Psa 144:1 | Clarke | STEP | The psalmist praises God for his goodness, , . Exclamations relative to the vanity of human life, , . He prays against his enemies, ; and extols God's mercy for the temporal blessings enjoyed by his people, . The Hebrew, and all the Versions, attribute this Psalm to David. The Vulgate, Septuagint, Ethiopic, and Arabic, term it, A Psalm of David against Goliath. The Syriac says, "A Psalm of David when he slew Asaph, the brother of Goliath." Calmet thinks, and with much probability, that it was composed by David after the death of Absalom, and the restoration of the kingdom to peace and tranquillity. From a collation of this with Psalm 18, of which it appears to be an abridgment, preserving the same ideas, and the same forms of expression, there can be no doubt of both having proceeded from the same pen, and that David was the author. There is scarcely an expression here of peculiar importance that is not found in the prototype; and for explanation I must refer generally to the above Psalm. Verse 1 Teacheth my hands to war - To use sword, battle-axe, or spear. And my fingers to fight - To use the bow and arrows, and the sling.

‏ Psalms 144:1

Introduction

The psalmist praises God for his goodness, Psa 144:1, Psa 144:2. Exclamations relative to the vanity of human life, Psa 144:3, Psa 144:4. He prays against his enemies, Psa 144:5-8; and extols God's mercy for the temporal blessings enjoyed by his people, Psa 144:9-15.

The Hebrew, and all the Versions, attribute this Psalm to David. The Vulgate, Septuagint, Ethiopic, and Arabic, term it, A Psalm of David against Goliath. The Syriac says, "A Psalm of David when he slew Asaph, the brother of Goliath." Calmet thinks, and with much probability, that it was composed by David after the death of Absalom, and the restoration of the kingdom to peace and tranquillity. From a collation of this with Psalm 18, of which it appears to be an abridgment, preserving the same ideas, and the same forms of expression, there can be no doubt of both having proceeded from the same pen, and that David was the author. There is scarcely an expression here of peculiar importance that is not found in the prototype; and for explanation I must refer generally to the above Psalm.

Verse 1

Teacheth my hands to war - To use sword, battle-axe, or spear.

And my fingers to fight - To use the bow and arrows, and the sling.