In theme and structure, this psalm resembles that before it, a resemblance rendered still more striking by particular coincidences of expression. In this case also, the people are invited to praise Jehovah, ver. 1-3, as the God of nature, ver. 4-9, as the deliverer of Israel from Egypt, ver. 10-15, his guide in the wilderness, ver. 16, the conqueror of his enemies, ver. 17-24, the provider of all creatures, ver. 25, and the God of heaven, to whom, in conclusion, praise is again declared to be due, ver. 26. The grand peculiarity of form in this psalm, by which it is distinguished from all others, is the regular recurrence, at the close of every verse, of a burden or refrain, like the responses in the Litany, but carried through with still more perfect uniformity. The text or theme, which thus forms the second clause of every verse, is one which has repeatedly occurred already, in Ps. cvi. 1, cvii. 1, cxviii. 1-4, 29. Compare 1 Chron. xvii. 34. It has been a favourite idea with interpreters, that such repetitions necessarily imply alternate or responsive choirs. But the other indications of this usage in the Psalter are extremely doubtful, and every exegetical condition may be satisfied by simply supposing that the singers, in some cases, answered their own questions, and that in others, as in that before us, the people united in the burden or chorus, as they were wont to do in the Amen. See above, on Ps. cvi. 48.
1. Give thanks unto Jehovah—for unto eternity (is) his mercy. This introductory sentence is identical with those already cited from Ps. cvi., cvii., cxviii.
2. Give thanks unto the God of gods—for unto eternity (is) his mercy. The divine title or description, both in this verse and the next, is borrowed from Deut. x. 17. Gods does not here mean false gods, but is a superlative plm-al qualifying that before it. See above, on Ps. lxxvii. 14 (13), cxxxv. 5.
3. Give thanks unto the Lord of lords—-for unto eternity (is) his mercy. The Lord of lords, i. e. the supreme Lord, the Lord by way of excellence, as in the English phrase heart of hearts for inmost heart.
4. To (him) doing wondrous (things), great (things), alone—for Unto eternity (is) his mercy. Compare the expression doing wonders, Exod. xv. 11. Alone, not merely more than others, but to their exclusion. The for, in this and the following verses, has reference, not to what immediately precedes, but to the verb give thanks, to be supplied at the beginning of the sentence.
5. To him that made the heavens in wisdom—for unto eternity (is) his mercy. That made, literally making, perhaps in reference to the continued exercise of God’s creative power. In wisdom, or with understanding. See above, on Ps. civ. 24, and compare Prov. iii. 19.
6. To him that spread the earth above the u’oters—for unto eternity (is) his mercy. That spread, literally spreading, as in ver. 5, Above (not upon, but higher than) the waters. See above, on Ps. xxiv. 2.
7. To him that made great lights—for unto eternity (is) his mercy. The plural lights (Q^IIK) occurs only here, but is cognate and synonymous with the one used in Gen. i. 14, 16.
8. The Sim to rule by day—for unto eternity (is) his mercy. The musical design of the composition is especially observable where the burden or chorus is interposed between inseparable parts of the same sentence, as in this one, the substance of which is borrowed from Gen. i. 16, but with some change both in the words and the construction.
9. The moon and stars to rule by night—for unto eternity (is) his mercy. To ride, literally ybr rules or dominions, perhaps because the stars are here made sharers with the moon in the dominion of the night.
10. To him that smote Egypt in their fist-born—for unto eternity (is) his mercy. We have here the transition from nature to history, as in Ps. cxxxv. 8. Bim that smote (or the smiter of) Egy2)t, i. e. the Egj-ptians. Hence the plural pronoun, their first-born.
11. And brought out Israel from the midst of them—-for unto eternity (is) his mercy. Here for the first time we have a finite tense (the future conversive), interrupting the long series of participles, all agreeing with Jehovah understood.
12. With a high hand and with an arm outstretched—for unto eternity is his mercy. These are favourite Mosaic figures for the active and energetic exercise of power. See Exod. iii. 19, vi. 1, 6, xiii. 9, xv. 12, Deut. iv. 34, V. 15, vii. 19, xi. 2, xxvi. 8.
13. To him that parted the Bed Sea into parts—-for unto eternity (is) his mercy. Parted and parts have the same relation to each other as the Hebrew verb and noun.
14. And made Israel to pass through the midst of it—-for unto eternity (is) his mercy. Here again we have a finite tense, not the conversive future, as in ver. 11, but the preterite. Through the midst of it, between the parts into which it was divided. Some suppose an allusion to the covenant transaction in Gen. xv. 17, where the word translated parts is the one used in ver. 13 above.
15. And cast Pharaoh and his host into the Red Sea—for unto eternity (is) his mercy. The first verb strictly means knocked off or shook off’, and is borrowed from Exod. xiv. 27. A passive form of it occurs above, Ps. cix. 23.
16. To him that led his people in the wilderness—for unto eternity (is) his mercy. Led, literally, caused to go. See above, Ps. cxxv. 5. The participial construction is again resumed.
17. To him that smote great kings—-for unto eternity (is) his mercy. Compare the parallel passage, Ps. cxxxv. 10, which is here divided by the theme or chorus. See above, on ver. 8.
18. And slew mighty kings—for unto eternity (is) his mercy. The first clause answers to the latter half of Ps. cxxxv. 10, with the substitution of another Hebrew word for mighty.
19. Sihon king of the Amorite—for unto eternity (is) his mercy. Literally to, for, or as to Sihon, &c. See above, on Ps. cxxxv. 11.
20. And Og king of Bashan—for unto eternity (is) his mercy. To, for, or as to, Og king of Bashan.
21. And gave their land as a heritage—for unto eternity (is) his m^rcy. As a heritage, literally for it. See above, on Ps. cxxxv. 12.
22. A heritage to Israel his servant—for unto eternity (is) his mercy. This is the latter half of Ps. cxxxv. 12, divided from the first half by the theme or chorus.
23. Who in our low estate remembered v^^br unto eternity (is) his mercy. In our low estate, in our humiliation, in our being humbled or reduced. Remembered us, or for us, for our benefit, as in Ps. cxxxii. 1. From the analogy of Ps. cvii, 16, 18, 26, cxv. 12, we learn that this relates to the captivity in Babylon, which is also the subject of the next psalm.
24. And snatched us from our adversaries—for unto eternity (is) hm mercy. The first verb always denotes violent action. See above, on Ps. vii. 3 (2). It here means to snatch or tear away, as in Lam. v. 8, and has reference to the great catastrophe by which the Babylonian power was broken and the Jews set free.
25. Giving bread to all flesh—for unto eternity (is) his mercy. Here the description passes suddenly from God’s acts of mercy towards his people to his general beneficence towards all that lives, perhaps with a design to intimate that he who thus cares for men in general and even for the lower animals, will not and cannot let his people perish. See Matt. vi. 80.
26. Give thanks unto the God of heaven, for unto eternity (is) his mercy. The God of heaven is a new description as to form, but substantially equivalent to that in Ps. vii. 8 (7), xi. 4, xiv. 2, xxxiii. 13, 14.
