John Calvin Commentary Psalms 52:9

"I will give thee thanks for ever, because thou hast done it; And I will hope in thy name, for it is good, in the presence of thy saints." — Psalms 52:9 (ASV)

I will praise thee, etc. He concludes the psalm with thanksgiving and shows that he is sincere in this by the special acknowledgment he makes that this was the work of God. Such is the corruption of the human heart that out of a hundred who profess gratitude to God with their lips, scarcely one person seriously reflects upon the benefits they have received as coming from His hand.

David declares, therefore, that it was entirely due to divine protection that he escaped from the treachery of Doeg and from all his subsequent dangers, and he promises to retain a grateful sense of it throughout his whole life. We should manifest a spirit of perseverance in every religious duty, but we need to be especially urged to it in the duty of thanksgiving, since we are so quickly disposed to forget our mercies and occasionally to imagine that the gratitude of a few days is a sufficient tribute for benefits that deserve to be kept in everlasting remembrance.

He speaks of joining the exercise of hope with that of gratitude; for to wait on the name of God is synonymous with patiently expecting His mercy even when there is the least appearance of it being granted, and trusting in His word, whatever delays there may be in its fulfillment.

He encourages himself in the belief that his hope will not be vain by reflecting that the name of God is good before His saints. Some read, because it is good before thy saints; that is, to hope in the divine name (Psalms 118:8). But the other reading seems to me the simplest and most natural, expressing the truth that God will not frustrate the expectations of His people, because His goodness towards them is always conspicuous.

The name of God may be detested by the wicked, and the very sound of it be sufficient to strike terror into their hearts; but David asserts it to be a sweet name in the experience of all His people. They are here called His meek ones because, as I have remarked in commenting upon Psalm 16:3, they reflect in their character the kindness and beneficence of their Father in heaven.