Psalms 14:7

Old Testament Poetry/Hymns ASV (1901)

What does Psalms 14:7 say?

The American Standard Version records this verse as: “Oh that the salvation of Israel were come out of Zion! When Jehovah bringeth back the captivity of his people, Then shall Jacob rejoice, [and] Israel shall be glad. Psalm 15 A Psalm of David.” Read the surrounding verses and the named sources below before drawing broader conclusions.

The verse

Oh that the salvation of Israel were come out of Zion! When Jehovah bringeth back the captivity of his people, Then shall Jacob rejoice, [and] Israel shall be glad. Psalm 15 A Psalm of David.
Psalms 14:7 — American Standard Version

Context — Psalms 14

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. Click any verse for its study page.
7Oh that the salvation of Israel were come out of Zion! When Jehovah bringeth back the captivity of his people, Then shall Jacob rejoice, [and] Israel shall be glad. Psalm 15 A Psalm of David.

What do historical commentaries say?

John Gill's Exposition
John Gill (1697–1771) · Exposition of the Old and New Testament · 18th-century historical commentary
“O that the salvation of Israel [were come] out of Zion! etc.] By whom is meant the Messiah, the Saviour of Israel, of all the elect of God, whether Jews or Gentiles; and who is so called, because the salvation of them was put into his hands, and he undertook it; and because he is the Captain and Author of it, and it is in him, and in no other. He was to come out of Zion, out of Judea, from among the Jews; Zion being, as Kimchi observes, the head of the kingdom of Israel; (see <451126>Romans 11:26). Accordingly Christ did come of the Jews, and salvation was of them, ( <450904> Romans 9:4,5 <430422>John 4:22); and for his coming from hence, or for his incarnation, the psalmist most earnestly…”
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Jamieson, Fausset & Brown
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“captivity--denotes any great evil. Zion--God's abode, from which He revealed His purposes of mercy, as He now does by the Church (compare Psa 3:4; Psa 20:2), and which He rules and in which He does all other things for the good of His people (Eph 1:22). Next: Psalms Chapter 15”
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Barnes' Notes
Albert Barnes (1798–1870) · Notes on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“Oh that the salvation of Israel - Margin, “Who will give,” etc. The Hebrew literally is, “Who will give out of Zion salvation to Israel?” The word “Israel” refers primarily to the Hebrew people, and then it is used generally to denote the people of God. The wish here expressed is in view of the facts referred to in the previous verses - the general prevalence of iniquity and of practical atheism, and the sufferings of the people of God on that account. This state of things suggests the earnest desire that from all such evils the people of God might be delivered. The expression in the original, as in the margin, “Who will give,” is a common expression in Hebrew, and means the same as in our…”
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Wesley's Explanatory Notes
John Wesley (1703–1791) · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament and Old Testament notes · 18th-century historical commentary
“O that - These words immediately concern the deliverance of Israel out of that sinful state, in which they now were; which having described, he concludes, with a prayer to God to help them out of Zion, where the ark then was, but principally they design the spiritual redemption and salvation of all God's Israel by the Messiah. The captivity - His captive people. The children of Jacob, as Aaron is named for his sons, Ch1 12:27. Next: Psalms Chapter 15”
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Tyndale Open Study Notes
Tyndale House Publishers · Tyndale Open Study Notes · Modern study notes
“14:7 The psalmist prays for the renewal of God’s relationship with his people. • Jacob is a synonym for Israel (see Gen 35:9-10).”
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Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge
R. A. Torrey and contributors · The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge · Cross-reference reference work
“Oh: etc. Heb. Who will give, etc. Psa 53:6 Next: Psalms Chapter 15”
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Keil & Delitzsch
C. F. Keil & F. Delitzsch · Commentary on the Old Testament · 19th-century historical commentary
“This tristich sounds like a liturgical addition belonging to the time of the Exile, unless one is disposed to assign the whole Psalm to this period on account of it. For elsewhere in a similar connection, as e.g., in Psa 126:1-6, שׁוּב שׁבוּת means to turn the captivity, or to bring back the captives. שׁוּב has here, - as in Psa 126:4; Psa 2:3 (followed by את), cf. Eze 47:7, the Kal being preferred to the Hiph. השׁיב ( Jer 32:44; Jer 33:11) in favour of the alliteration with שׁבוּת (from שׁבה to make any one a prisoner of war), - a transitive signification, which Hengstenberg (who interprets it: to turn back, to turn to the captivity, of God's merciful visitation), vainly hesitates to admit.…”
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Related study paths

Sources and verification