Psalm 40:2

2 And he brought me up out of a pit of misery, and from miry clay: and he set my feet on a rock, and ordered my goings aright.

Psalm 40:2 Meaning and Commentary

Psalms 40:2

He brought me up also out of an horrible pit
Which, with the following phrase,

out of the miry clay,
expresses the state and condition Christ was in at the time of his bloody sweat, his crucifixion, and his lying in "sheol", the pit or grave, sometimes rendered hell, which these figurative phrases fitly signify; when it is observed, that he was made sin, and had the sins of all his people on him; and, as the type of Joshua, was clothed with their filthy garments; he might be truly said to be in the miry clay; and also that he was made a curse for them, and bore the wrath of God in their room and stead; and was forsaken by his God and Father, and so endured both the punishment of loss and sense, and what was tantamount to the sufferings of the damned in hell; see ( Psalms 69:1 Psalms 69:2 ) ; to which may be added the noisy insults of malignant men, and the infernal fiends, who surrounded him on the cross; when he was in an horrible, or "noisy pit", as the words may be rendered ^F11, the allusion being to subterraneous caverns or pits, in which the falls of water make so horrible a noise as is intolerable; or to deep pits, into which anything cast makes a great sound: and the issue of all this was, that he was laid in the pit of the grave, and held under the power and with the cords of death; from all which he was delivered when he was raised from the dead, justified in the Spirit, and glorified in the human nature by his God and Father;

and set my feet upon a rock;
on Mount Zion in heaven, whither he was carried up after his resurrection; where he will remain until his second coming, being set down at the right hand of God, in a most stable, firm, and unalterable state, as well as an honourable one; for he will die no more, and death shall no more have dominion over him;

[and] established my goings;
in treading the path of life, which was shown him at his resurrection; in passing through the air, the territory of Satan, at his ascension; and in his entrance into his glory, and making his way to his Father's right hand and throne.

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FOOTNOTES:

F11 (Nwav rwbm) "e cisterna sonitus", Pagninus, Montanus; "strepitus", Vatablus, the Targum & Kimchi; and to the same purpose Musculus, Cocceius, Junius & Tremellius, Piscator; "out of the pit of sounding calamity", Ainsworth.

Psalm 40:2 In-Context

1 I waited patiently for the Lord; and he attended to me, and hearkened to my supplication.

2 And he brought me up out of a pit of misery, and from miry clay: and he set my feet on a rock, and ordered my goings aright.

3 And he put a new song into my mouth, even a hymn to our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall hope in the Lord.

4 Blessed is the man whose hope is in the name of the Lord, and who has not regarded vanities and false frenzies.

5 O Lord my God, thou hast multiplied thy wonderful works, and in thy thoughts there is none who shall be likened to thee: I declared and spoke of them: they exceeded number.

6 Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not; but a body hast thou prepared me: whole-burnt-offering and sacrifice for sin thou didst not require.

7 Then I said, Behold, I come: in the volume of the book it is written concerning me,

8 I desired to do thy will, O my God, and thy law in the midst of mine heart.

9 I have preached righteousness in the great congregation; lo! I will not refrain my lips; O Lord, thou knowest my righteousness.

10 I have not hid thy truth within my heart, and I have declared thy salvation; I have not hid thy mercy and thy truth from the great congregation.

11 But thou, Lord, remove not thy compassion far from me; thy mercy and thy truth have helped me continually.

12 For innumerable evils have encompassed me; my transgressions have taken hold of me, and I could not see; they are multiplied more than the hairs of my head; and my heart has failed me.

13 Be pleased, O Lord, to deliver me; O Lord, draw nigh to help me.

14 Let those that seek my soul, to destroy it, be ashamed and confounded together; let those that wish me evil be turned backward and put to shame.

15 Let those that say to me, Aha, aha, quickly receive shame for their reward.

16 Let all those that seek thee, O Lord, exult and rejoice in thee; and let them that love thy salvation say continually, The Lord be magnified.

17 But I am poor and needy; the Lord will take care of me; thou art my helper, and my defender, O my God, delay not.