Verse 17
17. for peace—instead of the prosperity which I had previously.
great bitterness—literally, "bitterness to me, bitterness"; expressing intense emotion.
in love—literally, "attachment," such as joins one to another tenderly; "Thou hast been lovingly attached to me from the pit"; pregnant phrase for, Thy love has gone down to the pit, and drawn me out from it. The "pit" is here simply death, in Hezekiah's sense; realized in its fulness only in reference to the soul's redemption from hell by Jesus Christ ( :-), who went down to the pit for that purpose Himself (Psalms 88:4-6; Zechariah 9:11; Zechariah 9:12; Hebrews 13:20). "Sin" and sickness are connected (Psalms 103:3; compare Isaiah 53:4; Matthew 8:17; Matthew 9:5; Matthew 9:6), especially under the Old Testament dispensation of temporal sanctions; but even now, sickness, though not invariably arising from sin in individuals, is connected with it in the general moral view.
cast . . . behind back—consigned my sins to oblivion. The same phrase occurs (1 Kings 14:9; Nehemiah 9:26; Psalms 50:17). Contrast Psalms 50:17- :, "Thou hast set our iniquities before thee, our secret sins in the light of thy countenance."
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