A Psalm of Deliverance
Psalm 30:1-12
I will extol you, O LORD; for you have lifted me up, and have not made my foes to rejoice over me.…


The title of this psalm is apparently a composite, the usual "Psalm of David" having been enlarged by the awkward insertion of "A Song at the Dedication of the House," which probably indicates its later liturgical use, and not its first destination. Its occasion was evidently a deliverance from grave peril; and, whilst its tone is strikingly inappropriate if it had been composed for the inauguration of temple, tabernacle, or palace, one can understand how the venerable words, which praised Jehovah for swift deliverance from impending destruction, would be felt to fit the circumstances and emotions of the time when the Temple, profaned by the mad acts of Antiochus Epiphanes, was purified and the ceremonial worship restored. Never had Israel seemed nearer going down to the pit; never had deliverance come more suddenly and completely. The intrusive title is best explained as dating from that time and indicating the use then found for the song.

(A. Maclaren, D. D.)



Parallel Verses
KJV: {A Psalm and Song at the dedication of the house of David.} I will extol thee, O LORD; for thou hast lifted me up, and hast not made my foes to rejoice over me.

WEB: I will extol you, Yahweh, for you have raised me up, and have not made my foes to rejoice over me.




A Psalm and Song At the Dedication of the House of David
Top of Page
Top of Page