Attributed commentary excerpt
John Gill's Exposition on Psalms 39:12
A historical reference excerpt for this verse. Read it alongside the biblical text and other available sources.
Exposition of the Old and New Testament
John Gill (1697–1771) · 18th-century historical commentary
Source: BibleWord.ai's local reference edition of this named work.
Hear my prayer, O Lord, etc.] Which was, that he would remove the affliction from him that lay so hard and heavy upon him; and give ear unto my cry; which shows the distress he was in, and the vehemency with which he put up his petition to the Lord; hold not thy peace at my tears; which were shed in great plenty, through the violence of the affliction, and in his fervent prayers to God; (see <580507> Hebrews 5:7); for I [am] a stranger with thee; not to God, to Christ, to the Spirit, to the saints, to himself, and the plague of his own heart, or to the devices of Satan; but in the world, and to the men of it; being unknown to them, and behaving as a stranger among them; all which was known to God, and may be the meaning of the phrase “with thee”; or reference may be had to the land of Canaan, in which David dwelt, and which was the Lord’s, and in which the Israelites dwelt as strangers and sojourners with him, (<032523>Leviticus 25:23); as it follows here; [and] a sojourner, as all my fathers [were]; meaning Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and their posterity; (see <012304>Genesis 23:4 35:27 <19A523>Psalm 105:23); as are all the people of God in this world: this is not their native place; they belong to another and better country; their citizenship is in heaven; their Father’s house is there, and there is their inheritance, which they have a right unto, and a meetness for: they have no settlement here; nor is their rest and satisfaction in the things of this world: they reckon themselves, while here, as not at home, but in a foreign land; and this the psalmist mentions, to engage the Lord to regard his prayers, since he has so often expressed a concern for the strangers and sojourners in the land of Israel.
How to use this source
This excerpt is attributed to its named commentary. It is included as a historical study resource and should be evaluated in light of Scripture and other relevant evidence.
