| Barnes' Notes on the Bible The heavens are thine - Are thy work; and, therefore, thy property - the highest conception of property being that which is derived from creation. It is also implied here that as all things belong to God, he has a right to dispose of them as he pleases. The earth also is thine - The earth itself, as made by thee; all that the earth produces, as having sprung out of that which thou hast made. The entire proprietorship is in thee. As for the world - In the use of this word, the earth is spoken of as inhabitable, meaning that the earth and all that dwell upon it belong to God. And the fulness thereof - All that it produces; what constitutes its enireness. That is, the earth itself considered as earth, or as a mass of matter; and all that springs from it; all that constitutes the earth, with all its mountains, seas, rivers, people, animals, minerals, harvests, cities, towns, monuments - the productions of nature, the works of power, and the achievements of art. Compare the notes at Psalm 24:1. Thou hast founded them - They all have their foundation in thee; that is, thou hast caused them all to exist. They have no independent and separate basis on which to rest. Clarke's Commentary on the BibleThe heavens are thine - Thou art the Governor of all things, and the Disposer of all events. The world - The terraqueous globe. And the fullness - All the generations of men. Thou hast founded them - thou hast made them, and dost sustain them. After this verse, the Editio Princeps of the Hebrew Bible, printed at Soncini, 1488, adds: - לילה לך אף יום לך lailah lecha aph yom lecha ושמש מאור הכינות אתה vashamesh maor hachinotha attah To thee is the day; also to thee is the night: Thou hast prepared the light and the sun. But these same words are found in Psalm 74:16. Gill's Exposition of the Entire BibleThe heavens are thine,.... They are made and inhabited by him, they are the work of his hands, and the seat of his majesty, and the throne of his glory; the angels of heaven are his, his creatures and servants; the several heavens are his, the airy, starry, and third heavens; the place and state of the blessed and glorified saints is of his preparing and giving: the earth also is thine; the whole terraqueous globe, and all that is in it, being made, preserved, and continued by him, and by him given to the sons of men, Psalm 116:15, as for the world, and the fulness thereof: the habitable world, and all that dwell therein, all the children of men, the beasts of the field, and cattle on a thousand hills, and the provisions for them all; which is the goodness of the Lord, the earth is full of; these are all the Lord's; see Psalm 24:1, thou hast founded them; the world, and the inhabitants of it; the earth is founded upon the seas, and the world upon nothing; and the inhabitants are wonderfully preserved and continued by the power and providence of God; see Psalm 24:2. Geneva Study BibleThe heavens are thine, the earth also is thine: as for the world and the fulness thereof, thou hast founded them. King James Translators' Notesthe fulness...: or, all it containeth Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary89:5-14 The more God's works are known, the more they are admired. And to praise the Lord, is to acknowledge him to be such a one that there is none like him. Surely then we should feel and express reverence when we worship God. But how little of this appears in our congregations, and how much cause have we to humble ourselves on this account! That almighty power which smote Egypt, will scatter the enemies of the church, while all who trust in God's mercy will rejoice in his name; for mercy and truth direct all he does. His counsels from eternity, and their consequences to eternity, are all justice and judgment. |