I know all the fowls of the mountains, and the wild beasts of the field are mine ; literally, are ' with me. All creation is God's, known to him, and owned by him, to be dealt with at his pleasure. How, then, should he need gifts from men? read more
For every beast of the forest is mine - All the beasts that roam at large in the wilderness; all that are untamed and unclaimed by man. The idea is, that even if God “needed” such offerings, he was not dependent on them - for the numberless beasts that roamed at large as his own would yield an ample supply.And the cattle upon a thousand hills - This may mean either the cattle that roamed by thousands on the hills, or the cattle on numberless hills. The Hebrew will bear either construction. The... read more
I know all the fowls of the mountains - That is, I am fully acquainted with their numbers; their nature; their habits; their residence. I have such a knowledge of them that I could appropriate them to my own use if I were in need of them. I am not, therefore, dependent on people to offer them, for I can use them as I please.And the wild beasts of the field are mine - Margin, “with me.” That is, they are before me. They are never out of my presence. At any time, therefore, I could use them as I... read more
Psalms 50:8-13. I will not reprove thee for thy sacrifices, &c. This is not the principal matter of my charge against thee, that thou hast neglected sacrifices, which thou shouldest have offered; for, although thou hast often omitted thy duty even in that respect, yet I have greater things than these to charge thee with. I will take no bullock, &c. Be not so foolish as to imagine that thou dost lay any obligations upon me by thy sacrifices, or that I required them because I had... read more
Psalms 50:0 True worshipIn a scene that displays his awesome majesty, God commands the whole world to stand before his judgment throne (1-3). He is the righteous judge of all the peoples of the world, and his first call to judgment concerns his own people, Israel (4-6).God’s complaint against the Israelites is not that they have failed to offer sacrifices and offerings. Indeed, they have offered them continually (7-8). But God will not accept their offerings. Instead of offering their... read more
Psalms 50:11. I know all the fowls of the mountains— I know all the fowls of the air. Houbigant. read more
Psalms 50This psalm pictures God seated in His heavenly throne room. He has two indictments against His people Israel. The wicked among them were hypocritical in their worship, a violation of the first part of the Decalogue, and in their interpersonal relationships, a violation of the second part. They needed to return to Him wholeheartedly. This is a didactic psalm written to teach God’s people an important lesson."This psalm is the speech of God, who addresses his covenant partner concerning... read more
2. Charge 1: formalistic worship 50:7-15 read more
He was not charging them with failure to offer the sacrifices He had prescribed. They had done that. They erred in thinking that offering sacrifices was all He expected. He reminded them that He did not need their offerings. He already owned everything they presented to Him. The pagans believed they maintained their gods by offering them food, but Yahweh reminded His people that He did not need their sacrifices."There is a note of sarcasm in the use of the pronoun ’your’ in ’your stall’ and in... read more
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The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 50:10
For every beast of the forest is mine, and the cattle upon a thousand hills . So the Revised Version, Dr. Kay, Canon Cook, the Four Friends, and others; but many critics regard such a rendering as impossible. Of these, some translate, "And the cattle upon the hills, where there are thousands" (Hupfeld, Hengstenberg, etc.); while others read אלהים for אלף , and render, "And the cattle upon the mountains of God" (Olshausen, Cheyne). read more