Psalm 112:9

He hath dispersed, he hath given to the poor; his righteousness endureth for ever; his horn shall be exalted with honour.

EXPOSITORY (ENGLISH BIBLE)

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(9) He hath dispersed.—The conjugation of the verb indicates a frequent and customary action.

For St. Paul’s use of this verse, see New Test. Com. 2Corinthians 9:9.

His horn.—For the image of the exalted horn see Note, Psalm 75:5.

Benson Commentary

Psalm 112:9. He hath dispersed — His goods, freely and liberally. He hath given to the poor — To such as he knew to be really in want, and especially to the poor members of Christ. His righteousness — His liberality, or the reward of it; endureth for ever — That is, either, 1st, His charity is not a transient or occasional act; it is his constant course, of which he is not weary, but perseveres in it to the end of his life. Or, 2d, What he gives is not lost, as covetous or ungodly men judge of what is given to the poor, but, indeed, is the only part of his estate which will abide with him unto all eternity. His horn shall be exalted, &c. — Though he may now be reproached by the wicked, yet his innocence shall be cleared, and his name and honour gloriously exalted, especially when Jesus shall say to him and others of his saints, at the great day, I was hungry, and ye gave me meat, &c. “Then, when the thrones of the mighty shall be cast down. and the sceptres of tyrants broken in pieces, shall he lift up his head and be exalted, to partake of the glory of his Redeemer, the author of his faith, and the pattern of his charity, who gave himself for us, and is now seated at the right hand of the majesty in the heavens.” — Horne.

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

112:1-10 The blessedness of the righteous. - We have to praise the Lord that there are a people in the world, who fear him and serve him, and that they are a happy people; which is owing entirely to his grace. Their fear is not that which love casts out, but that which love brings in. It follows and flows from love. It is a fear to offend. This is both fear and trust. The heart touched by the Spirit of God, as the needle touched with the loadstone, turns direct and speedily to God, yet still with trembling, being filled with this holy fear. Blessings are laid up for the faithful and their children's children; and true riches are bestowed on them, with as much of this world's possessions as is profitable for them. In the darkest hours of affliction and trial, the light of hope and peace will spring up within them, and seasonable relief shall turn mourning into joy. From their Lord's example they learn to be kind and full of compassion, as well as just in all their dealings; they use discretion, that they may be liberal in that manner which appears most likely to do good. Envy and slander may for a time hide their true characters here, but they shall be had in everlasting remembrance. They need not fear evil tidings. A good man shall have a settled spirit. And it is the endeavour of true believers to keep their minds stayed upon God, and so to keep them calm and undisturbed; and God has promised them both cause to do so, and grace to do so. Trusting in the Lord is the best and surest way of establishing the heart. The heart of man cannot fix any where with satisfaction, but in the truth of God, and there it finds firm footing. And those whose hearts are established by faith, will patiently wait till they gain their point. Compare all this with the vexation of sinners. The happiness of the saints is the envy of the wicked. The desire of the wicked shall perish; their desire was wholly to the world and the flesh, therefore when these perish, their joy is gone. But the blessings of the gospel are spiritual and eternal, and are conferred upon the members of the Christian church, through Christ their Head, who is the Pattern of all righteousness, and the Giver of all grace.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

He hath dispersed ... - This is another characteristic of a righteous man, and another reason of the permanent honor which will be rendered to him. The meaning is, that he is liberal; he freely scatters what he has; he divides it with those who are needy and unfortunate. One part of mankind have an overplus - have more than they need for themselves and their families - and that overplus is what is designed to meet the needs of the unfortunate, the weak, the aged, the imbecile, the infirm, who have "not" enough. It is the "treasury" of God - the "reservoir" where that is gathered which is to be distributed for the needs of the helpless and the dependent. The righteous man is one who enters fully into this arrangement, and who feels that all this overplus belongs to God, and is to be appropriated as he shall direct.

His righteousness endureth for ever - His acts of charity are constant. His piety is not fitful, spasmodic, uncertain; it is steady principle; it is firm and solid; it may always be relied on. See Psalm 112:3.

His horn shall be exalted with honor - See the notes at Psalm 75:10.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

8. heart is established—or, firm in right principles.

see his desire—(Ps 50:23; 54:7).

Matthew Poole's Commentary

Dispersed, to wit, his goods, and that freely and liberally, to several persons, as occasion is offered, as this word implies.

His righteousness, i.e. his liberality, as this word is used, Proverbs 10:2 11:4 Daniel 4:27 2 Corinthians 9:9,10, &c.; or the reward of it, as before, Psalm 112:3.

Endureth for ever; either,

1. His charity is not a transient or occasional act, but his constant course, of which he is not weary, but perseveres in it to the end of his life. Or,

2. What he gives is not lost nor cast away, as covetous or ungodly men judge of alms, but indeed is the only part of his estate, which will abide with him unto all eternity.

His horn shall be exalted with honour; though he may be reproached by ungodly men, yet his innocency shall be cleared, and his name and honour gloriously exalted.

Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

He hath dispersed,.... His money, as the Targum; scattered it here and there, as the sower scatters his seed; does not throw it all in one place, but some here and some there, and all with profusion and plenty. This denotes the bounty and liberality of the upright; and his wisdom and discretion in distributing his charity, and the numerous objects of it; see Proverbs 11:14.

He hath given to the poor; that stand in need of his charity, freely, cheerfully, and bountifully.

His righteousness endureth for ever; his liberality continues, he is not weary of well doing; he gives a portion to seven and to eight, and to as many and as often as there is a call and need for it; See Gill on Psalm 112:3.

His horn shall be exalted with honour; the reproach cast upon him shall be wiped off; he shall grow more prosperous, and become more honourable among men here on earth; and in the resurrection morning shall have the dominion over the wicked, and shall appear with Christ in glory, and be with him to all eternity.

Geneva Study Bible

He hath {e} dispersed, he hath given to the poor; his righteousness endureth for ever; his {f} horn shall be exalted with honour.

(e) The godly are not stingy, but distribute liberally, as the need of the poor requires and as his power is able.

(f) His power and prosperous estate.

EXEGETICAL (ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)

Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

9. He hath dispersed] Of liberal, open-handed, distribution of wealth, in Proverbs 11:24.

his righteousness &c.] As in Psalm 112:3. “How little these words are contrary to the Christian consciousness is shewn by St Paul’s citation of them in 2 Corinthians 9:9, where he applies them for the encouragement of Christian beneficence” (Delitzsch).

his horn &c.] Cp. 1 Samuel 2:1; and see note on Psalm 92:10.

Pulpit Commentary

Verse 9. - He hath dispersed, he hath given to the poor. There is no virtue in mere "dispersing," since spendthrifts" disperse" even more lavishly than virtuous men. The only laudable "dispersing" is that which has for its object the relief of distress, and which (it may be added) is wisely directed to that object. His righteousness endureth forever (see the comment on ver. 3). His horn shall be exalted with honor. The esteem of men, on the whole, follows upon goodness, and the righteous obtain more honor than others. Psalm 112:9

Keil and Delitzsch Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament

As in the preceding Psalm. Psa 112:1 here also sets forth the theme of that which follows. What is there said in Psalm 112:3 concerning the righteousness of God, Psalm 112:3 here says of the righteousness of him who fears God: this also standeth fast for ever, it is indeed the copy of the divine, it is the work and gift of God (Psalm 24:5), inasmuch as God's salutary action and behaviour, laid hold of in faith, works a like form of action and behaviour to it in man, which, as Psalm 112:9 says, is, according to its nature, love. The promise in Psalm 112:4 sounds like Isaiah 60:2. Hengstenberg renders: "There ariseth in the darkness light to the upright who is gracious and compassionate and just." But this is impossible as a matter of style. The three adjectives (as in Psalm 111:4, pointing back to Exodus 34:6, cf. Psalm 145:8; Psalm 116:5) are a mention of God according to His attributes. חנּוּן and רחוּם never take the article in Biblical Hebrew, and צדּיק follows their examples here (cf. on the contrary, Exodus 9:27). God Himself is the light which arises in darkness for those who are sincere in their dealings with Him; He is the Sun of righteousness with wings of rays dispensing "grace" and "tender mercies," Malachi 4:2. The fact that He arises for those who are compassionate as He is compassionate, is evident from Psalm 112:5. טוב being, as in Isaiah 3:10; Jeremiah 44:17, intended of well-being, prosperity, טּוב אישׁ is here equivalent to אשׁרי אישׁ, which is rendered טוּביהּ דּגברא in Targumic phrase. חונן signifies, as in Psalm 37:26, Psalm 37:21, one who charitably dispenses his gifts around. Psalm 112:5 is not an extension of the picture of virtue, but, as in Psalm 127:5, a promissory prospect: he will uphold in integrity (בּמשׁפּט, Psalm 72:2, Isaiah 9:7, and frequently), or rather ( equals בּמּשׁפּט) in the cause (Psalm 143:2, Proverbs 24:23, and frequently), the things which depend upon him, or with which he has to do; for כּלכּל, sustinere, signifies to sustain, i.e., to nourish, to sustain, i.e., endure, and also to support, maintain, i.e., carry through. This is explanatorily confirmed in Psalm 112:6 : he stands, as a general thing, imperturbably fast. And when he dies he becomes the object of everlasting remembrance, his name is still blessed (Proverbs 10:7). Because he has a cheerful conscience, his heart too is not disconcerted by any evil tidings (Jeremiah 49:23): it remains נכון, erect, straight and firm, without suffering itself to bend or warp; בּטח בּה, full of confidence (passive, "in the sense of a passive state after a completed action of the person himself," like זכוּר, Psalm 103:14); סמוּך, stayed in itself and established. The last two designations are taken from Isaiah 26:3, where it is the church of the last times that is spoken of. Psalm 91:8 gives us information with reference to the meaning of ראה בצריו; עד, as in Psalm 94:13, of the inevitable goal, on this side of which he remains undismayed. 2 Corinthians 9:9, where Paul makes use of Psalm 112:9 of the Psalm before us as an encouragement to Christian beneficence, shows how little the assertion "his righteousness standeth for ever" is opposed to the New Testament consciousness. פּזּר of giving away liberally and in manifold ways, as in Proverbs 11:24. רוּם, Psalm 112:9, stands in opposition to the egoistical הרים in Psalm 75:5 as a vegetative sprouting up (Psalm 132:17). The evil-doer must see this, and confounded, vex himself over it; he gnashes his teeth with the rage of envy and chagrin, and melts away, i.e., loses consistency, becomes unhinged, dies off (נמס, 3d praet. Niph. as in Exodus 16:21, pausal form of נמס equals נמס). How often has he desired the ruin of him whom he must now see in honour! The tables are turned; this and his ungodly desire in general come to nought, inasmuch as the opposite is realized. On יראה, with its self-evident object, cf. Micah 7:10. Concerning the pausal form וכעס, vid., Psalm 93:1. Hupfeld wishes to read תּקות after Psalm 9:19, Proverbs 10:28. In defence of the traditional reading, Hitzig rightly points to Proverbs 10:24 together with Proverbs 10:28.