Psalm 73:15-17

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 73:1-28

Metrically, the psalm seems to fall into eight stanzas; the first and last of two verses each, the remaining six each of four verses. read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 73:1-28

The grievous conflict of the flesh and the Spirit, and the glorious conquest of the Spirit at the last. I. THE BEGINNING OF THE PSALM . In this he ingeniously pointeth at those rocks against which he was like to have split his soul. II. THE MIDDLE OF THE PSALM . In this he candidly confesseth his ignorance and folly to have been the chiefest foundation of his fault. III. THE END OF THE PSALM . In this he gratefully kisseth that hand which led him out... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 73:1-28

Asaph's trial and deliverance. Asaph was greatly tempted, as this psalm plainly shows. It does not matter whether he speaks of himself or, as is likely, of some other servant of God. Consider— I. HIS TEMPTATION . 1 . It was a very terrible one. (See Psalms 73:2 , "My feet were almost gone," etc.) How honest the Bible is! It tells the whole truth about men, and good men, too. It shows them tempted, and all but overcome. 2 . It arose from his seeing " the prosperity of... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 73:1-28

The solution of a great problem. The question here is—Why should good men suffer, and bad men prosper, when the Law had said that God was a righteous Judge, meting out to men in this world the due recompense of their deeds? The course of things should perfectly reflect the righteousness of God. The psalmist struggles for a solution of this problem. The first verse contains the conclusion he had arrived at. I. HIS DANGER . Expressed in the second, thirteenth, and twenty-second... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 73:15

If I say, I will speak thus; behold, I should offend against the generation of thy children; or, if I had said (Revised Version). If, when these feelings assailed me, and the lot of the ungodly man seemed to me much better than my own, I had resolved to speak out all my thoughts, and let them be generally known, then should I have dealt treacherously with (Revised Version) the generation of thy children. I should have deserted their cause; I should have hurt their feelings; I should have... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 73:16

When I thought to know this; literally, and I meditated, that I might understand this. A process of careful thought and consideration is implied, during which the psalmist tried hard to understand the method of God's government, and to explain to himself its seeming anomalies. But he says, It was too painful for me. He did not succeed; he was baffled and perplexed, and the whole effort was a pain and a grief to him. read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 73:17

Until I went into the sanctuary of God; literally, the sanctuaries (comp. Psalms 68:35 ; Psalms 84:1 ; Psalms 132:7 ). The three subdivisions of both the tabernacle and the first temple, viz. the court, the holy place, and the holy of holies, constituted three sanctuaries. The psalmist, in his perplexity, took his doubts into the sanctuary of God, and there, "in the calmness of the sacred court" (Kay), reconsidered the hard problem. Compare Hezekiah's action with the perplexing... read more

Albert Barnes

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Psalms 73:15

If I say, I will speak thus - If I should resolve to give expression to my feelings. If I should utter all that is passing in my mind and my heart. It is implied here that he had “not” given utterance to these thoughts, but had confined them to his own bosom. He knew how they might be regarded by others; how others might be led to feel as if no confidence was to be placed in God; how this might suggest thoughts to them which would not otherwise occur to them, and which would only tend to fill... read more

Albert Barnes

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Psalms 73:16

When I thought to know this - When I endeavored to comprehend this, or to explain it to myself. The idea is that he “thought” on the subject, or “meditated” on it with a view to be able to understand it. He did not express his opinions and feelings to others, but he dwelt on them in his own mind; not to find additional difficulties, not to confirm himself in opposition to God, and not to find new occasions for distrusting the divine government, but to understand exactly how this was. It was his... read more

Albert Barnes

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Psalms 73:17

Until I went into the sanctuary of God - The word “sanctuary” we now apply to a place of public worship; and, thus understood, the passage here would mean that he learned the truth on the subject only by the statements and disclosures made there in regard to the divine plans and dealings, and the results of human conduct. This interpretation makes good sense, and is in itself true, but it is not the idea in the original. The word “sanctuary” in the Old Testament, in the singular number, is... read more

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