Albert Barnes Commentary Psalms 36:8

"They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of thy house; And thou wilt make them drink of the river of thy pleasures." — Psalms 36:8 (ASV)

They shall be abundantly satisfied - Margin, “watered.” That is, all who in this way put their trust in the mercy of God. The Hebrew word — רוה râvâh — means to drink to the full; to be satisfied, or sated with drink; or to be satisfied or filled with water, as the earth or fields after an abundant rain (Isaiah 34:7; Psalms 65:10). The state referred to by the word is that of one who was thirsty, but who has drunk to the full; who feels that his desire is satisfied:

1. He has found what is adapted to his needs, or what meets his needs, as water does the needs of one who is thirsty;
2. He has found this “in abundance.”

There is no lack, and he partakes of it as much as he chooses. So the weary and thirsty traveler, when he finds in the desert a “new and untasted spring,” finds what he needs, and drinks freely; and so the sinner — the dying man — the man who feels that there is nothing in the world that can satisfy him:

1. finds in the provisions of the gospel what exactly meets the needs of his nature, and
2. he finds it in abundance.

With the fatness - The word used here means properly “fatness” or “fat” (Judges 9:9). Then it means “fat food,” or “sumptuous food” (Job 36:16; Isaiah 55:2; Jeremiah 31:14). It is connected here with the word “drink,” or “drink in,” because this kind of food was “sucked” in at the mouth, and the mode of partaking of it resembled the act of drinking. Gesenius. The allusion is the same as what so often occurs in the Scriptures, where the provisions of salvation are represented as a “feast,” or where the illustration is drawn from the act of eating or drinking.

Of your house - Furnished by your house, or in the place of public worship. God is represented as the Head or Father of a family, and as providing for the needs of his children (Psalms 27:4).

And you will make them drink - In allusion to the provisions of salvation considered as adapted to satisfy the needs of the thirsty soul.

Of the river - The abundance. Not a running fountain; not a gentle bubbling rivulet; not a stream that would soon dry up; but a “river,” large; full; overflowing; inexhaustible.

Of your pleasures - Furnishing happiness or pleasure such as “yours” is. The pious man has happiness of the same “kind” or “nature” as that of God. It is happiness in holiness or purity; happiness in doing good; happiness in the happiness of others. It is in this sense that the friend of God partakes of His pleasure or happiness (Compare 2 Peter 1:4). The following things, therefore, are taught by this verse:

1. That God is happy;
2. That religion makes man happy;
3. That his happiness is of the same “kind” or “nature” as that of God;
4. That this happiness is “satisfying” in its nature, or that it meets the real needs of the soul;
5. That it is abundant, and leaves no need of the soul unsupplied; and
6. That this happiness is to be found in an eminent degree in the “house of God,” or is closely connected with the public worship of God.

It is there that God has made provision for the needs of His people; and advancement in religion, and in the comforts of religion, will always be closely connected with the faithfulness with which we attend public worship.