Psalm 66:7

He ruleth by his power for ever; his eyes behold the nations: let not the rebellious exalt themselves. Selah.

EXPOSITORY (ENGLISH BIBLE)

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(7) His eyes behold.—Better, his eyes keep watch on the nations. God is, as it were, Israel’s outpost, ever on the alert to warn and defend them against surrounding nations.

Let not . . .—Literally, the rebellious, let them not exalt for themselves, where we may supply “horn” as in Psalm 75:4-5, or “head” as in Psalm 3:3; Psalm 110:7. For the rebellious, comp. Psalm 68:6.

Benson Commentary

Psalm 66:7. He ruleth by his power for ever — The same power which God possessed and exerted for his people in ancient times, he still possesses in as great vigour as ever, and is as able and ready to act for them as ever he was: which he hath shown in this late and glorious instance. His eyes behold the nations — He sees all their secret and subtle devices, and can and will defeat them, when he sees fit. Let not the rebellious exalt themselves — Lift up their hands against God or his people. Or, the rebellious; that is, those that rebel against this Almighty God and his laws, shall not exalt themselves, as they vainly hope and design to do, but shall be brought down and destroyed, as is here implied.

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

66:1-7 The holy church throughout all the world lifts up her voice, to laud that Name which is above every name, to make the praise of Jesus glorious, both by word and deed; that others may be led to glorify him also. But nothing can bring men to do this aright, unless his effectual grace create their hearts anew unto holiness; and in the redemption by the death of Christ, and the glorious deliverances it effects, are more wondrous works than Israel's deliverance from Egyptian bondage.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

He ruleth by his power for ever - literally, "Ruling by his power forever." The idea is, that he does this constantly; in each age and generation. He never has ceased to rule; he never will. His dominion extends from age to age, and will stretch forward forever. The power which he evinced in delivering his people he retains now, and will retain forever. In that unchanging power, his people may confide; that unchanging power, the wicked should fear.

His eyes behold the nations - All nations; all people. He sees all their conduct. They can conceal nothing from him. They should, therefore, stand in awe. The wicked have much to fear from One who sees all that they do, and who has power to crush and destroy them. Compare the notes at Psalm 11:4.

Let not the rebellious exalt themselves - Be lifted up with pride, or feel secure. They cannot overcome an Almighty God; they cannot escape from his power. The word rebellious here has reference to those who are impatient under the restraints of the law of God, and who are disposed to east off his authority. The admonition is one that may be addressed to all who thus rebel against God, whether they are nations or individuals. Alike they must feel the vengeance of his arm, and fall beneath his power.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

7. behold the nations—watch their conduct.

Matthew Poole's Commentary

The same power which God had and put forth for his people in ancient time, he still hath in as great vigour as ever, and is not at all weakened by age, and is as able and ready to act for them now as ever he was; which he hath showed by this late and glorious instance.

His eyes behold the nations; he sees all their secret and subtle devices, and can and will defeat them, when he sees fit.

Let not the rebellious exalt themselves; lift up their hands against God, or against his people. Or, the rebellious (i.e. those people which rebel against this almighty God and his laws) shall not exalt themselves, as they vainly hope and design to do; but shall be brought down and destroyed, as is hereby implied.

Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

He ruleth by his power forever,.... Christ is the Ruler in Israel, King over his holy hill of Zion; who must reign till all enemies are put under his feet. He rules in the kingdom of nature and providence by his power, and does whatsoever he pleases; nor can any stay his hand. He rules in the kingdom of grace, in the hearts of his people, by his efficacious grace; which makes them willing, in the day of his power, to be subject to him; and in the latter day he will take to himself his great power and reign, when he will be King for ever. His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, it shall never be subverted nor usurped; nor will he in it be succeeded by another; he will reign to the end of the world, throughout the thousand years, with his saints on earth, and then with them in heaven for evermore. The Targum renders it,

"over the world;''

over the whole world; for Christ will be King over all the earth in the latter day, Zechariah 14:9;

his eyes behold the nations; the antichristian states. He sees all the idolatry and wickedness committed in them; and his eyes will be as flames of fire to destroy them, when the time is come. The allusion is to God's looking through the pillar of fire and cloud upon the Egyptians in the Red sea, and troubling them, Exodus 14:24;

let not the rebellious exalt themselves. That are rebels against Christ, would not have him to reign over them; antichrist, who exalts himself above all that is called God, and all his followers. Or, "they shall not exalt themselves" (a): or, as the Targum,

"they shall not be exalted in themselves for ever;''

see Revelation 18:7.

Selah; on this word; see Gill on Psalm 3:2.

(a) "haudquaquam sese exultabunt", Tigurine version, Musculus, & Gejerus.

Geneva Study Bible

He ruleth by his power for ever; his eyes behold the nations: let not the rebellious {e} exalt themselves. Selah.

(e) He proves that God will extend his grace also to the Gentiles, because he punishes among them such as will not obey his calling.

EXEGETICAL (ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)

Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

7. by his power] By his might (R.V.), as Psalm 65:6.

for ever] What is true for the past is true for the present and the future. God’s sovereignty is eternal. Cp. Psalm 145:13; Jeremiah 10:10.

his eyes behold the nations] Better, as R.V. renders the word in Proverbs 15:3, keep watch upon. He is the world’s watchman, sleeplessly on the watch lest any foe should injure Israel. Cp. Psalm 33:10; Psalm 33:13 ff; Isaiah 27:3; and Hezekiah’s prayer (Isaiah 37:17), “open thine eyes, O Lord, and see.”

let not the rebellious exalt themselves] A warning to those who obstinately resist God’s will (Psalm 68:6; Psalm 68:18) to humble themselves (Psalm 2:10 f), rather than a prayer to God to humble them (Psalm 9:19). Cp. God’s reproof of Sennacherib by Isaiah (Isaiah 37:23), “Against whom hast thou exalted thy voice and lifted up thine eyes on high?”

Pulpit Commentary

Verse 7. - He ruleth by his power forever; his eyes behold (or, observe) the nations. God keeps perpetual watch upon the heathen nations, whose general attitude is that of hostility to his "peculiar people," lest his people should suffer at their hands. Although they may professedly be submissive (ver. 3), their submission is not to be depended on. Let not the rebellious exalt themselves. At any time rebellion may break out, his people be attacked, and "the nations" endeavour to "exalt themselves." All such attempts, however, will be in vain, since "by his power God ruleth forever." Psalm 66:7

Keil and Delitzsch Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament

Although the summons: Come and see... (borrowed apparently from Psalm 46:9), is called forth by contemporary manifestations of God's power, the consequences of which now lie open to view, the rendering of Psalm 66:6, "then will we rejoice in Him," is nevertheless unnatural, and, rightly looked at, neither grammar nor the matter requires it. For since שׁם in this passage is equivalent to אז, and the future after אז takes the signification of an aorist; and since the cohortative form of the future can also (e.g., after עד, Psalm 73:7, and in clauses having a hypothetical sense) be referred to the past, and does sometimes at least occur where the writer throws himself back into the past (2 Samuel 22:38), the rendering: Then did we rejoice in Him, cannot be assailed on syntactical grounds. On the "we," cf. Joshua 5:1, Chethb, Hosea 12:1-14 :54. The church of all ages is a unity, the separate parts being jointly involved in the whole. The church here directs the attention of all the world to the mighty deeds of God at the time of the deliverance from Egypt, viz., the laying of the Red Sea and of Jordan dry, inasmuch as it can say in Psalm 66:7, by reason of that which it has experienced ibn the present, that the sovereign power of God is ever the same: its God rules in His victorious might עולם, i.e., not "over the world," because that ought to be בּעולם, but "in eternity" (accusative of duration, as in Psalm 89:2., Psalm 45:7), and therefore, as in the former days, so also in all time to come. His eyes keep searching watch among the peoples; the rebellious, who struggle agaisnt His yoke and persecute His people, had better not rise, it may go ill with them. The Chethb runs ירימוּ, for which the Ker is ירוּמוּ. The meaning remains the same; הרים can (even without יד, ראשׁ, קרן, Psalm 65:5) mean "to practise exaltation," superbire. By means of למו this proud bearing is designated as being egotistical, and as unrestrainedly boastful. Only let them not imagine themselves secure in their arrogance! There is One more exalted, whose eye nothing escapes, and to whose irresistible might whatever is not conformed to His gracious will succumbs.