians in the borders of the land. See 2 Samuel 10:14, &c., and 1 Chronicles 19:16, &c.

Ver. 1. Hear my cry, O God] Heb. my shouting, my sad outcry; for he was in great extremity, Psalms 61:2, and seeks ease by prayer. This is the way, Job 22:21, Philippians 4:6-7, walk in it. Prayer hath virtutem pacativam; it doth sweetly settle the soul, and lodge a blessed security in it.

K&D, "Hurled out of the land of the Lord in the more limited sense

(Note: Just as in Num_32:29. the country east of Jordan is excluded from the name “the land of Canaan” in the stricter sense, so by the Jewish mind it was

regarded from the earliest time to a certain extent as a foreign country (חוצה�לארץ), although inhabited by the two tribes and a half; so that not only is it said of Moses that he died in a foreign land, but even of Saul that he is buried in a foreign land (Numeri Rabba, ch. viii. and elsewhere).)

into the country on the other side of the Jordan, David felt only as though he were banished to the extreme corner of the earth (not: of the land, cf. Psa_46:10; Deu_28:49, and frequently), far from the presence of God (Hengstenberg). It is the feeling of homelessness and of separation from the abode of God by reason of which the distance, in itself so insignificant (just as was the case with the exiles later on), became to him immeasurably great. For he still continually needed God's helpful intervention; the

enveloping, the veiling, the faintness of his heart still continues (ָעַטף, Arab. ‛tf, according to its radical signification: to bend and lay anything round so that it lies or draws over something else and covers it, here of a self-enveloping); a rock of difficulties still ever lies before him which is too high for his natural strength, for his human ability, therefore

insurmountable. But he is of good courage: God will lead him up with a sure step, so that, removed from all danger, he will have rocky ground under his feet. He is of good courage, for God has already proved Himself to be a place of refuge to him, to be a strong tower, defying all attack, which enclosed him, the persecuted one, so that the enemy can gain no advantage over him (cf. Pro_18:10). He is already on the way towards his own country, and in fact his most dearly loved and proper home: he will or he has to (in accordance with the will of God) dwell (cf. the cohortative in Isa_38:10; Jer_4:21) in God's tabernacle (vid., on Psa_15:1) throughout aeons (an utterance which reminds one

of the synchronous Psa_23:6). With ּור� is combined the idea of the divine protection (cf.

Arabic �âr ollah, the charge or protegé of God, and Beduinic �aur, the protecting hearth;

�awir, according to its form = ֵ�ר, one who flees for refuge to the hearth). A bold figure of this protection follows: he has to, or will trust, i.e., find refuge, beneath the protection of God's wings. During the time the tabernacle was still being moved from place to place we hear no such mention of dwelling in God's tabernacle or house. It was David who coined this expression for loving fellowship with the God of revelation, simultaneously with his preparation of a settled dwelling-place for the sacred Ark. In the Psalms that belong to the time of his persecution by Saul such an expression is not yet to be found; for in Psa_52:7, when it is desired that Doeg may have the opposite of an eternal dwelling-place, it is not the sacred tent that is meant. We see also from its second part that this Psa_61:1-8does not belong to the time of Saul; for David does not speak here as one who has drawn very near to his kingly office (cf. Psa_40:8), but as one who is entering upon a new stage in it.

BI 1-8, "Hear my cry, O God; attend unto my prayer.

A meditation on the sixty-first psalm

In the first verse it is not the Jew but the man that speaks. The same idea can be found in all languages. When David speaks thus, he speaks for the whole world! There is no doubt the most intense personality in the petition; it is “my” cry, it is “my” prayer. What then? Even when the man individualizes himself most carefully, he does but mingle most familiarly with all other men. This is the voice of an exile—a man far from the city which he loves most; yet even at the extremity of the land he says he will cry unto God. Why not? God can give the exile a home! Wherever God reveals himself in loving pity and all the riches of His grace, the soul may take its rest, knowing that no lion shall be there, neither shall any ravenous beast go up thereon. David cried from the end of the land! We have cried from the same extremity. By processes too subtle for us to comprehend, God has often caused our misfortunes to become our blessings, In the midst of the psalmist’s trouble there rises an aspiration—“lead me to the rock that is higher than I. “The” self-helplessness expressed in this prayer moves our entire sympathy. “Lead me”—what a blind man who had wandered from the accustomed path would say; “lead me”—what a lame man would say who had fallen by reason of his great weakness; “lead me”—what a terrified man would say who had to pass along the edge of a bottomless abyss. It is in such extremities that men best know themselves. David wished to be led to the rock; he wished to stand firmly, to stand above the flood-line, to have rest after so great disquietude. Then there is a rock higher than we? We have heard of Jesus Christ by this strange name; we have heard of Him as the Rock of ages; we have heard of Him as the Rock in the wilderness; we have heard of Him as the Stone rejected of the builders but elected of God to the chief place. The aspiration is succeeded by a recollection (Psa_61:3). History is rightly used when it becomes the guide of hope. The days of a man’s life

seem to be cut off from each other by the nights which intervene; but they are continuous when viewed from the altitude of Divine providence. Yesterday enriches to-day. All the historic triumphs of the Divine arm stimulate us in the present battle. We may say of God—What Thou hast been, Thou wilt be; because Thou hast inclined Thine ear unto us, therefore will we call upon Thee as long as we live. “I will abide in Thy tabernacle for ever, I will trust in the covert of Thy wings.” Here is a beautiful combination—worship and confidence! The relation is not only beautiful, but strictly sequential; for worship is confidence, and confidence is worship. Truly to kneel before God is to express trust in Him, and truly to express trust in Him is to bow down and worship at His footstool. This is the complete idea of worship: not prayer only, not hope only, not adoration only, not a blind dependence only; but all combined, all rounded into one great act of life. “Under the covert of Thy wings”—how tender the figure! The bird spreads her wings over the nest where her young ones lie, and thus gives them warmth, and affords them all the little protection in her power. What a beautiful image of unity, defence, completeness, safety, is so frail a thing as the nest of a bird! Multiply that image by infinitude; carry it far above all the mischances which may befall the little home of the bird, and then see how full of comfort is the idea. We have heard of a “shelter,” and a “tower,” and a “tabernacle,”—words which have much meaning for the heart when its distresses are not to be numbered, and which reach their full explanation only in that great Saving Man who was wounded for our transgressions. (J. Parker, D. D.)

The pious experiences of an exile

I. A deep sense of isolation. “From the end of the earth will I cry unto Thee.” Few feelings are more saddening than the feeling of lonelihood. It hangs like a cold leaden cloud over the heart. In this lonelihood, and far away from the scenes of his home and populations of men, he prays. The Great Father is accessible in all seasons of the soul, and all points of space.

II. A felt need for Divine helps. Many things would tend to overwhelm the heart of David with sorrow—the conduct of Absalom his son, the treachery of professed friends, the disorders of his country, and, above all, remorse on account of the many wrong things he had done and which had perhaps brought all these distresses upon him. Under such a load of sadness, he feels that his only hope is in God. The soul in its sorrow requires something outside of itself and greater, and there is a Rock for tempest-tossed souls.

III. A yearning for lost privileges. “I will abide in Thy tabernacle for ever.” He was far away from this tabernacle now,—a scene where he had often worshipped and experienced the raptures of religion. Profoundly does he feel the loss, and hence he resolves on his return to abide there, not only to visit it occasionally, but to continue as a resident, “dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of his life.” When there, he had felt like the young bird under the wing of its parent, warm, safe, and happy; and this privilege he yearned for again. “I will trust in the covert of Thy wings.” It is an old adage, that “the well is not missed until it is dried up.” The loss of blessings is evermore the means of deepening our impressions as to their value.

IV. As acknowledgment of Divine kindness (Psa_61:5). The “heritage” mentioned is participation in the honours and privileges of the chosen people, and such were indeed great (Rom_9:4-5). What a heritage! And this David acknowledges as being given to him by God. Whatever privileges we have, personal, social, political, or religious, our “heritage” is the gift of God.

V. An assurance of future prosperity. “Thou wilt prolong the king’s life.” He seems to have been assured of two things.

1. The lengthening of his rule as a king. “Thou wilt prolong the king’s life”—add days to that reign which was nearly brought to an abrupt termination.

2. The continuation of his privileges as a saint. “He shall abide before God for ever.” These two things he seems to have been assured of—that he should live for years, and for years to come enjoy the presence of his God. Blessed assurance this!

VI. A cry for moral excellence. “Mercy and truth.” These are the cardinal virtues. “Grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.” A soul full of benevolence and in harmony with eternal realities. In this all good is comprised. Herein Paradise blooms and blossoms. The profoundest hunger Of all souls should be for these two things, grace and truth. Having these, all else follows.

VII. A resolution to worship for ever. Worship is the highest end of being. Religion, or worship, is not the means to an end, it is the grandest end of existence. (Homilist.)

PETT, "Verses 1-4

Heading.

‘For the Chief Musician, on a stringed instrument. A Psalm of David.’

This Psalm is also dedicated to the Chief Musician and is to be accompanied by a stringed instrument. It is a Psalm of David. If David, rather than a member of the Davidic house, was its author it was quite possibly written during his period of exile east of Jordan after fleeing from Absalom (2 Samuel 15:13 ff.). In later days, after the end of the monarchy and the Exile, it began to be given a Messianic interpretation as witnessed by the Targums.

Separated From The Visible Means of Worshipping God David Seeks His Refuge In The God Of The Tabernacle In His Invisible Tabernacle (Psalms 61:1-4).

Crying out to God from wherever he is, (many see it as in the wilderness of Mahanaim, east of Jordan, where he was hiding from Absalom), David declares his trust in God as his Rock, his Refuge, his Fortress and his Tabernacle. When the earthly Tabernacle is no longer available to him, he knows that he can approach God in His heavenly Tabernacle, where he can take refuge under the shadow of His wings.

Psalms 61:1-2

‘Hear my cry, O God,

Attend to my prayer.’

‘From the end of the earth will I call to you,

When my heart is overwhelmed,

Lead me to the rock that is higher than I.’

David cries to God to hear his prayer as he sees himself as at ‘the end of the earth (or ‘the land’)’, that is as being as far from the Tabernacle where he would usually pray as he could be, for he knows that wherever he is, God is there. And his cry is that when his heart is overwhelmed God will lead him to the Rock that is higher than he is, in other words to God Himself as his Rock. For on that Rock he knows that he will be totally secure. No one knew better than David, from his life of refuge in the wilderness as he hid from Saul, the security provided by rocks on high mountains.

EXPOSITORS DICTIONARY OF TEXTS, "As it is with many other Psalm so it is with this. If we are to find in the Bible narratives a situation suitable for it we may allow ourselves to conjecture that it was written by David after Absalom"s defeat, and before David"s return to Jerusalem. The Psalm expresses the feelings of one who is a king in circumstances of great sorrow, who has experienced deliverance, and prays with confident expectation for restoration and long life. It falls into two divisions, each expressing two main thoughts; the second taking up the note with which the first closed. We have in the first anguish of heart leading to prayer, then recollection, from which springs hope. In the second we have hope based on recollection, and faith issuing in thanksgiving.

I. There are two elements in the Psalmist"s anguish. "My heart is overwhelmed," he says. It faints within him. There is no strength or spirit left in him. The second element is move special to himself. He felt himself at the end of the earth, an exile from God"s presence. He called to God as across a great distance. There are times when we too feel far from Him. The very intensity of our need of God may obscure from us the fact of His nearness.

II. In the midst of trouble the Psalmist remembers experiences that give him ground for hope. We see how in his deliverance David was quick to perceive the beginnings of the fulfilment of his prayers; that from being a dispossessed and exiled king he might be restored to his kingdom and throne. God"s deeds of deliverance are promises and earnests. To the insight and foresight of faith they mean more than they are.

III. Finally the Psalmist rises into confidence for the future. He expects that his life will be prolonged and his throne established in the presence and favour of God. If we noted God"s deliverances, if we daily called to mind and made mention of His goodness, what resources of hope we should have for darker times.

—P. G. Maclagan, The Gospel View of Things, p84.

CONSTABLE, "Verse 1-2

1. Request for salvation61:1-2

David began this Psalm , as he did many others, by asking God to give attention to his prayer. He evidently felt separated from his own people and his secure surroundings on this occasion. The rock he requested may have been a literal butte on which he could take refuge, such as Masada. On the other hand, he may have been speaking figuratively of God (cf. Deuteronomy 32:4; Deuteronomy 32:15; Deuteronomy 32:18; Deuteronomy 32:30-31; Deuteronomy 32:37; 2 Samuel 22:2; Psalm 18:31; Psalm 18:46; Psalm 28:1; et al.).

EBC, "THE situation of the singer in this psalm is the same as in Psalms 63:1-11. In both he is an exile longing for the sanctuary, and in both "the king" is referred to in a way which leaves his identity with the psalmist questionable. There are also similarities in situation, sentiment, and expression with Psalms 42:1-11; Psalms 43:1-5 -e.g., the singer’s exile, his yearning to appear in the sanctuary, the command given by God to His Lovingkindness [Psalms 42:8 and Psalms 61:8] the personification of Light and Troth as his guides, [Psalms 43:3] compared with the similar representation here of Lovingkindness and Troth as guards set by God over the psalmist. The traditional attribution of the psalm to David has at least the merit of providing an appropriate setting for its longings and hopes, in his flight from Absalom. No one of the other dates proposed by various critics seems to satisfy anybody but its proposer. Hupfeld calls Hitzig’s suggestion "wunderbar zu lesen." Graetz inclines to the reign of Hezekiah, and thinks that "the connection gains" if the prayer for the preservation of the king’s life refers to that monarch’s sickness. The Babylonish captivity, with Zedekiah for "the king," is preferred by others. Still later dates are in favour now. Cheyne lays it down that "pre-Jeremian such highly spiritual hymns (i.e., Psalms 61:1-8; Psalms 63:1-11) obviously cannot be," and thinks that "it would not be unplausible to make them contemporanaeous with Psalms 42:1-11, the king being Antiochus the Great," but prefers to assign them to the Maccabean period, and to take "Jonathan, or (better) Simon" as the king. Are "highly spiritual hymns" probable products of that time?

If the Selah is accepted as marking the end of the first part of the psalm, its structure is symmetrical, so far as it is then divided into two parts of four verses each; but that division cuts off the prayer in Psalms 61:4 from its ground in Psalms 61:5. Selah frequently occurs in the middle of a period, and is used to mark emphasis, but not necessarily division. It is therefore better to keep Psalms 61:4 and Psalms 61:5 together, thus preserving their analogy with Psalms 61:2 and Psalms 61:3. The scheme of this little psalm will then be an introductory verse, followed by two parallel pairs of verses, each consisting of petition and its grounding in past mercies (Psalms 61:2, Psalms 61:3, and Psalms 61:4-5), and these again succeeded by another pair containing petitions for "the king," while a final single verse, corresponding to the introductory one, joyfully foresees life-long praise evoked by the certain answers to the singer’s prayer.

The fervour of the psalmist’s supplication is strikingly expressed by his use in the first clause, of the word which is ordinarily employed for the shrill notes of rejoicing. It describes the quality of the sound as penetrating and emotional, not the nature of the emotion expressed by it. Joy is usually louder tongued than sorrow; but this suppliant’s need has risen so high that his cry is resonant. To himself he seems to be at "the end of the earth"; for he measures distance not as a map maker, but as a worshipper. Love and

longing are potent magnifiers of space. His heart "faints," or is "overwhelmed." The word means literally "covered," and perhaps the metaphor may be preserved by some such phrase as wrapped in gloom. He is, then, an exile and therefore sunk in sadness. But while he had external separation from the sanctuary chiefly in view, his cry wakes an echo in all devout hearts. They who know most about the inner life of communion with God best know how long and dreary the smallest separation between Him and them seems, and how thick is the covering spread over the heart thereby.

The one desire of such a suppliant is for restoration of interrupted access to God. The psalmist embodies that yearning in its more outward form, but not without penetrating to the inner reality in both the parallel petitions which follow. In the first of these, (Psalms 61:2 b) the thought is fuller than the condensed expression of it. "Lead me on" or in, says he, meaning, Lead me to and set me on. His imagination sees towering above him a great cliff, on which, if he could be planted, he might defy pursuit or assault. But he is distant from it, and the inaccessibility which, were he in its clefts, would be his safety, is now his despair. Therefore he turns to God and asks Him to bear him up in His hands, that he may set his foot on that rock. The figure has been, strangely enough, interpreted to mean a rock of difficulty, but against the usage in the Psalter. But we do not reach the whole significance of the figure if we give it the mere general meaning of a place of safety. While it would be too much to say that "rock" is here an epithet of God (the absence of the definite article and other considerations are against that), it may be affirmed that the psalmist, like all devout men, knew that his only place of safety was in God. "A rock" will not afford adequate shelter; our perils and storms need "the Rock." And, therefore, this singer bases his prayer on his past experience of the safe hiding that he had found in God. "Place of refuge" and "strong tower" are distinctly parallel with "rock." The whole, then, is like the prayer in Psalms 31:2-3 : "Be Thou to me a strong rock. For Thou art my rock."

2 From the ends of the earth I call to you, I call as my heart grows faint; lead me to the rock that is higher than

BAR�ES, "From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee - This language is derived from the idea that the earth is one extended plain, and that it has limits or boundaries. Such language is common in the Scriptures, and indeed is in constant use now, even although we know that the earth is globular, and that there are no parts which can properly be called “the ends of the earth.” The meaning is plain. The psalmist was far

from the place where he was accustomed to live; or, in other words, he was in exile or in banishment. The language agrees well with the supposition that the psalm was composed when David was driven from his home and his throne by Absalom, and was in exile beyond the Jordan, 2Sa_17:22. Compare Psa_42:1-11.

When my heart is overwhelmed - The word used here - aph�â‛ עטף - means

properly to cover, as with a garment, Psa_73:6; then, with grain - as a field, Ps. 65:14; then, with darkness or calamity, Ps. 102 title; Isa_57:16. The meaning here is, that darkness or calamity seemed to have covered or enveloped his soul. He saw no light, he had no comfort. Compare Psa_42:3, Psa_42:6-7.

Lead me to the rock that is higher than I - To a rock; to some place of refuge; to some stronghold where I may be safe. The allusion is to God as such a rock or place of refuge. See the notes at Psa_18:2. The idea is, that he had no strength in himself; that if he depended on himself, he could not be safe. He was, as it were, in a low vale, exposed to every enemy. He wished to be put in a place of safety. To such a place of safety - to Himself - he prayed that God would lead him. We need one much higher than we are to save us. A Saviour - a Redeemer - on the same level with ourselves could not help us. We must have one that is supreme over all things; one that is divine.

CLARKE, "From the end of the earth - ,arets should be here translated land ארץnot earth, and so it should be in numerous places besides. But here it seems to mean the country beyond the Euphrates; as it is thought to do, Psa_65:5, Psa_65:8, called there also the ends of the earth or land. It may be remarked that the Jews were always more pious and devoted to God in their afflictions and captivities, than when in their own land, in ease and affluence. But who can bear prosperity? How many hearts filled with heavenly ardor in affliction and persecution have grown cold under the beams of the sun of prosperity!

Lead me to the rock that is higher than I - Direct me to a place of refuge and safety. It is a metaphorical expression; and Calmet interprets it of the liberty granted to the Jews by Cyrus to return to their own land. This was a privilege far higher than any thing they could expect. The fathers think Jesus Christ is meant by this high rock.

GILL, "From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee,.... Where he now was, as is observed on the title; see Gill on Psa_61:1, though he was distant from his own house, and from the house of God, he did not restrain prayer before him, but continued to cry unto him, and determined to do so; and as the people of God are sometimes forced to flee to distant parts, they have a God still to go to, who is a God afar off, as well as at hand. It may be the psalmist may represent the church in Gospel times, throughout the whole world, even at the further parts of it, in the isles afar off, where men may and do lift up holy hands to God without wrath and doubting:

when my heart is overwhelmed; or "covered" (x); with grief and sorrow for any trouble, outward or inward, and ready to sink, and fail and die. Sometimes the saints are overwhelmed with a sense of sin, are pressed down with the weight and burden of its guilt; their faces are covered with shame and confusion; and their hearts are swallowed

up and overwhelmed with overmuch sorrow, both at the number of their sins, and at the aggravated circumstances of them; and especially when they are without a view of pardoning grace and mercy, Psa_38:4, Lam_3:42; and sometimes they are overwhelmed with afflictive providences; the Lord causes all his waves and billows to go over them, and they are just ready to sink; and did he not stay his hand, and stop contending with them, the spirit would fail before him, and the souls that he has made, Psa_42:6; and sometimes with divine desertions, which cause a "deliquium" of soul, and throw them into fainting fits, Son_5:6; and sometimes through unbelieving frames; and did not the Lord appear to them, and strengthen their faith, and remove their unbelief, they would sink and die away, Psa_77:2. And at all such times it is right to cry unto the Lord, and make the following request to him:

lead me to the rock that is higher than I; not the land of Israel, as Kimchi thinks, the psalmist being now in the low lands of the Philistines; nor Jerusalem, and the fort and hill of Zion; he being now at the extreme and lower parts of the land: this sense is too low. Some think that some great difficulty is meant; which seemed insuperable, and like a rock inaccessible, which he could not get up to, and upon, and get over; and therefore desires the Lord would lead him up it, and over it, before whom every rock, mountain, and hill, becomes a plain, Zec_4:7; but rather Christ is meant, the Rock of Israel, the Rock of our salvation, and our refuge. He is higher than David, and all the kings of the earth; higher than the angels in heaven, and than the heavens themselves, Heb_7:26; and who by his height is able to protect and defend his people from all their enemies; and by the shade he casts to refresh and comfort them; and by the sufficiency in him to supply all their wants; for he is as a rock impregnable, and well stored, Isa_33:16. And here gracious souls desire to be led by the Spirit of God always, and especially when in distressing circumstances; and he does lead them to his blood for pardon and cleansing, and to his righteousness for justification and acceptance with God, and to his fulness for fresh supplies.

JAMISO�, "heart is overwhelmed— literally, “covered over with darkness,” or, “distress.”

to the rock— (Psa_18:2; Psa_40:2).

higher than I— which otherwise I cannot ascend.

SPURGEO�, "Ver. 2. From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee. He was banished from the spot which was the centre of his delight, and at the same time his mind was in a depressed and melancholy condition; both actually and figuratively he was an outcast, yet he does not therefore restrain prayer, but rather finds therein a reason for the louder and more importunate cries. To be absent from the place of divine worship was a sore sorrow to saints in the olden times; they looked upon the tabernacle as the centre of the world, and they counted themselves to be at the fag end of the universe when they could no longer resort to the sacred shrine; their heart was heavy as in a strange land when they were banished from its solemnities. Yet even they knew right well that no place is unsuitable for prayer. There may be an end of the earth, but there must not be an end to devotion. On creation's verge we may call upon God, for even there he is within call. �o spot is too dreary, no condition too deplorable; whether it be the world's end or life's end, prayer is

equally available. To pray in some circumstances needs resolve, and the psalmist here expresses it,I will cry. It was a wise resolution, for had he ceased to pray he would have become the victim of despair; there is an end to a man when he makes an end to prayer. Observe that David never dreamed of seeking any other God; he did not imagine the dominion of Jehovah to be local: he was at the end of the promised land, but he knew himself to be still in the territory of the Great King; to him only does he address his petitions.When my heart is overwhelmed: --when the huge waves of trouble wash over me, and I am completely submerged, not only as to my head, but also my heart. It is hard to pray when the very heart is drowning, yet gracious men plead best at such times. Tribulation brings us to God, and brings God to us. Faith's greatest triumphs are achieved in her heaviest trials. It is all over with me, affliction is all over me; it encompasses me as a cloud, it swallows me up like a sea, it shuts me in with thick darkness, yet God is near, near enough to hear my voice, and I will call him. Is not this brave talk? Mark how our psalmist tells the Lord, as if he knew he were hearing him, that he intended to call upon him: our prayer by reason of our distress may be like to a call upon a far off friend, but our inmost faith has its quiet heart whispers to the Lord as to one who is assuredly our very present help. Lead me to the rock that is higher than I. I see thee to be my refuge, sure and strong; but alas! I am confused, and cannot find thee; I am weak, and cannot climb thee. Thou art so steadfast, guide me; thou art so high, uplift me. There is a mint of meaning in this brief prayer. Along the iron bound coast of our northern shores, lives are lost because the rocks are inaccessible to the shipwrecked mariner. A clergyman of one of the coast villages has with immense labour cut steps up from the beach to a large chamber, which he has excavated in the chalk cliffs; here many mariners have been saved; they have climbed the rock, which had else been too high for them, and they have escaped. We have heard of late, however, that the steps have been worn away by the storms, and that poor sailors have perished miserably within sight of the refuge which they could not reach, for it was too high for them: it is therefore proposed to drive in iron stanchions, and to hang up chain ladders that shipwrecked mariners may reach the chambers in the rock. The illustration is self interpreting. Our experience leads us to understand this verse right well, for the time was with us when we were in such amazement of soul be reason of sin, that although we knew the Lord Jesus to be a sure salvation for sinners, yet we could not come at him, by reason of our many doubts and forebodings. A Saviour would have been of no use to us if the Holy Spirit had not gently led us to him, and enabled us to rest upon him. To this day we often feel that we not only want a rock, but to be led to it. With this in view we treat very leniently the half unbelieving prayers of awakened souls; for in their bewildered state we cannot expect from them all at once a fully believing cry. A seeking soul should at once believe in Jesus, but it is legitimate for a man to ask to be led to Jesus; the Holy Spirit is able to effect such a leading, and he can do it even though the heart be on the borders of despair. How infinitely higher that we are is the salvation of God. We are low and grovelling, but it towers like some tall cliff far above us. This is its glory, and is our delight when we have once climbed into the rock, and claimed an interest in it; but while we are as yet trembling seekers, the glory and sublimity of salvation appal us, and we feel that we are too unworthy ever

to be partakers of it; hence we are led to cry for grace upon grace, and to see how dependent we are for everything, not only for the Saviour, but for the power to believe on him.EXPLA�ATORY �OTES A�D QUAI�T SAYI�GSVer. 1-2. See Psalms on "Psalms 61:1" for further information.Ver. 2. From the end of the earth. This may be taken two ways: either naturally, and then it is an allusion to men that are far distant and remote from help, relief and comfort: or, as I may say, ecclesiastically, with reference to the temple of God, which was "in medio terrae, ""in the midst and heart of the land, "where God manifested and gave tokens of his gracious presence and favour: as if he had said, "I am at the end of the earth; far from any tokens, pledges, or manifestations of the love and favour of God, as well as from outward help and assistance." John Owen.Ver. 2. The end of the earth. What place was this, the end of the earth, referring the expression to the writer of the Psalm? We know that the centre of the affections and devotions of the pious Israelite was the "holy city, Jerusalem; whither the tribes went up, even the tribes of the Lord, to testify unto Israel, and to give thanks unto the name of the Lord." The country of which this city was the capital, was to the Jew the world; it was the world within the world; the earth within the earth; the whole globe besides was to him a waste, a place out of the world; an extraterrestrial territory, beyond the limits set up by the Lord Almighty. Thus in Holy Writ what is called the world, or the earth, frequently signifieth only that part thereof which was the heritage of the chosen people... The end of the earth, then, as referred to the psalmist, would signify any place of bodily absence from the temple where the Deity had taken up his special abode, or any place whence his spiritual affections were unable to reach that temple. As referred to us, the expression signifies any sensible distance from God: for as God is the centre of life, hope, love, and joy, distance from him, of whatsoever degree, is the antipodes of the soul, a region of sterility and darkness; the Iceland of man's spirit. Alfred Bowen Evans, 1852.Ver. 2. I will cry unto thee. There is in this expression an endeavour to approach unto God; as you do when you cry after one whom you see at a distance, and are afraid he will go farther from you. It is the great work of faith to cry out after God, at a distance, when you are afraid lest at the next turn he should be quite out of sight. Crying to the Lord supposes him to be withdrawing or departing. John Owen.Ver. 2. Cry. �o matter how abrupt the prayer be, so it be the representation of our hearts. Thus did David. Where doth he pray? In banishment. When? When his spirit is overwhelmed. How does he pray? He cried. Thus Hannah prayed herself into a composed state of mind. Remember, resignation is the work of the Spirit of God; and therefore you must plead for it before you have it. John Singleton(-1706), in "The Morning Exercises."Ver. 2. Cry. Crying is a substitute for speech; and also the expression of earnestness. William Jay.Ver. 2. When my heart is overwhelmed. Troubles are of various kinds; some are provoking, some are gnawing, some are perplexing, and some are overwhelming; but whatever form they assume, they are troubles, and are part of the wear and tear of life. ...Overwhelming troubles are such as sweep over a man, just as the mighty billows of the ocean sweep over and submerge the sands. These are troubles which struggle with us, as it were, for life and death; troubles which would leave us

helpless wrecks; troubles which enter into conflict with us in our prime, which grapple with us in our health and strength, and threaten to conquer us by sheer force, no matter how bravely we may contend. Such trouble the psalmist knew. Philip Bennett Power, in "The I wills of the Psalms, "1861.Ver. 2. Heart. The heart is here represented to us as being overwhelmed, or, as it is otherwise translated, "covered over; "it is smothered in, unable to perform its functions with proper action, unable to throw out the blood to the extremities, to give them needed vitality and power for necessary effort. When the action of the heart is paralysed, even temporarily, it will tell upon all the members, a chill there send its cold vibration through every limb; Satan knows this well, and so all his dealings are heart dealings, efforts to paralyse the very spring of life itself. This is precisely what we ourselves have experienced; we have partially felt death within us, we have felt a gradual numbing of our heart; a gradual diminution in the quickness of its beat; a gradual closing in, and pressure of a weight upon it, and this was the overwhelming process. Philip Bennett Power.Ver. 2. Lead me to the rock that is higher than I. The tower, in Psalms 18:2, is "an high tower, "and the rock is here an high rock, the rock higher than I; and yet there is a way to get into the highest towers; by scaling ladders a man may get over the high walls of towers. This tower and rock were too high for David himself to get into, and therefore he sets to the scaling ladder. "Lead me to the rock, and into the tower that is higher than I. Hear my cry, attend unto my prayer." So he makes prayer the scaling ladder to get upon that rock and into that tower that otherwise had been too high for him; he gets that safety and deliverance which otherwise but by prayer unto God had been impossible to have been obtained. Jeremiah Dyke.Ver. 2. Lead me to the rock that is higher than I. The language is very remarkable. It gives us the idea of a man suffering shipwreck. The vessel in which he has been sailing has sunk. He has been plunged into the mighty ocean; and there he is buffeting the waves, struggling for life, panting for breath, and just about to give up all for lost. Suddenly he discovers a rock towering above him. If he can but climb up to the top of it, and get sure footing upon it, the billows will not be able to reach him, and he will be safe. �ow, the prayer in our text is the cry of that poor wretch for help. He is so spent and exhausted, that he cannot reach the rock himself. He shouts aloud for the friendly hand of some one stronger than himself, or for a rope that may be flung to him by those who are already safe on the rock, if by these helps he may gain it. Lead me to the rock, cries the poor perishing wretch. "O, lead me, guide me, direct me to it; for I am so worn and spent, that I cannot reach it otherwise. I am at the point to die; and I must sink, and be no more seen for ever, if there is none to help me." Thus he calls for some one to rescue him from the deep, and to place him on the rock. But what rock? He knows that unless the rock be a high one, he will not be in safety, though he should be on it. The rock, he says, "must be higher than I, or the waves will reach me, and wash me off again." It is not a rock, the top of which just shows itself above the sea, no higher than a man's own body, that will save the life of a shipwrecked mariner. Such a rock may occasion the wreck, but it will not afford any help to the sufferers afterwards; it is a rock to split upon for destruction, not to stand upon for safety. Lead me to the rock, or as it is in the Prayer book version, "Set me upon the rock that is higher than I!" ...The text having shown us the danger of sin, does not leave us comfortless; it shows us the

security of the refuge. We have before remarked, that the prayer of David, as a shipwrecked man, is, to be "led to, "and set upon a rock, that is higher than himself. The expression seems to imply much. The rock that is higher than he, must be higher than any man; for David was a mighty monarch. He implies, therefore, that the refuge he seeks must be more than any "arm of flesh" can afford him; it must be therefore divine. Condensed from a Sermon by Fountain Elwin, 1842.Ver. 2. It is more the image of one overtaken by the tide, as he is hastening onwards to get beyond its reach, and yet with every step he sees it rolling nearer and nearer to him; he hears its angry roar, the loosening sand sinks beneath his tread--a few minutes more, and the waves will be around him; despair hath "overwhelmed his heart; "when in the very depths of his agony he sees a point of rock high above the waves. "O that I could reach it and be safe!" And then comes the cry, the agonizing cry, to him that is mighty to save, Lead me to the rock that is higher than I. It is the sinner's cry to the sinner's Saviour! Barton Bouchier, A.M., in "Manna in the Heart; or, Daily Comments on the Book of Psalms, "1855.Ver. 2. Lead me to the rock. If we would find ourselves upon the rock, and enjoy the realisation of being so, we must be dependent upon another's hand. And that hand can do everything for us, even in our worst of times. When we are so blinded by the salt waves that dash in our eyes, so reeling in brain that we perhaps cannot think, much less make continuous efforts, there is a hand which can lead us, which can draw us out of the waters, which can set our feet upon the rock. Surely we have already experienced the power and tenderness of that hand? and it may be that in the reader's case, the waves, as they made sure of their prey, found it supernaturally drawn forth from them, that it might be set upon a rock, immoveable amid all the waters, and sufficient amid all storms! Philip Bennett Power.Ver. 2. The rock that is higher than I. The rock of our salvation, then, is "higher than we." Here we have the Deity of Christ, the Rock, set forth; in this he is "higher than we." And except as he is thus higher, as he is God, he could not be a Saviour; for "He is a just God, as well as a Saviour." A being no higher than we, or but a little higher, as the angels (for we are but "a little lower than they"), though he might teach us, or warn us, or console us, could never save us. The prey is in the hands of the mighty, and the Almighty alone is mightier. But a rock is not only high, but deep; it not only erects its front above the waves, but its base is fixed in the ocean's bed. "Canst thou by searching find out God? canst thou find our the Almighty unto perfection? It is as high as heaven; what canst thou do? deeper than hell; what canst thou know? The measure thereof is longer than the earth, and broader than the sea." Job 11:7. Here we have the humanity of him who is the rock; that humanity by which he was able to go down to the deeps, as well as ride triumphantly on the bosom of the waters--those deeps, whereof David speaking experimentally of himself, spake prophetically of him; the depths of our fall and degradation--that humanity in which he went down into the grave, into the recesses of the intermediate state, and "preached to the spirits in prison." This is our rock, both deep and high; the rock of our salvation; to which those whose sons have set them at "the end of the earth, "desire to be brought, that they may find a place of safe standing. Let not those fear who feel the bitterness of distance from God, for they shall be brought nigh; desolate may be the coast to which they are driven, but over against it is the Paradise of God; clouds and darkness may gather at the base of

this rock of safety, but "eternal sunshine settles in its head." Alfred Bowen Evans.Ver. 2. Higher. A hiding place must be locus exelsissimus. Your low houses are soon scaled. Jesus Christ is a high place; he is as high as heaven. He is the Jacob's ladder that reacheth from earth to heaven. Genesis 28:12. He is too high for men, too high for devils; no creature can scale these high walls. Ralph Robinson (1614-1655), in "Christ All and in All."

ELLICOTT, "(2) From the end. of the earth . . .—A hyperbolic expression for a great distance. Isaiah (Isaiah 5:26) uses the expression of Assyria, and it would be natural in an exile’s mouth, but must not be pressed to maintain any theory of the psalm’s date.

When my heart is overwhelmed.—Literally, in the covering of my heart, the verb being used (Psalms 65:13) of the valleys covered with corn, and metaphorically, as here, of “the garment of heaviness,” which wraps a sad heart (Psalms 102 title; Isaiah 57:16). (Comp. Tennyson’s “muffled round with woe.”)

Lead me to the rock . . .—Literally, upon the rock lead me, which is probably a constructio prægnans for lead me to the rock too high for me to climb by myself, and place me there. The elevated rock is a symbol of security, which cannot be obtained without the Divine help. Others take the expression as figurative for a difficulty which it needs God’s help to surmount.

�ISBET, "THE ROCK OF AGES‘Lead me to the rock that is higher than I.’Psalms 61:2How many confessions underlie these words! Blindness, else David would not have said, ‘Lead me.’ Weakness, otherwise he would not have thought of a rock. Littleness; therefore he says, ‘Higher than I.’ The words of the text may convey (1) the notion of safety, for the metaphor may be taken from a ship in stormy water, or from a man travelling through the desert, subject to the simooms which sweep over the sand. In either case there would be security under the lee of a ‘rock,’ and the higher the rock the more complete would be the shelter. (2) The words may carry the idea of elevation. ‘Lead me to that which I may climb,’ or rather ‘Place me at that height from which I may look down on things around me, and see them little.’

I. The first thing that we all want is the feeling of safety.—We need a calm, quiet place, where our heaving thoughts will grow still, and where no external circumstances shall be able to move us greatly. That calm and refuge is Christ, and all who come nearer to Him do at His side pass strangely into peace. His work is so strong, His faithfulness is so sure, His presence is so tranquillising, that those who are brought to Him are always at rest.

II. Look at the image of elevation.—There are few of us who, at some time or other of life, have not been occupied in going up certain heights. But outside self, and altogether apart from self, there is another object of ambition: truth. You will never have an object and an employment worthy of your being until you begin to make the

ascent of truth. And what is truth? The Lord Jesus Christ. Then you will rise to the grand intention for which you were created, when you mount up higher and higher, into the mind, and the counsel, and the image, and the work, and the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ. And hence the wisdom of that prayer, ‘Lead me to the rock that is higher than I.’

Rev. James Vaughan.Illustration

‘Few of us would be doubtful of the future if we would make a right use of the past. We may be very uncertain about to-morrow, but yesterday is a great fact; it is behind us, a monument of mercy, a witness of God’s integrity, the last page of God’s continual revelation; and if we read carefully what is written upon it, our spirits will rise with a great hope,—we shall say each to his own soul: “Wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from Him. He only is my rock and my salvation; He is my defence; I shall not be moved.”’

TRAPP, "Psalms 61:2 From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock [that] is higher than I.

Ver. 2. From the ends of the earth] Or, of the land. In all places men may lift up holy hands, 1 Timothy 2:8, John 4:21, and speed. A desert may be a goodly oratory. Sic dicit respectu arae a qua exulabat longe in bello contra hostes (R. Sol.).

When my heart is overwhelmed] Or, covered over, Ut fit in deliquiis et lipothimiis, as is usual in swoons. See a like expression Psalms 102:1 title; Lamentations 3:65, where the word rendered sorrow of heart signifieth such a covering like a shield, such a lid put over the heart, that is suffocated, as in the Cardiaca passio. David’s harp was not more out of tune than his heart sometimes; he prayeth, and is helped.

Lead me to the rock that is higher than I] i.e. Do for me that I cannot do for myself; set me in safety.

BE�SO�, "Verse 2-3Psalms 61:2-3. From the end of the earth — Or rather, of the land, to which, it seems, David had been driven by the violence of his enemies; will I cry unto thee —And not to other gods, but to thee only. It is our happiness that, wherever we are, we may have liberty of access to God, and may find a way open to a throne of grace. Lead me to the rock that is higher than I — Convey to a place of safety, where mine enemies cannot approach to hurt me: take me under thy peculiar care and protection. He alludes to their custom of securing themselves in rocks. God’s power and promise are a rock that is higher than we. In these we must take refuge, and in these must we abide. Christ is the rock of our salvation, and they, and only they, are safe that are in him. But we cannot get upon this rock unless God lead us by his power. I will put thee in the cleft of the rock — We should therefore, by faith and

prayer, put ourselves under the divine conduct, that we may be taken under the divine protection. For thou hast been a shelter to me — I have found in thee a rock higher than I, therefore I trust thou wilt still lead me to that rock. Our past experience of the benefit of trusting in God, as it should engage us still to keep close to him, so it should encourage us to hope that it will not be in vain. Thou hast been my strong tower from the enemy, and thou art as strong as ever, and thy name as much a refuge for the righteous as ever it was, Proverbs 18:10.

WHEDO�, "2. From the end of the earth—Or, taking ארצ, (arets,) “earth,” in the sense of land, that is, the Hebrew territory, as it sometimes signifies, the description would be literally true, for Mahanaim, where we suppose David now was, lay not far from the eastern border, in the central mountains of Gilead. But it seems far to be separated from the sanctuary.

Overwhelmed—Or, faint, as Lamentations 2:19, “children that faint for hunger.” See Psalms 102, title.

Rock that is higher than I— “Rock,” here, is to be taken in the figurative sense of fortress, stronghold, place of security. The “Rock that is higher than I,” is one that is above his kingly command, safer than all his military defences—the immediate protection of God himself. Out of himself, above himself, he seeks his refuge in God.

The fundamental passage is Deuteronomy 32:4, and it is parallel to Isaiah 26:4, where “everlasting strength” is in Hebrew, the rock of ages, from which comes our hymn of that title. Compare Psalms 62:2; Psalms 62:7, also, Psalms 71:3, where “strong habitation” denotes rock of habitation.

COKE, "Psalms 61:2. From the end of the earth— From the extremity of the land will I cry unto thee, now, when my heart is sinking. Conduct me up to the rock which is too high for me. He calls Edom the extremity of the country, from whence he would direct his prayer to God, now his heart began to sink with reflecting on the danger of his enterprize. Mudge. Those who conceive the psalm to have been written during the time of David's flight from Absalom, suppose that the end of the land refers to Mahanaim, which lies beyond Jordan, in the remoter parts of Judea. See 2 Samuel 17:22.

SBC, "How many confessions underlie these words. Blindness, else David would not have said, "Lead me." Weakness, otherwise he would not have thought of a rock. Littleness; therefore he says, "Higher than I." The words of the text may convey (1) the notion of safety, for the metaphor may be taken from a ship in stormy water, or from a man travelling through the desert, subject to the simooms which sweep over the sand. In either case there would be security under the lee of a "rock," and the higher the rock the more complete would be the shelter. (2) The words may carry the idea of elevation. "Lead me to that which I may climb," or rather "Place me at that height from which I may look down on things around me, and see them little."

I. The first thing that we all want is the feeling of safety. We need a calm, quiet place,

where our heaving thoughts will grow still, and where no external circumstances shall be able to move us greatly. That calm and refuge is Christ, and all who come nearer to Him do at His side pass strangely into peace. His work is so strong, His faithfulness is so sure, His presence is so tranquillising, that those who are brought to Him are always at rest.

II. Look at the image of elevation. There are few of us who, at some time or other of life, have not been occupied in going up certain heights. But outside self, and altogether apart from self, there is another object of ambition: truth. You will never have an object and an employment worthy of your being until you begin to make the ascent of truth. And what is truth? The Lord Jesus Christ. Then you will rise to the grand intention for which you were created, when you mount up higher and higher, into the mind, and the counsel, and the image, and the work, and the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ. And hence the wisdom of that prayer, "Lead me to the rock that is higher than I."

J. Vaughan, Fifty Sermons, 4th series, p. 75.

References: Psa_61:2.—Preacher’s Monthly, vol. vii., p. 69; J. Martineau, Hours of Thought, vol. ii., p. 270; Spurgeon, Evening by Evening, p. 268.

Psalms 61:2-4

Consider:—

I. In what sense David could say, "Thou hast been a shelter to me," and then that he was fully justified in concluding, "I will abide in Thy tabernacle for ever; I will trust in the covert of Thy wings." The argument before us is not precisely that which we could venture in all cases to employ with our fellow-men. Man is changeable, and the goodwill which he once showed to us may no longer exist, but may have been transferred to others, who will, in their turn, be forced to give way to new objects. But the case is wholly changed when the benefactor is God. Here there is no limitation to the power, for "the eyes of all wait upon Him, and He satisfieth the desire of every living thing." Neither can there be change in the will, for "with Him is no variableness, neither shadow of turning." There is not a single answer received to prayer which may not serve as a promise that if we ask again, again we shall obtain.

II. Consider how past mercies may be used as motives to the expecting fresh at God’s hands. Let mercies be remembered as well as enjoyed, and they must be as lights in our dark days and as shields in our perilous. If I find a believer in Christ cast down because exposed to vehement temptation, I would tell that man that he does wrong in looking thus on the future; he is bound to look also on the past. Can he remember no former temptation from which he came out a conqueror, no seasons of danger when God showed Himself a very present help? And what then has he to do but to gird up the loins of his mind, and to "pray without ceasing"? In one way or another, keep the past before you if you would look the future calmly in the face. Treasure your experience. Double life by living over again every case of trial in which God has shown Himself your Friend. Let experience do its part, and faith shall hardly be languid. When you pray, "Lead me to the rock that is higher than I," call earnestly to mind what cause you have to say, "Thou hast been a shelter for me, and a strong tower from the enemy," and your language shall soon be that of confidence and exultation: "I will abide in Thy tabernacle for ever; I will trust in the covert of Thy wings."

H. Melvill, Penny Pulpit, No. 2151 (see also Voices of the Year, vol. i., p. 97).

3 For you have been my refuge, a strong tower against the foe.

BAR�ES, "For thou hast been a shelter for me - A place of refuge; a place where I have found safety. He refers here to what had occurred in former times. God had protected him when in danger, and he pleads that fact as a reason why God should now interpose and deliver him. That reason seems to be founded on two considerations:

(a) God had thus shown that he had power to deliver him; and

(b) it might be expected that God who is unchangeable, and who had interposed, would manifest the same traits of character still, and would not leave him now.

Both of these are proper grounds for prayer.

And strong tower from the enemy - See the notes at Psa_18:2.

CLARKE, "Those hast been a shelter for me - During the whole duration of the captivity God marvellously dealt with the poor Jews; so that, although they were cast down, they were not utterly forsaken.

GILL, "For thou hast been a shelter for me,.... Or "refuge" (y), from avenging justice; a hiding place and covert from the storms and tempests of divine wrath; a shadow and a screen from the heat of Satan's fiery darts, and the blast of his terrible temptations, Isa_25:4;

and a strong tower from the enemy: from Satan the devouring lion, from furious persecutors, and every other enemy; see Pro_18:10; and this experience the psalmist had of protection from the Rock in former times made him desirous of being led to it now.

HE�RY, " The ground of this expectation, and the plea he uses to enforce his petition (Psa_61:3): “Thou hast been a shelter for me; I have found in thee a rock higher than I: therefore I trust thou wilt still lead me to that rock.” Note, Past experiences of the benefit of trusting in God, as they should engage us still to keep close to him, so they should encourage us to hope that it will not be in vain. “Thou hast been my strong tower from the enemy, and thou art as strong a ever, and thy name is as much a refuge to the righteous as ever it was.” Pro_18:10.

JAMISO�, "shelter ... and strong tower— repeat the same sentiment.

CALVI�, "3.For thou hast been my hope Here we may suppose, either that he calls to his remembrance such benefits as he had formerly received, or that he congratulates himself upon deliverance which he had presently experienced. There is much probability in either supposition. �othing animates our hopes more than the recollection of the past goodness of God, and, in the midst of his prayers, we frequently find David indulging in reflections of this kind. On the other hand, the remainder of the psalm is occupied with returning praise to God for his present goodness; and there is no reason why we should not suppose, that these words before us form the commencement of the thanksgiving. In that case, the Hebrew particle, which we have rendered for or because, may be understood rather in an affirmative sense, surely or certainly.

In the verse which follows, he expresses the confidence which he had that he would dwell from this time forth in the sanctuary of the Lord. I cannot altogether agree with those who think that David was still in his state of exile from his native country when this was written, and is merely to be understood as promising to himself the certainty of his return. He would seem rather to be rejoicing in restoration already obtained, than assuaging his grief by anticipation of it in the future; and this will be still more apparent, when we come to consider the immediate context. It is noticeable, that now when he was returned from his banishment, and established within his own palace, his heart was set more upon the worship of God than all the wealth, splendor, and pleasures of royalty. We have his testimony in other parts of his writings, that in the worst calamities which he endured, he experienced nothing which could be compared to the bitterness of being shut out from the ordinances of religion; and now he accounts it a higher pleasure to lie as a suppliant before the altar, than to sit upon the throne of a king. By the words which immediately follow, he shows that he did not, like too many uninformed persons, attach a superstitious importance to the mere externals of religion, adding, that he found his safety under the shadow of God’s wings. Ignorant persons might conceive of God as necessarily confined to the outward tabernacle, but David only improved this symbol of the Divine presence as a means of elevating the spiritual exercises of his faith. I would not deny that there may be an allusion to the cherubim when he speaks of the shadow of God’s wings. Only we must remember, that David did not rest in carnal ordinances, the elements of the world, (404) but rose by them and above them to the

spiritual worship of God.

SPURGEO�, "Ver. 3. For thou hast been a shelter for me. Observe how the psalmist rings the changes on, Thou hast, and I will, -- Psalms 61:3-6. Experience is the nurse of faith. From the past we gather arguments for present confidence. Many and many a time had the persecutions of Saul and the perils of battle imperilled David's life, and only by miracle had he escaped, yet was he still alive and unhurt; this he remembers, and he is full of hope.And a strong tower from the enemy. As in a fort impregnable, David had dwelt, because surrounded by omnipotence. Sweet is it beyond expression to remember the lovingkindnesses of the Lord in our former days, for he is unchangeable, and therefore will continue to guard us from all evil.EXPLA�ATORY �OTES A�D QUAI�T SAYI�GS �one.HI�TS TO THE VILLAGE PREACHER Ver. 2-3.I. How would he pray? I will cry unto thee.II. Where would he pray? From the ends of the earth.III. When would he pray? When my heart isoverwhelmed.IV. For what would he pray? Lead me to the rockthat is higher than I.V. Whence does he derive his encouragement to pray?For thou hast been, etc. (Psalms 61:3) William Jay.Ver. 3. A shelter from the rain of trouble, the storm of persecution, the floods of Satanic temptation, the heat of divine wrath, the blast of death. The ark, Lot's mountain, the blood stained door in Egypt, the city of refuge, the cave Adullam. A strong tower: lasting in itself, impregnable against foes, secure for the occupant.

TRAPP, "Verse 3Psalms 61:3 For thou hast been a shelter for me, [and] a strong tower from the enemy.

Ver. 3. For thou hast been a shelter for me] Thou hast, and therefore thou wilt, is an ordinary Scripture medium, and well it may; for God is unchangeable, and his decree for preserving his people is (as the poet saith well) ου παλιναγρε τον, Irrevocable.

CO�STABLE, "David"s desire for God"s protection rested on the Lord"s previous provisions of deliverance for him. God had proved to be his refuge and tower of strength. �ow the psalmist longed to dwell in the Lord"s tent or tabernacle and to enjoy the protection of His wings, as though he were a baby chick or bird (cf. Psalm 17:8; Psalm 36:7; Psalm 57:1; Psalm 63:7; Psalm 91:4).

"The psalmist"s longing for God ( Psalm 61:1-5) is a familiar motif in the Psalm as an expression of deep love for God arising out of great adversity (cf. Psalm 20; Psalm 21; Psalm 27; Psalm 42; Psalm 43; Psalm 63)." [�ote: VanGemeren, p417.]

PETT, "Psalms 61:3

‘For you have been a refuge for me,A strong tower from the enemy.’He bases his appeal on what God has proved to be to him in the past. God has been his Refuge and his Fortress from the enemy. �otice the continuing figurative descriptions. This suggests that the descriptions which follow are also figurative. His point is that he has continually looked to God to be his Protector, and that God has never failed. He has been to him like a Refuge and a Fortress, somewhere where he can be secure. That was why he had survived all his trials. In the words of Proverbs 18:10. ‘The name of YHWH is a strong tower. The righteous run into it and are safe.’

4 I long to dwell in your tent forever and take refuge in the shelter of your wings.[b]

BAR�ES, "I will abide in thy tabernacle for ever - This expresses the confident assurance that he would be restored to his home, and to the privileges of public worship. The word forever here means perpetually; that is, his permanent home would be there, or he would dwell with God who dwelt in the tabernacle. The word “tabernacle” refers to the sacred tent which was erected for the worship of God, within which were the ark, the tables of the law, the table of showbread, etc. In the innermost part of that tent - the holy of holies - the symbol of the divine presence rested on the mercy-seat or cover of the ark of the covenant. David regarded it as a great privilege to abide near that sacred tent; near to the place of; public worship; near to the place where God was supposed to dwell. See Psa_23:6, note; Psa_26:8, note; Psa_27:4, note. It is possible that his mind looked beyond the tabernacle on earth to an eternal residence in the very presence of God; to his being admitted into his own sacred abode in heaven.

I will trust in the covert of thy wings -Margin, Make my refuge. See the notes at Psa_17:8. Compare Psa_36:7; Psa_57:1. The idea is, that he would seek and find protection in God - as young birds do under the outstretched wings of the parent bird.

CLARKE, "I will abide in thy tabernacle - The greater portion of those Psalms which were composed during and after the captivity, says Calmet, had Levites and priests for their authors. Hence we find the ardent desire so frequently expressed of seeing the temple; of praising God there; of spending their lives in that place, performing the functions of their sacred office. There I shall sojourn; - there I shall dwell, - be at rest, - be in safety, - be covered with thy wings, as a bird in its nest is covered with the wings of its mother. These simple comparisons, drawn from rural affairs and ordinary

occurrences, are more pleasing and consolatory in the circumstances in question, than allegories derived from subjects the most noble and sublime.

GILL, "Psalms 61:4

I will abide in thy tabernacle for ever,.... Under the protection of the Lord, as in a shepherd's tent, or as in one belonging to a general of an army, where are fulness and safety; See Gill on Psa_27:5; or else the tabernacle of the congregation is meant; the house of God, the place of divine and public worship, where he desired and determined always to continue, Psa_23:6; or else the tabernacle which was prefigured by that below, where he knew he should dwell to all eternity. Kimchi, by "for ever", understands a long time; and Jarchi explains it both of this world and of the world to come; which is true, understanding the tabernacle of the church below, and the church above;

I will trust in the covert of thy wings. Or, "in" or "into the secret of thy wings" (z); this he determined to make his refuge for the present time, and while in this world; See Gill on Psa_57:1.

Selah; on this word; see Gill on Psa_3:2.

HE�RY, "His resolution to continue in the way of duty to God and dependence on him, Psa_61:4. 1. The service of God shall be his constant work and business. All those must make it so who expect to find God their shelter and strong tower: none but his menial servants have the benefit of his protection. I will abide in thy tabernacle for ever.David was now banished from the tabernacle, which was his greatest grievance, but he is assured that God by his providence would bring him back to his tabernacle, because he had by his grace wrought in him such a kindness for the tabernacle as that he was resolved to make it his perpetual residence, Psa_27:4. He speaks of abiding in it for everbecause that tabernacle was a type and figure of heaven, Heb_9:8, Heb_9:9, Heb_9:24. Those that dwell in God's tabernacle, as it is a house of duty, during their short ever on earth, shall dwell in that tabernacle which is the house of glory during an endless ever. 2. The grace of God and the covenant of grace shall be his constant comfort: I will make my refuge in the covert of his wings, as the chickens seek both warmth and safety under the wings of the hen. Those that have found God a shelter to them ought still to have recourse to him in all their straits. This advantage those have that abide in God's tabernacle, that in the time of trouble he shall there hide them.

JAMISO�, "I will abide— So I desire to do (compare Psa_23:6).

trust in the covert, etc.—make my refuge, in the shadow (compare Psa_17:8; Psa_36:7).

SPURGEO�, "Ver. 4. I will abide in thy tabernacle for ever. Let me once get back to thy courts, and nothing shall again expel me from them: even now in my

banishment my heart is there; and ever will I continue to worship thee in spirit wherever my lot may be cast. Perhaps by the word tabernacle is here meant the dwelling place of God; and if so, the sense is, I will dwell with the Lord, enjoying his sacred hospitality, and sure protection."There would I find a settled rest,While others go and come;�o more a stranger or a guest,But like a child at home."He who communes with God is always at home. The divine omnipresence surrounds such a one consciously; his faith sees all around him the palace of the King, in which he walks with exulting security and overflowing delight. Happy are the indoor servants who go not out from his presence. Hewers of wood and drawers of water in the tents of Jehovah are more to be envied than the princes who riot in the pavilions of kings. The best of all is that our residence with God is not for a limited period of time, but for ages; yea, for ages of ages, for time and for eternity: this is our highest and most heavenly privilege, I will abide in thy tabernacle for ever.I will trust in the covert of thy wings. Often does our sweet singer use this figure; and far better is it to repeat one apt and instructive image, than for the sake of novelty to ransack creation for poor, strained metaphors. The chicks beneath the hen how safe, how comfortable, how happy! How warm the parent's bosom! How soft the cherishing feathers! Divine condescension allows us to appropriate the picture to ourselves, and how blessedly instructive and consoling it is! O for more trust; it cannot be too implicit: such a covert invites us to the most unbroken repose.SELAH. Rest we well may when we reach this point. Even the harp may be eloquently silent when deep, profound calm completely fills the bosom, and sorrow has sobbed itself into a peaceful slumber.EXPLA�ATORY �OTES A�D QUAI�T SAYI�GSVer. 4. I will abide in thy tabernacle. Some render it, I shall dwell in thy tent or pavilion royal, making it a metaphor from warfare, where those that are in the king's own tent must needs be in greatest safety. And this sense suits well with the following words: I will trust in the covert of thy wings. John Trapp.Ver. 4. Covert of thy wings. To a person who should penetrate the Holy of Holies in the tabernacle, the most conspicuous object would be the outspread wings above the mercyseat: under their shelter and upon the mercyseat David would abide in quiet confidence. C. H.

COFFMA�, "Verse 4A PLEA TO LIVE WITH GOD FOREVER

"I will dwell in thy tabernacle forever

I will take refuge in the covert of thy wings. (Selah)

For thou, O God, hast heard my vows;

Thou hast given me the heritage of those that fear thy name."

"I will dwell in thy tabernacle forever" (Psalms 61:4). There is apparently a double significance in these words. David did not dwell "in" God's tabernacle; and Rawlinson proposed that this may refer to David's, "Dwelling spiritually in the heavenly dwelling of which the earthly tabernacle was a type."

Another view is that of Addis, who wrote, "The king mentioned here seems to be a high priest also, for he dwells in the tabernacle (Psalms 61:4) and abides before God (Psalms 61:7)."[18]

Of course, there is only one great King and High Priest dwelling in the presence of God, and that is none other than the Lord Jesus Christ. Since the Messianic King is most surely mentioned in Psalms 61:6-8, we find no objection to Addis' interpretation; but, at the same time, the thought advanced by Rawlinson that David's spiritual hope was also mentioned here cannot be denied. There is a double significance of the words.

"Thou hast given me the heritage of those that fear thy name" (Psalms 61:5). This is the second reason the psalmist advanced as the grounds of his hope of God's help. This "heritage" is extremely important. "The `heritage' is all-embracing, unlimited, inalienable and inclusive of all the blessed promises to Christians. It is the equivalent of `all things are yours.'"[19] "`The heritage here' refers to that distinctive promise which God gave to David through the prophet �athan (2 Samuel 7) assuring him of the eternal continuation of the `Throne of David,' and of one of his seed to sit upon it."[20] Thus, the "heritage" is nothing less than the promise of Christ himself.

These verses from here to the end of the psalm are capable of being interpreted in three ways, namely: "(1) of David himself; (2) of the Davidic dynasty; and (3) of the Messiah."[21] There are elements of all three interpretations in the passage, due to David's being a type of Christ.

COKE, "Verse 4-5Psalms 61:4-5. I will abide in thy tabernacle, &c.— David's danger seems to have been over before he had finished this psalm; and therefore, after a pause, he here begins to acknowledge how God had granted the petitions that he had made while he was in distress, and thankfully commemorates his mercy, in crowning his attempt, and giving him the heritage of those that fear his name; i.e. the possession of the country, which is the inheritance of his faithful people.

ELLICOTT, "(4) I will abide.—Rather, Let me be a guest in, etc. (Comp. Psalms 15:1; Psalms 27:4.)

Thy tabernacle . . .—It is difficult to decide whether this indicates. the Mosaic tabernacle, and so may be used as an index of the date of the poem; or whether the tent is a general figure for the protection of God, wherever it may be found. It certainly recalls Psalms 23:6.

For ever.—Literally, for ages or æons. For the same plural, see Psalms 145:13.

I will trust . . .—Rather, let me find refuge under the shelter of thy wings. (For the image, see �ote Psalms 17:8.)

TRAPP, "Psalms 61:4 I will abide in thy tabernacle for ever: I will trust in the covert of thy wings. Selah.

Ver. 4. I will abide in thy tabernacle] Et scribam mirabilia tua in memoriale, saith R. Obadiah by way of gloss; and I will there register up thy wonderful works. Or, I shall there worship thee, and do thee acceptable service again, though at present I am banished or bruised abroad. He saith not, I shall abide in my palace, but in thy tabernacle, which he more highly esteemed. Some render it, I shall dwell in thy tent, or pavilion royal, making it a metaphor from warfare, where those that are in the king’s own tent must needs be in greatest safety. And this sense suiteth well with the following words, I will trust in the covert of thy wings.

BE�SO�, "Psalms 61:4. I will abide in thy tabernacle for ever — I shall, I doubt not, be restored to thy tabernacle, from which I am now banished, and, according to the desire of my heart, worship and enjoy thee there all my days. Thus he determines that the service of God shall be his constant business; and all those must make it so who expect to find God their shelter and strong tower. �one but his servants have the benefit of his protection. David speaks of abiding in God’s tabernacle for ever, because it was a type and figure of heaven, Hebrews 9:8; Hebrews 9:24. And those that dwell in his tabernacle, as it is a house of duty, during the short time of their abode on earth, shall dwell in that tabernacle which is a house of glory during an endless eternity. I will trust in the covert of thy wings — In the mean time, while I am in danger and trouble, I will cast myself upon thy protection with full confidence. This advantage they have that abide in God’s tabernacle; that in the time of trouble he shall there hide them. And those that have found God a shelter to them, ought still to have recourse to him in all their straits.

WHEDO�, "Verse 44. I will abide in thy tabernacle—The figure changes from a rock or fortress to a tabernacle, in itself an emblem of transitoriness and frailty; but the idea of security is still preserved. The allusion is to the “tabernacle” in the wilderness (“thy tabernacle”) which, like the tent of the chief in a military encampment, is the place of honour, authority, and safety. During the march through the wilderness the tabernacle was placed in the center of the camp, surrounded first by eight thousand five hundred Levites, in the form of a square, and beyond those, in the same form, by the entire population of the tribes, including over six hundred thousand warriors. See on �umbers 2. Thus the tent of Jehovah was the throne of power, in the midst of the people. The allusion is not uncommon. See on Psalms 27:5; Psalms 31:20; Psalms 32:7; Psalms 91:1.

Trust in the covert of thy wings—The wings of the cherubim in the holy of holies in the “tabernacle.” Exodus 25:18-22; Psalms 57:1

PETT, "Psalms 61:4

‘I will dwell (sojourn) in your tabernacle for ever,I will take refuge in the covert of your wings. [Selah.In view of the fact that the Rock, the Refuge and the Fortress have all figuratively described his security in God’s hands there seems little reason for not seeing this Tabernacle as being figurative as well. Man may have cut him off from the earthly Tabernacle, but, (utilising in our interpretation the words of the later writer of the letter to the Hebrews), he considers that he has ‘a Tabernacle not made with hands eternal in the heavens’. In that Tabernacle he knows that he can dwell with God for ever, and take refuge under the shelter of His wings. The latter picture is of young birds finding shelter under the wings of their mother. We too, as Christians, can enter into that heavenly Tabernacle through the blood of Jesus (Hebrews 10:19).

Some, however, see it as indicating his desire to once again be able to enter the earthly Tabernacle, and his confidence that one day he will do so (compare Psalms 65:4 which may be seen as supporting this). Either way it is in God Himself that he will find security, not the Tabernacle. ‘Selah.’ Once again the music draws attention to these words.

‘I will sojourn in your Tabernacle.’ He is not there as its owner with full rights, but ever as a sojourner, as God’s guest, sojourning there and confident that God will extend to him all the hospitality expected from a host by his guest.

EBC, "The second pair of verses, containing petition and its ground in past experience (Psalms 61:4-5), brings out still more clearly the psalmist’s longing for the sanctuary. The futures in Psalms 61:4 may be taken either as simple expressions of certainty, or, more probably, as precative, as is suggested by the parallelism with the preceding pair. The "tent" of God is the sanctuary, possibly so called because at the date of the psalm "the ark of God dwelt in curtains." The "hiding place of Thy wings" may then be an allusion to the Shechinah and outspread pinions of the Cherubim. But the inner reality is more to the psalmist than the external symbols, however his faith was trained to connect the two more indissolubly than is legitimate for us. His longing was no superstitious wish to be near that sanctuary, as if external presence brought blessing, but a reasonable longing, grounded on the fact for his stage of revelation, that such presence was the condition of fullest realisation of spiritual communion, and of the safety and blessedness thence received. His prayer is the deepest desire of every soul that has rightly apprehended the facts of life, its own needs and the riches of God. The guests in God’s dwelling have guest rights of provision and protection. Beneath His wings are safety, warmth, and conscious nearness to His heart. The suppliant may feel far off, at the end of the world: but one strong desire has power to traverse all the distance in a moment. "Where the treasure is, there will the heart be also"; and where the heart is, there the man is.

The ground of this second petition is laid in God’s past listening to vows, and His

having given the psalmist "the heritage of those that fear Thy name." That is most naturally explained as meaning primarily the land of Israel, and as including therein all other blessings needful for life there. While it is capable of being otherwise understood, it is singularly appropriate to the person of David during the period of Absalom’s rebellion, when victory was beginning to declare itself for the king. If we suppose that he had already won a battle, [2 Samuel 18:6] we can understand how he takes that success as an omen and urges it as a plea. The pair of verses will then be one instance of the familiar argument which trustful hearts instinctively use, when they present past and incomplete mercies as reasons for continued gifts, and for the addition of all which is needed to "perfect that which concerneth" them. It rests on the confidence that God is not one who "begins and is not able to finish."

5 For you, God, have heard my vows; you have given me the heritage of those who fear your name.

BAR�ES, "For thou, O God, hast heard my vows - That is, my prayers accompanied with solemn pledges or promises that I will devote myself to thy service. In some way David had the assurance that those vows and prayers had been heard; that God would answer his supplications - that he would restore him to his home, and to the privilege of uniting with others in the sacred services of the sanctuary. In what way he had this assurance we are not informed, but the statement here accords with what we often find in the Psalms. His troubled mind became calm, for he looked upon the blessing as already granted. He entertained no doubt that what he had asked would be bestowed. The mind of a true believer often feels this assurance now. Somehow he feels an undoubting persuasion that the prayer which he has offered has been heard; that God will be merciful; that the blessing which has been sought will assuredly be conferred. That there may be danger of illusion here, no one can doubt - for we are not, as David was, inspired; but no one can prove that God may not impart such a gracious assurance to the soul; no one can show that it is wrong for a believer to allow peace to flow into his soul, in the confident hope that the blessing which he had sought will be his.

Thou hast given me the heritage of those that fear thy name - The heirship which pertains to such; the privileges of those who are the true children of God. One of

these privileges is that of prayer; another is the peace which results from adoption into the family of God; of feeling that we are his heirs. Compare the notes at Rom_8:16-17.

CLARKE, "Hast heard my vows - Often have I purposed to be wholly thine, - to serve thee alone, - to give up my whole life to thy service: and thou hast heard me, and taken me at my word; and given me that heritage, the privilege of enjoying thee in thy ordinances, which is the lot of them that fear thy name. The Psalm seems to have been composed either after the captivity, or at the time that Cyrus published his decree in their favor, as has been remarked before.

GILL, "For thou, O God, hast heard my vows,.... Or "my prayers", as the Septuagint and other versions. Vows are so called, because it was usual to make vows in trouble, when prayer was made to the Lord for help and deliverance, Psa_66:13. This is a reason why the psalmist was encouraged to put his trust in the Lord, because his prayers were heard by him; or he was sure they would be, as he had entreated, Psa_61:1. The past is put for the future, as Kimchi and Ben Melech observe; and it may be because of the certainty of his prayers being heard; and which may be concluded from the Lord's declaring himself a God hearing prayer, from the prevalent mediation of Christ, from the assistance and intercession of the Spirit, and from the exercise of faith in prayer, and the divine promises; or while he was crying to God an answer was returned, and he was delivered out of his troubles, Isa_65:24. Another reason follows:

thou hast given me the heritage of those that fear thy name: not the land of Israel, as Aben Ezra and Jarchi; which was given for an inheritance to the posterity of Abraham, Psa_105:11; and which was never more fully in their possession than in the times of David: nor the tabernacle or sanctuary of the Lord, as Kimchi; where he desired to dwell, Psa_61:4; and now had his request granted: but the heavenly glory, the incorruptible inheritance, the inheritance of the saints in light, prefigured by them both; which is the gift of God their Father to them his children; comes to them through the death of Christ the testator; is not of the law, and the works of it; is not acquired nor purchased; but is owing to the free grace of God; to predestinating grace, as the source of it; to justifying grace, through the righteousness of Christ, as the right unto it; and to regenerating and sanctifying grace, as the meetness for it. Wherefore it manifestly belongs to those that "fear the name of the Lord", himself, his perfections, particularly his goodness; who adore and admire, serve and worship him, internally and externally; not with a slavish fear, but with a filial godly fear. The Targum renders it,

"thou hast given an inheritance to them that fear thy name;''

that in the King's Bible is,

"an inheritance in the world to come;''

so the Septuagint, Vulgate Latin, and the Oriental versions; and which sense is given by Aben Ezra. It may be understood of them that fear the Lord, being the inheritance itself; as they are of Christ, David's son and antitype, and who is designed in Psa_61:6, see Deu_32:9, Psa_2:8.

HE�RY, "With what pleasure David looks back upon what God had done for him formerly (Psa_61:5): Thou, O God! hast heard my vows, that is, 1. “The vows themselves which I made, and with which I bound my soul: thou hast taken notice of them; thou hast accepted them, because made in sincerity, and been well pleased with them; thou hast been mindful of them, and put me in mind of them.” God put Jacob in mind of his vows, Gen_31:13; Gen_35:1. note, God is a witness to all our vows, all our good purposes, and all our solemn promises of new obedience. He keeps an account of them, which should be a good reason with us, as it was with David here, why we should perform our vows, Psa_61:8. For he that hears the vows we made will make us hear respecting them if they be not made good. 2. “The prayers that went along with those vows; those thou hast graciously heard and answered,” which encouraged him now to pray, O God! hear my cry. He that never did say to the seed of Jacob, Seek you me in vain, will not now begin to say so. “Thou hast heard my vows, and given a real answer to them; for thou hast given me a heritage of those that fear thy name.” Note, (1.) There is a peculiar people in the world that fear God name, that with a holy awe and reverence accept of and accommodate themselves to all the discoveries he is pleased to make of himself to the children of men. (2.) There is a heritage peculiar to that peculiar people, present comforts, earnests of their future bliss. God himself is their inheritance, their portion for ever. The Levites that had God for their inheritance must take up with him, and not expect a lot like their brethren; so those that fear God have enough in him, and therefore must not complain if they have but little of the world. (3.) We need desire no better heritage than that of those who fear God. If God deal with us as he uses to deal with those that love his name we need not desire to be any better dealt with.

JAMISO�, "the heritage— or, part in the spiritual blessings of Israel (Psa_21:2-4).

vows— implies prayers.

CALVI�, "5.For thou, O God! hast heard my vows. He here shows the grounds upon which he had spoken of his abiding under the wings of God. The sudden joy which he experienced arose from the circumstance of God’s having heard his prayers, and made light to spring out of darkness. By his vows we must understand his prayers, according to a common figure of speech by which the part is taken for the whole, having made vows when he prayed. In general, he would acknowledge himself indebted for his restoration entirely to an interposition of Divine power, and not to any dexterity which he had shown in gaining time for the collection of his forces, (406) nor to any assistance which he had derived, either from the favor of the priests or the exertions of his soldiers. Had the letter ל, lamed, been prefixed to the Hebrew word יראי,yirey, which is rendered fearing, there would have been no reason left to doubt that the words which follow were of the nature of a general assertion, to the effect, that God has given the inheritance to those who fear him. As it is, they may be construed to mean, that God had given David the inheritance of those who fear him. Still I prefer attaching the more general sense to the words, and understand them as intimating that God never disappoints his servants, but crowns with everlasting happiness the struggles and the distresses which may have

exercised their faith. They convey an implied censure of that unwarrantable confidence which is indulged in by the wicked, when favored, through the divine forbearance, with any interval of prosperity. The success which flatters them is merely imaginary, and speedily vanishes. But inheritance —the word here employed by David — suggests that the people of God enjoy a species of prosperity more solid and enduring; their momentary and short-lived troubles having only the effect of promoting their eternal welfare. He praises God that those who fear his name are not left to the poor privilege of rejoicing for a few days, but secured in a permanent heritage of happiness. The truth is one which cannot be questioned. The wicked, having no possession by faith of the divine benefits which they may happen to share, live on from day to day, as it were, upon plunder. It is only such as fear the Lord who have the true and legitimate enjoyment of their blessings.

SPURGEO�, "Ver. 5. For thou, O God, hast heard my vows. Proofs of divine faithfulness are to be had in remembrance, and to be mentioned to the Lord's honour. The prayer of Psalms 61:1 is certain of an answer because of the experience of Psalms 61:5, since we deal with an immutable God.Vows may rightly be joined with prayers when they are lawful, well considered, and truly for God's glory. It is great mercy on God's part to take any notice of the vows and promises of such faithless and deceitful creatures as we are. What we promise him is his due already, and yet he deigns to accept our vows as if we were not so much his servants as his free suitors who could give or withhold at pleasure.Thou hast given me the heritage of those that fear thy name. We are made heirs, joint heirs with all the saints, partakers of the same portion. With this we ought to be delighted. If we suffer, it is the heritage of the saints; if we are persecuted, are in poverty, or in temptation, all this is contained in the title deeds of the heritage of the chosen. Those we are to sup with we may well be content to dine with. We have the same inheritance as the Firstborn himself; what better is conceivable? Saints are described as fearing the name of God; they are reverent worshippers; they stand in awe of the Lord's authority; they are afraid of offending him, they feel their own nothingness in the sight of the Infinite One. To share with such men, to be treated by God with the same favour as he metes out to them, is matter for endless thanksgiving. All the privileges of all the saints are also the privileges of each one.EXPLA�ATORY �OTES A�D QUAI�T SAYI�GSVer. 5. (first clause). About this time I began to know that there is a God who hears and answers prayer. John �ewton, in his Journal.Ver. 5. Thou, O God, hast heard my vows: that is, his prayers, which are always to be put up with vows. Indeed, that prayer is a blank which hath not a vow in it. Is it a mercy thou prayest him to give? If sincere, thou wilt vow to praise him for it, and serve him with it. Is it a sin thou prayest against? Except you juggle with God, thou wilt vow as well as pray against it. William Gurnall.Ver. 5. The heritage. Eternal life is called an inheritance. Theodoret remarks: "The true inheritance is eternal life, concerning which Christ saith to the sheep on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you before the foundation of the world. This inheritance the Lord giveth to them that fear him." In Ephesians 1:14, the Spirit is called "the earnest of our inheritance." In Colossians 1:12, the apostle exhorts them "to give thanks unto the Father, who hath

made them meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light." On this verse we have the golden comment of Chrysostom, reiterated by Theophylact. He calls it an inheritance, to show that no man obtaineth the kingdom by his own good works; for no man hath so lived as to render himself worthy of the kingdom, but all is of the grace of God. Wherefore he saith, "When ye have done all, say that we are unprofitable servants, for we have only done that which we ought to have done." John Caspar Suicer's "Thesaurus, "1728.

ELLICOTT, "(5) Heritage.—As the Authorised Version runs, the heritage is length of days, one promised generally to those who fear Jehovah (Proverbs 10:27; Proverbs 19:23), and particularly to Israel (Deuteronomy 6:2) and its kings (Deuteronomy 17:19-20, which passage may have been in the psalmist’s mind). But the LXX. and Vulg. read, “to them that fear thy name,” meaning, of course, by the heritage, Canaan.

TRAPP, "Psalms 61:5 For thou, O God, hast heard my vows: thou hast given [me] the heritage of those that fear thy name.

Ver. 5. For thou, O God, hast heard my vows] i.e. My prayers, which had vows of thankfulness annexed unto them. Hinc Graeci precationem dicunt προσευχην.

Thou hast given me the heritage] Even the sure mercies of David, grace and glory; and inheritance in the world to come, as the Chaldee hath it; besides what we have here.

BE�SO�, "Psalms 61:5. For thou, O God, hast heard my vows — My fervent prayers, attended with vows and promises, as was usual, especially in cases of great danger or difficulty. Thou hast taken notice of them; thou hast accepted them, because they were made in sincerity, and hast been well pleased with them. We ought always to remember that God is a witness to all our vows, all our good purposes, and solemn promises of new obedience. He keeps an account of them, which should be a sufficient reason with us (as it was with David here) why we should perform our vows. For he that hears the vows we make, will cause us to hear from him if they be not made good. Thou hast given me the heritage, &c. — Thou hast allotted me my portion with and among them that fear and worship thee, who are the excellent ones, in whom is all my delight, and upon that account I must acknowledge it to thy praise, that I have a goodly heritage. Thou hast granted me this singular mercy, to live in thy land, to enjoy thy presence, and to worship in thy tabernacle; which is the heritage which all, that fear thee, prize and desire above all things.

WHEDO�, "5. My vows—A sacred bond of union and covenant between him and God, and he appeals to them as such.

Given me the heritage of those that fear thy name— “Fear” of God is often put for true piety in the Old Testament, and the promises of both temporal and spiritual

good are restricted to this character. The possession here named is real, as the word denotes, not merely promissory. God had conferred on him the portion of the righteous, and his enemies cannot wrest it from him. Comp. Psalms 21:2-4

CO�STABLE, "Verses 5-7David knew that God had heard his prayer. The inheritance of those who fear God"s name was prosperity under the promises of the Mosaic Covenant ( Deuteronomy 29:9). These promises included long life and abiding in God"s presence. David asked God to deal with him in loyal love and truth so that he would indeed endure through his present trial.

PETT, "Verses 5-8He Expresses His Confidence That God Who Has Called Him To Be A Believer Will Prolong His Life And Extend It Into The Future, Promising In Return That He Will Continually Praise And Worship God And Fulfil All That He Has Vowed (Psalms 61:5-8).

Psalms 61:5

‘For you, O God, have heard my vows,You have given me the heritage of those who fear your name.’He is confident that God will hear him because he has made his vows to God. The vows that are in mind are indicated here. They are the vows of one who has become a believer, and has entered into what God promises for the future, long life and blessing. They are vows of constancy, and obedience to His word. In other words, they are the vows of someone fully committed to God. As a consequence he is confident that God has given him the inheritance which is the lot of all who truly fear God, that he himself has entered into their heritage in order to enjoy the benefits that God gives to His own. To ‘fear His �ame’ is to walk in humble reverence of God, worshipping and obeying Him and ever seeking to do His will because they recognise Who they are dealing with.

K&D 5-8, "The second part begins with a confirmation of the gracious purpose of God expressed in Psa_61:5. David believes that he shall experience what he gives expression to in Psa_61:5; for God has already practically shown him that neither his life nor his kingship shall come to an end yet; He has answered the prayers of His chosen one, that, blended with vows, resulted from the lowly, God-resigned spirit which finds expression in 2Sa_15:25., and He has given or delivered up to him the land which is his by inheritance, when threatened by the rebels as robbers, - the land to which those who fear the covenant God have a just claim. It is clear enough that the receivers are “those

who fear the name of Jahve;” the genitive relation describes the ְיֻרָ#ה as belonging to

them in opposition to those who had usurped it. Or does ְיֻרָ#ה here perhaps mean the

same as ֲאֶרֶׁשת in Psa_21:3? Certainly not. ָנַתן�ְיֻרָ#ה�ְל� is a customary phrase, the meaning of

which, “to give anything to any one as his inheritance or as his own property,” is to be retained (e.g., Deu_2:19). God has acknowledged David's cause; the land of Israel is again wrested from those to whom it does not belong; and now begins a new era in the

reign of its rightful king. In view of this the king prays, in Psa_61:7, Psa_61:8, that God would add another goodly portion to the duration of his life. The words sound like intercession, but the praying one is the same person as in Psa_61:2-5. The expression

of the Targum shows to whom the church referred the (the King Messiah) ַמְלָ/א�ְמִׁשיָחא

word “king” after the extinction of the Davidic dynasty. The exalted tone of the wish expressed in Psa_61:7 (cf. Joe_2:2) favours this without absolutely requiring it (cf.

.(Psa_61:5, Psa_21:5, and the royal salutation, 1Ki_1:31; Dan_2:4, and frequently ,עּוָלִמים

There ought (as also e.g., in Psa_9:8) not to be any question whether ֵיֵׁשב in Psa_61:8signifies “to sit enthroned,” or “to sit” = “to abide;” when the person spoken of is a king it means “to remain enthroned,” for with him a being settled down and continuous

enthronement are coincident. ַמן in Psa_61:8 is imperat. apoc. for ַמֵ�ה (after the form ַהס,

The poet prays God to appoint mercy and truth as guardian angels to the king .(ַצו ,ַנס

(Psa_40:12, Pro_20:28, where out of pause it is 4ִרּו; cf. on the other hand Psa_78:7; Pro_2:11; Pro_5:2). Since the poet himself is the king for whom he prays, the transition

to the first person in v. 9 is perfectly natural. ן/ֵ signifies, as it always does, so or thus = in accordance therewith, corresponding to the fulfilment of these my petitions, thankfully

responding to it. ְלַׁש5ְִמי is the infinitive of the aim or purpose. Singing praise and

accompanying it with music, he will make his whole life one continuous paying of vows.

6 Increase the days of the king’s life, his years for many generations.

BAR�ES, "Thou wilt prolong the king’s life - literally, “Days upon the days of the king thou wilt add;” that is, Thou wilt add days to those which thou hast already permitted him to live. The language does not necessarily mean that he would have a long life, but that he would still be permitted to live. He had apprehended death. He knew that his life was sought by those who were engaged with Absalom in the rebellion. At first it was uncertain what the issue would be. He had fled for his life. But now, in answer to prayer, he felt assured that his life would be preserved; that he would be permitted to return to his home and his throne; and that as king - as the sovereign of his people - he would be permitted to honor God.

And his years as many generations -Margin, as in Hebrew, generation and generation. This probably means that he would be permitted to live longer than the

ordinary time of a generation; that he would live as if one generation - or as if one ordinary lifetime - were added to another, so that he would live through successive generations of men. The average life of a generation is about thirty years. David is supposed to have lived from 1085 before the Christian era to 1016 b.c., or 69 years, which would reach a third generation. This is a more natural interpretation of the passage than to suppose that he refers to an “ideal” king, or that his dynasty would continue for many generations.

CLARKE, "Thou wilt prolong the king’s life - The words are very emphatic, and can refer to no ordinary person. Literally, “Days upon days thou wilt add to the king; and his years shall be like the generations of this world, and the generations of the world to come.” This is precisely the paraphrase I had given to this text before I had looked into the Chaldee Version; and to which I need add nothing, as I am persuaded no earthly king is intended: and it is Christ, as Mediator, that “shall abide before God for ever,” Psa_61:7. Neither to David, nor to any earthly sovereign, can these words be applied.

GILL, "Thou wilt prolong the King's life,.... Or "add days to the days of the King" (a). Meaning either himself, who, though his life was in danger by fighting with the Syrians and Edomites, or rather through the conspiracy of his son; yet was assured that he should yet live many years more, and especially in his posterity; and that his kingdom would be established for ever, as was promised him, 2Sa_7:12. Or rather the King Messiah, so the Targum: and Kimchi observes, that if this psalm respects the captivity, the King is the King Messiah: it may be understood of his life as man; who, though he died, rose again, and lives for evermore; and that, as to the glory of God the Father, so to the good of his people, for whom he makes intercession; and of the continuance of his spiritual seed, in whom he may be said to live, and his days be prolonged, Isa_53:10; and of the duration of his kingdom, of which there will be no end. For it is an everlasting one, as follows:

and his years as many generations; he living, and his posterity and kingdom continuing, age after age. The Targum is,

"his years as the generations of this world, and the generations of the world to, come.''

HE�RY, "With what assurance he looks forward to the continuance of his life (Psa_61:6): Thou shalt prolong the king's life. This may be understood either, 1. Of himself. If it was penned before he came to the crown, yet, being anointed by Samuel, and knowing what God had spoken in his holiness, he could in faith call himself the king, though now persecuted as an out-law; or perhaps it was penned when Absalom sought to dethrone him, and force him into exile. There were those that aimed to shorten his life, but he trusted to God to prolong his life, which he did to the age of man set by Moses (namely, seventy years), which, being spent in serving his generation according to the will of God (Act_13:36), might be reckoned as many generations, because many generations would

be the better for him. His resolution was to abide in God's tabernacle for ever (Psa_61:4), in a way of duty; and now his hope is that he shall abide before God for ever, in a way of comfort. Those abide to good purpose in this world that abide before God, that serve him and walk in his fear; and those that do so shall abide before him for ever. He speaks of himself in the third person, because the psalm was delivered to the chief musician for the use of the church, and he would have the people, in singing it, to be encouraged with an assurance that, notwithstanding the malice of his enemies, their king, as they wished, should live for ever. Or, 2. Of the Messiah, the King of whom he was a type. It was a comfort to David to think, whatever became of him, that the years of the Lord's Anointed would be as many generations, and that of the increase of his government and peace there should be no end. The Mediator shall abide before God for ever, for he always appears in the presence of God for us, and ever lives, making intercession; and, because he lives, we shall live also.

JAMISO�, "the king— himself and his royal line ending in Christ. Mercy and truth personified, as in Psa_40:11; Psa_57:3.

CALVI�, "6.Thou shalt add days upon days to the king etc. (407) David cannot be considered as using these words of gratulation with an exclusive reference to himself. It is true that he lived to an extreme old age, and died full of days, leaving the kingdom in a settled condition, and in the hands of his son, who succeeded him; but he did not exceed the period of one man’s life, and the greater part of it was spent in continued dangers and anxieties. There can be no doubt, therefore, that the series of years, and even ages, of which he speaks, extends prospectively to the coming of Christ, it being the very condition of the kingdom, as I have often remarked, that God maintained them as one people under one head, or, when scattered, united them again. The same succession still subsists in reference to ourselves. Christ must be viewed as living in his members to the end of the world. To this Isaiah alludes, when he says, “Who shall declare his generation or age?” —words in which he predicts that the Church would survive through all ages, notwithstanding the incessant danger of destruction to which it is exposed through the attacks of its enemies, and the many storms assailing it. So here David foretells the uninterrupted succession of the kingdom down to the time of Christ.

SPURGEO�, "Ver. 6. Thou wilt prolong the king's life; or, better, "days to the days of the King thou wilt add." Death threatened, but God preserved his beloved. David, considering his many perils, enjoyed a long and prosperous reign.And his years as many generations. He lived to see generation after generation personally; in his descendants he lived as king through a very long period; his dynasty continued for many generations; and in Christ Jesus, his seed and son, spiritually David reigns on evermore. Thus he who began at the foot of the rock, half drowned, and almost dead, is here led to the summit, and sings as a priest abiding in the tabernacle, a king ruling with God for ever, and a prophet foretelling

good things to come. (Psalms 61:7.) See the uplifting power of faith and prayer. �one so low but they may yet be set on high.EXPLA�ATORY �OTES A�D QUAI�T SAYI�GSVer. 6. Thou wilt prolong the king's life, etc. David cannot be considered as using these words of gratulation with an exclusive reference to himself. It is true that he lived to an extreme old age, and died full of days, leaving the kingdom in a settled condition, and in the hands of his son, who succeeded him; but he did not exceed the period of one man's life, and the greater part of it was spent in continued dangers and anxieties. There can be no doubt, therefore, that the series of years, and even ages, of which he speaks, extends prospectively to the coming of Christ, it being the very condition of the kingdom, as I have often remarked, that God maintained them as one people under on head, or when scattered, united them again. The same succession still subsists in reference to ourselves. Christ must be viewed as living in his members to the end of the world. To this Isaiah alludes when he says, "Who shall declare his generation or age?" --words in which he predicts that the church would survive through all ages, notwithstanding the incessant danger of destruction to which it is exposed through the attacks of its enemies, and the many storms assailing it. So here David foretells the uninterrupted succession of the kingdom down to the time of Christ. John Calvin.Ver. 6. The king's life: and his years. David speaks designedly of the days of the king instead of his own days, as might have been expected from what had been said, for the purpose of showing that he considered the promise of eternal dominion as relating not to himself personally, but to his family--the royal family of David. E. W. Hengstenberg.

COFFMA�, "Verse 6THE PRAYER FOR "THE KI�G"

"Thou wilt prolong the king's life;

His years shall be as many generations.

He shall abide before God forever:

Oh prepare lovingkindness and truth that they may preserve him.

So will I sing praise unto thy name forever,

That I may daily perform my vows."

"The king's life" (Psalms 61:6). Who is this "King"? As Delitzsch noted, "The Jewish Targum, after the end of the Davidic (earthly) dynasty rendered this place `The King Messiah.'"[22]

This shows, of course, that the Jewish interpreters for centuries before Christ interpreted these verses as applicable to the Messiah.

"His years shall be as many generations" (Psalms 61:6). These words cannot possibly refer to David; they refer to David's Greater Son, the Messiah.

"He shall abide before God forever" (Psalms 61:7). These words also are a reference, not to David, but to Christ. The RSV has a preferable reading:

"May he be enthroned forever before God; bid steadfast love and faithfulness watch over him!" (Psalms 61:7, RSV)David was the one who did the praying in these verses, and one may wonder if David was really praying for such extravagant and eternal blessings upon himself as those which are outlined in these verses. Yes, they may actually apply to David, as Spurgeon declared, "In a very limited and modified sense,"[23] but as Kidner said, "David probably could not have foreseen the magnificent fulfilment of this prayer, which was destined, in the fulness of time, to be granted `in Christ Jesus,' above all that he could have asked or thought."[24]

"So will I sing praise ... perform my vows" (Psalms 61:8). This marvelous prayer has soothed and healed the troubled heart of David; and he now feels once more the confidence and security that come of complete trust in God. However, he accepts the sense of obligation that goes along with all of God's blessings. As Spurgeon put it, "A man who leaps in prayer should not limp in praise."[25]

COKE, "Psalms 61:6. Thou wilt prolong the king's life— Thou wilt add days to the king's days; and to his years generation upon generation. The Chaldee paraphrase adds the word Christ. Thus, Thou shalt give unto Christ, the king, days upon days. His years shall be as the generations of this world, and the generations of the world to come. And so Theodoret observes, that the former part of the verse may agree very well with the Psalmist; but that the latter part of it is by no means applicable to him, but to Christ; who was, according to the flesh, to descend from him, and of whom the Psalmist was an eminent type.

TRAPP, "Psalms 61:6 Thou wilt prolong the king’s life: [and] his years as many generations.

Ver. 6. Thou wilt prolong the king’s life] The King Christ, saith the Chaldee, who shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the Lord shah prosper in his hand, Isaiah 53:10. David himself also lived and reigned longer than most kings do, being old and full of days.

And his years as many generations] sc. In his sons and successors. So Psalms 72:17, Filiabitur heroine eius. The name of Christ shall endure for ever, it shall be begotten as one generation is begotten of another, there shall be a succession of Christ’s name.

BE�SO�, "Psalms 61:6-8. Thou wilt prolong the king’s life — My life. He calls

himself king, either, 1st, Because, if this Psalm was composed before Saul’s death, yet even then he knew he was designed and appointed to be king; or, rather, 2d, Because it was not composed till Saul was dead, and he was actually crowned king, at least of Judah. And his years — The years of my life and reign; as many generations — As long as if I had a lease of it for many ages. Thus he speaks, because his kingdom was not like Saul’s, but established to him and his heirs; and because Christ, his Son and Heir, should actually, and in his own person, possess the kingdom for ever. We may observe further here, that the Chaldee Paraphrase adds the word Christ; thus, Thou shalt give unto Christ the King days upon days. His years shall be as the generations of this world, and the generations of the world to come. And so Theodoret observes, that the former part of the verse may very well agree with the psalmist, but that the latter part of it is by no means applicable to him, but only to Christ; who was, according to the flesh, to descend from him, and of whom the psalmist was an eminent type. He shall abide — Hebrew, יׁשב, jesheeb, he shall sit; namely, on the throne; before God for ever — Living and ruling as in God’s presence, serving him with his royal power, and worshipping him in his tabernacle. O prepare mercy and truth — Or, order, or appoint, as the word מן, man, here signifies, intending, either, 1st, The graces of mercy, or compassion and truth, or faithfulness, which are the great supporters of thrones; or rather, the effects of God’s mercy and truth. Thy truth, in giving me those mercies which thou hast promised to me; and thy mercy, in giving me such further blessings as I need, and thou seest fit to give me. So will I sing praise unto thy name for ever — I will never cease praising thee while I live, and after I die, I shall praise thee in eternity. Let us remember, we must make praising God the work of our time in this world; even to the last, as long as our lives are prolonged, we must continue praising him; and then it will be made the work of our eternity in the world to come, and we shall be praising him for ever. That 1 may daily perform my vows — That I may pay unto thee those services and oblations which I vowed to thee, when I was in trouble. David’s praising God was itself the performance of his vows, and it disposed his heart to the performance of them in other instances. Praising God, and paying our vows to him, must be our constant daily work; every day we must be doing something toward it; because it is all but little in comparison with what is due; because we daily receive fresh mercies, and because, if we think much to do it daily we cannot expect to be doing it eternally.

PETT, "Psalms 61:6-7

‘You will prolong the king’s life,His years will be as many generations.’He will sit enthroned (or ‘dwell’) before God for ever.’David now refers to himself in the third person as ‘the king’ in view of the fact that he is God’s chosen and anointed king to whom God has promised long life and posterity. It is as his chosen King that he is sure that God will preserve and prolong his life, so that he will see his sons, and his sons’ sons, and their sons also, as he spans the generations. Furthermore God had promised that his throne would be sure for ever, with his sons and his sons’ sons following him (2 Samuel 7:13; 2 Samuel 7:16), and he is taking Him at His word.

It may even be that his confidence in God is such that he is sure that even after he dies he will still abide before God. Compare Psalms 16:11; Psalms 17:15. There he is in such a close relationship with God that he cannot believe that that relationship will ever be broken. He is confident that he will abide before God for ever. In the literature that we have he never expands on the idea, but it is perfectly clear from what he says in those Psalms. He never speaks of ‘eternal life’ but that is what he is confident that he will enjoy.

(For this sudden switch from speaking personally to referring himself as the king in the third person compare Psalms 63:11, where the reference can only be to the Psalmist for the ascription to make sense).

WHEDO�, "6. Thou wilt prolong the king’s life—The change from the first to the third person is a poetical liberty. The insurrection was a conspiracy against the life of the king. If it succeeded he must die, but faith assures to him the victory. The Hebrew is very simple, “thou shall add days upon the days of the king; his years as generation and generation.” See Psalms 21:4-7; and compare 2 Samuel 7:16; 2 Samuel 7:19; 2 Samuel 7:25; 2 Samuel 7:29; from which it appears that the king’s “life,” here, includes his dynasty: perhaps, also, in a higher sense, the King Messiah.

EBC, "Very naturally, then, follows the closing prayer in Psalms 61:6-7. The purely individual character of the rest of the psalm, which is resumed in the last verse, where the singer speaking in the first person, represents his continual praise as the result of the answer to his petitions for the king, makes these petitions hopelessly irrelevant, unless the psalmist is the king and these prayers are for himself. The transition to the third person does not necessarily negative this interpretation, which seems to be required by the context. The prayer sounds hyperbolical, but has a parallel in Psalms 21:4, and need not be vindicated by taking the dynasty rather than the individual to be meant, or by diverting it to a Messianic reference. It is a prayer for length of days, in order that the deliverance already begun may be perfected, and that the psalmist may dwell in the house of the Lord forever {cf. Psalms 23:6;, Psalms 27:4} He asks that he may sit enthroned before God forever-that is, that his dominion may by God’s favour be established and his throne upheld in peace. The psalm is in so far Messianic that the everlasting kingdom of the Christ alone fulfils its prayer.

The final petition has, as has been noticed above, parallels in Psalms 42:1-11 and Psalms 43:1-5, to which may be added the personifications of Goodness and Lovingkindness in Psalms 23:6. These bright harnessed angels stand sentries over the devout suppliant, set on their guard by the great Commander; and no harm can come to him over whom God’s Lovingkindness and Faithfulness keep daily and nightly watch;

Thus guarded, the psalmist’s prolonged life will be one long anthem of praise, and the days added to his days will be occupied with the fulfilment of his vows made in trouble and redeemed in his prosperity. What congruity is there between this

closing verse which is knit closely to the preceding by that "So," and the previous pair of verses, unless the king is himself the petitioner? "Let him sit before God forever"-how comes that to lead up to "So will I harp to Thy name forever"? Surely the natural answer is, Because "he" and "I" are the same person.

7 May he be enthroned in God’s presence forever; appoint your love and faithfulness to protect him.

BAR�ES, "He shall abide before God for ever - That is, perpetually; without danger of change, or of being driven into exile. This may allude, however, to the hope which David had that he would always live with God in a higher world - a world where there would be no danger of change or banishment. His restoration to his home, to his throne, and to the privileges of the sanctuary, he may have regarded as an emblem of his ultimate reception into a peaceful heaven, and his mind may have glanced rapidly from the one to the other. On earth, after his restoration, he would have no fear that he would be banished again; in heaven, of which such a restoration might be regarded as an emblem, there could be no change, no exile.

O prepare mercy and truth - literally, divide, or divide out; then, allot or appoint; and then, make ready or prepare. The prayer is, that God would measure out to him, or impart to him, such favor that this desire of his heart would be realized. On the phrase mercy and truth, see Psa_25:10, note; Psa_57:3, note; Psa_57:10, note.

Which may preserve him - They will preserve him. That is, the manifestation of such mercy and truth would make his permanent occupancy of his throne on earth, and his ultimate reception into heaven, secure.

CLARKE, "He shall abide before God for ever - Literally, “He shall sit for ever before the faces of God.” He shall ever appear in the presence of God for us. And he ever sits at the right hand of the Majesty on high; for he undertook this office after having, by his sacrificial offering, made atonement for our sins.

Prepare mercy and truth, which may preserve him - As Mediator, his attendants will ever be mercy and truth. He will dispense the mercy of God, and thus

fulfill the truth of the various promises and predictions which had preceded his

incarnation. There is an obscurity in this clause, חסד�ואמת�מן�ינצרהו chesed�veemeth�man�

yintseruhu, owing to the particle מן man, which some translate who or what; and others,

number thou, from מנה manah, to count. Houbigant, and he is followed by Bishop Lowth,

would read מיהוה miyehovah, Mercy and truth from Jehovah shall preserve him. The

AngloSaxon has, Mildheartedness, and soothfastness his, who seeketh? which is nearly the rendering of the old Psalter: Mercy and sothfastnes of him, wha sall seke? Dr.

Kennicott says, מן man is a Syriasm; and should be translated quaesoutinam, I beseech

thee, - I wish, - O that! On this very ground Coverdale appears to have translated, O let thy lovynge mercy and faithfulnes preserve him! The sense I have given above I conceive to be the true one.

GILL, "He shall abide before God for ever,.... Or "sit" (b); or "may he sit". Being raised from the dead he was received up to heaven into the presence of God, and sat down at his right hand; where he abides for ever, a Priest upon his throne, having an unchangeable priesthood, Heb_7:24;

and prepare mercy and truth, which may preserve him; which, if literally understood of David, is a prayer that the Lord would show him favour and kindness, and perform his promises to him, whereby his life would be preserved from the plots and, conspiracies of his enemies, and his kingdom be established; or that he might be exalted to exercise mercy towards his subjects, and administer justice, or execute the judgment of truth among them; which would make for the preservation of his person, and the support of his throne and government, Pro_20:28. But as the words may be applied to the Messiah, they are to be understood, not of the preservation of his corporeal life while here on earth; but either of the preservation of his people, in whom he lives, through the mercy and truth of God, expressed in the exertion of his power, by which they are preserved unto the heavenly kingdom and glory; or of the security of his kingdom, which not being of this world, is not supported by worldly power and policy, but in a spiritual manner, and by spiritual means; such as mercy, or "grace and truth"; that is, the doctrines of grace and truth, which came by Christ, and are preached by his ministers, and are the means of continuing, promoting, and preserving his kingdom and interest in the world, Or the words may be rendered, "may mercy and the truth of manna keep thee"; the true manna, Christ; see Joh_6:32; or "mercy and truth, as the manna, keep thee" (c); as that was kept in the golden pot, Exo_16:33; or rather as that kept and sustained the Israelites in the wilderness.

HE�RY, "With what importunity he begs of God to take him and keep him always under his protection: O prepare mercy and truth which may preserve him! God's promises and our faith in them are not to supersede, but to quicken and encourage prayer. David is sure that God will prolong his life, and therefore prays that he would preserve it, not that he would prepare him a strong lifeguard, or a well-fortified castle, but that he would prepare mercy and truth for his preservation; that is, that God's goodness would provide for his safety according to the promise. We need not desire to

be better secured than under the protection of God's mercy and truth. This may be applied to the Messiah: “Let him be sent in the fulness of time, in performance of the truth to Jacob and the mercy to Abraham.” Mic_7:20; Luk_1:72, Luk_1:73.

JAMISO�, "abide before God— literally, “sit as a king in God’s presence,” under His protection.

CALVI�, "7.He shall abide before the face of God for ever. This is only a simpler way of expressing what he had said before, I will abide in thy tabernacle for ever. He refers to the security and peace which he would enjoy under the protection of God, who would effectually preserve his life. By the face of God, must be meant the fatherly care and providence which he extends to his people. So numerous are the dangers which surround us, that we could not stand a single moment, if his eye did not watch over our preservation. But the true security for a happy life lies in being persuaded that we are under divine government. There follows a prayer that God would appoint mercy and truth for preserving the king. And this admits of two meanings. As clemency and truth are the best safeguards of a kingdom, it would not be altogether unreasonable to suppose that David prays here to be endued with these dispositions, as a means of establishing his throne. But the other meaning is perhaps preferable, that God would gird himself with clemency and truth in order to the preservation of the king. The Hebrew term מנה, manah, signifies not only to prepare, but to set over, or appoint; and he speaks as if the true defense of the kingdom was only to be found in the mercy and faithfulness of God. He uses the expression prepare, or command, to intimate how easily God can provide the means necessary for preserving his people. In the concluding words, he expresses his resolution to persevere in the constant celebration of the praises of God, with a view to fulfilling the vows which he had contracted — and this again may lead us to remark the agreement which ought ever to subsist between the two parts of invocation: for David, while he applied to God for help, under the pressure of calamity, showed himself uniformly grateful when he had experienced deliverance.

SPURGEO�, "Ver. 7. He shall abide before God for ever. Though this is true of David in a modified sense, we prefer to view the Lord Jesus as here intended as the lineal descendant of David, and the representative of his royal race. Jesus is enthroned before God to eternity; here is our safety, dignity, and delight. We reign in him; in him we are made to sit together in the heavens. David's personal claim to sit enthroned for ever is but a foreshadowing of the revealed privilege of all true believers.O prepare mercy and truth, which may preserve him. As men cry, "Long live the king, "so we hail with acclamation our enthroned Immanuel, and cry, "Let mercy and truth preserve him." Eternal love and immutable faithfulness are the bodyguards of Jesus' throne, and they are both the providers and the preservers of all those who in him are made kings and priests unto God. We cannot keep ourselves, and nothing short of divine mercy and truth can do it; but these both can

and will, nor shall the least of the people of God be suffered to perish.EXPLA�ATORY �OTES A�D QUAI�T SAYI�GSVer. 7. O prepare mercy. David having declared in his own behalf the purpose of God towards him for everlasting salvation, he, speaking of himself, shall abide before God for ever: he withal considering what he was to run through in this life, and what it might require to keep him unto the end, and so for ever, doth presently thereupon, in way of prayer, subjoin prepare mercy and truth, which may preserve me. As if he had said, I have yet a long journey to go, and through many hazards, and thy promise is, I shall abide before thee for ever. Lord, thou hast need lay up and aforehand prepare an abundance of mercy and truth to preserve me for time to come. Thomas Goodwin.

ELLICOTT, "(7) He shall abide.—Better, may he sit enthroned.

Prepare.—Rather, appoint. But the LXX. had a different reading, and an ingenious emendation has been suggested from a comparison with Psalms 40:11, viz., “let mercy and truth continually preserve him.”

TRAPP, "Psalms 61:7 He shall abide before God for ever: O prepare mercy and truth, [which] may preserve him.

Ver. 7. He shall abide before God for ever] Or, He shall sit, viz. upon the throne, a long while in his person; but for ever in his Son Christ, Luke 1:32-33 : and this affordeth sweet and singular comfort to the whole Church and each member thereof; forasmuch as the dignity of a king cannot stand unless his subjects be in safety.

O prepare mercy and truth, which may preserve him] Hos duos custodes adhibe quibus unis innitatur, let these two (thy mercy and thy truth) be the supporters of his throne, let them be of his lifeguard, let them be his due and prepared portion, as the Hebrew word Man here used signifieth (Junius). Some understand the words thus, furnish the king with these two virtues, clemency and truth, that thereby his throne may be established. See Proverbs 20:28; Proverbs 29:14.

WHEDO�, "7. He shall abide before God—That is, he shall be established upon his throne in the presence, and by the favour, of God. “When kings are said to ‘abide’ or sit, it is commonly in the more formal sense of sitting on the throne, the judgment seat.”—Perowne.

Oh prepare mercy and truth— Or, appoint mercy and truth, distinguishing qualities of the divine character and government. These he would have appointed as his watch and guard, that his acts might conform to the divine model.

PETT, "Psalms 61:7

‘Oh, prepare (appoint, allot) covenant love and truth,

That they may preserve him.’He calls on God to ‘allot covenant love and truth’ to him, in other words, to act in covenant love and loyalty towards him. He knows that his preservation is in the hands of God, on the basis of the covenant by which God has committed Himself to His own. His confidence in God rests on the fact that he knows that God will never fail to fulfil His covenant promises to those who are loyal to Him.

In the same way, if we are fully responsive to God we can also be sure that He will fulfil His promises towards us, watching over us, keeping us, chastening us when necessary, and working in us to will and to do of His good pleasure (Philippians 2:13).

8 Then I will ever sing in praise of your name and fulfill my vows day after day.

BAR�ES, "So will I sing praise unto thy name for ever - As the result of this gracious interposition. Compare the notes at Isa_38:20. The meaning is, that he would do this constantly. It would be the regular business of his life.

That I may daily perform my vows - The solemn promises which I have made in my exile; the purposes which I have expressed to devote myself to thee. Or, the language may have been used in a more general sense, denoting that, as a religious man, the vows of God were constantly on him, or that he had pledged himself to serve God faithfully and always, and that he could better perform this duty at the tabernacle - in the place consecrated to public worship - than he could in exile. He desired, therefore, to be restored to the sanctuary, that he might keep up the performance of the daily duties of religion without interruption or hindrance. The whole psalm indicates a fervent desire to be engaged in the worship and service of God; a desire to be with Him and to enjoy His favor on earth; a confident hope that he would be permitted to enjoy His presence forever.

CLARKE, "So will I sing praise unto thy name for evher - For the benefits which I have received, and hope to receive endlessly from thee, I will to all perpetuity praise thee.

That I may daily perform my vows -While I live, I shall יום�יום yom, yom, “day by day,” each day as it succeeds, render to thee my vows - act according to what I have often purposed, and as often promised. The Chaldee ends remarkably: “Thus I will praise thy name for ever, when I shall perform my vows in the day of the rederaption of Israel; and in the day in which the King Messiah shall be anointed, that he may reign.”

The ancient Jews were full of the expectation of the Messiah; the Jews of the present day have given up their hope.

GILL, "So will I sing praise unto thy name for ever,.... Or constantly; and not only in this world, but in that to come, for the favours before mentioned; for hearing his prayers; giving him a goodly heritage; prolonging the King's life; and preparing mercy and truth to preserve him;

that I may daily perform vows; which is done by praising the Lord, giving him the glory of all mercies, as vowed and promised; see Psa_50:14. The Targum adds,

"in the day of the redemption of Israel, and in the day that the King Messiah shall be anointed, that he may reign.''

HE�RY, " With what cheerfulness he vows the grateful returns of duty to God (Psa_61:8): So will I sing praise unto thy name for ever. Note, God's preservation of us calls upon us to praise him; and therefore we should desire to live, that we may praise him: Let my soul live, and it shall praise thee. We must make praising God the work of our time, even to the last (as long as our lives are prolonged we must continue praising God), and then it shall be made the work of our eternity, and we shall be praising him for ever. That I may daily perform my vows. His praising God was itself the performance of his vows, and it disposed his heart to the performance of his vows in other instances. Note, 1. The vows we have made we must conscientiously perform. 2. Praising God and paying our vows to him must be our constant daily work; every day we must be doing something towards it, because it is all but little in comparison with what is due, because we daily receive fresh mercies, and because, if we think much to do it daily, we cannot expect to be doing it eternally.

JAMISO�, "Thus for new blessings will new vows of praise ever be paid.

SPURGEO�, "Ver. 8. So will I sing praise unto thy name for ever. Because my prayer is answered, my song shall be perpetual; because Jesus for ever sits at thy right hand, it shall be acceptable; because I am preserved in him, it shall be grateful. David had given vocal utterance to his prayer by a cry; he will now give expression to his praise by a song: there should be a parallel between our supplications and our thanksgivings. We ought not to leap in prayer, and limp in praise. The vow to celebrate the divine name for ever is no hyperbolical piece of extravagance, but such as grace and glory shall enable us to carry out to the letter.That I may daily perform my vows. To God who adds days to our days we will devote all our days. We vowed perpetual praise, and we desire to render it without

intermission. We would worship God de die in diem, going right on as the days roll on. We ask no vacation from this heavenly vocation; we would make no pause in this sacred service. God daily performs his promises, let us daily perform our vows: he keeps his covenant, let us not forget ours. Blessed be the name of the Lord from this time forth, even for evermore.EXPLA�ATORY �OTES A�D QUAI�T SAYI�GSVer. 8. They that are godly are oppressed and vexed in the church or congregation for this purpose: that when they are pressed, they should cry; and when they cry, that they should be heard; and when they are heard, that they should laud and praise God. Augustine.

COKE, "Psalms 61:8. So will I sing praise, &c.— Thus will I sound thy name for ever, when I pay my vows every day.

REFLECTIO�S.—In this psalm,

1. David looks up to God in his troubles; Hear my cry, O God, attend unto my prayer. Lead me to the rock that is higher than I, to a place of present safety, but especially to the rock of ages, the promised Messiah, the hope of his afflicted people. �ote; (1.) Wherever we are, a throne of grace is open; and the more we are removed from other means, the more diligent ought we to be in secret prayer. (2.) There is, blessed be God, a rock higher than we, on which if placed, we need not fear what earth or hell can do against us. (3.) Every day we need cry to God, to fix us more securely on this sure foundation, Jesus Christ.

2. From past experience he is encouraged to expect present help. Thou hast been a shelter, or a covert for me, and a strong tower from the enemy; therefore, in humble hope of the same needful protection, I will abide in thy tabernacle for ever; now taking refuge under thy protection, hoping shortly to return to thy tabernacle in Sion, and by and by to go to that heavenly hill, where God's glory is ever visible to his saints; and I will trust in the covert of thy wings, confident of safety there, when every prospect around me is most dark and threatening. �ote; (1.) We should often remember what God has done for us, as an argument to encourage our hearts to hope for greater mercies. (2.) They are safe, whom God's almighty power keeps under his wing. (3.) If we abide faithful and constant in his worship and service below, we may comfortably look forward to an eternal mention in his better tabernacle above.

WHEDO�, "8. So will I sing praise—The particle “so” indicates the agreement of what follows with what precedes. As if he would say, In accordance with these my petitions and their gracious fulfilment, I will sing praise to thy name for ever, etc. �either prayer nor the answer of prayer will avail anything if the response of our lives and thanksgivings be not in harmony therewith.

That I may daily perform my vows—To the end, or with the aim, of performing my vows daily. Thus the goodly effect of all grace given, and all afflictions endured, shall culminate in a devout and obedient life.

CO�STABLE, "3. Promise of praise61:8

When God would deliver him, David would praise God with song and continue to pay his vowed offerings regularly in the future.

Believers can confidently petition God for deliverance on the basis of His promises and His former faithfulness. These resources can give strength when we feel vulnerable and alone.

PETT, "Psalms 61:8

‘So will I sing praise to your name for ever,That I may daily perform my vows.’In response to God’s faithfulness, David also promises that he too will be faithful. He assures God that he will continually praise Him, and will perform his vows, (the vows spoken of in Psalms 61:5), to Him daily, his vows of loyalty and obedience to His covenant requirements, in other words to His word. If we would enjoy God’s protection it is required of us that we be found faithful and true to His word.

TRAPP, "Psalms 61:8 So will I sing praise unto thy name for ever, that I may daily perform my vows.

Ver. 8. So will I sing praise unto thy name for ever] Conclusio votiva. Praise is so pleasing a service to God, that he indented with his people for it, Psalms 50:15, and they, knowing his mind therein, do usually restipulate that they will perform it; as holding it the least that they in conscience can do, and knowing it the most that they are able to do. They present it, therefore, to God, as that Grecian did his small gift to Augustus, saying, Eι πλεον ειχον πλεον εδιδουν, If I had a better thing I could well beteem it thee.

That I may daily perform my vows] Which, till they be paid, a true-hearted votary is in pain; for he accounteth them due debts to God.