Psalm 116:15-16

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 116:15

Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints (comp. Psalms 72:14 ). It is not a matter of indifference to God, when and under what circumstances each of his saints dies. Rather, it is a matter of deep concern to him. "In him are the issues of life and death" ( Psalms 68:20 ), and he appoints to each man the day and attendant circumstances of his demise. read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 116:15

The Divine estimate of the saint's death. The text is one of the precious words of the Bible—one of the instances in which the Bible sheds bright light over the darker facts of life. Sorrow, temptation, disappointment, sin, and, as here, death, are all irradiated by the light the Bible sheds upon them. Our text calls death "precious." This a strange epithet for death—one we should never have given to it. But it is true, nevertheless, as here used. Therefore note— I. THE MEANING OF... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 116:15

Consolations for the bereaved. Health and sickness, joy and sorrow, life and death, are strangely intermingled in the stories of human lives. They are the threads, the warp and the weft, of which the web of life is woven. Until sin is gone, it is better for us to keep the sorrows and the sicknesses and even the dyings; for these are God's agents for stamping upon sin its true character, and he makes them to be but the anguish of our deliverance from sin's power and dominion. In our times... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 116:16

O Lord, truly I am thy servant ; rather, even so , O Lord , for I am thy servant . Entitled, therefore, to thy care and consideration. I am thy servant, and the son of thine handmaid (comp. Psalms 86:16 ). "Thine handmaid"—the Church; or, if the writer is Hezekiah, "thy handmaid, Abiyah, the daughter of Zechariah," who "had under standing in the vision of God" ( 2 Chronicles 26:5 ; 2 Chronicles 29:1 ). Thou hast loosed my bonds . The "cords of death" (verse 3) are... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 116:16

The Lord's service commended. It is so I. BY SCRIPTURE . (See text.) The one trouble of the psalmist seems to be lest he should not be owned by the Lord as his servant. Hence: 1. He asserts with emphasis , "Truly I am thy servant." Here is not a mere make-believe, as so many professed servants of the Lord are. 2. And he reasserts it . "I am thy servant," not was, or will be, but I am, here and now, this day, thine. 3. And he cites a fact which unanswerably... read more

Albert Barnes

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Psalms 116:15

Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints - Of his people; his friends. Luther renders this, “The death of his saints is held to be of value” - (ist werth gehalten) - “before the Lord.” The word rendered “precious” - יקר yâqâr - means costly, as precious stones, 1 Kings 10:2, 1 Kings 10:10-11; dear, beloved, as relatives and friends, Psalms 45:9; honored, respected, Ecclesiastes 10:1; splendid, beautiful, Job 31:26; rare, 1 Samuel 3:1. The idea here is, that the death of... read more

Albert Barnes

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Psalms 116:16

O Lord, truly I am thy servant - In view of thy mercy in delivering me from death, I feel the obligation to give myself to thee. I see in the fact that thou hast thus delivered me, evidence that I am thy servant - that I am so regarded by thee; and I recognize the obligation to live as becomes one who has had this proof of favor and mercy.The son of thine handmaid - Of a pious mother. I see now the result of my training. I call to my recollection the piety of a mother. I rememberer how she... read more

Joseph Benson

Joseph Benson's Commentary of the Old and New Testaments - Psalms 116:15

Psalms 116:15. Precious, &c., is the death of his saints He sets a high price upon it: he will not easily grant it to the will of their enemies. If any son of violence procure it, he will make him pay very dearly for it. And when the saints suffer it for God’s sake, as they frequently do, it is a most acceptable sacrifice to him, and highly esteemed by him. Thus the blood of God’s people is said to be precious in his sight, Psalms 72:14. And in the same sense the life of a man is... read more

Joseph Benson

Joseph Benson's Commentary of the Old and New Testaments - Psalms 116:16

Psalms 116:16. O Lord, truly I am thy servant This is a thankful acknowledgment of his great obligations to God, whereby he was in duty bound to be his perpetual servant. The son of thy handmaid The son of a mother who was devoted, and did devote me to thy service. Thou hast loosed my bonds Thou hast rescued me from my enemies, whose captive and vassal I was, and therefore hast a just right to me and to my service. read more

Donald C. Fleming

Bridgeway Bible Commentary - Psalms 116:1-19

Psalms 115-117 Saved from deathGod was always faithful to Israel, though the Israelites were often unfaithful to him. Their sins brought God’s punishment upon them, causing their pagan neighbours to mock them with the accusation that their God was unable to help them and had deserted them (115:1-2). The Israelites reply that their God is alive and in full control. The pagan gods, by contrast, are useless, and the reason they are useless is that they are lifeless. Those who trust in them will... read more

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