Psalms 103:9

103:6-14 Truly God is good to all: he is in a special manner good to Israel. He has revealed himself and his grace to them. By his ways we may understand his precepts, the ways he requires us to walk in; and his promises and purposes. He always has been full of compassion. How unlike are those to God, who take every occasion to chide, and never know when to cease! What would become of us, if God should deal so with us? The Scripture says a great deal of the mercy of God, and we all have experienced it. The father pities his children that are weak in knowledge, and teaches them; pities them when they are froward, and bears with them; pities them when they are sick, and comforts them; pities them when they are fallen, and helps them to rise; pities them when they have offended, and, upon their submission, forgives them; pities them when wronged, and rights them: thus the Lord pities those that fear him. See why he pities. He considers the frailty of our bodies, and the folly of our souls, how little we can do, how little we can bear; in all which his compassion appears.

He will not always chide,.... He sometimes does chide his children, though never but when they have done a fault; always for their sins, in order to bring them to a sense and acknowledgment of them, and to depart from them; not for chiding sake, as some parents, to gratify their passion and ill humour, who correct for their own pleasure; but the Lord chides and corrects for the profit of his children, that they may be partakers of his holiness; he ever does it for their good, but he will not always chide, or continue it ever: or "he will not always contend" (e), strive with them, litigate a point with them, hold out a controversy, not being able to stand before him; he knows their frame, their weakness, and frailty; see Isaiah 57:16 , neither will he keep his anger for ever; though he does with the wicked, yet not with his own people; that endures but for a moment, and is rather seeming than real; and what does appear is soon turned away; he does not retain it long, he is quickly pacified towards them for all they have done, and smiles again upon them, Micah 7:18. (e) "contendet", Pagninus, Montanus; "litigat", Junius & Tremellius, Piscator; "litigabit", Vatablus, Gejerus, Michaelis.

Verse 9. - He will not always chide; or, contend (see Isaiah 57:16 ; and comp. Jeremiah 3:5, 12 ). God will relent from his anger and forgive men, after a while. He will not be "extreme to mark what is done amiss." Neither will he keep his anger forever. He is not implacable. He will accept repentance and amendment ( Ezekiel 18:27 ) He will accept atonement ( 1 John 2:2 ). Psalm 103:9

He will not always chide, or contend , by his judgments with sinners, but is ready to be reconciled to them, to wit, upon their true repentance, as is manifest from innumerable texts, and from the whole scope and design of Scripture. Anger; which word is understood here, as also Leviticus 19:18 Jeremiah 3:5 Nahum 1:2 , as is evident from the thing itself, and from the former clause. The Hebrew is a concise language, and there are many such ellipses in it, as 2 Samuel 6:6 , compared with Exodus 9:9 ; and 1 Chronicles 18:6 , compared with 2 Samuel 8:6 Psalm 3:7 Ecclesiastes 7:15 .

9 . Cp. Isaiah 57:16 ; Jeremiah 3:12 . chide ] Or, contend. He is slow to anger, yet the time comes when He must as it were bring a suit against His people, and convict them of their sin ( Isaiah 3:13 ; Micah 6:2 ; Jeremiah 2:9 ), and shew His indignation by punishing them for it; but even then His anger does not last for ever.

He will not always chide - Rebuke; contend; strive; for so the Hebrew word means. He will not always contend with people, or manifest his displeasure. See the notes at Isaiah 57:16 ; notes at Psalm 78:38-39 . This implies that he may chide or rebuke his people, but that this will not be forever. He will punish them; he will manifest his displeasure at their sins; he will show that he does not approve of their course, but he will show that he "loves them," and does not seek their ruin. Neither will he keep his anger for ever - The words "his anger" are supplied by the translators, but not improperly. The meaning is the same as in the former member of the sentence. He will not cherish hatred when the object of the chastisement is accomplished. It is not his character to retain anger for its own sake, or for any personal gratification.

His range of vision being widened from himself, the poet now in Psalm 103:6 describes God's gracious and fatherly conduct towards sinful and perishing men, and that as it shines forth from the history of Israel and is known and recognised in the light of revelation. What Psalm 103:6 says is a common-place drawn from the history of Israel. משׁפּטים is an accusative governed by the עשׂה that is to be borrowed out of עשׂה (so Baer after the Masora). And because Psalm 103:6 is the result of an historical retrospect and survey, יודיע in Psalm 103:7 can affirm that which happened in the past (cf. Psalm 96:6 .); for the supposition of Hengstenberg and Hitzig, that Moses here represents Israel like Jacob, Isaac, and Joseph in other instances, is without example in the whole Israelitish literature. It becomes clear from Psalm 103:8 in what sense the making of His ways known is meant. The poet has in his mind Moses' prayer: "make known to me now Thy way" ( Exodus 33:13 ), which Jahve fulfilled by passing by him as he stood in the cleft of the rock and making Himself visible to him as he looked after Him, amidst the proclamation of His attributes. The ways of Jahve are therefore in this passage not those in which men are to walk in accordance with His precepts ( Psalm 25:4 ), but those which He Himself follows in the course of His redemptive history ( Psalm 67:3 ).

The confession drawn from Exodus 34:6 . is become a formula of the Israelitish faith ( Psalm 86:15 ; Psalm 145:8 ; Joel 2:13 ; Nehemiah 9:17 , and frequently). In Psalm 103:9 . the fourth attribute (ורב־חסד) is made the object of further praise. He is not only long (ארך from ארך, like כּבד from כּבד) in anger, i.e., waiting a long time before He lets His anger loose, but when He contends, i.e., interposes judicially, this too is not carried to the full extent ( Psalm 78:38 ), He is not angry for ever (נטר, to keep, viz., anger, Amos 1:11 ; cf. the parallels, both as to matter and words, Jeremiah 3:5 ; Isaiah 57:16 ). The procedure of His righteousness is regulated not according to our sins, but according to His purpose of mercy. The prefects in Psalm 103:10 state that which God has constantly not done, and the futures in Psalm 103:9 what He continually will not do.

[Hymns] Psalm 103 A Psalm of David. 1 O thou my soul, bless God the Lord; and all that in me is Be stirred up his holy name to magnify and bless. 2 Bless, O my soul, the Lord thy God, and not forgetful be Of all his gracious benefits he hath bestow'd on thee. 3 All thine iniquities who doth most graciously forgive: Who thy diseases all and pains doth heal, and thee relieve. 4 Who doth redeem thy life, that thou to death may'st not go down; Who thee with loving-kindness doth and tender mercies crown: 5 Who with abundance of good things doth satisfy thy mouth; So that, ev'n as the eagle's age, renewed is thy youth. 6 God righteous judgment executes for all oppressed ones. 7 His ways to Moses, he his acts made known to Isr'el's sons. 8 The Lord our God is merciful, and he is gracious, Long-suffering, and slow to wrath, in mercy plenteous. 9 He will not chide continually, nor keep his anger still. 10 With us he dealt not as we sinn'd, nor did requite our ill. 11 For as the heaven in its height the earth surmounteth far; So great to those that do him fear his tender mercies are: 12 As far as east is distant from the west, so far hath he From us removed, in his love, all our iniquity. 13 Such pity as a father hath unto his children dear; Like pity shews the Lord to such as worship him in fear. 14 For he remembers we are dust, and he our frame well knows. 15 Frail man, his days are like the grass, as flow'r in field he grows: