Verse-by-Verse Bible Commentary
Psalms 144:10

Clarke's Commentary

Verse Psalms 144:10. He that giveth salvation unto kings — Monarchy, in the principle, is from God: it is that form of government which, in the course of the Divine providence, has principally prevailed; and that which, on the whole, has been most beneficial to mankind. God, therefore, has it under his peculiar protection. It is by him that kings reign; and by his special providence they are protected.

Bridgeway Bible Commentary

Psalms 144:0 A king’s praise

Most of the verses in this psalm are found in some form in other parts of the book. This composition was probably made for use by the king on a special occasion of national celebration.
Israel’s king praises the almighty God for his strong protection, which has repeatedly brought victory for his people over their enemies (1-2). As his thoughts broaden, the king praises God for his concern for the human race in general, particularly since men and women are unworthy of all God’s kindness (3-4). God has saved his people from enemies in the past, and they can depend on him to save them in present and future crises (5-8). The result of God’s victories will be that the king will bring him praise and express his continued trust in God as his deliverer (9-11).
Looking to the future, the king prays that the nation will enter a new age, where security and prosperity are enjoyed by all. He prays that families will grow and flourish, that fields and flocks will be fruitful, and that people will enjoy peace and contentment. But he reminds the people that they can expect such blessings only if they maintain their loyalty to God (12-15).

Coffman's Commentaries on the Bible

"Thou art he that giveth salvation unto kings; Who rescueth David his servant from the hurtful sword."

"David his servant" This cannot mean anyone else except the king David who succeeded Saul. The idea is repulsive that any other of the so-called Davidic-line of kings would have been called God's servant. Furthermore, it was nothing unusual for David to refer to himself in his writings. "He refers to himself as `David' in Psalms 18:50, and in 2 Samuel 7:27; and he refers to himself as `the king' in Psalms 51:6 and Ps. 53:11."Barnes' Notes on the Old Testament (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, a 1987 reprint of the 1878 edition), op. cit., p. 317.

Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible

It is he that giveth salvation unto kings - Margin, “Victory.” The Hebrew word means “salvation,” but it is used here in the sense of deliverance or rescue. Even “kings,” with all their armies, have no hope but in God. They seem to be the most powerful of men, but they are, like all other people, wholly dependent on him for deliverance from danger. David thus recognizes his own entire dependence. Though a king in the divine purpose and in fact, yet he had no power but as derived from God; he had no hope of deliverance but in him. It is implied further that God might as readily be supposed to be willing to interpose in behalf of kings as of other people when their cause was right, and when they looked to him for aid. See the notes at Psalms 33:16 : “there is no king saved by the multitude of an host.” Compare Psalms 44:5-6.

Who delivereth David his servant from the hurtful sword - Who has done it; who can do it again; on whom alone David is dependent as all other men are. David speaks of himself by name elsewhere. See Psalms 18:50; 2 Samuel 7:26. He refers to himself also under the name of “the king,” Psalms 61:6; Psalms 63:11. Caesar, in his writings, often speaks of himself in the same way.

Smith's Bible Commentary

Chapter 144

Blessed be the LORD my strength, which ( Psalms 144:1 )

Now this is a psalm of David, and of course, some people get upset with this psalm because David thanks God for making him such a tough fighter.

Blessed be the LORD my strength, which teaches my hands to war, and my fingers to fight: my goodness, my fortress; my high tower, my deliverer; my shield, and he in whom I trust; who subdues my people under me. LORD, what is man, that you take knowledge of him! or the son of man, that you take him into account! ( Psalms 144:1-3 )

Interesting question. "What is man, that God should take knowledge of him?" This carries us back to an earlier psalm when David said, "When I consider the heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon, the stars which Thou hast ordained, what is man?" ( Psalms 8:3 , Psalms 8:4 ) Looking at the universe and in light of the universe and the vastness of the universe, what is man? This little speck of dust walking around on this little planet Earth. Way off in this corner of the solar system, or way off in this corner of the Milky Way galaxy; in one of the billions of galaxies in the universe. And here I am. And yet, the God who created the entire universe is mindful of me. But not in the general sense, in a very particular sense.

Jesus said that God is so mindful of His creation that there is not a sparrow that falls to the ground but what God is not mindful of it. How much more you, His children? Jesus said He knows the very number of hairs of your head. God is mindful of intricate details about your life. Nothing escapes His attention. What is man? Who am I that God should be mindful of me? The son of man that God should take me into account? Man is nothing.

Man is like to [nothing,] vanity [or nothing, emptiness]: his days are as a shadow that passes away ( Psalms 144:4 ).

Like the sundial that has gone down. Life is so short. I'm here for such a short time. Living a life of vanity. And yet, God is mindful of me. I'm important to Him.

Bow thy heavens, O LORD, and come down: touch the mountains, and they shall smoke. Cast forth lightning, and scatter them: shoot out your arrows, and destroy them. Send your hand from above; rid me, and deliver me out of the great waters, and from the hand of strange children; Whose mouth speak emptiness, and their right hand is a right hand of falsehood. I will sing a new song unto thee, O God: upon a psaltery and an instrument of ten strings will I sing praises unto thee. It is he that giveth salvation unto kings: who delivered David his servant from the hurtful sword. Rid me, and deliver me from the hand of strange children, whose mouth speaks emptiness, and their right hand is a right hand of falsehood: That our sons may be as plants grown up in their youth; that our daughters may be as corner stones, polished after the similitude of the palace: That our garners may be full ( Psalms 144:5-13 ),

Now asking God to deliver from the hand of the enemy. To place His hand of blessing upon us that our sons might have the opportunity to grow up, that our daughters might be like polished corner stones, that our garners (shelves) might be full.

affording all manner of food; that our sheep may bring forth thousands and ten thousands in our streets: That our oxen may be strong to pull the plow; that there be no breaking in, nor going out; and there be no complaining in our streets. Happy is that people, who are in such a case: yes, happy is that people, whose God is Yahweh ( Psalms 144:13-15 ). "

Dr. Constable's Expository Notes

Psalms 144

This is a prayer that asks for deliverance during war. David praised God for granting victory in past battles and requested success in a present military encounter with an enemy. He was confident that God would save His people.

"This psalm is a mosaic, not a monolith; most of its material, short of the final verses, is drawn from other psalms of David, most substantially Psalms 18." [Note: Kidner, Psalms 73-150, p. 477.]

Dr. Constable's Expository Notes

2. Petition for present victory 144:3-11

Dr. Constable's Expository Notes

David promised to praise God with a new song for the victory he believed God would give him. "New songs" in Scripture typically arose out of new experiences. Psalms 144:11 is a kind of refrain (cf. Psalms 144:8).

Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible

[It is he] that giveth salvation to kings,.... Which is the reason of singing the new song to the Lord, or this is the matter of it. The Lord is the Preserver of men and beasts, the Saviour of all men, and especially of them that believe; who are in a spiritual sense kings and priests unto God; and in a temporal sense he saves high and low, rich and poor: but there is a particular providence respecting kings; who, as they are the powers ordained of God, and are his vicegerents on earth, and represent him, so they are preserved by him; were they not, there would soon be an end to all public order and government: they cannot save themselves; nor are they saved by their bodyguards about them; nor is any king saved by the multitude of his host, but by the Lord, Psalms 33:16. Or, "he that giveth victory to kings"; over their enemies; which is not obtained by the strength and force of their armies, and by their military skill valour; but by the right hand and arm of the Lord: and therefore, whenever this is the case, a new song should be sung to him; see Psalms 98:1. David no doubt has regard to himself, and to the many salvations God had wrought for him, and the victories he had given him; as also to the King Messiah, whom God heard and helped, as man and Mediator, in the day of salvation, and gave it to him, and in which he rejoiced, Isaiah 49:8;

who delivereth David his servant from the hurtful sword; David literally, the servant of the Lord by creation, redemption, and grace, as well as by his office, as king of Israel; him the Lord delivered from the sword of Goliath, as the Targum; from the sword of Saul, as Jarchi and Kimchi; and from the sword of strange children, as Arama; of all his enemies he had been or was engaged with in war: and David mystically, Christ the son of David, God's righteous servant, he chose, called, upheld; and in whom he was glorified, by doing his work diligently, faithfully, and completely; him he delivered from the sword of justice, when he had satisfied it; and from wicked men, like a sword; and from all his enemies, and death itself, when he raised him from the dead, and gave him glory; see Psalms 22:20. Aben Ezra thinks there is a defect of the copulative "and": and that it should be read, "from the sword and evil"; every evil person or thing; and observes, that some take it for an adjective, and understand it of an evil camp or company.

Henry's Complete Commentary on the Bible

      9 I will sing a new song unto thee, O God: upon a psaltery and an instrument of ten strings will I sing praises unto thee.   10 It is he that giveth salvation unto kings: who delivereth David his servant from the hurtful sword.   11 Rid me, and deliver me from the hand of strange children, whose mouth speaketh vanity, and their right hand is a right hand of falsehood:   12 That our sons may be as plants grown up in their youth; that our daughters may be as corner stones, polished after the similitude of a palace:   13 That our garners may be full, affording all manner of store: that our sheep may bring forth thousands and ten thousands in our streets:   14 That our oxen may be strong to labour; that there be no breaking in, nor going out; that there be no complaining in our streets.   15 Happy is that people, that is in such a case: yea, happy is that people, whose God is the LORD.

      The method is the same in this latter part of the psalm as in the former; David first gives glory to God and then begs mercy from him.

      I. He praises God for the experiences he had had of his goodness to him and the encouragements he had to expect further mercy from him, Psalms 144:9; Psalms 144:10. In the midst of his complaints concerning the power and treachery of his enemies, here is a holy exultation in his God: I will sing a new song to thee, O God! a song of praise for new mercies, for those compassions that are new every morning. Fresh favours call for fresh returns of thanks; nay, we must praise God for the mercies we hope for by his promise as well as those we have received by his providence, 2 Chronicles 20:20; 2 Chronicles 20:21. He will join music with his songs of praise, to express and excite his holy joy in God; he will praise God upon a psaltery of ten strings, in the best manner, thinking all little enough to set forth the praises of God. He tells us what this new song shall be (Psalms 144:10; Psalms 144:10): It is he that giveth salvation unto kings. This intimates, 1. That great kings cannot save themselves without him. Kings have their life-guards, and have armies at command, and all the means of safety that can be devised; but, after all, it is God that gives them their salvation, and secures them by those means, which he could do, if there were occasion, without them, Psalms 33:16. Kings are the protectors of their people, but it is God that is their protector. How much service do they owe him then with their power who gives them all their salvations! 2. That good kings, who are his ministers for the good of their subjects, shall be protected and saved by him. He has engaged to give salvation to those kings that are his subjects and rule for him; witness the great things he had done for David his servant, whom he had many a time delivered from the hurtful sword, to which Saul's malice, and his own zeal for the service of his country, had often exposed him. This may refer to Christ the Son of David, and then it is a new song indeed, a New-Testament song. God delivered him from the hurtful sword, upheld him as his servant, and brought him off a conqueror over all the powers of darkness, Isaiah 42:1; Isaiah 49:8. To him he gave salvation, not for himself only, but for us, raising him up to be a horn of salvation.

      II. He prays for the continuance of God's favour.

      1. That he might be delivered from the public enemies, Psalms 144:11; Psalms 144:11. Here he repeats his prayer and plea, Psalms 144:7; Psalms 144:8. His persecutors were still of the same character, false and perfidious, and who would certainly over-reach an honest man and be too hard for him: "Therefore, Lord, do thou deliver me from them, for they are a strange sort of people."

      2. That he might see the public peace and prosperity: "Lord, let us have victory, that we may have quietness, which we shall never have while our enemies have it in their power to do us mischief." David, as a king, here expresses the earnest desire he had of the welfare of his people, wherein he was a type of Christ, who provides effectually for the good of his chosen. We have here,

      (1.) The particular instances of that public prosperity which David desired for his people. [1.] A hopeful progeny (Psalms 144:12; Psalms 144:12): "That our sons and our daughters may be in all respects such as we could wish." He means not those only of his own family, but those of his subjects, that are the seed of the next generation. It adds much to the comfort and happiness of parents in this world to see their children promising and likely to do well. First, It is pleasant to see our sons as plants grown up in their youth, as olive-plants (Psalms 128:1-6), the planting of the Lord (Isaiah 61:3),-- to see them as plants, not as weeds, not as thorns,--to see them as plants growing great, not withered and blasted,--to see them of a healthful constitution, a quick capacity, a towardly disposition, and especially of a pious inclination, likely to bring forth fruit unto God in their day,--to see them in their youth, their growing time, increasing in every thing that is good, growing wiser and better, till they grow strong in spirit. Secondly, It is no less desirable to see our daughters as corner-stones, or corner-pillars, polished after the similitude of a palace, or temple. By daughters families are united and connected, to their mutual strength, as the parts of a building are by the corner-stones; and when they are graceful and beautiful both in body and mind they are then polished after the similitude of a nice and curious structure. When we see our daughters well-established and stayed with wisdom and discretion, as corner-stones are fastened in the building,--when we see them by faith united to Christ, as the chief corner-stone, adorned with the graces of God's Spirit, which are the polishing of that which is naturally rough, and become women professing godliness,--when we see them purified and consecrated to God as living temples, we think ourselves happy in them. [2.] Great plenty. Numerous families increase the care, perhaps more than the comfort, where there is not sufficient for their maintenance; and therefore he prays for a growing estate with a growing family. First, That their store-houses might be well-replenished with the fruits and products of the earth: That our garners may be full, like those of the good householder, who brings out of them things new and old (those things that are best new he has in that state, those that are best when they are kept he has in that state),--that we may have in them all manner of stores, for ourselves and our friends,--that, living plentifully, we may live not luxuriously, for then we abuse our plenty, but cheerfully and usefully,--that, having abundance, we may be thankful to God, generous to our friends, and charitable to the poor; otherwise, what profit is it to have our garners full? James 5:3. Secondly, That their flocks might greatly increase: That our sheep may bring forth thousands, and ten thousands, in our folds. Much of the wealth of their country consisted in their flocks (Proverbs 27:26), and this is the case with ours too, else wool would not be, as it is, a staple commodity. The increase of our cattle is a blessing in which God is to be acknowledged. Thirdly, That their beasts designed for service might be fit for it: That our oxen may be strong to labour in the plough, that they may be fat and fleshy (so some), in good working case. We were none of us made to be idle, and therefore we should pray for bodily health, not that we may be easy and take our pleasures, but that we may be strong to labour, that we may do the work of our place and day, else we are worse than the beasts; for when they are strong it is for labour. [3.] An uninterrupted peace. First, That there be no war, no breaking in of invaders, no going out of deserters. "Let not our enemies break in upon us; let us not have occasion to march out against them." War brings with it abundance of mischiefs, whether it be offensive or defensive. Secondly, That there be no oppression nor faction--no complaining in our streets, that the people may have no cause to complain either of their government or of one another, nor may be so peevish as to complain without cause. It is desirable thus to dwell in quiet habitations.

      (2.) His reflection upon this description of the prosperity of the nation, which he so much desired (Psalms 144:15; Psalms 144:15): Happy are the people that are in such a case (but it is seldom so, and never long so), yea, happy are the people whose God is the Lord. The relation of a people to God as theirs is here spoken of either, [1.] As that which is the fountain whence all those blessings flow. Happy are the Israelites if they faithfully adhere to the Lord as their God, for they may expect to be in such a case. National piety commonly brings national prosperity; for nations as such, in their national capacity, are capable of rewards and punishments only in this life. Or, [2.] As that which is abundantly preferable to all these enjoyments. The psalmist began to say, as most do, Happy are the people that are in such a case; those are blessed that prosper in the world. But he immediately corrects himself: Yea, rather, happy are the people whose God is the Lord, who have his favour, and love, and grace, according to the tenour of the covenant, though they have not abundance of this world's goods. As all this, and much more, cannot make us happy, unless the Lord be our God, so, if he be, the want of this, the loss of this, nay, the reverse of this, cannot make us miserable.