Psalm 119:169-171

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Psalms 119:169-170

Here we have, I. A general petition for audience repeated: Let my cry come near before thee; and again, Let my supplication come before thee. He calls his prayer his cry, which denotes the fervency and vehemence of it, and his supplication, which denotes the humility of it. We must come to God as beggars come to our doors for an alms. He is concerned that his prayer might come before God, might come near before him, that is, that he might have grace and strength by faith and fervency to lift... read more

Matthew Henry

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Psalms 119:171

Here is, 1. A great favour which David expects from God, that he will teach him his statutes. This he had often prayed for in this psalm, and urged his petition for it with various arguments; and now that he is drawing towards the close of the psalm he speaks of it as taken for granted. Those that are humbly earnest with God for his grace, and resolve with Jacob that they will not let him go unless he bless them with spiritual blessings, may be humbly confident that they shall at length obtain... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Psalms 119:169

ת , TAU.--The Twenty-second and last Part . TAU. Let my cry come near before thee, O Lord ,.... Not "my praise", as the Syriac version; but "my prayer", put up in great distress, and with great vehemence and importunity; see Psalm 119:145 ; and when it is desired it might "come near before" the Lord, it does not so much suppose distance of place between the petitioner and the petitioned as earth is from heaven, as Aben Ezra observes, as distance of state and condition; the... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Psalms 119:170

Let my supplication come before thee ,.... The same with his "cry" in Psalm 119:169 ; only expressed by another word, signifying a petition for grace and favour, in an humble and submissive manner; which it is entreated might be received and accepted, as before; deliver me according to thy word ; of promise, such as that in Psalm 50:15 ; meaning from all troubles and afflictions; out of the hands of all his enemies, and from the power of sin, Satan, and the world; and from all fears... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Psalms 119:171

My lips shall utter praise ,.... Like water flowing from a fountain, as the word F13 תבענה "profundent", Vatablus, Musculus; "ebullient", Piscator, Gejerus; "scaturiunt", Cocceius; "scaturient", Michaelis. signifies. The heart of a good man is like a fountain of water, abounding: with good things, and his mouth is a well of life; out of the abundance of grace and good things in his heart his mouth speaks, John 4:14 ; and particularly his heart is filled with praise and thankfulness... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Psalms 119:169

Let my cry come near before thee - This is really a fine image; it is of frequent occurrence, and is little heeded. Here the psalmists cry for deliverance is personified; made an intelligent being, and sent up to the throne of grace to negotiate in his behalf. He pursues this prosopopoeia in the next verse and sends his supplication in the same way. I have already had occasion to refer to a similar figure in Homer, where prayers are represented as the daughters of Jupiter. See on Psalm 88:2... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Psalms 119:171

My lips shall utter praise - תהלה tehillah , a song of praise. read more

John Calvin

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Psalms 119:169

Verse 169 169.Let my cry come (38) near into thy presence. The Psalmist repeats the same sentiment which has already come under our notice — that his chief desire, and what he, most of all pressed after, regarding everything else as of secondary importance, was to make progress in the study of the divine law. By the word cry he denotes earnestness. I am anxious, as if he had said, above all things, and am chiefly inflamed with this desire, (even as it is just and reasonable,) that the light of... read more

John Calvin

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Psalms 119:170

Verse 170 170.Let my prayer come into thy presence. After having made supplication that the gift of right understanding might be imparted to him, the Psalmist now implores God for deliverance, by which he acknowledges that he was continually involved in multiplied dangers from which he found it impossible to escape, unless God stretched forth his hand from heaven to his aid. We know, indeed, that whenever any distress was pressing hard behind him, he called upon God for succor; but as he does... read more

John Calvin

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Psalms 119:171

Verse 171 171.My lips shall speak praise. David now shows in another way than in the preceding verse, how high a privilege he accounted it to be admitted by God among the number of His disciples, and to profit aright in His school, by declaring that, if so privileged, he will hasten forward to render thanks to him with fluent tongue. The word נבע,naba, which he employs, is a metaphor taken from the bubbling up of fountains, and accordingly it signifies not simply to speak, but to pour forth... read more

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