Ps. 44 THE ARGUMENT There is no certainty, either concerning the author or the particular occasion of this Psalm. This is evident, that it was composed with respect unto the calamitous condition of the church and people of Israel, whom it supposeth to be in a state of captivity and persecution.

What work thou didst in their days: they allege their former experience, as encouragements to their faith, and motives to God to continue to be gracious to them.

The heathen; the Canaanites. Plantedst them, to wit, our fathers, easily understood both from the matter, and from Ps. 44:1, where they are expressed; the pronoun being referred unto the remoter antecedent, as it is Gen. 10:12, Gen. 19:13, Ps. 18:5, and oft elsewhere.

By their own sword, i.e. by their arms or valour. The light of thy countenance, i.e. thy favour, as the next words explain it; thy gracious and glorious presence, which went along with us.

My King; Jacob’s or Israel’s King, in a peculiar manner. The whole people speak like one man, as being united together in one body. Command, i.e. effectually procure by thy commanding word.

Push down, Heb. smite with the horn, i.e. subdue and destroy. The phrase is taken from Deut. 33:17, and is borrowed from horned beasts. Compare 1 Kings 22:11. Through thy name, i.e. by the help of thy power.

But I will trust in thee only, as the next verse implies; and therefore do not frustrate my hope and confidence fixed upon thee.

In God we boast, as in a most sure rock, and our only refuge.

Thou hast cast us off; but now thy countenance and course is quite changed to us. Put us to shame; made us ashamed of our boasting, and trust in thee, which we have oft professed to the face of our enemies.

Thou makest us to turn back from the enemy, by withdrawing thy help and our courage, according to thy threatenings, Lev. 26:36. Spoil for themselves, i.e.

Those of us who were not slain are carried into captivity, and dispersed in several places.

For nought; for a thing of nought. Or, without money, and without price, as it is said, Isa. 55:1; for a very small, or for no price; for a pair of shoes, as we read, Amos 2:6.

They contemn our persons, and sport themselves in our miseries.

A by-word, or a proverb. They used to say proverbially, More despicable or miserable than an Israelite. A shaking of the head; a gesture of scorn and insultation. See Poole “Ps. 22:7”.

Before me; before the eyes of my mind and body too. They vilify me, not only behind my back, but even before my face. The shame of my face hath covered me, i.e. I am filled with shame of my face on every side, being ashamed to show my face in any place or company.

That reproacheth and blasphemeth; that doth not only reproach me, which I could better bear; but blaspheme God and our religion for our sakes, which is intolerable to me.

Although we cannot excuse ourselves from many other sins for which thou hast justly punished us, yet this we must say for ourselves, that through thy grace we have kept ourselves from apostacy and idolatry, notwithstanding all the examples and provocations, rewards proposed and promised, or…

Is not turned back, to wit, from thee, or thy worship and service, unto idols, as it follows, Ps. 44:20. Neither have our steps declined from thy way: because it is easy and ordinary falsely to pretend sincerity of heart, which men cannot discern nor confute, they prove it from the unblamableness…

In the place: or rather into, as others render it; which seems much more emphatical. And so this verb may be rendered, thou hast humbled, or brought us down, as all the ancients rendered it.

We appeal to the heart-searching God, concerning the sincerity of this profession of ours.

Yea; or, but. We do not suffer for our apostacy, but because we will not apostatize from thee. For thy sake; because we are thy people, and continue constantly and resolutely in the profession and practice of thy worship, which they abhor, and from which they seek to draw or drive us.

Hidest thou thy face, i.e. dost not regard our miseries, nor affordest us any pity or help. Forgettest our affliction and our oppression, when we have not forgotten thee. This seems not well to become thy faithfulness and goodness.

Our soul, i.e. either our lives or persons; or rather bodies, as it is explained in the next clause, and as the soul is oft taken by a synecdoche, as Num. 11:6, Ps. 16:10, Ps. 106:15;c. To the dust; either to the ground, where we lie prostrate at our enemies’ feet, or to the grave.

We mentioned our sincerity and constancy in thy worship only as an argument to move thee to pity, and not as a ground of our trust and confidence, or as if we merited deliverance by it; but that we expect and implore only upon the account of thine own free and rich mercy.