Psa 66:1-4 | Clarke | STEP | The psalmist exhorts all to praise God for the wonders he has wrought, ; calls on Israel to consider his mighty acts in behalf of their fathers, ; his goodness in their own behalf ; he resolves to pay his vows to God, and offer his promised sacrifices, ; calls on all to hear what God had done for his soul, . There is nothing particular in the title of the Psalm. It is not attributed to David either by the Hebrew, Chaldee, Syriac, Septuagint, Vulgate, or Ethiopic. The Arabic alone prefixes the name of David. The Vulgate, Septuagint, Ethiopic, and Arabic, call it a psalm of the resurrection: but for this there is no authority. By many of the ancients it is supposed to be a celebration of the restoration from the Babylonish captivity. Others think it commemorates the deliverance of Israel from Egypt, their introduction into the Promised Land, and the establishment of the worship of God in Jerusalem. Verse 1 Make a joyfull noise - Sing aloud to God, all ye lands - all ye people who, from different parts of the Babylonish empire, are now on return to your own land.

Psalms 66:1-4

Introduction

The psalmist exhorts all to praise God for the wonders he has wrought, Psa 66:1-4; calls on Israel to consider his mighty acts in behalf of their fathers, Psa 66:5-7; his goodness in their own behalf Psa 66:8-12; he resolves to pay his vows to God, and offer his promised sacrifices, Psa 66:13-15; calls on all to hear what God had done for his soul, Psa 66:15-20.

There is nothing particular in the title of the Psalm. It is not attributed to David either by the Hebrew, Chaldee, Syriac, Septuagint, Vulgate, or Ethiopic. The Arabic alone prefixes the name of David. The Vulgate, Septuagint, Ethiopic, and Arabic, call it a psalm of the resurrection: but for this there is no authority. By many of the ancients it is supposed to be a celebration of the restoration from the Babylonish captivity. Others think it commemorates the deliverance of Israel from Egypt, their introduction into the Promised Land, and the establishment of the worship of God in Jerusalem.

Verse 1

Make a joyfull noise - Sing aloud to God, all ye lands - all ye people who, from different parts of the Babylonish empire, are now on return to your own land. Verse 2

The honor of his name - Let his glorious and merciful acts be the subject of your songs. Verse 3

How terrible art thou - Consider the plagues with which he afflicted Egypt before he brought your fathers from their captivity, which obliged all his enemies to submit.

Thine enemies submit themselves - Literally, lie unto thee. This was remarkably the case with Pharaoh and the Egyptians. They promised again and again to let the people go, when the hand of the Lord was upon them: and they as frequently falsified their word. Verse 4

All the earth - The whole land shall worship thee. There shall no more an idol be found among the tribes of Israel. This was iterally true. After the Babylonish captivity the Israelites never relapsed into idolatry.

Selah - Remark it: this is a well attested truth.