Psalms — Chapter 65
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1For the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. A song. Praise awaits You, O God, in Zion; to You our vows will be fulfilled.
2O You who listen to prayer, all people will come to You.
3When iniquities prevail against me, You atone for our transgressions.
4Blessed is the one You choose and bring near to dwell in Your courts! We are filled with the goodness of Your house, the holiness of Your temple.
5With awesome deeds of righteousness You answer us, O God of our salvation, the hope of all the ends of the earth and of the farthest seas.
6You formed the mountains by Your power, having girded Yourself with might.
7You stilled the roaring of the seas, the pounding of their waves, and the tumult of the nations.
8Those who live far away fear Your wonders; You make the dawn and sunset shout for joy.
9You attend to the earth and water it; with abundance You enrich it. The streams of God are full of water, for You prepare our grain by providing for the earth.
10You soak its furrows and level its ridges; You soften it with showers and bless its growth.
11You crown the year with Your bounty, and Your paths overflow with plenty.
12The pastures of the wilderness overflow; the hills are robed with joy.
13The pastures are clothed with flocks, and the valleys are decked with grain. They shout in triumph; indeed, they sing.
1Praise waiteth for thee, O God, in Sion: and unto thee shall the vow be performed.
2O thou that hearest prayer, unto thee shall all flesh come.
3Iniquities prevail against me: as for our transgressions, thou shalt purge them away.
4Blessed is the man whom thou choosest, and causest to approach unto thee, that he may dwell in thy courts: we shall be satisfied with the goodness of thy house, even of thy holy temple.
5By terrible things in righteousness wilt thou answer us, O God of our salvation; who art the confidence of all the ends of the earth, and of them that are afar off upon the sea:
6Which by his strength setteth fast the mountains; being girded with power:
7Which stilleth the noise of the seas, the noise of their waves, and the tumult of the people.
8They also that dwell in the uttermost parts are afraid at thy tokens: thou makest the outgoings of the morning and evening to rejoice.
9Thou visitest the earth, and waterest it: thou greatly enrichest it with the river of God, which is full of water: thou preparest them corn, when thou hast so provided for it.
10Thou waterest the ridges thereof abundantly: thou settlest the furrows thereof: thou makest it soft with showers: thou blessest the springing thereof.
11Thou crownest the year with thy goodness; and thy paths drop fatness.
12They drop upon the pastures of the wilderness: and the little hills rejoice on every side.
13The pastures are clothed with flocks; the valleys also are covered over with corn; they shout for joy, they also sing.
1Praise waiteth for thee, O God, in Zion; And unto thee shall the vow be performed.
2O thou that hearest prayer, Unto thee shall all flesh come.
3Iniquities prevail against me: As for our transgressions, thou wilt forgive them.
4Blessed is the man whom thou choosest, and causest to approach [unto thee], That he may dwell in thy courts: We shall be satisfied with the goodness of thy house, Thy holy temple.
5By terrible things thou wilt answer us in righteousness, Oh God of our salvation, Thou that art the confidence of all the ends of the earth, And of them that are afar off upon the sea:
6Who by his strength setteth fast the mountains, Being girded about with might;
7Who stilleth the roaring of the seas, The roaring of their waves, And the tumult of the peoples.
8They also that dwell in the uttermost parts are afraid at thy tokens: Thou makest the outgoings of the morning and evening to rejoice.
9Thou visitest the earth, and waterest it, Thou greatly enrichest it; The river of God is full of water: Thou providest them grain, when thou hast so prepared the earth.
10Thou waterest its furrows abundantly; Thou settlest the ridges thereof: Thou makest it soft with showers; Thou blessest the springing thereof.
11Thou crownest the year with thy goodness; And thy paths drop fatness.
12They drop upon the pastures of the wilderness; And the hills are girded with joy.
13The pastures are clothed with flocks; The valleys also are covered over with grain; They shout for joy, they also sing. Psalm 66 For the Chief Musician. A song, a Psalm.
1For the music director, a psalm of David, a song. Praise awaits you, O God, in Zion. Vows made to you are fulfilled.
2You hear prayers; all people approach you.
3Our record of sins overwhelms me, but you forgive our acts of rebellion.
4How blessed is the one whom you choose and allow to live in your palace courts. May we be satisfied with the good things of your house— your holy palace.
5You answer our prayers by performing awesome acts of deliverance, O God, our savior. All the ends of the earth trust in you, as well as those living across the wide seas.
6You created the mountains by your power and demonstrated your strength.
7You calmed the raging seas and their roaring waves, as well as the commotion made by the nations.
8Even those living in the remotest areas are awestruck by your acts; you cause those living in the east and west to praise you.
9You visit the earth and give it rain; you make it rich and fertile. God’s streams are full of water; you provide grain for the people of the earth, for you have prepared the earth in this way.
10You saturate its furrows, and soak its plowed ground. With rain showers you soften its soil, and make its crops grow.
11You crown the year with your good blessings, and you leave abundance in your wake.
12The pastures in the wilderness glisten with moisture, and the hills are clothed with joy.
13The meadows are clothed with sheep, and the valleys are covered with grain. They shout joyfully, yes, they sing.
1Praise waits for you, God, in Zion. To you shall vows be performed.
2You who hear prayer, to you all men will come.
3Sins overwhelmed me, but you atoned for our transgressions.
4Blessed is one whom you choose, and cause to come near, that he may live in your courts. We will be filled with the goodness of your house, your holy temple.
5By awesome deeds of righteousness, you answer us, God of our salvation. You who are the hope of all the ends of the earth, of those who are far away on the sea;
6Who by his power forms the mountains, having armed yourself with strength;
7who stills the roaring of the seas, the roaring of their waves, and the turmoil of the nations.
8They also who dwell in faraway places are afraid at your wonders. You call the morning’s dawn and the evening with songs of joy.
9You visit the earth, and water it. You greatly enrich it. The river of God is full of water. You provide them grain, for so you have ordained it.
10You drench its furrows. You level its ridges. You soften it with showers. You bless it with a crop.
11You crown the year with your bounty. Your carts overflow with abundance.
12The wilderness grasslands overflow. The hills are clothed with gladness.
13The pastures are covered with flocks. The valleys also are clothed with grain. They shout for joy! They also sing.
Summary
A psalm of thanksgiving and praise, celebrating God as the one who hears prayer, forgives overwhelming sin, and welcomes those he chooses to dwell near him in his courts (vv. 1-4). David praises God's awesome deeds of deliverance, the confidence he inspires to the ends of the earth, and his power in setting the mountains in place and stilling the roaring seas (vv. 5-8). The psalm turns to God's care for creation — visiting the earth with rain, enriching it, and preparing grain for the people (vv. 9-10). It closes with a vivid picture of abundance: the year crowned with God's goodness, pastures overflowing with flocks, and valleys covered with grain, all shouting and singing for joy (vv. 11-13).
Authorship & Background
Commentary
- Enduring Word (David Guzik): enduringword.com Verse-by-verse commentary on this chapter, written for the everyday reader and freely available online.
- Jamieson-Fausset-Brown (1871): blueletterbible.org A critical and explanatory commentary on the whole Bible, more concise than Matthew Henry and closer to the Hebrew and Greek, with attention to historical and geographical detail. Public domain.
- Matthew Henry's Exposition (1710): blueletterbible.org A devotional verse-by-verse commentary in the Puritan tradition, still among the most widely read three centuries on. Public domain.
Videos
Articles
- GotQuestions.org: gotquestions.org On the whole book: an overview of Psalms -- who wrote it, when, why, and how it fits the rest of Scripture.
Links open on the publisher's own site. Nothing here is reproduced on this page.
Reflection
- A God Who Hears Every Prayer (v.2) — God is defined by the fact that He hears prayer, and people from everywhere come to Him. Does the way you pray reflect real confidence that God is listening?
- Sin Forgiven, Not Just Overlooked (v.3) — Even though sins overwhelm the psalmist, God atones for and forgives the guilt weighing him down. Is there a sin you're still carrying that God has already dealt with?
- Nearness to God Is a Gift (v.4) — Those who dwell in God's courts are blessed because God chose and drew them near, not because they earned the invitation. Do you view your closeness to God as something you achieved or something you received?
- The Year Crowned With Goodness (v.11) — God's provision through the seasons is pictured as a crown of goodness, with abundance following in His path. Looking back over this past year, where can you specifically point to God's goodness?
- Creation's Unashamed Praise (v.13) — The hills, meadows, and valleys are portrayed as shouting for joy and singing before God. If creation praises without hesitation, what holds you back from doing the same?