Psalm 46:9

He maketh wars to cease unto the end of the earth; he breaketh the bow, and cutteth the spear in sunder; he burneth the chariot in the fire.

EXPOSITORY (ENGLISH BIBLE)

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(9) He maketh.—Comp. Virg. Æn., 3:560.

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

46:6-11 Come and see the effects of desolating judgments, and stand in awe of God. This shows the perfect security of the church, and is an assurance of lasting peace. Let us pray for the speedy approach of these glorious days, and in silent submission let us worship and trust in our almighty Sovereign. Let all believers triumph in this, that the Lord of hosts, the God of Jacob, has been, is, and will be with us; and will be our Refuge. Mark this, take the comfort, and say, If God be for us, who can be against us? With this, through life and in death, let us answer every fear.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

He maketh wars to cease unto the end of the earth - Either in all the land, or in all the world. The overthrow of the Assyrian army would probably put an end to all the wars then raging in the world. The Assyrian empire was then the most mighty on the globe; it was engaged in wide schemes of conquest; it had already overrun many of the smaller kingdoms of the world Isaiah 37:18-20; and it hoped to complete its conquests, and to secure the ascendancy over the entire earth, by the subjugation of India and Egypt. When the vast army of that empire, engaged in such a purpose, was overthrown, the consequence would be that the nations would be at rest, or that there would be universal peace. Compare the notes at Isaiah 14:6-7.

He breaketh the bow, and cutteth the spear in sunder - That is, he makes them useless, as a bow that is broken is of no value, or a spear that is cut into parts.

He burneth the chariot in the fire - The war-chariot, that which was employed in battle. See the notes at Isaiah 2:7; notes at Psalm 20:7. The expression here may refer to a custom of collecting the spoils of war into a heap, and setting them on fire. This was particularly done when the victors were unable to remove them, or so to secure them as to preclude all danger of their being taken again and used against themselves. Tiffs custom is alluded to by Virgil, AEn. viii. 561, 562,

"Qualis cram, cum primam aciem Prseneste sub ipsa

Stravi, scutorumque iucendi victor acervos."

The idea here is, that God had wholly overthrown the foe, and had prevented all danger of his returning again for purposes of conquest.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

9. The usual weapons of war (Ps 7:12), as well as those using them, are brought to an end.

Matthew Poole's Commentary

He hath ended our wars, and settled us in a firm and well-grounded peace.

The end of the earth, or of this land, to wit, of Israel; from one end of it to the other.

He speaks of the bows, and spears, and chariots of their enemies; for he preserved those which belonged to his people.

Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

He maketh wars to cease unto the ends of the earth,.... As at the birth of Christ, the Prince of peace, in the times of Augustus Caesar, when there was a general peace in the world, though it did not last long; and in the times of Constantine, signified by silence in heaven for half an hour, Revelation 8:1; when for a while there was a cessation from wars and persecution; and as will be in the latter day, and which is here chiefly designed; when nations shall learn war no more, and Christ's kingdom will take place; of which and its peace there shall be no end, Isaiah 2:4. The consideration of which may serve to relieve distressed minds under terrible apprehensions of present troubles and public calamities;

he breaketh the bow, and cutteth the spear in sunder; he burneth the chariot in the fire; that is, "chariots", or "carts" (y) or "wagons", in which, as Aben Ezra observes, arms and provision were carried for the use of soldiers; the Targum renders it "round shields" (z): and the destroying of all these military weapons and carriages is a token of peace, and of war's being caused to cease, there being no more use for them; with this compare Ezekiel 39:8. It was usual to burn the arms of enemies taken in war (a).

(y) "plaustra", Pagninus, Montanus, Vatablus, Musculus, Gejerus, Michaelis. (z) So the Septuagint, Vulgate Latin, Ethiopic and Arabic versions. (a) Vid. Lydium de Re Militari, l. 6. c. 4. p. 229, 230.

Geneva Study Bible

He maketh wars to cease unto the end of the earth; he breaketh the bow, and cutteth the spear in sunder; he burneth the chariot in the fire.

EXEGETICAL (ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)

Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

9. The destruction of the Assyrians is an earnest of that final abolition of war which Jehovah will one day bring about, destroying the weapons of war, or burning them in a vast pyre upon the battlefield, as Isaiah predicted (Psalm 9:5, R.V.). Cp. Isaiah 2:4 (= Micah 4:3); Zechariah 9:10.

the chariot] R.V. the chariots. The word however is nowhere used of war chariots, and must rather mean baggage-wagons (cp. 1 Samuel 17:20; 1 Samuel 26:7). Perhaps, as Baethgen proposes, the word should be vocalised ‘agîlôth instead of ‘agâlôth, and rendered as in LXX and Targ., shields.

Pulpit Commentary

Verse 9. - He maketh wars to cease unto the end of the earth (comp. Isaiah 2:4; Isaiah 11:9; Isaiah 65:25). Each great deliverance effected by God is followed naturally by a term of peace (comp. Judges 3:11, 30; Judges 5:31; Judges 8:28; "and the land had rest twenty, forty, eighty years"), each such term being typical of the final peace, when God shall have put down all enemies under Messiah's feet. He breaketh the bow, and cutteth the spear in sunder; i.e. he destroys all offensive weapons, so that none may "hurt or destroy in all his holy mountain" (Isaiah 11:9). He burneth the chariot in the fire. War-chariots were largely employed by the Assyrians, and formed the main strength of the army of Sennacherib (2 Kings 19:23). Psalm 46:9

Keil and Delitzsch Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament

(Heb.: 46:9-12) The mighty deeds of Jahve still lie visibly before them in their results, and those who are without the pale of the church are to see for themselves and be convinced. In a passage founded upon this, Psalm 66:5, stands מפעלות אלהים; here, according to Targum and Masora (vid., Psalter, ii. 472), מפעלות יהוה.

(Note: Nevertheless מפעלות אלהים is also found here as a various reading that goes back to the time of the Talmud. The oldest Hebrew Psalter of 1477 reads thus, vide Repertorium fr Bibl. und Morgenlnd. Liter. v. (1779), 148. Norzi decides in favour of it, and Biesenthal has also adopted it in his edition of the Psalter (1837), which in other respects is a reproduction of Heidenheim's text.)

Even an Elohimic Psalm gives to the God of Israel in opposition to all the world no other name than יהוה. שׁמּות does not here signify stupenda (Jeremiah 8:21), but in accordance with the phrase שׂוּם לשׁמּה, Isaiah 13:9, and frequently: devastations, viz., among the enemies who have kept the field against the city of God. The participle משׁבּית is designedly used in carrying forward the description. The annihilation of the worldly power which the church has just now experienced for its rescue, is a prelude to the ceasing of all war, Micah 4:3 (Isaiah 2:4). Unto the ends of the earth will Jahve make an end of waging war; and since He has no pleasure in war in general, much less in war waged against His own people, all the implements of war He in part breaks to pieces and in part consigns to the flames (cf. Isaiah 54:16.). Cease, cries He (Psalm 46:10) to the nations, from making war upon my people, and know that I am God, the invincible One, - invincible both in Myself and in My people, - who will be acknowledged in My exaltation by all the world. A similar inferential admonition closes Psalm 2:1-12. With this admonition, which is both warning and threatening at the same time, the nations are dismissed; but the church yet once more boasts that Jahve Tsebaoth is its God and its stronghold.