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Selected Verse: Psalms 63:4 - Strong Concordance

Verse	Translation	Text
Ps 63:4	Strong Concordance	Thus will I bless [01288] thee while I live [02416]: I will lift up [05375] my hands [03709] in thy name [08034].
	King James	Thus will I bless thee while I live: I will lift up my hands in thy name.

Summary Of Commentaries Associated With The Selected Verse

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A Commentary, Critical, Practical, and Explanatory on the Old and New Testaments, by Robert Jamieson, A.R. Fausset and David Brown [1882]
Thus--literally, "Truly." will I bless--praise Thee (Psa 34:1). lift up my hands--in worship (compare Psa 28:2). in thy name--in praise of Thy perfections.

A Commentary, Critical, Practical, and Explanatory on the Old and New Testaments, by Robert Jamieson, A.R. Fausset and David Brown [1882]

Thus--literally, "Truly."

will I bless--praise Thee (Psa 34:1).

lift up my hands--in worship (compare Psa 28:2).

in thy name--in praise of Thy perfections.

Notes on the Bible, by Albert Barnes, [1834]
Thus will I bless thee while I live - In my life; or, as long as life lasts, will I praise thee. The word "thus" refers to the sentiment in the previous verse, meaning that as the result of his deep sense of the value of the loving kindness of God, he would praise him through all the remainder of his life, or would never cease to praise him. A true purpose of serving God embraces the whole of this life, and the whole of eternity. He who loves God, and who has any proper sense of his mercy, does not anticipate a time when he will cease to praise and bless him, or when he will have any desire or wish not to be engaged in his service. I will lift up my hands in thy name - In solemn prayer and praise. See the notes at Psa 28:2.

Commentary on the Old Testament, by Carl Friedrich Keil and Franz Delitzsch [1857-78]
This strophe again takes up the כּן (Psa 63:3): thus ardently longing, for all time to come also, is he set towards God, with such fervent longing after God will he bless Him in his life, i.e., entirely filling up his life therewith (בּחיּי as in Psa 104:33; Psa 146:2; cf. Baruch 4:20, ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις μου), and in His name, i.e., invoking it and appealing to it, will he lift up his hands in prayer. The being occupied with God makes him, even though as now in the desert he is obliged to suffer bodily hunger, satisfied and cheerful like the fattest and most marrowy food: velut adipe et pinguedine satiatur anima mea. From Lev 3:17; Lev 7:25, Grussetius and Frisch infer that spiritualies epulae are meant. And certainly the poet cannot have had the sacrificial feasts (Hupfeld) in his mind; for the חלב of the shelamim is put upon the altar, and is removed from the part to be eaten. Moreover, however, even the Tra does not bind itself in its expression to the letter of that prohibition of the fat of animals, vid., Deu 32:14, cf. Jer 31:14. So here also the expression "with marrow and fat" is the designation of a feast prepared from well-fed, noble beasts. He feels himself satisfied in his inmost nature just as after a feast of the most nourishing and dainty meats, and with lips of jubilant songs (accus. instrum. according to Ges. 138, rem. 3), i.e., with lips jubilant and attuned to song, shall his mouth sing praise. What now follows in Psa 63:7 we no longer, as formerly, take as a protasis subsequently introduced (like Isa 5:4.): "when I remembered...meditated upon Thee," but so that Psa 63:7 is the protasis and Psa 63:7 the apodosis, cf. Psa 21:12; Job 9:16 (Hitzig): When I remember Thee (meminerim, Ew. 355, b) upon my bed (stratis meis, as in Psa 132:3; Gen 49:4, cf. Ch1 5:1) - says he now as the twilight watch is passing gradually into the morning - I meditate upon Thee in the night-watches (Symmachus, καθ ̓ ἑκάστην φυλακήν), or during, throughout the night-watches (like בּחיּי in Psa 63:5); i.e., it is no passing remembrance, but it so holds me that I pass a great part of the night absorbed in meditation on Thee. He has no lack of matter for his meditation; for God has become a help (auxilio, vid., on Psa 3:3) to him: He has rescued him in this wilderness, and, well concealed under the shadow of His wings (vid., on Psa 17:8; Psa 36:8; Psa 57:2), which affords him a cool retreat in the heat of conflict and protection against his persecutors, he is able to exult (ארנּן, the potential). Between himself and God there subsists a reciprocal relationship of active love. According to the schema of the crosswise position of words (Chiasmus), אחריך and בּי intentionally jostle close against one another: he depends upon God, following close behind Him, i.e., following Him everywhere and not leaving Him when He wishes to avoid him; and on the other side God's right hand holds him fast, not letting him go, not abandoning him to his foes.

Commentary on the Old Testament, by Carl Friedrich Keil and Franz Delitzsch [1857-78]

This strophe again takes up the כּן (Psa 63:3): thus ardently longing, for all time to come also, is he set towards God, with such fervent longing after God will he bless Him in his life, i.e., entirely filling up his life therewith (בּחיּי as in Psa 104:33; Psa 146:2; cf. Baruch 4:20, ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις μου), and in His name, i.e., invoking it and appealing to it, will he lift up his hands in prayer. The being occupied with God makes him, even though as now in the desert he is obliged to suffer bodily hunger, satisfied and cheerful like the fattest and most marrowy food: velut adipe et pinguedine satiatur anima mea. From Lev 3:17; Lev 7:25, Grussetius and Frisch infer that spiritualies epulae are meant. And certainly the poet cannot have had the sacrificial feasts (Hupfeld) in his mind; for the חלב of the shelamim is put upon the altar, and is removed from the part to be eaten. Moreover, however, even the Tra does not bind itself in its expression to the letter of that prohibition of the fat of animals, vid., Deu 32:14, cf. Jer 31:14. So here also the expression "with marrow and fat" is the designation of a feast prepared from well-fed, noble beasts. He feels himself satisfied in his inmost nature just as after a feast of the most nourishing and dainty meats, and with lips of jubilant songs (accus. instrum. according to Ges. 138, rem. 3), i.e., with lips jubilant and attuned to song, shall his mouth sing praise. What now follows in Psa 63:7 we no longer, as formerly, take as a protasis subsequently introduced (like Isa 5:4.): "when I remembered...meditated upon Thee," but so that Psa 63:7 is the protasis and Psa 63:7 the apodosis, cf. Psa 21:12; Job 9:16 (Hitzig): When I remember Thee (meminerim, Ew. 355, b) upon my bed (stratis meis, as in Psa 132:3; Gen 49:4, cf. Ch1 5:1) - says he now as the twilight watch is passing gradually into the morning - I meditate upon Thee in the night-watches (Symmachus, καθ ̓ ἑκάστην φυλακήν), or during, throughout the night-watches (like בּחיּי in Psa 63:5); i.e., it is no passing remembrance, but it so holds me that I pass a great part of the night absorbed in meditation on Thee. He has no lack of matter for his meditation; for God has become a help (auxilio, vid., on Psa 3:3) to him: He has rescued him in this wilderness, and, well concealed under the shadow of His wings (vid., on Psa 17:8; Psa 36:8; Psa 57:2), which affords him a cool retreat in the heat of conflict and protection against his persecutors, he is able to exult (ארנּן, the potential). Between himself and God there subsists a reciprocal relationship of active love. According to the schema of the crosswise position of words (Chiasmus), אחריך and בּי intentionally jostle close against one another: he depends upon God, following close behind Him, i.e., following Him everywhere and not leaving Him when He wishes to avoid him; and on the other side God's right hand holds him fast, not letting him go, not abandoning him to his foes.

Adam Clarke Commentary on the Whole Bible - Published 1810-1826
I will lift up my hands in thy name - I will take God for my portion. I will dedicate myself to him, and will take him to witness that I am upright in what I profess and do. Pious Jews, in every place of their dispersion, in all their prayers, praises, contracts, etc., stretched out their hands towards Jerusalem, where the true God had his temple, and where he manifested his presence.

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² Hear [08085] the voice [06963] of my supplications [08469], when I cry [07768] unto thee, when I lift up [05375] my hands [03027] toward thy holy [06944] oracle [01687].

¹ A Psalm of David [01732], when he changed [08138] his behaviour [02940] before [06440] Abimelech [040]; who drove him away [01644], and he departed [03212]. I will bless [01288] the LORD [03068] at all times [06256]: his praise [08416] shall continually [08548] be in my mouth [06310].

² Hear [08085] the voice [06963] of my supplications [08469], when I cry [07768] unto thee, when I lift up [05375] my hands [03027] toward thy holy [06944] oracle [01687].

² I will cry [07121] unto God [0430] most high [05945]; unto God [0410] that performeth [01584] all things for me.

⁸ They shall be abundantly satisfied [07301] with the fatness [01880] of thy house [01004]; and thou shalt make them drink [08248] of the river [05158] of thy pleasures [05730].

⁸ Keep [08104] me as the apple [0380] of the eye [01323] [05869], hide [05641] me under the shadow [06738] of thy wings [03671],

³ But thou, O LORD [03068], art a shield [04043] for me; my glory [03519], and the lifter up [07311] of mine head [07218].

⁵ My soul [05315] shall be satisfied [07646] as with marrow [02459] and fatness [01880]; and my mouth [06310] shall praise [01984] thee with joyful [07445] lips [08193]:

¹ Now the sons [01121] of Reuben [07205] the firstborn [01060] of Israel [03478], (for he was the firstborn [01060]; but, forasmuch as he defiled [02490] his father's [01] bed [03326], his birthright [01062] was given [05414] unto the sons [01121] of Joseph [03130] the son [01121] of Israel [03478]: and the genealogy is not to be reckoned [03187] after the birthright [01062].

⁴ Unstable [06349] as water [04325], thou shalt not excel [03498]; because thou wentest up [05927] to thy father's [01] bed [04904]; then defiledst thou [02490] it: he went up [05927] to my couch [03326].

³ Surely I will not come [0935] into the tabernacle [0168] of my house [01004], nor go up [05927] into my bed [06210] [03326];

¹⁶ If I had called [07121], and he had answered [06030] me; yet would I not believe [0539] that he had hearkened [0238] unto my voice [06963].

¹² Therefore shalt thou make [07896] them turn their back [07926], when thou shalt make ready [03559] thine arrows upon thy strings [04340] against the face [06440] of them.

⁷ Because thou hast been my help [05833], therefore in the shadow [06738] of thy wings [03671] will I rejoice [07442].

⁴ What could have been done [06213] more to my vineyard [03754], that I have not done [06213] in it? wherefore [04069], when I looked [06960] that it should bring forth [06213] grapes [06025], brought it forth [06213] wild grapes [0891]?

⁷ Because thou hast been my help [05833], therefore in the shadow [06738] of thy wings [03671] will I rejoice [07442].

¹⁴ And I will satiate [07301] the soul [05315] of the priests [03548] with fatness [01880], and my people [05971] shall be satisfied [07646] with my goodness [02898], saith [05002] the LORD [03068].

¹⁴ Butter [02529] of kine [01241], and milk [02461] of sheep [06629], with fat [02459] of lambs [03733], and rams [0352] of the breed [01121] of Bashan [01316], and goats [06260], with the fat [02459] of kidneys [03629] of wheat [02406]; and thou didst drink [08354] the pure [02561] blood [01818] of the grape [06025].

²⁵ For whosoever eateth [0398] the fat [02459] of the beast [0929], of which men offer [07126] an offering made by fire [0801] unto the LORD [03068], even the soul [05315] that eateth [0398] it shall be cut off [03772] from his people [05971].

¹⁷ It shall be a perpetual [05769] statute [02708] for your generations [01755] throughout all your dwellings [04186], that ye eat [0398] neither fat [02459] nor blood [01818].

² While I live [02416] will I praise [01984] the LORD [03068]: I will sing praises [02167] unto my God [0430] while I have any being.

³³ I will sing [07891] unto the LORD [03068] as long as I live [02416]: I will sing [02167] praise to my God [0430] while I have my being [05750].

³ Because thy lovingkindness [02617] is better [02896] than life [02416], my lips [08193] shall praise [07623] thee.