Psalms 65:1

Praise waiteth for thee, O God, in Sion,.... Who dwells in Sion, as Jarchi interprets it; and so the Targum; whose Shechinah, or glorious Majesty, is in Sion; see Psalms 76:2; or else Sion, which

Praise waiteth for thee, O God, in Sion: and unto thee shall the vow be performed. Psalms 65:1-13.-Three strophes.

Psalms 65 THE The design of this Psalm seems to be to declare the great and glorious work of Divine Providence, both towards his church and the land of his people, and towards the rest of mankind. David praiseth God for spiritual blessings, as hearing prayer, and purging away sin, , and for the blessedness of those that dwell in his courts, ; and also for temporal blessings, as governing the world, and the abundance of all worldly enjoyments, . Waiteth, Heb. is silent, or silence, i.e. quietly waits, as this phrase is used also . And praise may be here put for the person or persons who use to praise God upon all occasions, and who are now prepared and ready to do so; as deceit is put for a deceitful man, as , and sin for the sinner, , and dreams for dreamers, . So the meaning may seem to be this, God’ s people patiently and believingly wait for an opportunity to offer their praises to God; for at present they seem to be in some straits, as divers passages of this Psalm do intimate. In Zion: though all the people of the world have great cause to praise thee, yet none pay thee this tribute, but thy people in Zion; and they indeed have really peculiar and eminent obligations and occasions to perform this duty. Unto thee shall the vow be performed; all the thank-offerings which thy people vowed unto thee in the time of their danger shall be faithfully paid, to wit, in Zion; which is to be repeated out of the first clause of the verse.

Psalms 65:1 « To the chief Musician, A Psalm [and] Song of David. » Praise waiteth for thee, O God, in Sion: and unto thee shall the vow be performed.A Psalm and Song of David] Made by him, as it is thought, when the people were delivered from that three years’ famine for the slaughter of the Gibeonites, 2 Samuel 21:1, and that three days’ pestilence for David’ s sin, in numbering the people, 2 Samuel 24:13-15 Ver. 1. Praise waiteth for thee, O God, in Sion] Tibi silentinm, laus tibi, Deus, in Zion; so Beza rendereth it. There is first a deep silence in Sion, and then due praise; a silence of admiration, a silence of religious awe and devotion, such as was afterwards that in the Christian Church, Revelation 8:1, or a silence of expectation to receive mercies; and a praise, by way of retribution, for mercies received. Or, silence in all other places (not sensible of God’ s favours), but praise in the Church, where God is magnified: first, for blessings proper and peculiar to his own people; secondly, for preserving commonwealths, and thereby providing graciously for human society; and, thirdly, for giving men all things richly to enjoy, as in the end of this psalm. And unto thee shall the vow be performed] That is, solemn thanks shall be rendered. Thy people stand ready pressed with their praises and memories, as Joseph’ s brethren once did with their presents, against the time that he showed himself.

(1) Praise waiteth . . .—Literally, To thee silence praise, which recalls Psalms 62:1 (see Note), but must be differently explained. To say, Praise is silence to thee, is hardly intelligible. The LXX. and Vulg. read differently, “praise is comely.” Better supply a conjunction, To thee are quiet and praise, i.e., submissive expectation till the deliverance come (Psalms 62:1), and then exulting praise. Shall the vow.—Better, Is the vow paid, i.e., by the praise just mentioned.

PSALM LXV God is praised for the fulfilment of his promises, and for his mercy in forgiving sins, 1-,3. He is praised for the wonders that he works in nature, which all mankind must acknowledge, 4-8; for the fertilizing showers which he sends upon the earth, and the abundance thereby produced both for men and cattle, 9-13. NOTES ON PSALM LXV The title, "To the chief Musician or conqueror, a Psalm and Song of David." So the Hebrew; and, in effect, the Chaldee, AEthiopic, and best copies of the Septuagint. The Arabic has, "A Psalm of David concerning the transmigration of the people." The Vulgate is singular: "A Psalm of David. A hymn of Jeremiah and Ezekiel for the people of the transmigration, when they began to go out," from Babylon, understood. This title is of no authority; it neither accords with the subject of the Psalm, nor with the truth of history. Calmet has very properly remarked that Jeremiah and Ezekiel were never found together, to compose this Psalm, neither before, at, nor after the captivity. It should therefore be utterly rejected. In the Complutensian edition Haggai is added to Jeremiah and Ezekiel, all with equal propriety. It is supposed to have been written after a great drought, when God had sent a plentiful rain on the land. I rather think that there was no direct drought or rain in the prophet's view, but a celebration of the praises of God for his giving rain and fruitful seasons, and filling men's mouths with food, and their hearts with gladness. There is a particular providence manifested in the quantity of rain that falls upon the earth, which can neither be too much admired nor praised. Verse 1. Praise waiteth for thee] Praise is silent or dumb for thee. Thou alone art worthy of praise; all other perfections are lost in thine; and he who considers thee aright can have no other subject of adoration. Unto thee shall the vow be performed.] All offerings and sacrifices should be made to thee. All human spirits are under obligation to live to and serve thee. All Jews and Christians, by circumcision and baptism, belong to thee; and they are all bound to pay the vow of their respective covenants to thee alone; and the spirit of this vow is, to love thee with all their powers and to serve thee with a perfect heart and willing mind, all the days of their life.

1–4. It is the duty of a grateful people to render thanks to God in the Temple, assembling to pay its vows to the universal Hearer of prayer. The consciousness of manifold sins might deter them from approaching a holy God, were not He Himself graciously ready to purge their guilt away. In the blessings, of which the welcome to His house is the pledge, is to be found man’s truest happiness.

Praise waiteth for thee, O God, in Sion - That is, all the arrangements are made; the people are assembled; their hearts are prepared to praise thee.

1. Praise waiteth—Or, Praise is silent; or, To thee silence is praise: see on Psalms 62:1, and Revelation 8:1.