angela hormberg

Tag: Matthew Henry’s Commentary

  • Psalm 46

    Psalm 46

    Commonplace –

    Matthew Henry points out that “war is a tragedy which commonly destroys the stage it is acted on” (336). Henry goes on to describe the wars David actually carried out in his enemies’ territory, but his words are also true in a spiritual sense. When we are at war within ourselves, it is a tragedy and is destructive. But the Psalmist offers a remedy for us, whether our enemy is physical or spiritual:

    “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble” (Psalm 46:1).

    Henry notes, God “is our refuge, by whom we are sheltered and in whom we are satisfied, who by his providence secures our welfare when without are fightings, and who by his grace quiets our minds, and establishes them, when within are fears. The Lord of hosts, the God of Jacob, has been, is and will be with us — has been, is and will be our refuge” (336).

    What a timely reminder as we begin the New Year. Our God is our refuge and strength.

    “It is said of Luther that, when he heard any discouraging news, he would say, “Come let us sing the forty-sixth psalm” (Henry 334).

    Works Cited

    Henry, Matthew. “Psalm 46.” Matthew Henry’s Commentary On the Whole Bible: New Modern Edition. Hendrickson Publishers, Inc., March 1996.

    Holy Bible: Giant Print with Study Aids. Dugan Publishers, Inc., 1984.

    © 2025 Angela Hormberg

  • Psalm 45

    Psalm 45

    Commonplace –

    “My heart is inditing a good matter: I speak of the things which I have made touching the king: my tongue is the pen of a ready writer” (Psalm 45:1).

    The Psalmist gives Psalm 45 the subtitle, “A Song of loves”. And truly it is. He is writing of his King and that is good! What an encouragement to me and all of us, who choose to read, reflect and write on the psalms. Truly, there is not a more worthy venture.

    A little later, the Psalmist reminds us to

    “Gird thy sword upon thy thigh, O most mighty, with thy glory and thy majesty. And in thy majesty ride prosperously because of truth and meekness and righteousness; and thy right hand shall teach thee terrible things. Thine arrows are sharp in the heart of the king’s enemies; whereby the people fall under thee.” (Psalm 45:3-5)

    Matthew Henry reminds us that the “word of God is the sword of the Spirit. By the promises of that word, and the grace contained in those promises, souls are made willing to submit to Jesus Christ and become his loyal subjects” (331).

    “Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: the scepter of thy kingdom is a right sceptre” (Psalm 45:6).

    There is no better way to end the year than to be reminded of the goodness of God’s word, and the importance of His Word in saving the lost.

    Lord, here I am; send me.

    Works Cited

    Henry, Matthew. “Psalm 45.” Matthew Henry’s Commentary On the Whole Bible: New Modern Edition. Hendrickson Publishers, Inc., March 1996.

    Holy Bible: Giant Print with Study Aids. Dugan Publishers, Inc., 1984.

    © 2024 Angela Hormberg

  • Psalm 44

    Psalm 44

    Commonplace –

    “But thou hast saved us from our enemies, and hast put them to shame that hated us.” (Psalm 44:7)

    Here the Psalmist reminds us that God will save us from our enemies. But after saying this, the Psalmist notes his current condition, which is dire. Regarding Psalm 44, Matthew Henry notes “…if we have any gospel-psalms pointing at the privileges and comforts of Christians, why should we not have one pointing at their trials and exercises? It is a psalm calculated for a day of fasting and humiliation upon occasion of some public calamity, either pressing or threatening” (326).

    Henry calls us to remember what remedy Christians have in time of trouble:

    “By way of appeal, concerning their integrity, which he only is an infallible judge of, and which he will certainly be the rewarder of. Two things they call God to witness to:” (329)

    1. “That, though they suffered these hard things, yet they kept close to God and to their duty” (329).
    2. “By way of petition, with reference to their present distress, that God would, in His own due time, work deliverance for them” (329).

    What an encouragement to us that the Psalmist provides us with a remedy in hard times. Appeal to God. As Henry states, “wither else should [the people of God] go?” (329)

    Works Cited

    Henry, Matthew. “Psalm 44.” Matthew Henry’s Commentary On the Whole Bible: New Modern Edition. Hendrickson Publishers, Inc., March 1996.

    Holy Bible: Giant Print with Study Aids. Dugan Publishers, Inc., 1984.

    © 2024 Angela Hormberg

  • Psalm 43

    Psalm 43

    Commonplace –

    “O send out thy light and thy truth: let them lead me; let them bring me unto thy holy hill, and to thy tabernacles.” Psalm 43:3

    According to Matthew Henry, this psalm was likely “penned upon the same occasion with [Psalm 42]” (Henry 325). Drawing a likeness between David and Christ, Henry notes, “Christ, himself, who had the Spirit without measure, when there was occasion prayed a second and third time “saying the same words,” Matt 26.44″ (Henry 325). Therefore, when David encountered the same problem again in his life “he had immediate recourse to the same remedy, because he had entered it in his book, with a “probatum est – it has been proved,” upon it” (Henry 325). In other words, throughout his life, David had seen prayers answered and, because of this, he had confidence God would hear and answer his prayers, as He had done in the past, even if David had to go back multiple times with the same concerns; he did not lose faith.

    Works Cited

    Henry, Matthew. “Psalm 43.” Matthew Henry’s Commentary On the Whole Bible: New Modern Edition. Hendrickson Publishers, Inc., March 1996.

    Holy Bible: Giant Print with Study Aids. Dugan Publishers, Inc., 1984.

    © 2024 Angela Hormberg

  • Psalm 42

    Psalm 42

    Commonplace –

    Psalm 42: 2 “My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God? (KJV).

    “When it was that David thus expressed his vehement desire towards God. It was,

    (1.) When he was debarred from his outward opportunities on waiting on God, when he was banished to the land of Jordan, a great way off from the courts of God’s house.

    Note, Sometimes God teaches us effectually to know the worth of merceis by the want of them, and whets our appetite for the means of grace by cutting us short in those means. We are apt to loathe that manna, when we have plenty of it, whihc will be very precious to us if ever we come to know the scarcity of it.

    (2.) When [David] was deprived, in a great measure, of the inward comfort he used to have in God. He now went mourning, but he went on panting.

    Note, If God, by his grace, has wrought in us sincere and earnest desires towards him, we may take comfort from these when we want those ravishing delights we have sometimes had in God, because lamenting after God is as sure an evidence that we love him as rejoicing in God.

    Before the psalmist records his doubts, and fears, and griefs, which had sorely shaken him, he premises this, That he looked upon the living God as his chief good, and had set his heart upon him accordingly, and was resolved to live and die by him; and, casting anchor thus at first, he rides out the storm” (Henry 321; emphasis added).

    Verses 5 and 11 are almost identical : “Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why are thou disquieted in me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him” is the same in both. 5 ends with “for the help of his countenance and 11 ends with “who is the health of my countenance, and my God”.

    Works Cited

    Henry, Matthew. “Psalm 42.” Matthew Henry’s Commentary On the Whole Bible: New Modern Edition. Hendrickson Publishers, Inc., March 1996.

    Holy Bible: Giant Print with Study Aids. Dugan Publishers, Inc., 1984.

    © 2024 Angela Hormberg

  • Psalm 41

    Psalm 41

    Commonplace –

    “…the most potent enemy we have can have no power against us but what is given him from above” (Henry 319).

    Psalm 41:4 “I said, Heal my soul” (KJV). “It is good for us to keep some account of our prayers, that we may not unsay, in our practices, any thing that we said in our prayers” (Henry 319).

    Psalm 41:5-13 “Mine enemies speak evil of me, When shall he die, and his name perish? And if he come to see me, he speaketh vanity: his heart gathereth iniquity to itself; when he goeth abroad, he telleth it. All that hate me whisper together against me: against me do they devise my hurt. An evil disease, say they, cleaveth fast unto him: and now that he lieth he shall rise up no more. Yea, mine own familiar friend, in whom I trusted, which did eat of my bread, hat lifted up his heel against me. But thou, O Lord, be merciful unto me, and raise me up, that I may requite them. By this I know that thou favourest me, because mien enemy doth not triumph over me. And as for me, thou upholdest me in mine integrity, and settest me before thy face forever. Blessed by the Lord God of Israel from everlasting, and to everlasting. Amen, and Amen” (KJV).

    “How did David bear this insolent ill-natured conduct of his enemies towards him? 1. He prayed to God that they might be disappointed. He said nothing to them, but turned himself to God: ‘O Lord! be thou merciful to me, for they are unmerciful, v. 10. He had prayed in reference to the insults of his enemies, Lord, be merciful to me, for this is a prayer which will suit every case. God’s mercy has in it a redress for every grievance” (Henry 320).

    Works Cited

    Henry, Matthew. “Psalm 41.” Matthew Henry’s Commentary On the Whole Bible: New Modern Edition. Hendrickson Publishers, Inc., March 1996.

    Holy Bible: Giant Print with Study Aids. Dugan Publishers, Inc., 1984.

    © 2024 Angela Hormberg

  • Psalm 40

    Psalm 40

    Commonplace –

    “I have not hid thy righteousness within my heart; I have declared thy faithfulness and thy salvation: I have not concealed thy lovingkindness and thy truth from the great congregation” (Psalm 40:10).

    Matthew Henry well notes,

    “How [the gospel] is preached – freely and openly: I have not refrained my lips; I have not hid it; I have not concealed it. This intimates that whoever undertook to preach the gospel of Christ would be in great temptation to hide it and conceal it, because it must be preached with great contention and in the face of great opposition; but Christ himself, and those whom he called to that work, set their faces as a flint (Isa. 50:7) and were wonderfully carried on in it. It is well for us that they were so, for by this means our eyes come to see this joyful light and our ears to hear this joyful sound, which otherwise we might for ever have perished in ignorance of” (Henry 317).

    It is also worth noting that Psalm 70 echoes some of the sentiments of Psalm 40. In particular,

    “Let all those that seek thee rejoice and be glad in thee: let such as love thy salvation say continually, The Lord be maginfied” (Psalm 40:16).

    Works Cited

    Henry, Matthew. “Psalm 40.” Matthew Henry’s Commentary On the Whole Bible: New Modern Edition. Hendrickson Publishers, Inc., March 1996.

    Holy Bible: Giant Print with Study Aids. Dugan Publishers, Inc., 1984.

    © 2024 Angela Hormberg

  • The Principles Matthew Henry Employs

    In the “Preface” section of his book, Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the Whole Bible, Henry provides a list of the six driving principles he employed while writing his book.

    1. “That religion is the on thing useful; and to know, and love, and fear God our Maker, and in all the instances of both of devout affection, and of good conversation, to keep his commandments is without doubt, the whole of man” (ic)
      • “to preserve honor and order” (ic)
      • “for us to answer ‘the end of our creation” (ic)
      • “obtain God’s favor” (ic)
      • “have peace and comfort” (ic)
      • “be happy” (ic)
    2. “That divine revelation is necessary to true religion, to the being and support of it.” (ic)
    3. “That divine revelation only comes through God’s word, the Bible” (ic)
      • “it is that which is written, that remains”
      • “The scripture indeed is not complied as a methodical system or body of divinity…but several ways of writing (histories, laws, prophecies, songs, epistles and even proverbs)”
      • “a mind rightly disposed by a humble, sincere subjection to his Maker, will easily discover
        • “the image of God’s wisdom in the awful depth of its mysteries”
        • “the image of his sovereignty in the commanding majesty of its style”
        • “the image of his unity in the unspotted purity of its precepts, and”
        • “the image of his goodness in the manifest tendency of the whole to the welfare and happiness of mankind in both worlds”
    4. “That the scriptures of the Old and New Testament were purposely designed for our learning.” (c)
      • “The subject of the holy scriptures is the universal and perpetual , and therefore of common concern. It is intended,
        • 1. To revive the universal and perpetual law of nature, the very remains of which (or ruins rather) of natural conscience, give us hints that we must look somewhere else for a fairer copy.”
        • 2. “To reveal the universal and perpetual law of grace, which God’s common beneficence to the children of men, such as puts them into a better state than that of devils, gives us some ground to expect.”
      • “…the New Testament expounds and completes the old, and thereby makes it more serviceable to us now than it was to the Jewish church, as the Old Testament confirms and illustrates the New, and shows us Jesus Christ the same yesterday that he is to-day and will be forever.”
    5. “That the holy scriptures were not only designed for our learning, but are the settled standing rule of our faith and practice, by which we must be governed now and judged shortly.” (c-ci)
    6. “That therefore it is the duty of all Christians diligently to search the scriptures, and it is the office of ministers to guide and assist them therein.” (ci)

    Works Cited

    Henry, Matthew. Matthew Henry’s Commentary On the Whole Bible: New Modern Edition. “Preface”. Hendrickson Publishers, Inc., March 1996.

    © 2024 Angela Hormberg