John Calvin Commentary Psalms 30:4

"Sing praise unto Jehovah, O ye saints of his, And give thanks to his holy memorial [name]." — Psalms 30:4 (ASV)

Sing unto Jehovah. To better testify his gratitude, David calls upon all the saints to join with him in singing the praises of God; and under one class, he describes the whole body. As he had been preserved beyond all expectation, and by this instance had been instructed concerning God’s continual and infinite goodness towards all the godly, he breaks forth into this exhortation, in which he includes the general deliverance of the whole church as well as his own. He recounts not only what God had been to himself, but also how bountifully and promptly he is accustomed to assist his people. In short, confirmed by one particular instance, he turns his thoughts to the general truth.

The meaning of the Hebrew term חסידים, chasidim—which we have translated meekness, and by which David often describes the faithful—has already been shown in Psalm 16. Their heavenly adoption should move them to the practice of beneficence, so that they may imitate their Father’s disposition, who maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good (Matthew 5:45).

There is nothing in which men resemble God more truly than in doing good to others. The memorial of his holiness, in the second clause of the verse, may refer to the tabernacle, as if David had exhorted all the children of God to go before the ark of the covenant, which was the memorial of God’s presence. The Hebrew letter ל, lamed, often denotes a place. However, I readily subscribe to the opinion of those who think that memorial signifies the same thing as name; for God has certainly rendered himself worthy of remembrance by his works, which are a bright representation of his glory, the sight of which should stir us up to praise him.