For thou art the God of my strength ; i.e. the God in whom is all my strength ( Psalms 28:7 ). Why dost thou cast me off? An equivalent to the "Why hast thou forgotten me?" of Psalms 42:9 . Why go I mourning because of the oppression of the enemy? Repeated, with the variation of a single word, from Psalms 42:9 . read more
O send out thy light and thy truth ( Psalms 40:11 ; Psalms 57:3 , where, however, "mercy ( חסד ) and truth" take the place of "light and truth"). Both words equally signify God's favour. Let them lead me. As the pillar of fire and of the cloud led the Israelites into the promised land, so let God's "light and truth" now lead David back to Jerusalem and God's "holy hill of Zion." Let them bring me unto thy holy hill, and to thy tabernacles; or, thy dwelling-place. In his exile it... read more
Then will I go unto the altar Of God . As the special place where thanksgiving ought to be made, and sacrifice offered (see 2 Samuel 6:17 ; 1 Chronicles 16:1 ). Unto God my exceeding Joy; literally, unto God the gladness of my exultation. Yea , upon the harp will I praise thee, O God my God. The psalmist has before him some such scene as that depicted in 2 Samuel 6:1-23 . and 1 Chronicles 15:25-29 , where, amid shouts and singing and dancing, and "with sound of the cornet, and... read more
God my exceeding Joy. As the Bible teems with thoughts which never would have entered men's minds without Divine teaching, so also of feelings, which, had they not been real, men would never have aspired or pretended to. Among these is that "exceeding joy" in God which the text expresses. If it be true that "the fleshly heart is enmity against God," then this joy must be supernatural. But not unnatural. Only because man is fallen can it ever be natural to him to forget God, to be... read more
Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? hope in God: for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God . The refrain of Psalms 42:11 is here repeated totidem verbis ; and the plaint of the exiled monarch is brought to an end. The burden of the refrain is hope and confidence. Notwithstanding the woes of the present, the writer has no doubt in respect of the future; he will yet have occasion to "praise" God, whom he feels to... read more
This psalm is without a title. The name of the author is unknown, and, of course, it is not known on what occasion the psalm was composed. It bears, however, a very strong resemblance, in its general spirit and in its structure, to Psalms 42:1-11, and was, beyond doubt, composed by the same author, and in reference to the same occasion. The resemblance between the two psalms is so striking that many have supposed that they are parts of the same psalm, and as this one terminates with the same... read more
Judge me, O God - This does not mean, Pronounce sentence upon me; but, Undertake my cause; interpose in my behalf; do justice in the case. He regarded his own cause as right; he felt that he was greatly wronged by the treatment which he received from people, and he asks to have it shown that he was not guilty of what his enemies charged on him; that he was an upright man, and a friend of God. See Psalms 7:8, note; Psalms 26:1, note.And plead my cause - See the notes at Psalms 35:1. “Against an... read more
For thou art the God of my strength - See Psalms 18:2, note; Psalms 28:7, note.Why dost thou cast me off? - As if I were none of thine; as if I were wholly abandoned. Compare the notes at Psalms 22:1. The word rendered “cast off” - זנח zânach - is a word which implies strong disgust or loathing: “Why dost thou cast me off as a loathsome or disgusting object?” Compare Revelation 3:16. The Hebrew word means properly to be foul, to be rancid, to stink: then, to be loathsome or abominable; and... read more
O send out thy light and thy truth - Send them forth as from thy presence; or, let them be made manifest. The word light here is equivalent to favor or mercy, as when one prays for the “light of God’s countenance” (see the notes at Psalms 4:6); and the idea is, that now, in the time of darkness and trouble, when the light of God’s countenance seemed to be withdrawn or hidden, he prays that God would impart light; that he would restore his favor; that he would conduct him back again to his... read more
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The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 43:1-5
Strengthening the heart in God. What Jonathan did for David when he went to him into the wood of Ziph, David does here for himself—he strengthens his heart in God ( 1 Samuel 23:16 ). "Hope in God." We learn here that— I. HOPE IS BASED ON GOD 'S REVELATION OF HIMSELF . We only know God as he is pleased to make himself known to us. In his works and in his Word we find the same character. The lesson comes to us from all sides that God is true, and that his laws should be... read more