Psalms 65:5

“[By] terrible things in righteousness wilt thou answer us, etc.] Not by afflictive dispensations of Providence, which, though disagreeable to flesh and blood, and are sometimes terrible to good men, when they apprehend the wrath of God in them, and look upon them as punishments for sin; yet these are consistent with the love of God to them, are for their spiritual good, and, when viewed in this light, they rejoice and glory in them; but as afflictions are not prayed for, nor to be prayed for, there being no direction for it, nor example of it, they cannot be considered as answers of prayer; but the Lord answers his people in this way, by inflicting judgments on their enemies: by such…”

“terrible things--that is, by the manifestation of justice and wrath to enemies, accompanying that of mercy to His people (Psa 63:9-11; Psa 64:7-9). the confidence--object of it. of all . . . earth--the whole world; that is, deservedly such, whether men think so or not.”

“By terrible things in righteousness wilt thou answer us - That is, By things suited to inspire us and all people with awe, or with a deep sense of thy majesty, thy power, and thy glory. The answer to their prayers would be in such a manner as deeply to impress their minds and hearts. God’s judgments on his foes, and the manner of his manifesting his favor to his people, would be such as to impress the mind with a deep sense of his own greatness. Yet all this would be in righteousness; in the infliction of a just sentence on the wicked; in direct interposition in favor of the righteous. The judgments of God on guilty people have been always such as to keep the world in awe; such as were…”

“Righteousness - By virtue of thy faithfulness, and goodness. Wilt thou - Thou wilt graciously answer our prayers. The confidence - Thou art the stay and support of all mankind, by thy powerful and gracious providence. Psalms 65:7”

“terrible: Psa 45:4, Psa 47:2, Psa 47:3, Psa 66:3, Psa 76:3-9; Deu 4:34, Deu 10:21; Isa 37:36 righteousness: Psa 145:17; Rom 2:5; Rev 15:3, Rev 15:4, Rev 16:5, Rev 19:1-3 O God: Psa 68:19, Psa 68:20 the confidence: Isa 45:22; Mat 28:19, Mat 28:20; Rom 15:10-12 all: Psa 22:27 afar: Isa 51:5, Isa 60:5, Isa 66:19; Zep 2:11; Zac 9:10; Eph 2:17, Eph 2:18 Psalms 65:6”

“The praise of God on account of the lovingkindness which Israel as a people among the peoples has experienced. The future תּעננוּ confesses, as a present, a fact of experience that still holds good in all times to come. נוראות might, according to Psa 20:7, as in Psa 139:14, be an accusative of the more exact definition; but why not, according to Sa1 20:10; Job 9:3, a second accusative under the government of the verb? God answers the prayer of His people superabundantly. He replies to it גוראות, terrible deeds, viz., בּצדק, by a rule which stringently executes the will of His righteousness (vid., on Jer 42:6); in this instance against the oppressors of His people, so that henceforth…”