Psalm 41:2

2 the Lord protects him and keeps him alive; he is called blessed in the land; you ¹do not give him up to the will of his enemies.

Psalm 41:2 Meaning and Commentary

Psalms 41:2

The Lord will preserve him and keep him alive
Amidst a thousand deaths, to which he is exposed for making a profession of his faith in Christ; see ( 2 Corinthians 1:10 ) ( 2 Corinthians 4:10 2 Corinthians 4:11 ) ( 6:9 ) ; or this may refer to his spiritual life, which is hid and preserved in Christ, in whom he believes; and is safe and secure; because Christ lives he shall live also, and shall never die the second death, nor be hurt by it, but shall have everlasting life;

[and] he shall be blessed upon the earth;
with temporal blessings; for whatever he has, be it more or less, he has it with the blessing of God, and as a blessing of the covenant, and in love, and so is a blessing indeed: and with spiritual blessings; with peace, pardon, righteousness, and a right and title to eternal glory and happiness; and he will be blessed in the new earth, in which righteousness will dwell, and where he will dwell, live, and reign with Christ a thousand years;

and thou wilt not deliver him into the will of his enemies;
not into the will of Satan, that roaring lion who would devour him if he might; nor of wicked men, and furious persecutors, whose wrath the Lord makes to praise him; and the remainder of it is restrained by him; some read these words as a prayer, "do not thou deliver him" see ( Psalms 27:12 ) ; so Pagninus, Montanus, Junius and Tremellius, Ainsworth, and others.

Psalm 41:2 In-Context

1 Blessed is the one who considers the poor! In the day of trouble the Lord delivers him;

2 the Lord protects him and keeps him alive; he is called blessed in the land; you do not give him up to the will of his enemies.

3 The Lord sustains him on his sickbed; in his illness you restore him to full health.

4 As for me, I said, “O Lord, be gracious to me; heal me, for I have sinned against you! ”

5 My enemies say of me in malice, “When will he die, and his name perish? ”

Cross References

• 1. 41:2 Ps. 27:12