Psalms 66:10-20

10 For you, God, tested us; you refined us like silver.
11 You brought us into prison and laid burdens on our backs.
12 You let people ride over our heads; we went through fire and water, but you brought us to a place of abundance.
13 I will come to your temple with burnt offerings and fulfill my vows to you—
14 vows my lips promised and my mouth spoke when I was in trouble.
15 I will sacrifice fat animals to you and an offering of rams; I will offer bulls and goats.
16 Come and hear, all you who fear God; let me tell you what he has done for me.
17 I cried out to him with my mouth; his praise was on my tongue.
18 If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened;
19 but God has surely listened and has heard my prayer.
20 Praise be to God, who has not rejected my prayer or withheld his love from me!

Psalms 66:10-20 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.

Cross References 14

  • 1. S Exodus 15:25
  • 2. S Job 6:29; S Job 28:1; S Psalms 12:6; Psalms 17:3; Isaiah 48:10; Zechariah 13:9; 1 Peter 1:6-7
  • 3. Psalms 142:7; Psalms 146:7; Isaiah 42:7,22; Isaiah 61:1
  • 4. S Genesis 3:17; S Exodus 1:14; Psalms 38:4; Isaiah 10:27; Lamentations 1:13
  • 5. Isaiah 51:23
  • 6. Psalms 18:19; Isaiah 43:2
  • 7. S Psalms 51:19
  • 8. Psalms 22:25; Psalms 50:14; Psalms 116:14; Ecclesiastes 5:4; John 2:9
  • 9. S Leviticus 16:5; Numbers 6:14; Psalms 51:19
  • 10. Psalms 34:11
  • 11. Psalms 71:15,24
  • 12. S Deuteronomy 1:45; S 1 Samuel 8:18; Job 36:21; Isaiah 1:15; James 4:3
  • 13. S Psalms 18:6; Psalms 116:1-2
  • 14. Psalms 22:24; Psalms 68:35
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