
Text -- Psalms 146:4 (NET)




Names, People and Places, Dictionary Themes and Topics



collapse allCommentary -- Word/Phrase Notes (per phrase)
As soon as ever he is dead.

All his designs and endeavours either for himself or for others.
Clarke -> Psa 146:4
Clarke: Psa 146:4 - -- His breath goeth forth - His existence depends merely, under God, on the air he breathes. When he ceases to respire he ceases to live; his body from...
His breath goeth forth - His existence depends merely, under God, on the air he breathes. When he ceases to respire he ceases to live; his body from that moment begins to claim its affinity to the earth; and all his thoughts, purposes, and projects, whether good or evil, come to nought and perish. He, then, who has no other dependence, must necessarily be miserable.
TSK -> Psa 146:4
TSK: Psa 146:4 - -- His breath : Psa 104:29; Gen 2:7, Gen 6:17; Job 14:10, Job 17:1, Job 27:3; Dan 5:23
he returneth : Psa 90:3; Gen 3:19; Ecc 12:7
his thoughts : Job 14:...

collapse allCommentary -- Word/Phrase Notes (per Verse)
Barnes -> Psa 146:4
Barnes: Psa 146:4 - -- His breath goeth forth - He dies like other people, no matter how exalted he is. See the notes at Isa 2:22. He returneth to his earth - S...
His breath goeth forth - He dies like other people, no matter how exalted he is. See the notes at Isa 2:22.
He returneth to his earth - See the notes at Psa 90:3. The earth - the dust - is "his"-
(a) It is his, as that from which he was made: he turns back to what he was. Gen 3:19 : "dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return."
(b) The earth - the dust - the grave is his, as it is his home - the place where he will abide.
© It is his, as it is the only property which he has in reversion. All that a man - a prince, a nobleman, a monarch, a millionaire - will soon have will be his grave - his few feet of earth. That will be his by right of possession; by the fact that, for the time being, he will occupy it, and not another man. But that, too, may soon become another man’ s grave, so that even there he is a tenant only for a time; he has no permanent possession even of a grave. How poor is the richest man!
In that very day - The very day - the moment - that he dies.
His thoughts perish - His purposes; his schemes; his plans; his purposes of conquest and ambition; his schemes for becoming rich or great; his plans of building a house, and laying out his grounds, and enjoying life; his design of making a book, or taking a journey, or giving himself to ease and pleasure. Luk 12:19-20 : "and I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry; but God said unto him, Thou fool! this night thy soul shall be required of time."Such are all the purposes of men!
Poole -> Psa 146:4
Poole: Psa 146:4 - -- He returneth in his body, Ecc 12:7 ,
to his earth to that earth from which all mankind, princes not excepted, had their original.
In that very day...
He returneth in his body, Ecc 12:7 ,
to his earth to that earth from which all mankind, princes not excepted, had their original.
In that very day as soon as ever he is dead, his thoughts perish; all his designs and endeavours, either for himself or for others.
Haydock -> Psa 146:4
Haydock: Psa 146:4 - -- Stars. Which to man are innumerable. Though some have counted 1022 with Ptolemy, yet the discovery of telescopes has shewn that many more are disce...
Stars. Which to man are innumerable. Though some have counted 1022 with Ptolemy, yet the discovery of telescopes has shewn that many more are discernible, (Calmet) and none would dare at present to fix their number. (Berthier) ---
Cicero (Of. i.) treats this as a thing impossible. See Genesis xv. 5. (Calmet) ---
Ptolemy could only ascertain the number of the more notorious. (Worthington) ---
Kimchi admits 1098 created to shine, besides innumerable others, which have influence over plants, &c. God has the most perfect knowledge of all. They are like his soldiers, whom he knows by name, (Isaias xl. 25.) as the good shepherd does his sheep, John x. 3. (Calmet) ---
We read that Cyrus knew the name of all his officers, (Cyrop. v.) and that Adrian, and Scipio, the Asiatic, could even name all the soldiers in their armies.
Gill -> Psa 146:4
Gill: Psa 146:4 - -- His breath goeth forth,.... That is, the breath of a son of man, of any and everyone of the princes; it goes forth continually, and is drawn in again ...
His breath goeth forth,.... That is, the breath of a son of man, of any and everyone of the princes; it goes forth continually, and is drawn in again as long as a man lives; but at death it goes forth, and returns no more till the resurrection: the breath which the Lord breathed into man, and which is in his nostrils while he lives, and is very precarious. And when it is taken away, he dies, and
he returneth to his earth; from whence he was taken, and of which he was made; upon which he lived, where he dwelt, and in which he took delight and pleasure, minding earth and earthly things, and which is now all he has; who, though he may have had many large estates and possessions, nay, have ruled over many kingdoms and countries, yet his property of earth is now no more than the length and breadth of a grave; he returns to earth as soon as he dies, becoming a lump of clay; and particularly when he is interred in it, and when by corruption and worms he is turned into it;
in that very day his thoughts perish; in the day, hour, and moment he dies: not that the soul ceases, or ceases to think at death; it is immortal, and dies not; and, as it exists in a separate state after death, it retains all its powers and faculties, and, among the rest, its power of thinking; which it is capable of exercising, and does, as appears from the case of the souls under the altar, Rev 6:9. But the meaning is, that at death all the purposes and designs of men are at an end; all their projects and schemes, which they had formed, and were pursuing, now come to nothing; whether to do good to others, or to aggrandize themselves and families; and therefore such mortal creatures are not to be depended upon, since all their promises may fail; nay, even their good designs may be frustrated; see Job 17:12.

expand allCommentary -- Verse Notes / Footnotes
NET Notes -> Psa 146:4
NET Notes: Psa 146:4 Heb “his spirit goes out, it returns to his ground; in that day his plans die.” The singular refers to the representative man mentioned in...
Geneva Bible -> Psa 146:4
Geneva Bible: Psa 146:4 His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; in that very day his ( c ) thoughts perish.
( c ) As their vain opinions, by which they flattered ...

expand allCommentary -- Verse Range Notes
TSK Synopsis -> Psa 146:1-10
TSK Synopsis: Psa 146:1-10 - --1 The Psalmist vows perpetual praises to God.3 He exhorts not to trust in man.5 God, for his power, justice, mercy, and kingdom, is only worthy to be ...
MHCC -> Psa 146:1-4
MHCC: Psa 146:1-4 - --If it is our delight to praise the Lord while we live, we shall certainly praise him to all eternity. With this glorious prospect before us, how low d...
Matthew Henry -> Psa 146:1-4
Matthew Henry: Psa 146:1-4 - -- David is supposed to have penned this psalm; and he was himself a prince, a mighty prince; as such, it might be thought, 1. That he should be exempt...
Keil-Delitzsch -> Psa 146:1-4
Keil-Delitzsch: Psa 146:1-4 - --
Instead of "bless,"as in Psa 103:1; Psa 104:1, the poet of this Psalm says "praise."When he attunes his sole to the praise of God, he puts himself p...
Constable: Psa 107:1--150:6 - --V. Book 5: chs. 107--150
There are 44 psalms in this section of the Psalter. David composed 15 of these (108-110...

Constable: Psa 146:1-10 - --Psalm 146
An anonymous psalmist promised to praise the Lord forever because of His greatness and His gra...
