Psalms 66:10-20

10 For you, God, have tested us, refined us as silver is refined.

11 You brought us into the net and bound our bodies fast.

12 You made men ride over our heads; we went through fire and water. But you brought us out to a place of plenty.

13 I will come into your house with burnt offerings, I will fulfill my vows to you,

14 those my lips pronounced and my mouth spoke when I was in distress.

15 I will offer you burnt offerings of fattened animals, along with the sweet smoke of rams; I will offer bulls and goats. (Selah)

16 Come and listen, all you who fear God, and I will tell what he has done for me.

17 I cried out to him with my mouth, his praise was on my tongue.

18 Had I cherished evil thoughts, Adonai would not have listened.

19 But in fact, God did listen; he paid attention to my prayer.

20 Blessed be God, who did not reject my prayer or turn his grace away from me.

Psalms 66:10-20 Meaning and Commentary

To the chief Musician, A Song [or] Psalm. This psalm does not bear the name of David in the title of it, yet is generally thought to be one of his; but because the plural number is used in it, which is not so common in David's psalms, Aben Ezra is of opinion it is not his, but written by the singers. This is not a sufficient objection: and besides, in Psalm 66:13, the singular number is used. The Arabic version ascribes it to David, and that version makes the subject matter of it to be "concerning the resurrection"; as do the Septuagint, Ethiopic, and Vulgate Latin versions. The title of the Syriac version is, "concerning sacrifices and burnt offerings, and the incense of rams; the spiritual sense intimates to us the calling of the Gentiles, and the preaching, that is, of the Gospel;" which comes nearest the truth: for the psalm respects Gospel times, and the church of Christ under the New Testament, spread throughout the world, and especially as it will be in the latter day; see Psalm 66:1; and so in Yalkut Simeoni on the psalm, it is said to be a psalm for time to come, and agrees with Zephaniah 3:9; "I will turn to the people a pure language," &c. Kimchi says it is a psalm concerning the gathering of the captives of Israel; and so Jarchi and Obadiah expound it; and Theodoret says David wrote this psalm for the captives in Babylon.