Psalm 41:2

2 The LORD will ¹protect him and keep him alive, And he shall be called ²blessed upon the earth; And ³do not give him over to the desire 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 How blessed is he who considers the helpless; The LORD will deliver him in a day of trouble.

2 The LORD will protect him and keep him alive, And he shall be called blessed upon the earth; And do not give him over to the desire of his enemies.

3 The LORD will sustain him upon his sickbed ; In his illness, You restore him to health .

4 As for me, I said, "O LORD , be gracious to me; Heal my soul, for I have sinned against You."

5 My enemies speak evil against me, "When will he die, and his name perish?"

Cross References

• 1. Psalms 37:28
• 2. Psalms 37:22
• 3. Psalms 27:12

Footnotes

• [a] Or "be blessed"