Unless the Lord had been my help,.... Against her enemies, which were so many and mighty, and her friends so few and feeble, and having no heart to defend her cause; especially this will be the case at the time of the slaying of the witnesses; but the Lord will appear, and help her; the Spirit of life, from him, shall enter into them, and cause them to live again, and to ascend up to heaven; and shall destroy great numbers of their enemies, and the rest shall be frightened, and give glory to God, Re 11:11,my soul had almost dwelt in silence; or "within a little", or "must quickly" ; not only have been, but must have dwelt, continued in silence, in the grave; see Ps 115:17 his case being desperate, like that of the apostles, when they had the sentence of death within themselves, 2Co 1:10, this is to be understood not of the soul precisely, and abstractly considered, which dies not, nor is it silent after death; but of the whole person, being a part for the whole; and of the person, with respect to the mortal part, the body, which only dies, and while in a state of separation, or in the grave, is silent, and ceases from all operations of life: perhaps this may have some respect to the silencing of the witnesses, which is a principal thing meant by the slaying of them; a stop put to their ministrations, partly by the edicts of their enemies, and partly by the discouragement of their friends, their shyness, and negligence of them; and which silence will be almost total, if not altogether; though it will last but for a short time; they shall not dwell or continue in silence, but will open their mouths again; signified by the angel flying through the midst of heaven, with the everlasting Gospel, Re 14:6.
Bible Commentary
Psalms 94:17
Psalms 94:17
John Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible · John Gill (1697–1771) · Public Domain
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Psalms 94 — OverviewPsalms 94 · Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole BibleThis psalm was penned when the church of God was under hatches,
oppressed and persecuted; and it is an appeal to God, as the judge of
heaven and earth, and an address to him, to appear for his people
against…Psalms 94 — OverviewPsalms 94 · Treasury of Scripture KnowledgePsalms 94:1, The prophet, calling for justice, complains of tyranny and impiety; Psalms 94:8, He teaches God’s providence; Psalms 94:12, He shews the blessedness of affliction; Psalms 94:16, God is the defender of the…Psalms 94 — OverviewPsalms 94 · John Gill's Exposition of the Entire BibleSome, as Jarchi and others, think this psalm was written by Moses; others, with greater probability, assign it to David; as do the Septuagint, Vulgate Latin, and all the Oriental versions; and which all but the Syriac…Psalms 94:1-23Psalms 94:1-23 · The Pulpit CommentaryEXPOSITION
THIS psalm is primarily (Psalms 94:1-11) a "cry for vengeance on Israel's oppressors, passing into an appeal for more faith to God's own people" (Cheyne). In the latter half (Psalms 94:12-23) the psalmist…Psalms 94:1-23Psalms 94:1-23 · The Pulpit CommentaryDivine retribution certain.
The psalm may be distributed under the following heads.
I. A PRAYER FOR THE PUNISHMENT OF WICKED OPPRESSORS. (Psalms 94:1, Psalms 94:2.) Probably in anticipation of the Assyrian invasion.…Psalms 94:12-23Psalms 94:12-23 · Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole BibleThe psalmist, having denounced tribulation to those that trouble God's
people, here assures those that are troubled of rest. See 2 Thess. i.
6, 7. He speaks comfort to suffering saints from God's promises and his…