Psalms 39:9

9 I was dumb, and opened not my mouth; for thou hast made (this happen), (But I was dumb, and did not open my mouth; for thou hast done this.)

Psalms 39:9 Meaning and Commentary

Psalms 39:9

I was dumb, I opened not my mouth
This refers either to his former silence, before he broke it, ( Psalms 39:1 Psalms 39:2 ) , or to what he after that came into again, when he had seen the folly of his impatience, the frailty of his life, the vanity of man, and all human affairs, and had been directed to place his hope and confidence in the Lord, ( Psalms 39:5-7 ) ; or to the present frame of his mind, and his future conduct, he had resolved upon; and may be rendered, "I am dumb"; or "will be dumb, and will not open my mouth" ^F5; that is, not in a complaining and murmuring way against the Lord, but be still, and know or own that he is God;

because thou didst [it];
not "because thou hast made me", as Austin reads the, words, and as the Arabic version renders them, "because thou hast created me"; though the consideration of God being a Creator lays his creatures under obligation as to serve him, so to be silent under his afflicting hand upon them; but the sense is, that the psalmist was determined to be patient and quiet under his affliction, because God was the author of it; for though he is not the author of the evil of sin, yet of the evil of affliction; see ( Amos 3:6 ) ; and it is a quieting consideration to a child of God under it, that it comes from God, who is a sovereign Being, and does what he pleases; and does all things well and wisely, in truth and faithfulness, and in mercy and loving kindness: this some refer to the rebellion of Absalom, and the cursing of Shimei, ( 2 Samuel 12:11 ) ( 2 Samuel 16:10 2 Samuel 16:11 ) ; or it may refer to the death of his child, ( 2 Samuel 12:22 2 Samuel 12:23 ) ; or rather to some sore affliction upon himself; since it follows,

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FOOTNOTES:

F5 (xtpa al) "non aperiam", Pagninus, Montanus, Piscator, Gejerus; so Ainsworth.

Psalms 39:9 In-Context

7 And now which is mine abiding? whether not the Lord? and my substance is at thee. (And now, who do I wait for? is it not for the Lord? for my hope is in thee.)

8 Deliver thou me from all my wickednesses; thou hast given me (as a) shame to the unknowing. (Rescue thou me/Save thou me from all of my wickednesses; thou hast made me a shame, or a reproach, to the ignorant.)

9 I was dumb, and opened not my mouth; for thou hast made (this happen), (But I was dumb, and did not open my mouth; for thou hast done this.)

10 remove thou thy wounds from me. From the strength of thine hand I failed in blamings; (Cease thou from wounding me; for I am failing from the strokes of thy hand.)

11 for wickedness thou hast chastised [a] man. And thou madest his life to fail as a spider; nevertheless each man is troubled in vain. (For when thou hast chastised someone for wickedness, thou hast destroyed his life; yea, like a moth that eateth up a piece of cloth. Nevertheless, each person is troubled over nothing anyway, for his life is nothing but emptiness.)