John Calvin Commentary Psalms 41:2

"Jehovah will preserve him, and keep him alive, And he shall be blessed upon the earth; And deliver not thou him unto the will of his enemies." — Psalms 41:2 (ASV)

Jehovah will keep him, and preserve him in life. Here David expands on the same sentiment expressed in the preceding verse, when he says that the Lord will keep the afflicted, whose destruction cruel and unjust men represent as inevitable. It is also necessary always to keep in mind the contrast which is stated between the day of evil and the blessing of deliverance.

In this verse the expressions denoting restoration to life, and blessedness on the earth, have a similar meaning. By these expressions, David means to show that although he had been, to all appearances, a dead man, yet the hope of life both for himself and for all the faithful had not been extinguished.

There might, it is true, appear some inconsistency in his promising himself a happy life in this world, since our condition here would be miserable indeed if we did not have the expectation of a better state in the world to come. But the answer to this is, that as many had despaired of his recovery, he expressly declares that he will yet be restored to his former state, and will continue alive, indeed, that clear signs of God's favor will be seen in him.

He does not in the least exclude by these expressions the hope of a better life after death. What follows concerning the bed of sorrow has led some to make a conjecture which, in my opinion, is not at all probable. What David says about affliction in general, without specifying what kind, they consider to apply exclusively to sickness.

But it is not uncommon for those who are sorrowful and grieved in their minds to throw themselves upon their bed, and to seek rest; for people's hearts are sometimes more distressed by grief than by sickness. It is, certainly, highly probable that David was at that time afflicted with some very heavy calamity, which might be a sign that God was considerably displeased with him.

In the second clause of the verse there is some obscurity. Some understand the expression, turning the bed, in the same sense as if God, in order to give some relief to his servant in the time of trouble, had made his bed and arranged it, as we usually do for those who are sick, so that they may lie more comfortably.

Others maintain, and, in my opinion, more correctly, that when David was restored to health, his bed, which had previously served him as a sickbed, was turned, that is to say, changed. Thus the sense would be, that although he now languishes in sorrow, while the Lord is chastening him and training him through affliction, yet in a short time he will experience relief by the hand of the same God, and thus recover his strength.