Albert Barnes Commentary Psalms 73

Truly God is good to Israel - That is, to His people, to the righteous, to those who serve Him. This means God is the real friend of the righteous. He has not forgotten them. He does not abandon them. He is not indifferent to them.

He is not the friend of wicked people; and the administration of His government is not in favor of wickedness. After all that seems to indicate this, after all that troubles the mind regarding His dealings, it is a truth that God is the friend of righteousness, not of wickedness, and that there is an advantage in His service.

To understand the force of what the psalmist says here, we must realize that this train of thought had passed through his mind, and his perplexities had been relieved in the manner specified in the psalm.

The margin here is “yet;” yet God is good to Israel. This word “yet” would, in this place, be a fitting translation. The psalmist then would be represented as having meditated on the subject and looked at all its perplexities. He then concludes, “Yet God is good; notwithstanding all the difficulties in the case, it is nevertheless true that He is the friend of His people—the friend of righteousness.”

Even to such as are of a clean heart - Margin, as in Hebrew, “clean of heart.” . The reference is to those who are truly righteous, for all true righteousness resides in the heart. .

But as for me - literally, “And I.” The meaning is, “And I, who so confidently now trust in God, and believe that he is good, was formerly in a far different state of mind; I was so hesitant, so troubled, and so doubtful, that I had almost entirely lost confidence in him as a wise and just moral governor.”

My feet were almost gone - I was just ready to fall. Of course, this refers to his state of mind. In regard to his faith or confidence in God, he was like a man standing in a slippery place, and scarcely able to remain upright.

My steps had well nigh slipped - The expression rendered “well nigh” means “like nothing,” or “as nothing;” that is, in reference to firmness it was as if there was “nothing” left. There was nothing which would keep him from slipping.

The word rendered “slipped” means “poured out.” That is, in his going he was like water poured out, instead of being like something solid and firm.

The idea is, that his faith seemed to be all gone. He was like a falling man; a man who had no strength to walk.

For I was envious at the foolish - The word “foolish” here refers to sinners. It may either refer to them as foolish, or as proud, insolent, vain - because the word is elsewhere used. See Psalms 14:1.

When I saw the prosperity of the wicked - More literally, “the peace of the wicked.” The reference is not so much to their prosperity in general as to their peace; their conscious safety; their freedom from trouble; and especially their calmness, and their freedom from suffering, in death. From all this he was led for the moment to doubt whether there was any advantage in religion; whether God was just; and whether he befriended the righteous any more than he did the wicked.

For there are no bands in their death - The word translated “bands” here literally means “cords tightly drawn” (Isaiah 58:6); then, pains, pangs, torments—as if one were twisted or tortured with pain, like a cord that is tightly twisted. This word occurs only in Isaiah 58:6 and in this passage.

The fact to which the psalmist refers here, and which caused him so much distress, is what often occurs: when the wicked die, they do not seem to suffer in proportion to their wickedness, or there seem to be no special marks of divine displeasure as they are about to leave the world.

They have lived in prosperity, and they die in peace. There is no uncommon agony in death; there is no special alarm about the future world. They have enjoyed this world, and a sinful life now seems to be followed by a peaceful death.

They do not even suffer as much in death as good people often do—so what then is the advantage of piety? And how can we believe that God is just, or that He is the friend of the righteous, or even that there is a God? There can be no doubt about the fact to which the psalmist here refers—that the wicked live and die in this way—and that fact has caused perplexity for good people in all ages of the world.

But their strength is firm - The margin, as in Hebrew, reads “fat.” This means they are not emaciated and weakened by disease, but they go down to death apparently from good health, and without wasting disease. (See the notes on Job 21:23-26).

They are not in trouble as other men - Margin, “In the trouble of other men.” Literally, “In the labor of man they are not;” that is, they are exempt from the common burdens and troubles of humanity, or those which pertain to man as man. There seems to be some special interposition in their favor to save them from the common calamities which come upon the race.

Neither are they plagued like other men - Margin, “with.” Literally, “And with mankind they are not afflicted,” or smitten. The calamities which come so thickly and heavily on the race do not seem to come upon them. They are favored, prospered, happy, while others are afflicted.