Psalms 50:1

The mighty God,.... In the Hebrew text it is "El", "Elohim", which Jarchi renders the "God of gods"; that is, of angels, who are so called, Psalms 8:5; so Christ, who is God over all, is over them;

The mighty God, even the LORD, hath spoken, and called the earth from the rising of the sun unto the going down thereof.

Psalms 50 THE The design of this Psalm is, partly, to reprove and protest against the common miscarriages of many professors of religion, who satisfied their own consciences, and fancied that they pleased God, with their external and ceremonial performances, notwithstanding their gross neglect of those more necessary and fundamental duties of piety, and justice, and charity; partly, to instruct men concerning the nature of the true and acceptable worship of God; and partly, to prepare the Israelites for, and tacitly warn them of, that change which would be made in the outward form and way of God’ s worship under and by the Messias, and of the abolition of the legal sacrifices, which God did not appoint for his own need, nor for his people’ s perpetual use. Asaph was not only the chief of the sacred singers, 1 Chronicles 15 1 Chronicles 16 , but also a prophet, , and a composer of some Psalms, as it is apparent from , and therefore, as is most probable, of those that go under his name. God cometh with great majesty into his church, , and gathereth together his saints, ,6; testifieth he has no pleasure in ceremonies, , but in sincerity of obedience, ,15; threateneth the wicked for contemning his word, , and showeth who it is that glorifieth him, . i.e. All the inhabitants of the earth, from one end to the other; whom he here summons to be witnesses of his proceedings in this solemn judgment between him and his people, which is here poetically represented; for here is a tribunal erected, the judge coming to it, the witnesses and delinquents summoned, and at last the sentence given, and cause determined.

Psalms 50:1 « A Psalm of Asaph. » The mighty God, [even] the LORD, hath spoken, and called the earth from the rising of the sun unto the going down thereof.A Psalm of Asaph] Who was both a music master, 1 Chronicles 25:2, and a psalm composer, 2 Chronicles 29:30. The most are of the opinion that this psalm was made by David, and committed to Asaph to be sung, after that Israel had been afflicted with three years’ famine and three days’ pestilence, and the angel had appeared to David, and set out the place where the temple should be built, 2 Samuel 21:1-3 2 Samuel 24:13-18 1 Chronicles 21:18; 1 Chronicles 22:4 (Jun.). Ver. 1. The mighty God, even the Lord] Heb. The God of gods, whether they be so deputed, as angels, magistrates; or reputed only, as heathen deities, 1 Corinthians 8:5. Jehovah or Essentiator, is God’ s proper name. Some say God is here thrice named, to note the Trinity in Unity (R. Nahum ap. Nebien). Hath spoken] sc. By the mouth of his holy prophets, which have been since the world began. Enoch, the seventh from Adam, spoke much like, Judges 1:14. The Rabbis say that this psalm is De die iudicii futuro, of the day of judgment. Others, that it is the Lord’ s judging of his Church, drawn according to the model of the great and last judgment, whereunto it serveth as a preparation or a warning piece. And called the earth from the rising, &c.] The "habitable part of God’ s earth; the sons of men," Proverbs 8:31, with Malachi 1:11. These are all called to attest the equity of God’ s proceedings against a hypocritical nation, children that were corrupters. For God hath thus far instructed all men, that he is to be honoured of all, with all manner of observance, Romans 1:20. Let this be pressed upon all sorts, said Zalcucus the Locrian lawgiver, in the preface to his laws 1. That there is a God. 2. That this God is to be duly worshipped.

(1) The mighty God, even the Lord.—Heb., El Elohîm, Jehovah, a combination of the Divine names that has been very variously understood. The Authorised Version follows the rendering of Aquila and Symmachus. But the Masoretic accents are in favour of taking each term as an appellative. Hitzig objects that this is stiff, but it is so on purpose. The poet introduces his vision of judgment in the style of a formal royal proclamation, as the preterite tenses also indicate. But as in this case it is not the earthly monarch, but the Divine, who is “Lord also of the whole earth,” the range of the proclamation is not territorial, “from Dan even unto Beersheba,” as in 2 Chronicles 30:5, but is couched in larger terms, “from sunrise to sunset,” an expression constantly used of the operation of Divine power and mercy. (Comp. Psalms 103:12; Psalms 113:3; Isaiah 41:25; Isaiah 45:6.)

PSALM L God, the Sovereign Judge, cites before his throne all his people, and the priests and the judges, 14; and reproaches them for their vain confidence in the sacrifices they had offered, 7-13; and shows them the worship he requires, 14, 15; and then enters into a particular detail of their hypocrisy, injustice, and union with scandalous transgressors; all of whom he threatens with heavy judgments, 16-22. The blessedness of him who worships God aright, and walks unblamably, 23. NOTES ON PSALM L In the title this is said to be A Psalm of Asaph. There are twelve that go under his name; and most probably he was author of each, for he was of high repute in the days of David, and is mentioned second to him as a composer of psalms: Moreover Hezekiah the king, and the princes, commanded the Levites to sing praise unto the Lord, with the WORDS of DAVID, and of ASAPH the SEER. His band, sons or companions, were also eminent in the days of David, as we learn from 1 Chronicles 25:1, c. Asaph himself was one of the musicians who sounded with cymbals of brass, 1 Chronicles 15:19. And he is mentioned with great respect, Ne 12:46: And in the days of DAVID and ASAPH of old there were CHIEF of the SINGERS, and SONGS of PRAISE and THANKSGIVING unto God. He was certainly a prophetic man: he is called a seer-one on whom the Spirit of God rested and seems from this, his education, and natural talent, to be well qualified to compose hymns or psalms in the honour of God. Persons capable of judging, on a comparison of those Psalms attributed to Asaph with those known to be of David, have found a remarkable difference in the style. The style of David is more polished, flowing, correct, and majestic, than that of Asaph, which is more stiff and obscure. He has been compared to Persius and to Horace; he is keen, full of reprehensions, and his subjects are generally of the doleful kind; which was probably caused by his living in times in which there was great corruption of manners, and much of the displeasure of God either threatened or manifested. It is not known on what particular occasion this Psalm was written; but at most times it was suitable to the state of the Jewish Church. Verse 1. The mighty God, even the Lord, hath spoken] Here the essential names of God are used: אל אלהים יהוה EL, ELOHIM, YEHOVAH, hath spoken. The six first verses of this Psalm seem to contain a description of the great judgment: to any minor consideration or fact it seems impossible, with any propriety, to restrain them. In this light I shall consider this part of the Psalm, and show, - First, The preparatives to the coming of the great Judge. El Elohim Jehovah hath spoken, and called the earth-all the children of men from the rising of the sun unto the going down thereof.

1–6. A solemn introduction, describing the Advent of Jehovah to judge His people. Of old He appeared at Sinai in the midst of lightnings and storm to give the Law: now He comes forth from Zion with the same tokens of power and majesty to enforce it.

The mighty God, even the Lord - Even “Yahweh,” for this is the original word. The Septuagint and Vulgate render this “The God of gods, the Lord.” DeWette renders it, “God, God Jehovah, speaks.” Prof.

1. The mighty God, even the Lord, hath spoken—Hebrew, God, God Jehovah, hath spoken. The psalms of Asaph are Elohistic. The name “God” appears ten times in this psalm, the name “Jehovah” once.