John Calvin Commentary Psalms 119:147

"I anticipated the dawning of the morning, and cried: I hoped in thy words." — Psalms 119:147 (ASV)

I have prevented the twilight. The Hebrew noun נשף , nesheph, is in this place improperly translated by crepusculum, twilight; for it rather signifies the dawn of morning.

But as the Latins derive the word crepusculum, from creperus, which signifies doubtful or uncertain, so that it may signify the doubtful and intermediate time between light and darkness, I have not been particularly fussy in the selection of the term. I only want my readers to understand that the evening twilight commencing with sunset is not meant here, but rather the imperfect light that precedes the rising of the sun.

David then expresses the most eager haste when he says that he anticipated the dawn of the morning with his prayers. The verb cry always conveys the idea of earnestness, referring, as it does, not so much to the loudness of the voice as to the intensity and fervor of the mind.

In mentioning his haste, his object is to better demonstrate his perseverance. For he tells us that although he devoted himself to prayer with such promptness, he did not immediately become weary of that exercise, like the unbelieving, who, if God does not suddenly grant their requests, murmur and complain against Him.

Thus, in combining patience of hope with earnestness of desire, he shows what is the true manner of praying, even as Paul, in Philippians 4:6, exhorts us to:

Let our requests be made known unto God with thanksgiving (Philippians 4:6).

Paul admonishes us, while engaged in the exercise of prayer, to bridle our turbulent affections, because one of the purposes of prayer is to nourish our hope. Nor is the mention made of the word at the end of the verse superfluous, for it is only by having the Word of God continually before our eyes that we can bridle the unrestrained impulsiveness of our corrupt nature.