Psalm 76:9 Ulasan

This psalm seems to have been penned upon occasion of some great victory obtained by the church over some threatening enemy or other, and designed to grace the triumph. The Septuagint calls it, "A song upon the Assyrians," whence many good interpreters conjecture that it was penned when Sennacherib's army, then besieging Jerusalem, was entirely cut off by a destroying angel in Hezekiah's time; and several passages in the psalm are very applicable to that work of wonder: but there was a religious triumph upon occasion of another victory, in Jehoshaphat's time, which might as well be the subject of this psalm (Ch2 20:28), and it might be called "a song of Asaph" because always sung by the sons of Asaph. Or it might be penned by Asaph who lived in David's time, upon occasion of the many triumphs with which God delighted to honour that reign. Upon occasion of this glorious victory, whatever it was, I. The psalmist congratulates the happiness of the church in having God so nigh (Psa 76:1-3). II. He celebrates the glory of God's power, which this was an illustrious instance of (Psa 76:4-6). III. He infers hence what reason all have to fear before him (Psa 76:7-9). And, IV. What reason his people have to trust in him and to pay their vows to him (Psa 76:10-12). It is a psalm proper for a thanksgiving day, upon the account of public successes, and not improper at other times, because it is never out of season to glorify God for the great things he has done for his church formerly, especially for the victories of the Redeemer over the powers of darkness, which all those Old Testament victories were types of, at least those that are celebrated in the psalms. To the chief musician on Neginoth. A psalm or song of Asaph.

INTRODUCTION TO PSALM 76 To the chief Musician on Neginoth, A Psalm or Song of Asaph. The Targum is, "by the hand of Asaph:'' concerning "neginoth", see the title of Psa 4:1, this psalm is generally thought to be written on account of some great appearance of God for the Jews, or victory obtained by them over their enemies, either the Ammonites in the times of David; so the first part of the Syriac inscription is, "when Rabbah of the children of Ammon was destroyed;'' see Sa2 12:26 or in the time of Jehoshaphat, when they came up against him, and were in a wonderful manner defeated, which occasioned great joy and thankfulness, Ch2 20:1. The Septuagint version entitles the psalm "an ode against the Assyrian", in which it is followed by the Vulgate Latin and Ethiopic versions: and it is the opinion of many that it was written on account of the defeat of Sennacherib, and his army, which came up against Jerusalem in the times of Hezekiah, and was destroyed by an angel in one night, and so slept their sleep, and a dead one, with which agree Psa 76:5, so Arama and Theodoret; Jarchi gives this reason for such an interpretation, because we do not find that any enemy fell at or near Jerusalem but he, as is said Psa 76:3, "there brake he the arrows of the bow", &c. nor was one arrow suffered to be thrown into the city, Kg2 19:32. Kimchi and Ben Melech interpret it of the war of Gog and Magog, yet to come; and the latter part of the Syriac inscription is, "moreover it shows the vengeance of the judgment of Christ against the ungodly;'' and indeed it seems to point out the latter day, when Christ shalt destroy the antichristian kings and states, and save his own people, and shall be feared and praised; as the former part of it may respect his incarnation, appearance, and dwelling in the land of Judea, and so the whole is of the same argument with the preceding psalm.

When God arose to judgment,.... He may sometimes seem to be asleep, and to defer judgment, but he will arise and hasten it in his own time, and will take vengeance on all his and his people's enemies, as he did upon the army of the Assyrians, and will upon the antichristian powers, and upon all the wicked, and at the same time will save his own people, as follows: to save all the meek of the earth; the quiet in the land, who are afflicted in this world, despised by the men of it, are lowly and humble, and mean in their own eyes; these the Lord takes notice of and cares for them, he will beautify them with salvation; these, all of them, even everyone of them, shall be saved in him with an everlasting salvation; this verse is by some connected with the preceding; so Kimchi, "the earth feared, and was still, when God arose to judgment", &c. and by others, as R. Moses and Aben Ezra, with the following. Selah. See Gill on Psa 3:2.

Who are the meek in heart? They that on snorting horses have not mounted, but in their humility have confessed their own sins. "For the thought of a man shall confess to You, and the remnants of the thought shall celebrate solemnities to You" [Psalm 76:10].

If every one had imitated this cruelty, nothing else would have been left then for me in my lifetime but to be wasted by want, and, at my death, instead of being committed to a tomb, to be made meat for dogs and wild beasts. But I have found support in those who care nothing for this present life but await the enjoyment of everlasting blessings, and these furnish me with manifold consolation. But the loving Lord “caused judgment to be heard from heaven; the earth feared and was still, when God arose to judgment.” But the wicked shall perish. The falsehood of the new heresy20 has been proscribed, and the truth of the divine Gospels is publicly proclaimed. I for my part exclaim with the blessed David, “Blessed be the Lord God who alone does wondrous things, and blessed be his glorious name: and let the whole earth be filled with his glory; amen and amen.”

“He has hurled judgment from heaven; the earth trembled and grew quiet.” Here that very power of judgment is explained, because from that height of power judgment descends in such a way as if it had been a javelin sent by a very strong and unerring hand. But a lance of that kind brings about a temporal ill, but God’s judgment will wound the ungodly with an eternal blow. Next come the words “The earth trembled and grew quiet.” Here (as often has been mentioned) the earth means the stout and most noxious sinners, who must be condemned by the authority of God’s verdict. They will tremble when they hear, “Go into the eternal fire.” They will grow quiet when they are received into everlasting damnation. But that sort of quiet is without any rest, for they will make their evil works grow quiet, but they will not be quiet amid their punishment, inasmuch as they must be tortured with the eternal flame.

“When God arose in judgment to save all the quiet of the earth.” That verse must be conjoined to the previous words, for he says, “The earth trembled and grew quiet when God arose in judgment.” It is well said that he arises in his judgment, seeing that Christ quietly endured all things when he was judged, although even at the final judgment he will render judgment amid all tranquility. But the word “arise” is interpreted from the custom of earthly judges, who are said to arise whenever they resolve something with unimpeded severity, because they seem to be shaken when they avenge the crimes that have been committed. And in order that you might not believe that that judgment will take place only for the damnation of evil people, he adds “to save all the quiet of the earth.” The quiet of the earth are those who are not seized by any vices of this world and whose will is not set on fire by them, but they conduct themselves with impartial moderation (as was said earlier) and are shown to have a tranquil peace of mind. They are saved because they receive the promised rewards by the gift of the Lord.

To Jeduthun--(See on Psa 39:1, title). In a time of great affliction, when ready to despair, the Psalmist derives relief from calling to mind God's former and wonderful works of delivering power and grace. (Psa. 77:1-20) expresses the purport of the Psalm.