Psalm 44 Bible Commentary

John Wesley’s Explanatory Notes

(Read all of Psalm 44)

Verse 4

[4] Thou art my King, O God: command deliverances for Jacob.

My king — The whole people speak as one man, being united in one body.

Verse 11

[11] Thou hast given us like sheep appointed for meat; and hast scattered us among the heathen.

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

Verse 16

[16] For the voice of him that reproacheth and blasphemeth; by reason of the enemy and avenger.

Avenger — Who executeth both God's and his own vengeance upon me.

Verse 17

[17] All this is come upon us; yet have we not forgotten thee, neither have we dealt falsely in thy covenant.

Yet — Although we cannot excuse ourselves from many other sins, yet through thy grace we have kept ourselves from apostacy and idolatry, notwithstanding all examples and provocations.

Verse 18

[18] Our heart is not turned back, neither have our steps declined from thy way;

Turned — From thy worship to idols.

Verse 19

[19] Though thou hast sore broken us in the place of dragons, and covered us with the shadow of death.

Broken us — By inflicting upon us one breach after another, thou hast at last brought us to this pass.

The place — A place extremely desolate, such as dragons love, Isaiah 13:21,22, and therefore full of horror, and danger.

Covered us — With deadly horrors and miseries.

Verse 22

[22] Yea, for thy sake are we killed all the day long; we are counted as sheep for the slaughter.

Yea — Because we are constant in thy worship, which they abhor.

Verse 25

[25] For our soul is bowed down to the dust: our belly cleaveth unto the earth.

Our soul — Our persons.

Our belly — We are not only thrown down to the earth, but we lie there like dead carcases.