1 My heart is steadfast, God. I will sing and I will make music with my soul. 2 Wake up, harp and lyre! I will wake up the dawn. 3 I will give thanks to you, Yahweh, among the nations. I will sing praises to you among the peoples. 4 For your loving kindness is great above the heavens. Your faithfulness reaches to the skies. 5 Be exalted, God, above the heavens! Let your glory be over all the earth. 6 That your beloved may be delivered, save with your right hand, and answer us. 7 God has spoken from his sanctuary: "In triumph, I will divide Shechem, and measure out the valley of Succoth. 8 Gilead is mine. Manasseh is mine. Ephraim also is my helmet. Judah is my scepter. 9 Moab is my wash pot. I will toss my sandal on Edom. I will shout over Philistia." 10 Who will bring me into the fortified city? Who has led me to Edom? 11 Haven't you rejected us, God? You don't go forth, God, with our armies. 12 Give us help against the enemy, for the help of man is vain. 13 Through God, we will do valiantly. For it is he who will tread down our enemies. For the Chief Musician. A Psalm by David.
This psalm is ascribed to David, and there is no reason to doubt the correctness of the title in this respect. The psalm is not an original composition, but is made up, with slight alterations, of parts of two other psalms, Psalm 57:7-11; Psalm 60:5-12.
When the psalm was so arranged, or why the parts of two former psalms were thus brought together to form a new composition, it is impossible now to determine. It "may" have been for a mere purpose of art; or it may, more probably, have occurred when the two parts of psalms already in use might be so combined as to be adapted to some new event. It may have been, also, that what had been expressed "on two different occasions" might now be fulfilled or accomplished "on some one occasion," and that thoughts which had been expressed separately before might now be unitedly uttered in praise. Rosenmuller supposes that the psalm in its present form was arranged on the return from the captivity at Babylon, and that the parts of the two separate psalms were found to be suitable for a national song at that time, and were therefore thus brought together. This supposition would have much probability if the psalm were not ascribed to David; and perhaps this fact need not be an insuperable objection - since, if the two psalms from which this is compiled were the work of David, the author of the arrangement might without impropriety attribute the composition itself to David.
There are some slight variations in the psalm, as here arranged, from the original psalms; but why these were made cannot now be determined. Substantially all that will be necessary in the exposition of the psalm will be to notice these variations.
The psalmist encourages himself to praise the Lord for mercies he had received, Psalm 108:1-5. He prays for the Divine succor, Psalm 108:6; and encourages the people to expect their restoration, and the enjoyment of all their former privileges and possessions, Psalm 108:7-13.
This Psalm is compounded of two Psalm which we have had already under review. The Psalm 108:1, Psalm 108:2, Psalm 108:3, Psalm 108:4, and Psalm 108:5, are the same with the Psalm 57:7, Psalm 57:8, Psalm 57:9, Psalm 57:10, and Psalm 57:11 of Psalm 57:1-11 : And the Psalm 108:6, Psalm 108:7, Psalm 108:8, Psalm 108:9, Psalm 108:10, Psalm 108:11, Psalm 108:12, and Psalm 108:13, are the same with the Psalm 60:5, Psalm 60:6, Psalm 60:7, Psalm 60:8, Psalm 60:9, Psalm 60:10, Psalm 60:11, and Psalm 60:12 of Psalm 60:1-12 : The variations are few, and of little moment, and the explanation may be seen in the notes on the preceding Psalm, which need not be repeated here. That the Pssalms referred to were made by David, and were applicable to the then state of his affairs, has been the opinion of many; and it is probable that the captives in Babylon composed this out of two above, and applied it to the state of their affairs. Their captivity being now ended, or nearly at an end they look and pray for their restoration to their own land, as amply as it was possessed in the most prosperous days of David. The Syriac considers it as a prophecy of the vocation of the Gentiles. The Hebrew and all the Versions attribute it to David.
INTRODUCTION TO PSALM 108
A Song or Psalm of David. This psalm consists of several passages out of the fifty seventh and sixtieth psalms, with very little variation. Jarchi and Kimchi refer it to the times of the Messiah. The title in the Syriac version is,
"concerning the calling of the Gentiles,''
to which, no doubt, it has respect.
Two Elohimic Fragments Brought Together
The אודך in Psalm 108:4 and the whole contents of this Psalm is the echo to the הודוּ of the preceding Psalm. It is inscribed a Psalm-song by David, but only because it is compiled out of ancient Davidic materials. The fact of the absence of the למנצח makes it natural to suppose that it is of later origin. Two Davidic Psalm-pieces in the Elohimic style are here, with trifling variations, just put together, not soldered together, and taken out of their original historical connection.
That a poet like David would thus compile a third out of two of his own songs (Hengstenberg) is not conceivable.
*More commentary available by clicking individual verses.