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Psalms 30 1 979 BC -- Psalm 30 -- I will extol you, O LORD, for you have
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<< Psalm 30:1 >>

‹A Psalm and Song at the dedication of the

house of David.› I will extol thee, O LORD; for
thou hast lifted me up, and hast not made my
foes to rejoice over me.
Jerusalem

Psalm 30 Commentaries: Barnes • Calvin •

Clarke • Darby • Gill • Geneva • Guzik • JFB •
Keil / Delitzsch • KJV Translators' •
Henry's Concise • Matthew Henry • Scofield •
TSK • Treasury of David • Wesley

Jerusalem and Region

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

I will extol thee - literally, "I will exalt thee;" that is,
he would make God first and supreme in his
thoughts and affections; he would do what he
Jerusalem from Nebi
Samwil could to make Him known; he would elevate Him
high in his praises.

For thou hast lifted me up - To wit, from the state

of danger in which I was Psalm 30:2-3. The
Hebrew word used here means properly to draw
David sings Psalms
out, as from a well; and then, to deliver, to set
free. As God had thus lifted him up, it was proper
that he should show his gratitude by "lifting up" or
extolling the name of God.

And hast not made my foes to rejoice over me -

Psalm 30:1 NASB
Hast not suffered them to triumph over me; that
is, thou hast delivered me from them. He refers
to the fact that he had been saved from a
dangerous illness, and that his enemies had not
been allowed to exult over his death. Compare
the notes at Psalm 41:5.
Psalm 30:1 KJV

Now on Biblos Clarke's Commentary on the Bible

Apocrypha I will extol thee - for thou hast lifted me up - I will

Atlas lift thee up, for thou hast lifted me up. Thou hast
Bible
Chronological

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made me blessed, and I will make thee glorious.

Thou hast magnified me in thy mercy; and I will
show forth thy praise, and speak good of thy
name.

I have made some remarks on this Psalm in the

Introduction.

In this Psalm we find seven different states of

mind distinctly marked: -

1. It is implied, in the first verse, that David had

been in great distress, and nearly overwhelmed
by his enemies.

2. He extols God for having lifted him up, and

having preserved him from the cruelty of his
adversaries, Psalm 30:1-3.

3. He is brought into great prosperity, trusts in

what he had received, and forgets to depend
wholly on the Lord, Psalm 30:4-6.

4. The Lord hides his face from him, and he is

brought into great distress, Psalm 30:7.

5. He feels his loss, and makes earnest prayer

and supplication, Psalm 30:8-10.

6. He is restored to the Divine favor, and filled

with joy, Psalm 30:11.

7. He purposes to glory in God alone, and to trust

in him for ever, Psalm 30:12.

As it is impossible for any man to have passed

through all these states at the same time; it is
supposed that the Psalm, like many others of the
same complexion, has been formed out of the
memoranda of a diary. See this point illustrated in
the Introduction.

Thou hast lifted me up - Out of the pit into which I

had fallen: the vain curiosity, and want of trust in

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God, that induced me to number the people.

Bishop Horsley translates, Because thou hast
depressed me. I thank God for my humiliation
and afflictions, because they have been the
means of teaching me lessons of great profit and
importance.

Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

I will extol thee, O Lord,.... Or "lift thee up on high"

(k). The Lord is high in his name, he is the most
High; and in his nature, there is none besides
him, nor like unto him; and in place, he dwells in
the high and holy place; he is above all, angels
and men; he is above all gods; he is the King of
kings, and Lord of lords; he cannot be higher
than he is: to extol him, therefore, is to declare
him to be what he is; to exalt him in high praises
of him, which the psalmist determined to do, for
the following reasons;

for thou hast lifted me up; or "drawn me up", or

"out" (l); from the pit of nature; the low estate of
unregeneracy; the pit wherein is no water: the
horrible pit, the mire and clay of sin and misery, in
which all men, while unconverted, are; and out of
which they cannot lift themselves, being without
strength, yea, dead in sin: this is God's work; he
takes out of this pit, he draws out of it by his
efficacious grace; he raises up the poor out of
the dust, and lifts up the beggar from the dunghill;
and this is an instance of his grace and mercy,
and requires a new song of praise: or this may
regard some great fall by sin, from which he was
restored, through the grace and power of God; or
deliverance from great troubles, compared to
waters, out of which he was drawn, Psalm 18:16;
and was lifted up above his enemies; and agrees
very well with his being brought to his palace and
throne again, upon the defeat of Absalom;

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and hast not made my foes to rejoice over me;

as Satan does over unregenerate sinners, when
he possesses their hearts, and keeps the house
and goods in peace; and as the men of the world
do over fallen saints, when forsaken by the Lord,
and afflicted by him, and are under the frowns of
his providence; but the conspirators against
David were not suffered to succeed and rejoice
over him, which they otherwise would have done;
and for this he praises the Lord.

(k) "superexaltabo te", Cocceius; "elevabo te",

Michaelis. (l) "me sursum extraxisti", Cocceius;
so Michaelis; "thou hast drawn me up",
Ainsworth.

The Treasury of David

1 I will extol thee, O Lord; for thou hast lifted me

up, and hast not made my foes to rejoice over
me.

2 O Lord my God, I cried unto thee, and thou

hast healed me.

3 O Lord, thou hast brought up my soul from the

grave: thou hast kept me alive that I should not go
down to the pit.

Psalm 30:1

"I will extol thee." I will have high and honourable

conceptions of thee, and give them utterance in
my best music. Others may forget thee, murmur
at thee, despise thee, blaspheme thee, but "I will
extol thee," for I have been favoured above all
others. I will extol thy name, thy character, thine
attributes, thy mercy to me, thy great
forbearance to my people; but, especially will I
speak well of thyself; "I will extol thee," O
Jehovah, this shall be my cheerful and constant
employ. "For thou hast lifted me up." Here is an

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antithesis, "I will exalt thee, for thou hast exalted

me." I would render according to the benefit
received. The Psalmist's praise was reasonable.
He had a reason to give for the praise that was
in his heart. He had been drawn up like a
prisoner from a dungeon, like Joseph out of the
pit, and therefore he loved his deliverer. Grace
has uplifted us from the pit of hell, from the ditch
of sin, from the Slough of Despond, from the bed
of sickness, from the bondage of doubts and
fears: have we no song to offer for all this? How
high has our Lord lifted us? Lifted us up into the
children's place, to be adopted into the family;
lifted us up into union with Christ, "to sit together
with him in heavenly places." Lift high the name of
our God, for he has lifted us above the stars.
"And hast not made my foes to rejoice over me."
This was the judgment which David most feared
out of the three evils; he said, let me fall into the
hand of the Lord, and not into the hand of man.
Terrible indeed were our lot if we were delivered
over to the will of our enemies. Blessed be the
Lord, we have been preserved from so dire a
fate. The devil and all our spiritual enemies have
not been permitted to rejoice over us; for we
have been saved from the fowler's snare. Our
evil companions, who prophesied that we should
go back to our old sins, are disappointed. Those
who watched for our halting, and would fain say,
"Aha! Aha! So would we have it!" have watched
in vain until now. O happy they whom the Lord
keeps so consistent in character that the lynx
eyes of the world can see no real fault in them. Is
this our case? let us ascribe all the glory to him
who has sustained us in our integrity.

Psalm 30:2

"O Lord my God, I cried unto thee, and thou hast

healed me." David sent up prayers for himself
and for his people when visited with the

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pestilence. He went at once to headquarters, and

not roundabout to fallible means. God is the best
physician, even for our bodily infirmities. We do
very wickedly and foolishly when we forget God. It
was a sin in Asa that he trusted to physicians and
not to God. If we must have a physician, let it be
so, but still let us go to our God first of all; and,
above all, remember that there can be no power
to heal in medicine of itself; the healing energy
must flow from the divine hand. If our watch is out
of order, we take it to the watchmaker; if body or
soul be in an evil plight, let us resort to him who
created them, and has unfailing skill to put them
in right condition. As for our spiritual diseases,
nothing can heal these evils but the touch of the
Lord Christ if we do but touch the hem of his
garment, we shall be made whole, while if we
embrace all other physicians in our arms, they
can do us no service. "O Lord my God." Observe
the covenant name which faith uses - "my God."
Thrice happy is he who can claim the Lord
himself to be his portion. Note how David's faith
ascends the scale; he sang "O Lord" in the first
verse, but it is "O Lord my God," in the second.
Heavenly heart-music is an ascending thing, like
the pillars of smoke which rose from the altar of
incense. "I cried unto thee." I could hardly pray,
but I cried; I poured out my soul as a little child
pours out its desires. I cried to my God: I knew to
whom to cry; I did not cry to my friends, or to any
arm of flesh. Hence the sure and satisfactory
result - "Thou hast healed me." I know it. I am
sure of it. I have the evidence of spiritual health
within me now: glory be to thy name! Every
humble suppliant with God who seeks release
from the disease of sin, shall speed as well as
the Psalmist did, but those who will not so much
as seek a cure, need not wonder if their wounds
putrefy and their soul dies.

Psalm 30:3

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"O Lord, thou hast brought up my soul from the

grave." Mark, it is not, "I hope so;" but it is, "Thou
hast; thou hast; thou hast" - three times over.
David is quite sure, beyond a doubt, that God has
done great things for him, whereof he is
exceeding glad. He had descended to the brink
of the sepulchre, and yet was restored to tell of
the forbearance of God; nor was this all, he
owned that nothing but grace had kept him from
the lowest hell, and this made him doubly thankful.
To be spared from the grave is much: to be
delivered from the pit is more; hence there is
growing cause for praise, since both
deliverances are alone traceable to the glorious
right hand of the Lord, who is the only preserver
of life, and the only Redeemer of our souls from
hell.

Keil and Delitzsch Biblical Commentary on the Old

Testament

(Heb.: 30:2-4) The Psalm begins like a hymn.

The Piel ‫( ּדּלה‬from ‫ּדלה‬, Arab. dlâ, to hold
anything long, loose and pendulous, whether
upwards or downwards, conj. V Arab. tdllâ equals
, to dangle) signifies to lift or draw up, like a
bucket (‫ּדלי‬, Greek ντλίον, Latin tollo, tolleno in
Festus). The poet himself says what that depth is
into which he had sunk and out of which God had
drawn him up without his enemies rejoicing over
him (‫ לי‬as in Psalm 25:2), i.e., without allowing
them the wished for joy at his destruction: he was
brought down almost into Hades in consequence
of some fatal sickness. ‫( חּיה‬never: to call into
being out of nothing) always means to restore to
life that which has apparently or really
succumbed to death, or to preserve anything
living in life. With this is easily and satisfactorily
joined the Ker‫( מ מּירדי בור‬without Makkeph in the
correct text), ita ut non descenderem; the

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infinitive of ‫ ירד‬in this instance following the

analogy of the strong verb is ‫ירד‬, like ‫ יׁשון‬,‫יבׁש‬,
and with suffix jordi (like josdi, Job 38:4) or
jaaredi, for here it is to be read thus, and not jordi
(vid., on Psalm 16:1; Psalm 86:2).

(Note: The Masora does not place the word

under ‫יו וחטפין קמציןאלין תיבותא יתירין ו‬
(Introduction 28b), as one would expect to find it
if it were to be read mijordi, and proceeds on the
assumption that mijārdi is infinitive like ‫עמדך‬
(read ‛amādcha) Obadiah 1:11, not participle
(Ewald, S. 533).)

The Chethb ‫ מיורדי‬might also be the infinitive,

written with Cholem plenum, as an infinitive
Genesis 32:20, and an imperative Numbers
23:8, is each pointed with Cholem instead of
Kamtez chatuph; but it is probably intended to be
read as a participle, ‫מּיורדי‬: Thou hast revived me
from those who sink away into the grave (Psalm
28:1), or out of the state of such (cf. Psalm
22:22) - a perfectly admissible and pregnant
construction.

Geneva Study Bible

<and Song at the dedication of the {a} house of

David.>> I will extol thee, O LORD; {b} for thou
hast lifted me up, and hast not made my foes to
rejoice over me.

(a) After Absalom had polluted it with most filthy

fornication.

(b) He condemns them for great ingratitude who

do not praise God for his benefits.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

PSALM 30

Ps 30:1-12. Literally, "A Psalm-Song"-a

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composition to be sung with musical instruments,

or without them-or, "Song of the dedication," &c.
specifying the particular character of the Psalm.
Some suppose that of David should be
connected with the name of the composition, and
not with "house"; and refer for the occasion to
the selection of a site for the temple (1Ch
21:26-30; 22:1). But "house" is never used
absolutely for the temple, and "dedication" does
not well apply to such an occasion. Though the
phrase in the Hebrew, "dedication of the house
of David," is an unusual form, yet it is equally
unusual to disconnect the name of the author and
the composition. As a "dedication of David's
house" (as provided, De 20:5), the scope of the
Psalm well corresponds with the state of repose
and meditation on his past trials suited to such an
occasion (2Sa 5:11; 7:2). For beginning with a
celebration of God's delivering favor, in which he
invites others to join, he relates his prayer in
distress, and God's gracious and prompt answer.

1. lifted me up-as one is drawn from a well (Ps

40:2).

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

30:1-5. The great things the Lord has done for

us, both by his providence and by his grace, bind
us in gratitude to do all we can to advance his
kingdom among men, though the most we can do
is but little. God's saints in heaven sing to him;
why should not those on earth do the same? Not
one of all God's perfections carries in it more
terror to the wicked, or more comfort to the godly,
than his holiness. It is a good sign that we are in
some measure partakers of his holiness, if we
can heartily rejoice at the remembrance of it. Our
happiness is bound up in the Divine favour; if we
have that, we have enough, whatever else we
want; but as long as God's anger continues, so

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long the saints' weeping continues.

Matthew Henry's Whole Bible Commentary

PSALM 30

This is a psalm of thanksgiving for the great

deliverances which God had wrought for David,
penned upon occasion of the dedicating of his
house of cedar, and sung in that pious solemnity,
though there is not any thing in it that has
particular reference to that occasion. Some
collect from divers passages in the psalm itself
that it was penned upon his recovery from a
dangerous fit of sickness, which might happen to
be about the time of the dedication of his house.
I. He here praises God for the deliverances he
had wrought for him (v. 1-3). II. He calls upon
others to praise him too, and encourages them to
trust in him (v. 4, 5). III. He blames himself for his
former security (v. 6, 7). IV. He recollects the
prayers and complaints he had made in his
distress (v. 8-10). With them he stirs up himself
to be very thankful to God for the present
comfortable change (v. 11, 12). In singing this
psalm we ought to remember with thankfulness
any like deliverances wrought for us, for which
we must stir up our selves to praise him and by
which we must be engaged to depend upon him.

A psalm and song at the dedication of the house

of David.

Verses 1-5

It was the laudable practice of the pious Jews,

and, though not expressly appointed, yet allowed
and accepted, when they had built a new house,
to dedicate it to God, Deu. 20:5. David did so
when his house was built, and he took
possession of it (2 Sa. 5:11); for royal palaces
do as much need God's protection, and are as
much bound to be at his service, as ordinary

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houses. Note, The houses we dwell in should, at

our first entrance upon them, be dedicated to
God, as little sanctuaries. We must solemnly
commit ourselves, our families, and all our family
affairs, to God's guidance and care, must pray
for his presence and blessing, must devote
ourselves and all ours to his glory, and must
resolve both that we put away iniquity far from
our tabernacles and that we and our houses will
serve the Lord both in the duties of family
worship and in all instances of gospel obedience.
Some conjecture that this psalm was sung at the
re-dedication of David's house, after he had
been driven out of it by Absalom, who had defiled
it with his incest, and that it is a thanksgiving for
the crushing of that dangerous rebellion. In these
verses,

I. David does himself give God thanks for the

great deliverances he had wrought for him (v. 1):
"I will extol thee, O Lord! I will exalt thy name, will
praise thee as one high and lifted up, I will do
what I can to advance the interest of thy kingdom
among men. I will extol thee, for thou hast lifted
me up, not only up out of the pit in which I was
sinking, but up to the throne of Israel." He raiseth
up the poor out of the dust. In consideration of
the great things God has done to exalt us, both
by his providence and by his grace, we are
bound, in gratitude, to do all we can to extol his
name, though the most we can do is but little.
Three thing magnify David's deliverance:-1. That
it was the defeat of his enemies. They were not
suffered to triumph over him, as they would have
done (though it is a barbarous thing) if he had
died of this sickness or perished in this distress:
see Ps. 41:11. 2. That it was an answer to his
prayers (v. 2): I cried unto thee. All the
expressions of the sense we have of our
troubles should be directed to God, and every cry
be a cry to him; and giving way, in this manner, to

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our grief, will ease a burdened spirit. "I cried to

thee, and thou hast not only heard me, but healed
me, healed the distempered body, healed the
disturbed and disquieted mind, healed the
disordered distracted affairs of the kingdom."
This is what God glories in, I am the Lord that
healeth thee (Ex. 15:26), and we must give him
the glory of it. 3. That it was the saving of his life;
for he was brought to the last extremity, dropping
into the grave, and ready to go down into the pit,
and yet rescued and kept alive, v. 3. The more
imminent our dangers have been, the more
eminent our deliverances have been, the more
comfortable are they to ourselves and the more
illustrious proofs of the power and goodness of
God. A life from the dead ought to be spent in
extolling the God of our life.

II. He calls upon others to join with him in praise,

not only for the particular favours God has
bestowed upon him, but for the general tokens of
his good-will to all his saints (v. 4): Sing unto the
Lord, O you saints of his! All that are truly saints
he owns for his. There is a remnant of such in
this world, and from them it is expected that they
sing unto him; for they are created and
sanctified, made and made saints, that they may
be to him for a name and a praise. His saints in
heaven sing to him; why should not those on
earth be doing the same work, as well as they
can, in concert with them? 1. They believe him to
be a God of unspotted purity; and therefore let
them sing to him; "Let them give thanks at the
remembrance of his holiness; let them praise his
holy name, for holiness is his memorial
throughout all generations." God is a holy God;
his holiness is his glory; that is the attribute which
the holy angels, in their praises, fasten most
upon, Isa. 6:3; Rev. 4:8. We ought to be much in
the mention and remembrance of God's holiness.
It is a matter of joy to the saints that God is a holy

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God; for then they hope he will make them holy,

more holy. None of all God's perfections carries
in it more terror to the wicked, nor more comfort
to the godly, than his holiness. It is a good sign
that we are in some measure partakers of his
holiness if we can heartily rejoice and give thanks
at the remembrance of it. 2. They have
experienced him to be a God gracious and
merciful; and therefore let them sing to him. (1.)
We have found his frowns very short. Though we
have deserved that they should be everlasting,
and that he should be angry with us till he had
consumed us, and should never be reconciled,
yet his anger endureth but for a moment, v. 5.
When we offend him he is angry; but, as he is
slow to anger and not soon provoked, so when
he is angry, upon our repentance and humiliation
his anger is soon turned away and he is willing to
be at peace with us. If he hide his face from his
own children, and suspend the wonted tokens of
his favour, it is but in a little wrath, and for a small
moment; but he will gather them with everlasting
kindness, Isa. 54:7, 8. If weeping endureth for a
night, and it be a wearisome night, yet as sure as
the light of the morning returns after the darkness
of the night, so sure will joy and comfort return in
a short time, in due time, to the people of God;
for the covenant of grace is as firm as the
covenant of the day. This word has often been
fulfilled to us in the letter. Weeping has endured
for a night, but the grief has been soon over and
the grievance gone. Observe, As long as God's
anger continues so long the saints' weeping
continues; but, if that be but for a moment, the
affliction is but for a moment, and when the light
of God's countenance is restored the affliction is
easily pronounced light and momentary. (2.) We
have found his smiles very sweet; In his favour is
life, that is, all good. The return of his favour to
an afflicted soul is as life from the dead; nothing

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can be more reviving. Our happiness is bound up

in God's favour; if we have that, we have enough,
whatever else we want. It is the life of the soul, it
is spiritual life, the earnest of life eternal.

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