Psalms 66:8-18

8 Give blessings to our God, O you peoples, let the voice of his praise be loud;
9 Because he gives us life, and has not let our feet be moved.
10 For you, O God, have put us to the test: testing us by fire like silver.
11 You let us be put in prison; chains were put on our legs.
12 You let men go driving over our heads; we went through fire and through water; but you took us out into a wide place.
13 I will come into your house with burned offerings, I will make payment of my debt to you,
14 Keeping the word which came from my lips, and which my mouth said, when I was in trouble.
15 I will give you burned offerings of fat beasts, and the smoke of sheep; I will make offerings of oxen and goats. (Selah.)
16 Come, give ear to me, all you God-fearing men, so that I may make clear to you what he has done for my soul.
17 My voice went up to him, and I was lifted up from the underworld.
18 I said in my heart, The Lord will not give ear to me:

Psalms 66:8-18 Meaning and Commentary

To the chief Musician, A Song [or] Psalm. This psalm does not bear the name of David in the title of it, yet is generally thought to be one of his; but because the plural number is used in it, which is not so common in David's psalms, Aben Ezra is of opinion it is not his, but written by the singers. This is not a sufficient objection: and besides, in Psalm 66:13, the singular number is used. The Arabic version ascribes it to David, and that version makes the subject matter of it to be "concerning the resurrection"; as do the Septuagint, Ethiopic, and Vulgate Latin versions. The title of the Syriac version is, "concerning sacrifices and burnt offerings, and the incense of rams; the spiritual sense intimates to us the calling of the Gentiles, and the preaching, that is, of the Gospel;" which comes nearest the truth: for the psalm respects Gospel times, and the church of Christ under the New Testament, spread throughout the world, and especially as it will be in the latter day; see Psalm 66:1; and so in Yalkut Simeoni on the psalm, it is said to be a psalm for time to come, and agrees with Zephaniah 3:9; "I will turn to the people a pure language," &c. Kimchi says it is a psalm concerning the gathering of the captives of Israel; and so Jarchi and Obadiah expound it; and Theodoret says David wrote this psalm for the captives in Babylon.
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