Psalms 65:9

Thou visitest the earth, and waterest it,.... So the Lord looked upon the earth, quickly after its formation, before rain came upon it, and he watered the whole face of the ground, Genesis 2:5; so he

Thou visitest the earth, and waterest it: thou greatly enrichest it with the river of God, which is full of water: thou preparest them corn, when thou hast so provided for it.

Visitest, to wit, in mercy, or with thy favour, as this word is oft used. The earth; the whole earth, which is full of thy bounty. So he continues to declare the general providence of God to all men and people. Or rather the land, or this land, for here is an emphatical article. And so he comes from God’ s general providence over all places and nations, to his particular and special providence over his people in the land of Canaan, whereof he gives one eminent and considerable instance, to wit. his giving them rain and fruitful seasons, and that after a time of drought and scarcity, to which it is not improbably supposed that this Psalm relates. And this may be the particular occasion for which the psalmist said that praise waited for God in Zion, . Waterest it: this is added to determine and explain the former general word, or to show how or wherein God visited it. With the river of God; either, 1. With the rivers which God hath made in the several parts of the earth, to make it moist and fruitful; although the fertility of the greatest part of the earth doth not depend so much upon the rivers below, as upon the rains from above. Or, 2. With the river Jordan, which sometimes overflowed its banks. But that overflow reached only to a small part of the land. Or rather, 3. With showers of rain, which he very significantly calls a river for their plenty, and the river of God, i.e. of God’ s immediate making and providing when he sees fit; which is opposed both to those little rivulets or channels which husbandmen or gardeners cut for the watering of their grounds; and to those greater rivers which run with a constant course, and by their little channels derived from them, or by their overflows, do water and enrich the earth, as Nilus did Egypt; to which these words may seem to have a special reference, especially if they be compared with , &c. Thou preparest; by this means thou preparest the earth for bringing forth corn, and ripenest the corn in the earth. Preparest them; for them, to wit, the inhabitants of the earth or land here mentioned, for their use and benefit. Provided for it; or, disposed, or ordered, or prepared it, to wit, the earth, which without this would be hard and barren.

Psalms 65:9 Thou visitest the earth, and waterest it: thou greatly enrichest it with the river of God, [which] is full of water: thou preparest them corn, when thou hast so provided for it.Ver. 9. Thou visitest the earth, &c.] i.e. With a gracious rain, and so makest it to become an alma parens to men and beasts. With the river of God] With thy sweet showers coming out of the clouds, as out of a great watering pot, Psalms 147:8, Pluvia de coelo replens flumina (Aben Ezra). Thou preparest them corn] As a good housekeeper doth for his family. How easy were it with God to starve us all!

(9) Thou visitest . . .—Better, Thou hast visited. Even if there is not reference to some particular season of plenty, yet with a glance back on the memory of such. Instead of “earth,” perhaps, here, “land.” Waterest.—Or, floodest. The river of God stands for the rain. There is a Arabic proverb, “When the river of God comes, the river Isa (in Bagdad) ceases.” The Rabbins say, “God has four keys which He never entrusts to any angel, and chief of these is the key of the rain.” (Comp. Job 26:8; Job 28:26; Job 38:28.) The expression “river” for rain is very appropriate of the downpour of a country that has its rainy season. (Comp. “the rushing of the river rain,” Tennyson’s Vivien.) Thou preparest . . .—The Authorised Version misses the sense, which is, thou preparest their corn when thou hast prepared it (the land) so—i.e., in the manner now to be described. Thus LXX. and Vulgate.

Verse 9. Thou visitest the earth] God is represented as going through the whole globe, and examining the wants of every part, and directing the clouds how and where to deposit their fertilizing showers, and the rivers where to direct their beneficial courses. The river of God] Some think the Jordan is meant; and the visiting and watering refer to rain after a long drought. But the clouds may be thus denominated, which properly are the origin of rivers. Thou preparest them corn] Or, Thou wilt prepare them corn, because "thou hast provided for it." Thou hast made all necessary provision for the fertilization of the earth. Thou hast endued the ground with a vegetative power. Rains, dews, and the genial heat of the sun enable it to put forth that power in providing grass for cattle, and corn for the service of man.

9–13. The special object of the Psalm—thanksgiving for the plenty of the year. First, grateful acknowledgment that the rains which have fertilised the soil were God’s gift; then a charming picture of a joyous landscape rich with promise.

Thou visitest the earth - God seems to come down that he may attend to the needs of the earth; survey the condition of things; arrange for the welfare of the world which he has made; and supply the

9. The psalmist having finished his contemplation of God’s work among the nations, (Psalms 65:5-8,) now turns to his providence in nature, in adapting its forces and the order of the seasons to the uses and wants of man.