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This is a thanksgiving-psalm, and it is of such a general use and application that we need not suppose it penned upon any particular occasion. All people are here called upon to praise God, I. For the general instances of his sovereign dominion and power in the whole creation, Ps 66:1-7. II. For the special tokens of his favour to the church, his peculiar people, Ps 66:8-12. And then, III. The psalmist praises God for his own experiences of his goodness to him in particular, especially in answering his prayers, Ps 66:13-20. If we have learned in every thing to give thanks for ancient and modern mercies, public and personal mercies, we shall know how to sing this psalm with grace and understanding.

The name of the author of this psalm is unknown. There is no certain evidence that it was composed by David, yet there is nothing in the psalm itself which is inconsistent with the supposition that he was the author. Perhaps the most natural and obvious interpretation of Psalm 66:13-15, would be that there is reference there to the temple; and if so, of course, the psalm must have been written by someone else. But it is not absolutely necessary to suppose that the temple is there referred to, for the language might be applied to the tabernacle as the "house" or the place of the worship of God. There is, however, no positive evidence that it was composed by David, and it is impossible now to determine its authorship.

As little can the occasion on which the psalm was composed be determined. It is evident only that it was after there had been some calamity of a private nature, or after the nation had been subjected to oppression by some powerful enemies, and when there had been deliverance from that calamity, Psalm 66:11-12. The calamity was similar to those which had been endured by the nation in the time of the Egyptian oppressions, and naturally brought to mind the sufferings endured by the people of God at that time, while their own deliverance suggested a recollection of the deliverance of their fathers from that bondage, Psalm 66:6. On the whole, the supposition of Rosenmuller that it was composed after the Babylonian captivity, and in view of the return of the people to their native land - perhaps to be sung on their journey from the land of exile, seems to me to be the most probable of any. Venema supposes that it refers to the time of Hezekiah, and the overthrow of Sennacherib; others regard it as referring to the persecutions of David by Saul; others, to the rebellion of Absalom; others, to the famine which is mentioned in 2 Samuel 21, or the pestilence, 2 Samuel 24. Paulus supposes that it had reference to the times of the Maccabees. The psalm relates to "vows" or promises which had been made in a time of trouble; and its composition and use are designed as the fulfillment of those vows, Psalm 66:13-15. Such a psalm of praise would be a proper fulfillment of "vows" which it might be supposed the Hebrews would make in the time of their exile; to wit, that if they were ever permitted to return to their native land, they would go to the house of God, and sacrifice again on his altars.

On the phrase in the title, "To the chief Musician," see Introduction to Psalm 4:1-8. On the words, "A Song or Psalm," see the notes at the titles to Psalm 30:1-12 (notes) and Psalm 65:1-13 (notes).

The psalm contains:

I. An exhortation, addressed to all the earth, to praise God, as a matter pertaining to all lands, Psalm 66:1-2.

II. A reference to the mighty acts of God, as a reason for worshipping him, Psalm 66:3-7.

III. A reference to his gracious interposition in time of national danger and trouble, and to the fact that he had rescued the nation in a marvelous manner, Psalm 66:8-12.

IV. A reference to the vows which had been made in that time of trouble, and the purpose now to execute those vows, by going to the house of God, and sacrificing on his altars, Psalm 66:13-15.

V. A call on all people to hear what God had done for the worshippers: namely, That he had heard prayer; that he had interposed for their deliverance; that he had attended to the voice of supplication; that he had not turned away his mercy, Psalm 66:16-20.

The psalmist exhorts all to praise God for the wonders he has wrought, Psalm 66:1-4; calls on Israel to consider his mighty acts in behalf of their fathers, Psalm 66:5-7; his goodness in their own behalf Psalm 66:8-12; he resolves to pay his vows to God, and offer his promised sacrifices, Psalm 66:13-15; calls on all to hear what God had done for his soul, Psalm 66:15-20.

There is nothing particular in the title of the Psalm. It is not attributed to David either by the Hebrew, Chaldee, Syriac, Septuagint, Vulgate, or Ethiopic. The Arabic alone prefixes the name of David. The Vulgate, Septuagint, Ethiopic, and Arabic, call it a psalm of the resurrection: but for this there is no authority. By many of the ancients it is supposed to be a celebration of the restoration from the Babylonish captivity. Others think it commemorates the deliverance of Israel from Egypt, their introduction into the Promised Land, and the establishment of the worship of God in Jerusalem.

INTRODUCTION TO Psalm 66

To the chief Musician, A Song or Psalm. This psalm does not bear the name of David in the title of it, yet is generally thought to be one of his; but because the plural number is used in it, which is not so common in David's psalms, Aben Ezra is of opinion it is not his, but written by the singers. This is not a sufficient objection: and besides, in Psalm 66:13, the singular number is used. The Arabic version ascribes it to David, and that version makes the subject matter of it to be "concerning the resurrection"; as do the Septuagint, Ethiopic, and Vulgate Latin versions. The title of the Syriac version is,

"concerning sacrifices and burnt offerings, and the incense of rams; the spiritual sense intimates to us the calling of the Gentiles, and the preaching, that is, of the Gospel;''

which comes nearest the truth: for the psalm respects Gospel times, and the church of Christ under the New Testament, spread throughout the world, and especially as it will be in the latter day; see Psalm 66:1; and so in Yalkut Simeoni on the psalm, it is said to be a psalm for time to come, and agrees with Zephaniah 3:9; "I will turn to the people a pure language", &c. Kimchi says it is a psalm concerning the gathering of the captives of Israel; and so Jarchi and Obadiah expound it; and Theodoret says David wrote this psalm for the captives in Babylon.

LXVI.

The compilers of the Psalter found no tradition of authorship attached to this Psalm, and did not themselves conjecture one, nor have we any guide towards the time of its composition beyond the tone of innocence assumed in the last part, which marks that part as belonging to a period subsequent to the captivity, when persecution and suffering were no longer regarded as punishment for national disloyalty to the covenant. The poetical form is uncertain, but there is a marked change in the rhythm at Psalm 66:13, and some commentators regard the psalm as composite.

Title.—See titles, Psalms 4, 48

Here there is a peculiarity in the absence of any author’s name after the double title song, psalm. (Comp. Psalms 67, where the words are reversed.)

Another Psalm of thanksgiving, probably intended, like Psalms 65, for use at the Passover, but evidently owing its origin to special circumstances which called for more than ordinary rejoicings. It consists of two parts, distinguished by the use of the first person plural (Psalm 66:1-12) and the first person singular (Psalm 66:13-20) respectively; and it contains five stanzas of nearly equal length, marked off (except where the division is obvious at the end of the first part and of the whole) by Selah.

i. 1. All the inhabitants of the world are summoned to praise God and acknowledge His sovereignty (Psalm 66:1-4).

2. They are bidden to contemplate His mighty works on behalf of His people in the past, and to recognise that His sovereignty is still exercised in the government of the world (Psalm 66:5-7).

3. They are invited to praise God for His recent deliverance of His people from a calamity which had threatened to prove their ruin (Psalm 66:8-12).

ii. 1. The people’s representative enters the Temple to pay the vows which he had made in the hour of distress (Psalm 66:13-15).

2. He invites all who fear God to listen to his grateful acknowledgement of God’s answer to his prayer, and concludes with an ascription of praise to God for His goodness (Psalm 66:16-20).

The reader is at once struck by the abrupt change from the first person plural in Psalm 66:1-12 to the first person singular in Psalm 66:13-20. How is it to be accounted for, and who is the speaker in Psalm 66:13 ff?

(1) Some critics have supposed that portions of two Psalms, the one national, the other personal, have been combined. But would not the incongruity, if it exists, have been felt by the compiler? and the similarity of the situation (Psalm 66:9 ff, Psalm 66:14 ff), and of the style (Psalm 66:5; Psalm 66:8; Psalm 66:16) in both parts is strongly in favour of the unity of the Psalm.

(2) In spite of the personal turn of the language in Psalm 66:13 ff, it might be the congregation assembled for worship which lifts up its voice as one man in that consciousness of national solidarity which was so vivid a reality to the mind of ancient Israel.

(3) But this view does not account for the transition from the plural to the singular; and it seems best to hear in these verses the voice of the responsible and representative leader of the nation (not necessarily himself the author of the Psalm), who identifies its fortunes and interests with his own.

Who then was this leader and what was the occasion? The language of Psalm 66:9 ff clearly refers to some wonderful interposition by which God had delivered the nation from a danger which threatened its very existence. Was it the termination of the Assyrian tyranny by the destruction of Sennacherib’s army? or was it the restoration from the Babylonian captivity? If it was the latter, the Psalm must be placed after b.c. 516, for the Temple is standing, and sacrificial worship is being carried on. But there is no distinct reference to the Exile; the language points to a short and sharp crisis rather than to a prolonged humiliation; and the whole Psalm admits of a far more satisfactory explanation in connexion with the earlier occasion, (a) The Assyrian oppression was certainly sufficiently severe, and the danger to Judah sufficiently great, to justify the language of Psalm 66:9 ff. It must have seemed as though Jerusalem’s last hour was come, and the Southern Kingdom must inevitably share the fate of the Northern Kingdom. (b) A distinctive feature of the Psalm is the appeal to the nations to recognise Jehovah as the ruler of the world. In just such a spirit Hezekiah prays for deliverance from Sennacherib “that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that thou art the Lord, even thou only” (Isaiah 37:20); and in God’s name Isaiah bids those who are afar off to hear what He has done and those who are near to acknowledge His might (Psalm 33:13) (c) The parallel obviously suggested between the Exodus and the recent deliverance might seem to point to the Return from Babylon which is so often spoken of as a second Exodus: but the parallel between the Egyptian oppression and the Assyrian oppression is constantly present to Isaiah’s mind (Isaiah 10:24, &c.), and he expressly compares the rejoicings with which the deliverance will be celebrated to the rejoicings of the Passover (Isaiah 30:29). (d) The Psalm contains some striking parallels of thought and language with Isaiah 1, and with Psalms 46, 48, 75, 76, which belong to that time.

If then the Psalm is a song for the Passover festival, celebrating the deliverance of Jerusalem from the tyranny of the Assyrians and the menaces of Sennacherib, the speaker in Psalm 66:13 ff (though not necessarily the composer of the Psalm) will be Hezekiah. This may explain the personal, and yet more than personal, character of the language. He speaks as the representative and mouthpiece of the nation in its trial and deliverance; and in Psalm 66:16 ff not without allusion to his own restoration from sickness, which was to him a type and pledge of the nation’s escape from death (Isaiah 38:5 ff). His prayer in his sickness (Isaiah 38:3) presents a striking parallel to the profession of integrity in Psalm 66:18.

This Psalm and Psalms 57 are the only anonymous Psalms which have For the Chief Musician prefixed. It is doubly described as A Song, a Psalm, or perhaps A Song for Music. The LXX adds ἀναστάσεως, of resurrection, probably with reference to Psalm 66:9; Psalm 66:16.

Ps 66:1-20.

The writer invites all men to unite in praise, cites some striking occasions for it, promises special acts of thanksgiving, and celebrates God's great mercy.

1. Make . . . noise--or, "Shout."

Make a joyful noise unto God - literally, "Shout." It is a call for exultation and praise.

All ye lands - Margin, as in Hebrew, all the earth. The occasion was one that made universal exultation and praise proper. They who had been so deeply affected by the gracious interposition of God, could not but call on all the nations of the earth to unite with them in the expression of joy. The deliverance was so great that they wished all to rejoice with them (compare Luke 15:6, Luke 15:9); and the intervention of God in the case of his people, furnished lessons about his character which gave occasion to all men to rejoice.