Psalm 63:1

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Psalms 63:1-2

The title tells us when the psalm was penned, when David was in the wilderness of Judah; that is, in the forest of Hareth (1 Sam. 22:5) or in the wilderness of Ziph, 1 Sam. 23:15. 1. Even in Canaan, though a fruitful land and the people numerous, yet there were wildernesses, places less fruitful and less inhabited than other places. It will be so in the world, in the church, but not in heaven; there it is all city, all paradise, and no desert ground; the wilderness there shall blossom as the... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Psalms 63:1

O God, thou art my God ,.... Not by nature only, or by birth; not merely as an Israelite and son of Abraham; but by grace through Christ, and in virtue of an everlasting covenant, the blessings and promises of which were applied unto him; and he, by faith, could now claim his interest in them, and in his God as his covenant God; who is a God at hand and afar off, was his God in the wilderness of Judea, as in his palace at Jerusalem. The Targum is, "thou art my strength;' early will I... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Psalms 63:1

O God, thou art my God - He who can say so, and feels what he says, need not fear the face of any adversary. He has God, and all sufficiency in him. Early will I seek thee - From the dawn of day. De luce, from the light, Vulgate; as soon as day breaks; and often before this, for his eyes prevented the night-watches; and he longed and watched for God more than they who watched for the morning. The old Psalter says, God my God, til the fram light I wake ; and paraphrases thus: God of... read more

John Calvin

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Psalms 63:1

Verse 1 1.O God! thou art my God. The wilderness of Judah, spoken of in the title, can be no other than that of Ziph, where David wandered so long in a state of concealment. We may rely upon the truth of the record he gives us of his exercise when under his trials; and it is apparent that he never allowed himself to be so far overcome by them, as to cease lifting up his prayers to heaven, and even resting, with a firm and constant faith, upon the divine promises. Apt as we are, when assaulted... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 63:1

O God, thou art my God; or, my strong God ( Eli )—my Tower of strength. Early will I seek thee. The song was, perhaps, composed in the night watches, and poured forth at early dawn, when the king woke "refreshed" (comp. Psalms 63:5 , Psalms 63:6 ; and 2 Samuel 16:14 ). My soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee; or, pineth for thee (the verb occurs only in this place). Soul and body equally long for God, and especially desire to worship him in the sanctuary ( ... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 63:1

An invocation and a vow. "O God … seek thee." Rightly understood, these are the sublimest words human lips can utter. " My God!" To claim God as his own with joyful, adoring intelligence and absolute faith, is the highest act of which our nature is capable. It is melancholy to think that these same words may denote the degradation of our nature instead of its glory! The Prophet Isaiah, with holy indignation, restrained only by pity from utter scorn, depicts the idol worshipper falling... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 63:1-8

Sublime things. Chrysostom says, "That it was decreed and ordained by the primitive Fathers that no day should pass without the public singing of this psalm." I. THE GRANDEST CONVICTION THE CREATURE CAN HAVE . ( Psalms 63:1 .) That God is ours, and that we are God's. II. THE GRANDEST LONGING OF BODY AND SOUL . ( Psalms 63:1 .) III. THE GRANDEST VISION OF LIFE . ( Psalms 63:2 .) To see the power and glory of God. IV. THE ... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 63:1-11

The psalm is made up of five short stanzas—the first four consisting of two verses each, and the last of three. read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 63:1-11

Soul thirst. We may imagine the psalmist in the wilderness. It is night. He stands at his tent door. The light of moon and stars falls on a sandy waste stretching into dimness and mystery. He is lonely and sad. The emptiness of all around and the memory of better times breed a great longing in his soul. It is not as if it were something new and strange, rather it is the revival of the deepest and strongest cravings of his heart, that as he muses gather force and intensity, and must express... read more

Albert Barnes

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Psalms 63:1

O God, thou art my God - The words here rendered God are not the same in the original. The first one - אלהים 'Elohiym - is in the plural number, and is the word which is usually employed to designate God Genesis 1:1; the second - אל 'Êl - is a word which is very often applied to God with the idea of strength - a strong, a mighty One; and there is probably this underlying idea here, that God was the source of his strength, or that in speaking of God as his God, he was conscious of referring to... read more

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