Attributed commentary excerpt
Barnes' Notes on Psalms 110:3
A historical reference excerpt for this verse. Read it alongside the biblical text and other available sources.
Notes on the Whole Bible
Albert Barnes (1798–1870) · 19th-century historical commentary
Source: BibleWord.ai's local reference edition of this named work.
Thy people - All who are given to thee; all over whom thou art to rule. This verse has been variously translated. The Septuagint renders it, “With thee is the beginning in the day of thy power, in the splendor of thy saints, from the womb, before the light of the morning have I begotten thee.” So the Latin Vulgate. Luther renders it, “After thy victory shall thy people willingly bring an offering to thee, in holy adorning: thy children shall be born to thee as the dew of the morning.” DeWette, “Willingly shall thy people show themselves to thee on the day of the assembling of thy host in holy adorning, as from the womb of the morning, thy youth (vigor) shall be as the dew.” Prof. Alexander, “Thy people (are) free-will offerings in the day of thy power, in holy decorations, from the womb of the dawn, to thee (is) the dew of thy youth.” Every clause of the verse is obscure, though the “general” idea is not difficult to perceive; that, in the day of Messiah’s power, his people would willingly offer themselves to him, in holy robes or adorning, like the glittering dew of the morning; or, in numbers that might be compared with the drops of the morning dew. The essential ideas are: (1) that he would have a “people;” (2) that their subjection to him would be a “willing” subjection; (3) that this would be accomplished by his “power;” (4) that they would appear before him in great beauty - in robes of holy adorning; (5) that they would in some way resemble the dew of the morning; and (6) that to him in thus subduing them there would be the vigor of youth, the ardor of youthful hope. Shall be willing - literally, “Thy people (are, or shall be) willing-offerings.” The word rendered “willing” - נדבות nedâbôth - is in the plural number; “thy people, ‘willingnesses.’” The singular - נדבה nedâbâh - means voluntariness, spontaneousness: and hence, it comes to mean spontaneously, voluntarily, of a willing mind. It is rendered a “willing offering,” in Exodus 35:29; “free offering,” in Exodus 36:3; “voluntary offering,” in Leviticus 7:16; “free-will offering,” in Leviticus 22:18, Leviticus 22:21, Leviticus 22:23; Leviticus 23:38; Numbers 15:3; Numbers 29:39; Deuteronomy 12:6, Deuteronomy 12:17; Deuteronomy 16:10; Deuteronomy 23:23; 2 Chronicles 31:14; Ezra 1:4; Ezra 3:5; Ezra 8:28; Psalms 119:108; “willingly,” in 2 Chronicles 35:8; “plentiful,” in Psalms 68:9; “voluntary, and voluntarily,” in Ezekiel 46:12; “freely,” in Hosea 14:4; and “free-offering,” in Amos 4:5. It does not occur elsewhere. The idea is that of “freeness;” of voluntariness; of doing it from choice, doing it of their own will. They did it in the exercise of freedom. There was no compulsion; no constraint. Whatever “power” there was in the case, was to make them “willing,” not to compel them to do a thing “against” their will. That which was done, or that which is here intended to be described as having been done, is evidently the act of devoting themselves to him who is here designated as their Ruler - the Messiah. The allusion may be either (a) to their devoting themselves to “him” in conversion, or becoming his; (b) to their devoting themselves to his “service” - as soldiers do in war; or (c) to their devoting their time, wealth, talents, to him in lives consecrated to him. “Whatever” there is as the result of his dominion over them is “voluntary” on their part. There is no compulsion in his religion. People are not constrained to do what they are unwilling to do. All the power…
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