Psalms 147:20

20 He did not so to each nation; and he showed not his dooms to them. (He hath not done this for any other nation; he hath not shown his laws, or his decrees, to them.)

Psalms 147:20 Meaning and Commentary

Psalms 147:20

He hath not dealt so with any nation
Or "every nation" {b}; or all the nations under the heavens; only with the Jewish nation: these only for many hundreds of years were favoured with the divine revelation, with the word and ordinances of God; with the law, and with the Gospel, and with the service and worship of God; as well as with promises and prophecies of Christ, and good things to come by him. These were not communicated to anyone nation or body of people besides them; only now and then, to one here and there among the Gentiles: the Gospel was first preached to them at the coming of Christ, and after them to the Gentiles, when rejected by them;

and [as for his] judgments, they have not known them;
by which are meant, not the providential dispensations of God, which are unsearchable, and past finding out, till made manifest; nor punishments inflicted on wicked men, unobserved by them; but the word of God, and the ordinances of it, which the Gentile world for many ages were unacquainted with; see ( Psalms 19:9 ) ;

praise ye the Lord:
as literal Israel had reason to do, for those distinguishing instances of his favour and goodness; and as the spiritual Israel of God everywhere have; and particularly our British ones, who are highly favoured with the privileges of having the word of God purely and powerfully preached, and his ordinances truly and duly administered; at least in some parts of it, and that more than in any other nation under the heavens.


FOOTNOTES:

F2 (ywg lkl) "omni genti", Pagninus, Montanus, Gejerus; "omni nationi", V. L.

Psalms 147:20 In-Context

18 He shall send out his word, and shall melt those; his spirit shall blow, and waters shall flow. (And then he sendeth out his word, and the ice melteth; and his wind bloweth, and the waters flow.)
19 Which telleth his word to Jacob; and his rightfulnesses and dooms to Israel. (Who telleth his word to Jacob; yea, his statutes and his laws, or his decrees, to Israel.)
20 He did not so to each nation; and he showed not his dooms to them. (He hath not done this for any other nation; he hath not shown his laws, or his decrees, to them.)
Copyright © 2001 by Terence P. Noble. For personal use only.