Psalm 33:5

He loveth righteousness and judgment: the earth is full of the goodness of the LORD.

EXPOSITORY (ENGLISH BIBLE)

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

33:1-11 Holy joy is the heart and soul of praise, and that is here pressed upon the righteous. Thankful praise is the breath and language of holy joy. Religious songs are proper expressions of thankful praise. Every endowment we possess, should be employed with all our skill and earnestness in God's service. His promises are all wise and good. His word is right, and therefore we are only in the right when we agree with it. His works are all done in truth. He is the righteous Lord, therefore loveth righteousness. What a pity it is that this earth, which is so full of the proofs and instances of God's goodness, should be so empty of his praises; and that of the multitudes who live upon his bounty, there are so few who live to his glory! What the Lord does, he does to purpose; it stands fast. He overrules all the counsels of men, and makes them serve his counsels; even that is fulfilled, which to us is most surprising, the eternal counsel of God, nor can any thing prevent its coming to pass.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

He loveth righteousness - See Psalm 11:7.

And judgment - justice.

The earth is full of the goodness of the Lord - Margin, "mercy." So the Hebrew. That is, his mercy or goodness is manifest everywhere. Every part of the earth bears witness that he is good.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

4-9. Reasons for praise: first, God's truth, faithfulness, and mercy, generally; then, His creative power which all must honor.

Matthew Poole's Commentary

Judgment, i.e. just judgment, by a figure called hendiadis, as Jeremiah 22:3. Or justice relates to the sentence, and judgment to the execution of it. He not only doth justice to all men, as was implied, Psalm 33:4, but, which is more, he loves it, and delights in it. The goodness of the Lord; he not only doth no man wrong, but he is very kind and merciful to all men in the world, to whom he gives many favours and invitations to his love and service. See Matthew 5:45 Acts 14:17 Romans 1:20,21.

Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

He loveth righteousness and judgment,.... Or "righteous judgment" (y); he delights in the administration of it himself, Jeremiah 9:24; and he is well pleased with acts of righteousness done by others, when done according to his word, from love to him, by faith in him, and with a view to his glory; especially he loves the righteousness of his son, being satisfactory to his law and justice, and his people, as clothed with it; and he delights in the condemnation of sin in the flesh of Christ, and in the righteous judgment of the world, and the prince of it, by Christ;

the earth is full of the goodness of the Lord; of the providential goodness of God, of which all creatures partake; and of the special goodness or grace of God manifested in Christ Jesus; it was full of it particularly when Christ was here on earth, who is full of grace and truth; and when the Gospel of the grace of God was preached everywhere by his apostles, according to his order, and appeared to all men; and so it will be especially in the latter day, when multitudes will be called by grace and converted, and when the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord; and still more when it will become a new earth, wherein only righteous men will dwell.

(y) "judicium justum", Gejerus.

Geneva Study Bible

He {e} loveth righteousness and judgment: the earth is full of the goodness of the LORD.

(e) However the world judges God's works, yet he does all things according to justice and mercy.

EXEGETICAL (ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)

Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

5. Righteousness is the principle of justice; judgement the application of it in act. Cp. Psalm 36:6; Psalm 103:6; and for loveth cp. Psalm 11:7.

goodness] Better, as R.V., lovingkindness. This line recurs in Psalm 119:64.

Pulpit Commentary

Verse 5. - He loveth righteousness and judgment. "Righteousness" is the essential principle of justice; "judgment," the carrying out of the principle in act. God loves both - a further ground for praising him. The earth is full of the goodness (or, loving-kindness) of the Lord (comp. Psalm 119:64). The earth is full, not only of God's glory (Isaiah 6:3) and of his riches (Psalm 104:24), but also of his mercy, or loving-kindness (חסד) - a ground of thankfulness that all will acknowledge. Psalm 33:5

Keil and Delitzsch Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament

Now beings the body of the song. The summons to praise God is supported (1) by a setting forth of His praiseworthiness

(Note: We have adopted the word "praiseworthiness" for the sake of conciseness of expression, in order to avoid an awkward periphrasis, in the sense of being worthy to be praised. - Tr.)

(a) as the God of revelation in the kingdom of Grace. His word is ישׂר, upright in intention, and, without becoming in any way whatever untrue to itself, straightway fulfilling itself. His every act is an act in אמוּנה, truth, which verifies the truth of His word, and one which accomplishes itself. On אהב, equivalent to אהב הוּא, vid., Psalm 7:10; Psalm 22:29. צדקה is righteousness as conduct; משׁפּט is right as a rule of judgment and a state or condition. חסד is an accusative, as in Psalm 119:64 : misericordia Domini plena est terra (the introit for Misercordias Sunday or the second Sunday after Easter).