Psalms 65:9-13 - Exposition

In conclusion, the psalmist praises God for his bountiful providence with respect to the harvest. According to some, the whole poem is essentially a harvest thanksgiving, and the poet now "comes at last to the point aimed at from the first." He traces the whole process by which the glorious termination is arrived at. First, the "early rain" descending from "the river of God," or the reservoir for rain which God guards in the heavens ( Job 38:37 ), moistening the furrows, softening the ridges, and preparing the land for the seed-corn. Then the sowing, which, being man's work, is but just touched on ( Psalms 65:9 , ad fin. ). After that, the "latter rain"—the gentle showers of March and April—which cause the grain to burst and the blade to spring, and the ear to form itself, and turn the dull fallow into a mass of greenery ( Psalms 65:10 , Psalms 65:12 ). At last, the full result—pastures clothed with flocks; valleys, the "long broad sweeps between parallel ranges of hills," covered over with corn; all nature laughing and shouting for joy ( Psalms 65:13 ).