Psalms 138:1

PSALM 138

THANKSGIVING FOR THE LORD'S LOVINGKINDNESS

This is the first of a group of eight psalms that are ascribed to David in the superscriptions, and this writer demands something more reliable than the speculations and guesses of critics as a reason for denying their accuracy.

We agree with Leupold that, "Up to this point, we have found the inscriptions in the Hebrew text to be at least defensible."[1] There are some writers who take the word "temple" (Psalms 138:2) as a reference to that of Solomon. However, as Barnes declared, "In this passage it undoubtedly refers to the tabernacle."[2]

Dahood has removed all doubt of the psalm being Davidic. He first recounted the critical judgment of the psalm as being post-exilic, that it could not have been written by a king, and that it reflects the message of the (so-called) Second Isaiah. Then he wrote, "Results just the contrary emerge when we take cognizance of epigraphic discoveries of the past forty years. These reveal that the psalm is a royal song; and the words of it find their closest counterparts in the Ugaritic tablets of the tenth century B.C.. So, a date in the Davidic period seems reasonable."[3]

Psalms 138:1-3

"I will give thee thanks with my whole heart:

Before the gods will I sing praises unto thee.

I will worship toward thy holy temple,

And give thanks unto thy name for thy lovingkindness and for thy truth:

For thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name.

In the day that I called thou answeredst me,

Thou didst encourage me with strength in my soul."

"Before the gods will I sing praises unto thee" (Psalms 138:1). The "gods" here are such persons as rulers, magistrates and other earthly authorities, many of whom deport themselves "as if they were gods." It is simply inconceivable that the psalmist was here speaking of idols. For a further discussion of this secondary use of the term "gods," see the chapter introduction to Psalms 82 (above).

"I will worship toward thy holy temple" (Psalms 138:2). This is a reference to the tabernacle, not to Solomon's temple, nor to the rebuilt temple following the captivity.

"In the day that I called, thou answeredst me" (Psalms 138:3). This psalm was apparently written following God's favorable answer of some very significant prayer on the part of the psalmist. Other than that, it is impossible to determine exactly the occasion of it.