Psalm 50:2

2 Out of Sion comes the excellence of his beauty.

Psalm 50:2 Meaning and Commentary

Psalms 50:2

Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God hath shined.
] Or "shall shine" ^F16; the past for the future, as Kimchi observes; or "the perfection of the beauty of God hath shined out of Zion" ^F17; that is, Christ; he is the perfection of beauty; he is fairer than the children of men; he is more glorious than the angels in heaven: as Mediator, he is full of grace and truth, which makes him very lovely and amiable to his people: he is the express image of his Father's person; and the glory of all the divine perfections is conspicuous in his work of salvation, as well as in himself: now as he was to come out of Zion, ( Psalms 14:7 ) ; that is, not from the fort of Zion, or city of Jerusalem; for he was to be born at Bethlehem; only he was to be of the Jews, and spring from them; so he shone out, or his appearance and manifestation in Israel was like the rising sun; see ( Malachi 4:2 ) ( Luke 1:78 Luke 1:79 ) ; and the love and kindness of God in the mission and gift of him appeared and shone out in like manner, ( Titus 3:4 ) ; or else the Gospel may be meant, which has a beauty in it: it is a glorious Gospel, and holds forth the beauty and glory of Christ. All truth is lovely and amiable, especially evangelical truth: it has a divine beauty on it; it comes from God, and bears his impress; yea, it is a perfection of beauty: it contains a perfect plan of truth, and is able to make the man of God perfect; and this was to come out of Zion, ( Isaiah 2:3 ) ; and which great light first arose in Judea, and from thence shone out in the Gentile world, like the sun in all its lustre and glory, ( Titus 2:11 ) ; or, according to our version, "God hath shined out of Zion"; which, as Ben Melech on the text observes, is the perfection of beauty; see ( Lamentations 2:15 ) ; by which is meant the church under the Gospel dispensation, ( Hebrews 12:22 ) ; which, as in Gospel order, is exceeding beautiful; and as its members are adorned with the graces of the Spirit, by which they are all glorious within; and especially as they are clothed with the righteousness of Christ, and so are perfectly comely through the comeliness he hath put upon them and here it is that Christ, who is the great God, and our Saviour, shines forth upon his people, grants his gracious presence, and manifests himself in his ordinances, to their great joy and pleasure.

---

FOOTNOTES:

F16 (eymwh) "emicabit", Tigurine version; "vel effulgebit", Vatablus; "illucescet", Amama, Grotius.
F17 So De Dieu.

Psalm 50:2 In-Context

1 The God of gods, the Lord, has spoken, and called the earth from the rising of the sun to the going down thereof.

2 Out of Sion comes the excellence of his beauty.

3 God, our God, shall come manifestly, and shall not keep silence: a fire shall be kindled before him, and round about him there shall be a very great tempest.

4 He shall summon the heaven above, and the earth, that he may judge his people.

5 Assemble ye his saints to him, those that have engaged in a covenant with him upon sacrifices.

6 And the heavens shall declare his righteousness: for God is judge. Pause.

7 Hear, my people, and I will speak to thee, O Israel: and I will testify to thee: I am God, thy God.

8 I will not reprove thee on account of thy sacrifices; for thy whole-burnt-offerings are before me continually.

9 I will take no bullocks out of thine house, nor he-goats out of thy flocks.

10 For all the wild beasts of the thicket are mine, the cattle on the mountains, and oxen.

11 I know all the birds of the sky; and the beauty of the field is mine.

12 If I should be hungry, I will not tell thee: for the world is mine, and the fullness of it.

13 Will I eat the flesh of bulls, or drink the blood of goats?

14 Offer to God the sacrifice of praise; and pay thy vows to the Most High.

15 And call upon me in the day of affliction; and I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me. Pause.

16 But to the sinner God has said, Why dost thou declare my ordinances, and take up my covenant in thy mouth?

17 Whereas thou hast hated instruction, and hast cast my words behind thee.

18 If thou sawest a thief, thou rannest along with him, and hast cast in thy lot with adulterers.

19 Thy mouth has multiplied wickedness, and thy tongue has framed deceit.

20 Thou didst sit and speak against thy brother, and didst scandalize thy mother’s son.

21 These things thou didst, and I kept silence: thou thoughtest wickedly that I should be like thee, but I will reprove thee, and set thine offences before thee.

22 Now consider these things, ye that forget God, lest he rend you, and there is no deliverer.

23 The sacrifice of praise will glorify me: and that is the way wherein I will shew to him the salvation of God.