TITLE. A Song of Degrees. There is
an evident ascent from the last Psalm: that did but hint at the
way in which a house may be built up, but this draws a picture
of that house built, and adorned with domestic bliss through the
Lord's own benediction. There is clearly an advance in age, for
here we go beyond children to children's children; and also a
progress in happiness, for children which in the last Psalm were
arrows are here Olive plants, and instead of speaking "with
the enemies in the gate" we done with "peace upon
Israel." Thus we rise step by step, and sing as we ascend.
SUBJECT. It is a family hymn, a song
for a marriage, or a birth, or for any day in which a happy
household has met to praise the Lord. Like all the songs of
degrees, it has an eye to Zion and Jerusalem, which are both
expressly mentioned, and it closes like Psalms 125, 130, and
131, with an allusion to Israel. It is a short Psalm, but
exceedingly full and suggestive. Its poetry is of the highest
order. Perhaps in no country can it be better understood than in
our own, for we above all nations delight to sing of "Home,
sweet home."
EXPOSITION
Verse 1. Blessed is every one that feareth the
Lord. The last Psalm ended with a blessing,—for the word
there translated "happy" is the same as that which is
here rendered "blessed": thus the two songs are joined
by a catch word. There is also in them a close community of
subject. The fear of God is the corner stone of all blessedness.
We must reverence the ever blessed God before we can be blessed
ourselves. Some think that this life is an evil, an infliction,
a thing upon which rests a curse; but it is not so; the God
fearing man has a present blessing resting upon him. It is not
true that it would be to him" something better not to
be." He is happy now, for he is the child of the happy God,
the ever living Jehovah; and he is even here a joint heir with
Jesus Christ, whose heritage is not misery, but joy. This is
true of every one of the God fearing, of all conditions, in all
ages: each one and every one is blessed. Their blessedness may
not always be; seen by carnal reason, but it is always a fact,
for God himself declares that it is so; and we know that those
whom he blesses are blessed indeed. Let us cultivate that holy
filial fear of Jehovah which is the essence of all true
religion;—the fear of reverence, of dread to offend, of
anxiety to please, and of entire submission and obedience. This
fear of the Lord is the fit fountain of holy living: we look in
vain for holiness apart from it: none but those who fear the
Lord will ever walk in his ways.
That walketh in his ways. The religious life, which
God declares to be blessed, must be practical as well as
emotional. It is idle to talk of fearing the Lord if we act like
those who have no care whether there be a God or no, God's ways
will be our ways if we have a sincere reverence for him: if the
heart is joined unto God, the feet will follow hard after him. A
man's heart will be seen in his walk, and the blessing will come
where heart and walk are both with God. Note that the first
Psalm links the benediction with the walk in a negative way,
"Blessed is the man that walketh not", etc.; but here
we find it in connection with the positive form of our
conversation. To enjoy the divine blessing we must be active,
and walk; we must be methodical, and walk in certain ways; and
we must be godly, and walk in the Lord's ways. God's ways are
blessed ways; they were cast up by the Blessed One, they were
trodden by him in whom we are blessed, they are frequented by
the blessed, they are provided with means of blessing, they are
paved with present blessings, and they lead to eternal
blessedness: who would not desire to walk in them?
Verse 2. For thou shalt eat the labour of thine
hands. The general doctrine in Ps 128:1 here receives a
personal application: note the change to the second person:
"thou shalt eat", etc. This is the portion of God's
saints,—to work, and to find a reward in so doing. God is the
God of labourers. We are not to leave our worldly callings
because the Lord has called us by grace: we are not promised a
blessing upon romantic idleness or unreasonable dreaming, but
upon hard work and honest industry. Though we are in God's hands
we are to be supported by our own hands. He will give us daily
bread, but it must be made our own by labour. All kinds of
labour are here included; for if one toils by the sweat of his
brow, and another does so by the sweat of his brain, there is no
difference in the blessing; save that it is generally more
healthy to work with the body than with the mind only. Without
God it would be vain to labour; but when we are labourers
together with God a promise is set before us. The promise is
that labour shall be fruitful, and that he who performs it shall
himself enjoy the recompense of it. It is a grievous ill for a
man to slave his life away and receive no fair remuneration for
his toil: as a rule, God's servants rise out of such bondage and
claim their own, and receive it: at any rate, this verse may
encourage them to do so. "The labourer is worthy of his
hire." Under the Theocracy the chosen people could see this
promise literally fulfilled; but when evil rulers oppressed them
their earnings were withheld by churls, and their harvests were
snatched away from them by marauders. Had they walked in the
fear of the Lord they would never have known such great evils.
Some men never enjoy their labour, for they give themselves no
time for rest. Eagerness to get takes from them the ability to
enjoy. Surely, if it is worth while to labour, it is worth while
to eat of that labour. "Happy shalt thou be", or, Oh,
thy happinesses. Heaped up happinesses in the plural belong to
that man who fears the Lord. He is happy, and he shall be happy
in a thousand ways. The context leads us to expect family
happiness. Our God is our household God. The Romans had their
Lares and Penates, but we have far more than they in the one
only living and true God. And it shall be well with thee,
or, good for thee. Yes, good is for the good; and it
shall be well with those who do well.
"What cheering words are these!
Their sweetness who can tell?
In time, and to eternal days,
'Tis with the righteous well."
If we fear God we may dismiss all other fear. In walking in
God's ways we shall be under his protection, provision, and
approval; danger and destruction shall be far from us: all
things shall work our good. In God's view it would not be a
blessed thing for us to live without exertion, nor to eat the
unearned bread of dependence: the happiest state on earth is one
in which we have something to do, strength to do it with, and a
fair return for what we have done. This, with the divine
blessing, is all that we ought to desire, and it is sufficient
for any man who fears the Lord and abhors covetousness. Having
food and raiment, let us be there with content.
Verse 3. Thy wife. To reach the full of earthly
felicity a man must not be alone. A helpmeet was needed in
Paradise, and assuredly she is not less necessary out of it. He
that findeth a wife findeth a good thing. It is not every man
that feareth the Lord who has a wife; but if he has, she shall
share in his blessedness and increase it. Shall be as a fruitful
vine. To complete domestic bliss children are sent. They come as
the lawful fruit of marriage, even as clusters appear upon the
vine. For the grapes the vine was planted; for children was the
wife provided. It is generally well with any creature when it
fulfils its purpose, and it is so far well with married people
when the great design of their union is brought about. They must
not look upon fruitfulness as a burden, but as a blessing. Good
wives are also fruitful in kindness, thrift, helpfulness, and
affection: if they bear no children, they are by no means barren
if they yield us the wine of consolation and the clusters of
comfort. Truly blessed is the man whose wife is fruitful in
those good works which are suitable to her near and dear
position. By the sides of thine house. She keeps to the house:
she is a home bird. Some imagine that she is like a vine which
is nailed up to the house wall; but they have no such custom in
Palestine, neither is it pleasant to think of a wife as growing
up by a wall, and as bound to the very bricks and mortar of her
husband's dwelling. No, she is a fruitful vine, and a faithful
housekeeper; if you wish to find her, she is within the house:
she is to be found both inside and outside the home, but her
chief usefulness is in the inner side of the dwelling, which she
adorns. Eastern houses usually have an open square in the centre,
and the various rooms are ranged around the sides,—there shall
the wife be found, busy in one room or another, as the hour of
the day demands. She keeps at home, and so keeps the home. It is
her husband's house, and she is her husband's; us the text puts
it—"thy wife", and "thy house"; but by her
loving care her husband is made so happy that he is glad to own
her as an equal proprietor with himself, for he is hers, and the
house is hers too.
Thy children like olive plants round about thy table.
Hundreds of times have I seen the young olive plants springing
up around the parent stem, and it has always made mc think of
this verse. The Psalmist never intended to suggest the idea of
olive plants round a table, but of young people springing up
around their parents, even as olive plants surround the fine,
well rooted tree. The figure is very striking, and would be sure
to present itself to the mind of every observer in the olive
country. How beautiful to see the gnarled olive, still bearing
abundant fruit, surrounded with a little band of sturdy
successors, any one of which would be able to take its place
should the central olive be blown down, or removed in any other
way. The notion of a table in a bower may suit a cockney in a
tea garden, but would never occur to an oriental poet; it is not
the olive plants, but the children, that are round about the
table. Moreover, note that it is not olive branches, but plants,—a
very different thing. Our children gather around our table to be
fed, and this involves expenses: how much better is this than to
see them pining upon beds of sickness, unable to come for their
meals! What a blessing to have sufficient to put upon the table!
Let us for this benefit praise the bounty of the Lord. The wife
is busy all over the house, but the youngsters are busiest at
meal times; and if the blessing of the Lord rest upon the
family, no sight can be more delightful. Here we have the vine
and the olive blended—joy from the fruitful wife, and solid
comfort from the growing family; these are the choicest products
earth can yield: our families are gardens of the Lord. It may
help us to value the privileges of our home if we consider where
we should be if they were withdrawn. What if the dear partner of
our life were removed from the sides of our house to the
recesses of the sepulchre? What is the trouble of children
compared with the sorrow of their loss? Think, dear father, what
would be your grief if you had to cry with Job, "Oh that I
were as in months past, as in the days when God preserved me;
when my children were about me."
Verse 4. Behold, that thus shall the man be blessed
that feareth the LORD. Mark this. Put a Nota Bene
against it, for it is worthy of observation. It is not to be
inferred that all blessed men are married, and are fathers; but
that this is the way in which the Lord favours godly people who
are placed in domestic life. He makes their relationships happy
and profitable. In this fashion does Jehovah bless God fearing
households, for he is the God of all the families of Israel. We
have seen this blessing scores of times, and we have never
ceased to admire in domestic peace the sweetest of human
felicity. Family blessedness comes from the Lord, and is a part
of his plan for the preservation of a godly race, and for the
maintenance of his worship in the land. To the Lord alone we
must look for it. The possession of riches will not ensure it;
the choice of a healthy and beautiful bride will not ensure it;
the birth of numerous comely children will not ensure it: there
must be the blessing of God, the influence of piety, the result
of holy living.
Verse 5. The Loud shall bless thee out of Zion.
A spiritual blessing shall be received by the gracious man, and
this shall crown all his temporal mercies. He is one among the
many who make up God's inheritance; his tent is part and parcel
of the encampment around the tabernacle; and therefore, when the
benediction is pronounced at the centre it shall radiate to him
ill his place. The blessing of the house of God shall be upon
his house. The priestly benediction which is recorded in Nu
6:24-26, runs thus: "The Lord bless thee, and keep thee:
the Lord make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto
thee: the Lord lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee
peace." This is it which shall come upon the head of the
God fearing man. Zion was the centre of blessing, and to it the
people looked when they sought for mercy: from the altar of
sacrifice, from the mercy seat, from the Shekinah light, yea,
from Jehovah himself, the blessing shall come to each one of his
holy people. And thou shalt see the good of Jerusalem all the
days of thy life. He shall have a patriot's joy as well as a
patriarch's peace. God shall give him to see his country
prosper, and its metropolitan city flourish. When tent mercies
are followed by temple mercies, and these are attended by
national mercies,—the man, the worshipper, the patriot is
trebly favoured of the Lord. This favour is to be permanent
throughout the good man's life, and that life is to be a long
one, for he is to see his sons' sons. Many a time does true
religion bring such blessings to men; and when these good things
are denied them, they have a greater reward as a compensation.
Verse 6. Yea, thou shalt see thy children's
children. This is a great pleasure. Men live their young
lives over again in their grandchildren. Does not Solomon say
that "children's children are the crown of old men?"
So they are. The good man is glad that a pious stock is likely
to be continued; he rejoices in the belief that other homes as
happy as his own will be built up wherein altars to the glory of
God shall smoke with the morning and evening sacrifice. This
promise implies long life, and that life rendered happy by its
being continued in our offspring. It is one token of the
immortality of man that he derives joy from extending his life
in the lives of his descendants. And peace upon Israel. With
this sweet word Psalm 126 was closed. It is a favourite formula.
Let God's own heritage be at peace, and we are all glad of it.
We count it our own prosperity for the chosen of the Lord to
find rest and quiet. Jacob was sorely tossed about; his life
knew little of peace; but yet the Lord delivered him out of all
his tribulations, and brought him to a place of rest in Goshen
for a while, and afterwards to sleep with his fathers in the
cave of Machpelah. His glorious Seed was grievously afflicted
and at last crucified; but he has risen to eternal peace, and in
his peace we dwell. Israel's spiritual descendants still share
his chequered conditions, but there remains a rest for them
also, and they shall have peace from the God of peace. Israel
was a praying petitioner in the days of his wrestling, but he
became a prevailing prince, and therein his soul found peace.
Yes, all around it is true—"Peace upon Israel! Peace upon
Israel."
EXPLANATORY NOTES AND QUAINT SAYINGS
Whole Psalm. Psalm 128 follows Psalm 127 for the same
reason as Psalm 2 follows Psalm 1. In both instances they are
Psalms placed together, of which one begins with ashre
(happy, very happy), and the other ends with ashre. In
other respects Psalm 128 and 127 supplement one another. They
are related to one another much as the New Testament parables of
the treasure in the field and the one pearl are related. That
which makes man happy is represented in Psalm 127 as a gift
coming as a blessing, and in Psalm 128 as a reward coming as a
blessing, that which is briefly indicated in the word rks, saka,
reward, in Ps 127:3 being here expanded and unfolded. There
it appears as a gift of grace in contrast to the God estranged
self activity of man; here as a fruit of the ora et labora.—Franz
Delitzsch.
Whole Psalm. It is to be observed, that here all men
are spoken to as wedded; because this is the ordinary estate of
most people. See 1Co 7:1-2. At this day every Jew is bound to
marry at about eighteen years of age, or before twenty; else he
is accounted as one that liveth in sin.—John Trapp.
Whole Psalm. This Psalm is an epiyalamio logos,
written for the commendation, instruction, and consolation of
those who are either already married or are about to enter on
that kind of life. It enumerates, therefore, at the
commencement, as is usual in songs of this kind, all those
things which are regarded as burdens in the married life, such
as the labours in seeking to provide for the whole family; the
spouse, and that marriage bond, which, as it were, binds a man
and seems to make him a slave, just as that character says in
the comedy, "I have taken a wife; I have sold my
liberty:" lastly, the education of the children, which
certainly is most laborious, and requires the largest
expenditure. To lighten the burden of all these things, there is
added to each a blessing, or a promise, so that they might
appear slight. And at the close, it subjoins in general, a
spiritual promise, which easily makes light of all the labours
and disquiets of the married life; even if they should be the
very heaviest. The blessing comes from Zion or the Church: for
there is nothing so burdensome and difficult, but what it can be
easily borne by those who are the members of the true Church,
and know the sources of true consolation.—D. H. Mollerus.
Verse 1. Blessed is every one that feareth the LORD,
etc. Here we have the living fountain of the blessing which
rests upon the conjugal and domestic state. When worldly
prudence attempts to choose a wife and form a household, it can
apply its hand only to so much of the work as has its seat upon
earth, and is visible to the eye of sense. It builds, so to
speak, the first and the second story, adds cornice and
pediment, and the fabric presents a fair appearances but it has
no foundation. Whenever you see the household of a married pair
continuing to defy every storm, you may be sure that it rests
upon a sure foundation, lying beyond the reach of human sense,
and that that foundation is the fear of the Lord. To the fear of
the Lord, therefore, the holy Psalmist has wisely given a place
in front of this beautiful Psalm, which celebrates the blessing
that descends upon conjugal and domestic life.—Augustus F.
Tholuck, in "Hours of Christian Devotion," 1870.
Verse 1. Blessed is every one that feareth the
LORD. There is a fear of the Lord which hath terror in it
and not blessedness. The apprehension with which a warring rebel
regards his triumphant and offended sovereign, or the feelings
of a fraudulent bankrupt towards a stern creditor, or, a
conscience stricken criminal to a righteous judge, are
frequently types of men's feelings in regard to God. This
evidently cannot be the fear which the "blessed"
of this Psalm feel. Nor can theirs, on the other hand, be the
tormenting fear of self reproach. Their fear is that which the
believed revelations given of him in his Word produce. It is the
fear which a child feels towards an honoured parent,—a fear to
offend: it is that which they who have been rescued from
destruction feel to the benefactor who nobly and at the vastest
sacrifice interposed for their safety,—a fear to act
unworthily of his kindness: it is that which fills the breast of
a pardoned and grateful rebel in the presence of a venerated
sovereign at whose throne he is permitted to stand in honour,—a
fear lest he should ever forget his goodness, and give him cause
to regret it. Such is the fear of the Christian now: a fear
which reverence for majesty, gratitude for mercies, dread of
displeasure, desire of approval, and longing for the fellowship
of heaven, inspire; the fear of angels and the blessed Son; the
fear not of sorrow but of love, which shrinks with instinctive
recoil from doing aught that would tend to grieve, or from
denying aught that would tend to honour. Religion is the grand
and the only wisdom; and since the beginning, the middle, and
the end of it, is the fear of the Lord, blessed is every man
that is swayed by it.—Robert Nisbet, in "The Songs of
the Temple Pilgrims", 1863.
Verse 1. Blessed is every one that feareth the
Lord. Let us take a little of the character of the blessed
man. Who is it that is undaunted? "The man that feareth
God." Fear sounds rather contrary to blessedness; hath
an air of misery; but add whom. He that "feareth the
Lord"; that touch turns it into gold. He that so fears,
fears rot: he shall not be afraid; all petty fears are swallowed
up in this great fear; and this great fear is as sweet and
pleasing as little fears are anxious and vexing. Secure of other
things, he can say—"If my God be pleased, no matter who
is displeased: no matter who despise me, if he account me his.
Though all forsake me, though my dearest friends grow estranged,
if he reject me not, that is my only fear; and for that I am not
perplexed, I know he will not." A believer hath no fear but
of the displeasure of heaven, the anger of God to fall upon him;
he accounts that only terrible; but yet he doth not fear it;
doth not apprehend it will fall on him, is better persuaded of
the goodness of God. So this fear is still joined with
trust:—"Behold the eye of the Lord is upon them that fear
him, upon them that hope in his mercy": Ps 33:18.—Robert
Leighton, 1611-1684.
Verse 1. Blessed is every one, etc. There is a
stress on all ("every one"), teaching that no
disparity of sex or condition, of rank or wealth, affects the
degree of happiness granted by God to every one of his true
servants in their several stations. It is to be observed,
further, that whenever the fear of the Lord is mentioned in Holy
Writ, it is never set by itself, as though sufficient for the
consummation of our faith, but always has something added or
prefixed, by which to estimate its due proportion of perfection,
according as it is stated by Solomon in Pr 2:3-5.—J. M.
Neale and R. F. Littledale; in "A Commentary on the Psalms
from Primitive and Medieval Writers," 1860.
Verse 1. Blessed is every one, etc. It is a
precious promise, but perhaps thou art tempted to say in thy
heart, not meant for every one. Wilt thou answer against the
Lord? Hear him speak in the song. He says, "every
one." "Blessed is every one that feareth the
LORD." None are excluded but those who will not walk in
his ways.—Edward Jewett Robinson.
Verse 1. Blessed, etc. The, adage, "That
it is best not to be born at all, or to die as soon as
possible", has certainly been long since received by the
common consent of almost all men. Carnal reason judges either
that all mankind without exception are miserable, or that
fortune is more favourable to ungodly and wicked men than to the
good. To the sentiment that those are blessed who fear the Lord,
it has an entire aversion. So much the more requisite, then, is
it to dwell upon the consideration of this truth. Farther, as
this blessedness is not apparent to the eye, it is of
importance, in order to our being able to apprehend it, first to
attend to the definition which will be given of it by and bye;
and secondly, to know that it depends chiefly upon tim
protection of God. Although we collect together all the
circumstances which seem to contribute to a happy life, surely
nothing will be found more desirable than to be kept hidden
under the guardianship of God. If this blessing is, in our
estimation, to be preferred, as it deserves, to all other good
things, whoever is persuaded that the care of God is exercised
about the world and human affairs, will at the same time
unquestionably acknowledge that what is here laid down is the
chief point of happiness.—John Calvin.
Verse 1. That feareth the LORD; that walketh in his
ways. The fear of the Lord is the internal principle; but
unless there be a corresponding expression in the outward life,
what reason is there to suppose that it has any existence at
all? Observe also, that there is no walking in the ways of the
Lord, until his fear be established in the heart. There can be
no genuine morality apart from the fear of God. How can a man
obey God while his affections are alienated from him?—N.
M'Michael.
Verse 1. That walketh in, his ways. God makes
blessed those that walk in his ways, because he himself walks
with them. This is said concerning David, and it is explained
how that companionship blessed him, 2Sa 5:10: "And David
went on, and grew great, and the Lord God of hosts was with
him": where the "and" may be taken as the causal
particle "because." That God does indeed join himself
to those who walk in his ways as companion and leader we have in
2Ch 17:3-4: "And the Lord was with Jehoshaphat, because he
walked in the first ways of his father David, and sought not
unto Baalim; but sought to the Lord God of his father."—Thomas
Le Blanc.
Verse 2. For thou shalt eat the labour of thine
hands, etc. There is a fourfold literal sense here: Thou
shalt live by honest, peaceful labour, not by rapine and
violence on that produced by the toil of others, nor yet
indolently and luxuriously; thou shalt "eat",
and not penuriously stint thyself and others; thy crops shall
not be blighted, but shall bring forth abundantly; and no enemy
shall destroy or carry off thy harvest. And these two latter
interpretations accord best with the converse punishments
threatened to the disobedient by Moses. "Thou shalt eat
the labour of thine hands". But he who hates labour
does not eat of it, nor can he say, "My meat is to do the
will of him that sent me, and to finish his work": Joh
4:34. On the other hand, he to whom such labour is a delight,
does not merely look forward in hope to the future fruits or
rewards of labour, but even here and now finds sustenance and
pleasure in toiling for God; so that it is "well"
with him in the world, even amidst all its cares and troubles,
and he "shall be happy" in that which is to
come, whence sorrow is banished for ever, as it is written in
the gospel: "Blessed is he that shall eat bread in the
kingdom of God": Lu 14:15.—Neale and Littledale.
Verse 2. Thou shalt eat the labour of thine hands,
etc. This must they learn also which are married, that they must
labour. For the law of nature requireth that the husband should
sustain and nourish his wife and his children. For after that
man and wife do know that they ought to fear God their Creator,
who not only made them, but gave his blessing also unto his
creature; this secondly must they know, that something they must
do that they consume not their days in ease and idleness. Hesiod,
the poet, giveth his counsel, that first thou shouldest get thee
a house, then a wife, and also an ox to till the ground...For
albeit that our diligence, care, and travail is not able to
maintain our family, yet God useth such as a means by the which
he will bless us.—Martin Luther.
Verse 2. Thou shalt eat the labour of thine hands.
Men have dreamed fascinating dreams of removing the disabilities
and limitations of the world and the evils of life, without
sorrow. Poets have pictured earthly paradises, where life would
be one long festival,
"Summer isles of Eden lying in dark purple spheres of
sea."
But vain are all such dreams and longings. They are of human,
not of Divine origin, and spring from a root of selfishness and
not of holiness. They cannot be realized in a fallen world, full
of sorrow because full of sin. All blessings in man's economy
are got from pains. Happiness is the flower that grows from a
thorn of sorrow transformed by man's cultivation. The beautiful
myth which placed the golden apples of the Hesperides in a
garden guarded by dragons, is an allegory illustrative of the
great human fact that not till we have slain the dragons of
selfishness and sloth can we obtain any of the golden successes
of life. Supposing it were possible that we could obtain the
objects of our desire without any toil or trouble, we should not
enjoy them. To benefit us really, they must be the growths of
our own self denial and labour. And this is the great lesson
which the miracles of our Lord, wrought in the manner in which
they were, unfolded. They teach us that, in both temporal and
spiritual things, we should not so throw ourselves upon the
providence or grace of God as to neglect the part we have
ourselves to act,—that God crowns every honest and faithful
effort of man with success: "Blessed is every one that
feareth the LORD; that walketh in his ways. For thou shalt eat
the labour of thine hands: happy shalt thou be, and it shall be
well with thee."—Hugh Macmillan, in "The
Ministry of Nature," 1871.
Verse 2. (first clause).
Labour, the symbol of man's punishment;
Labour, the secret of man's happiness.
—James Montgomery, 1771-1854.
Verse 2. Happy shalt thou be. Oh trust in the
Lord for happiness as well as for help! All the springs of
happiness are in him. Trust "in him who giveth us all
things richly to enjoy"; who, of his own rich and free
mercy, holds them out to us, as in his own hand, that, receiving
them as his gifts, and as pledges of his love, we may enjoy all
that we possess. It is his love gives a relish to all we taste,
puts life and sweetness into all; while every creature leads us
up to the great Creator, and all earth is a scale to heaven. He
transfuses the joys that are at his own right hand into all that
he bestows on his thankful children, who, having fellowship with
the Father and his Son Jesus Christ, enjoy him in all and above
all.—John Wesley, 1703-1791.
Verse 2. Happy shalt thou be. Mr. Disraeli puts
these remarkable words into the mouth of one of his
characters:—"Youth is a blunder; manhood a struggle; old
age a regret." A sad and Cheerless view of life's progress
that! It may be true, in measure, of a life separated from
godliness; it certainly is not true of a life allied with
godliness. Let there be "life and godliness", and then
youth is not a blunder, but a wise purpose and a glowing hope;
manhood is not a struggle only, but a conquest and a joy; old
age is not a regret, but a rich memory and a glorious
prospect.—R. P. Macmaster, in "The Baptist
Magazine," 1878.
Verse 3. Thy wife shall be as a fruitful vine,
etc. The comparison would perhaps be brought out more clearly by
arranging the verse as follows:
"Thy wife shall be in the inner part of thy house
Like a fruitful vine;
Thy children round about thy table
Like the shoots of the olive."
In the inner part, literally, "the sides of thy
house", as in Am 6:10, i.e., the women's apartments, as
marking the proper sphere of the wife engaged in her domestic
duties, and also to some extent her seclusion, though this was
far less amongst the Jews than amongst other Orientals. The "vine"
is an emblem chiefly of fruitfulness, but perhaps also of
dependence, as needing support; the "olive", of
vigorous, healthy, joyous life. The same figure is employed by
Euripides, Herc. Fur., 839. Med. 109S.—J. J. Stewart
Perowne.
Verse 3. Thy wife shall be as a fruitful vine,
etc. We do not remember to have met with a single instance, in
the East, of vines trained against the walls of a house,
or of olives near or about a house. Neither have we read of such
instances. The passage doubtless derives its figures from the
fertility of the vine, and from the appearance of the olive, or
the order in which olive trees are planted. The construction
would then be: "Thy wife, in the sides (interior
apartments) of thy house, shall be as the fruitful vine, and thy
children round about thy table, like olive plants."—John
Kitto (1504-1854), in "The Pictorial Bible."
Verse 3. Thy wife shall be as a fruitful vine by
the sides of thine house. The wife is likened not to thorns
or briers, nor even to oaks or to other fruits and trees, but to
the vine; and also to a vine neither in a vineyard nor in a
garden, but set by the walls of the house; also not barren, but
fertile and fruit bearing. This admonishes husbands as well as
wives of their duties. For as the walls support the vine, and
defend it against the force of winds and tempests, so ought
husbands, as far as is in their power, to defend their wives by
their godly conversation and wholesome teachings and
institutions against the pestilential wind of the old serpent;
also against the injuries of evil disposed men. "He that
loveth his wife loveth himself. For no man ever yet hated his
own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord
the Church": Eph 5:28-29. Further, the vine is exceedingly
fragile wood, and not meet for any work, Eze 15:4. Husbands,
therefore, should remember that they ought to behave towards
their wives patiently and prudently, as with the weaker vessel;
not keeping in mind the fragility of the wood, but the abundance
and sweetness of the fruit. If husbands observe this, that will
happen to them which Scripture says concerning the peaceful time
of Solomon, "And Judah and Israel dwelt safely, every man
under his vine and under his fig tree": 1Ki 4:25. Such was
the married life of Abraham with Sarah, Isaac with Rebecca,
Jacob with, Leah and Rachel.—Solomon Gesner.
Verse 3. A fruitful vine by the sides of thine
house. It does not say on the sides of the house, but
by the sides. The passage probably refers to the
trellissed, bowers which often lead up to the houses, and are
covered with vines, the grapes, hanging over head. Sitting in
these bowers is sitting under our own vines: Mic 4:4. I have
seen in Constantinople grapes hanging over the people's heads in
the principal streets, the vines being trained from one side of
the street to the other.—John Gadsby, in "My
Wanderings," 1860.
Verse 3. By the sides of thine house. Not on
the roof, nor on the floor; the one is too high, she is no
ruler; the other too low, she is no slave: but in the sides, an
equal place between both.—Thomas Adams.
Verse 3. By the sides of thine house. The house
is her proper place, for she is "the beauty of the
house"; there her business lies, there she is safe. The
ancients painting them with a snail under their feet, and the
Egyptians denying their women shoes, and the Scythians burning
the bride's chariot axle tree at her door, when she was brought
to her husband's house, and the angel's asking Abraham where
Sarah was (though he knew well enough), that it might be
observed, she was "in the tent", do all intimate,
that, by the law of nature, and by the rules of religion, the
wife ought to keep at home, unless urgent necessity do call her
abroad.—Richard Steele (—1692), in "The
Morning Exercises."
Verse 3. As it is visible that the good man's sons
being "like olive plants round about his table",
means not that they should be like the olive plants which grew
round his table, it being, I presume, a thought in Bishop
Patrick that will not be defended, that the Psalmist refers to a
table spread in an arbour composed of young olive trees, for we
find no such arbours in the Levant, nor is the tree very proper
for such a purpose; so in like manner the first clause must
signify, thy wife shall be in the sides, or private
apartments, of thy house, fruitful as a thriving vine:
the place here mentioned (the sides of the house) referring to
the wife, not to the vine; as the other (the table) refers to
the children, not to the olives. Nor is this a new thought, it
is a remark that Musculus and other interpreters have made. The
Hebrew word, translated sides, is very well known to signify the
more private apartments of a house, as they have also
remarked; and he that reads Dr. Shaw's description of an Eastern
house, must immediately see the propriety of calling the private
apartments its sides. Such a house consists of a square
court, which the doctor observes, is called the midst of
the house: and private apartments round it, which may as
properly be called its sides in consequence: into this
middle of the house, or this quadrangle, company, he tells us,
are sometimes received, in which other authors tell us
their wives remain concealed at such times.—Thomas Harmer,
1719-1788.
Verse 3. Thy children like olive plants, etc.
Follow me into the grove, and I will show you what may have
suggested the comparison. Here we have hit upon a beautiful
illustration. This aged and decayed tree is surrounded, as you
see, by several young and thrifty shoots, which spring from the
root of the venerable parent. They seem to uphold, protect, and
embrace it, we may even fancy that they now bear that load of
fruit which would otherwise be demanded of the feeble parent.
Thus do good and affectionate children gather round the table of
the righteous. Each contributes something to the common wealth
and welfare of the whole—a beautiful sight, with which may God
refresh the eyes of every friend of mine.—W. M. Thomson.
Verse 3. Man by nature, uninfluenced by grace, is
"a wild olive tree"; and the object of most parents is
merely to cultivate this wild olive tree. What anxiety is there
about accomplishments which, how attractive soever, are but the
dying blossoms of this wild olive tree!—Richard Cecil,
1748-1810.
Verse 3. Although the world is carried away by
irregular desires after various objects, between which it is
perpetually fluctuating in its choice, God gives us in this
Psalm a description of what lie considers to be a blessing
beyond all riches, and therefore we ought to hold it in high
estimation. If a man has a wife of amiable manners as the
companion of his life, let him set no less value upon this
blessing than Solomon did, who, in Pr 19:14, affirms that it is
God alone who gives a good wife. In like manner, if a man be a
father of a numerous offspring, let him receive that goodly boon
with a thankful heart.—John Calvin.
Verse 3. Before the fall Paradise was man's home;
since the fall home has been his Paradise.—Augustus William
Hare (1792-1834), and Julius Charles Hare
(1795-1855), in "Guesses at Truth."
Verse 4. As Haman caused it to be proclaimed (Es 6:9),
"Thus shall it be done to the man whom the king delighteth
to honour"; so here, Behold, that thus shall the man be
blessed that feareth the Lord. He shall be blessed in his
wife, and blessed in his children; so blessed in both that the
Psalmist calls all to behold it, as a rare, beautiful, yea,
wonderful sight: "Behold, thus shall the man be
blessed." And yet the man fearing God shall be blessed
more than thus: his blessing shall come in the best way (Ps
128:5): "The Lord shall bless thee out of Zion";
his temporal mercies shall come in a spiritual way, yea, he
shall have spiritual blessings: "He shall bless thee out
of Zion"; and he shall have blessings beyond his own
walls: "Thou shalt see the good of Jerusalem all the
days of thy life. Yea, thou shalt see thy children's children,
and peace upon Israel." Sometimes a good man can take
no content in his family mercies because of the church's
afflictions; he "prefers Jerusalem above his chief
joy" (Ps 137:6), and while that is mourning he cannot but
be sorrowing, though his own house be full of joy. Sometimes a
man's own family is so afflicted, and his house so full of
sorrow, that he cannot but mourn, even when Jerusalem rejoiceth
and Zion is glad. But when a good man looks home to his own
house and sees good there; when also he looks abroad to
Jerusalem and sees good there too, how full is his joy! how
complete is his blessedness! and, "Behold, thus the man
is blessed that feareth the Lord."—Joseph Caryl.
Verse 4. Behold, that thus shall the man be blessed,
etc. It is asserted with a note commanding attention: behold it
by faith in the promise; behold it by observation in the
performance of the promise; behold it with assurance that it
shall be so, for God is faithful; and with admiration that it
should be so; for we merit no favour, no blessing from him.—Matthew
Henry.
Verse 5. Thou shalt see the good of Jerusalem,
etc. What is added concerning "the good of Jerusalem"
is to be regarded as enjoining upon the godly the duty not only
of seeking their own individual welfare, or of being devoted to
their own peculiar interests; but rather of having it as their
chief desire to see the Church of God in a flourishing
condition. It would be a very unreasonable thing for each member
to desire what may be profitable for itself, while in the
meantime the body was neglected. From our extreme proneness to
err in this respect, the prophet, with good reason, recommends
solicitude about the public welfare; and lie mingles together
domestic blessings and the common benefits of the church in such
a way as to show us that they are things joined together, and
which it is unlawful to put asunder.—John Calvin.
Verse 6. Lord, let thy blessing so accompany my
endeavours in their offspring, that all my sons may be Benaiahs,
the Lord's building, and then they will all be Abners, their
father's light; and that all my daughters may be Bethins, the
Lord's daughters, and then they will all be Abigails, their
father's joy.—George Swinnock.
Verse 6. Religion is as favourable for long life as
for happiness. She promotes long life by destroying those evils,
the tendency of which is to limit the duration of human
existence. War sweeps millions into a premature grace. Men live
longer in Christian than in heathen countries. They live longer
in Protestant than in Roman Catholic countries. The direct
effect of true religion is to increase the period of human life.
"Length of days is in her right hand."—N. M'
Michael.
Verse 6. Connecting this with the next Psalm we find
the following in a famous Scotch divine:—"Peace upon
Israel." The great blessing of peace, which the Lord bath
promised to his people even in this life, (for where the Lord
gives mercy to any, he gives them peace also, peace and grace
are inseparably joined together), this peace, I say, does not
consist in this, that the people of God shall have no enemies;
no, for there is an immortal and endless enmity against them.
Neither does their peace consist in this, that their enemies
shall not assault them; neither does it consist in this, that
their enemies shall not molest or afflict them. We do but
deceive ourselves if so be that we imagine, so long as we are in
this our pilgrimage, and in our warfare here, if we promise to
ourselves a peace of this kind; for while we live in this world,
we shall still have enemies, and these enemies shall assault us,
and persecute and afflict us."—Alexander Henderson.
HINTS TO THE VILLAGE PREACHER
Verse 1. The universality of the blessedness of God
fearing men. Circumstances, personal or relative, cannot alter
the blessing; nor age, nor public opinion, nor even their own
sense of unworthiness.
Verse 1. Consider:
1. The union of a right fear with a right walk.
(a) There is a wrong fear, because slavish; this never can
lead to genuine obedience, which must be willingly and
cheerfully rendered.
(b) But the fear of reverence and filial love will surely
turn the feet to God's ways, keep them steadfast therein, and
wing them with speed.
2. The blessedness of him in whom they are united.
(a) It is blessedness of life; for that is prospered.
(b) It is blessedness of domestic happiness; for where the
head of a family is holy, the family is the home of peace.
(c) It is the blessedness of a holy influence in every sphere
of his activity.
(d) It is deep felt heart blessedness in walking with God.
(e) And all is but a prelude to the everlasting blessedness
of heaven.—J. F.
Verse 2. The blessedness of the righteous are first
generalized, then particularized. Here they are divided into
three particulars.
1. The fruit of past labours.
2. Present enjoyment.
3. Future welfare: "It shall be well with thee."
Well in time; well in death; well at the last judgment; well
forever.—G. R.
Verse 2.
1. Labour a blessing to him who fears God.
2. The fruits of labour the result of God's blessing.
3. The enjoyment of the fruits of labour a further blessing from
God.
—W. H. J. P.
Verse 2. (first clause). Success in life.
1. Its source—God's blessing.
2. Its channels—our own labour.
3. The measure in which it is promised—as much as we can
eat. More is above the promise.
4. The enjoyment. We are permitted to eat or enjoy our labour.
Verse 2. (second clause). Godly happiness.
1. Follows upon God's blessing.
2. Grows out of character: "feareth the Lord."
3. Follows labour: see preceding sentence.
4. It is supported by wellbeing: see following sentence.
Verse 2. (last clause).
1. It shall be well with thee while thou livest.
2. It shall be better with thee when thou diest.
3. It shall be best of all with thee in eternity.
—Adapted from Matthew Henry.
Verse 3. The blessing of children.
1. They are round our table—expense, anxiety,
responsibility, pleasure.
2. They are like olive plants—strong, planted in order,
coming on to succeed us, fruitful for God—as the olive
provided oil for the lamp.
Verse 3. A complete family picture. Here are the
husband, the wife, the children, the house, the rooms in the
side, the table. We should ask a blessing upon each, bless God
for each, and use each in a blessed manner.
Verse 4. Domestic happiness the peculiar blessing of
piety. Show how it produces and maintains it.
Verse 5. The blessing out of Zion. See Nu 6:24-26.
Verse 5. Two priceless mercies.
1. The house of God a blessing to our house. It is connected
with our own salvation, edification, consolation, etc. It is our
hope for the conversion of our children and servants, etc. It is
the place of their education, and for the formation of helpful
friendship, etc.
2. Our house a blessing to God's house. Personal interest in
the church, hospitality, generosity, service, etc. Children
aiding holy work. Wife useful, etc.
Verse 6. Old age blessed when
1. Life has been spent in the fear of God.
2. When it is surrounded to its close by human affection.
3. When it maintains its interest in the cause of God.
—W. H. J. P.
Verse 6. (last clause). Church peace—its
excellence, its enemies, its friends, its fruits.