John Calvin Commentary Psalms 69:34

"Let heaven and earth praise him, The seas, and everything that moveth therein." — Psalms 69:34 (ASV)

Let the heavens and the earth praise him. From this we may conclude with greater certainty that, as I have mentioned above, David in the whole of this psalm spoke in the name of the whole Church; for he now transfers to the Church what he had spoken particularly concerning himself.

In calling upon the elements, which lack thought or understanding, to praise God, he speaks hyperbolically. By this manner of expression, he means to teach us that we are not stirred with sufficient earnestness of heart in celebrating the praises of God—the infinitude of which surpasses the whole world—unless we rise above our own understanding.

But what above all kindled this fervor in David's heart was his concern for the preservation of the Church. Moreover, there is no doubt that by the Spirit of prophecy he comprehended the whole of that period during which God willed that the kingdom and priesthood continue among the ancient people of Israel.

Yet he begins at the restoration of a new state of things. This restoration was suddenly brought about through him after the death of Saul, when a grievous devastation simultaneously threatened both the utter destruction of God's worship and the desolation of the whole country. He says, in the first place, that Zion shall be saved, because God would defend the place where he had chosen to be called upon and would not allow the worship he himself had appointed to be abolished.

Next, from the ark of the covenant and the sanctuary, he represents the divine blessing as extending to the whole land, for religion was the foundation on which the people's happiness rested.

He further teaches that this positive change would not be short-lived, but that the people would always be kept safe through God's constant and enduring protection: And they shall dwell there, and possess it by inheritance. He therefore intimates that the promise God had so often made in the law—that they should inherit that land forever—was truly confirmed by the beginning of his reign.

He contrasts a tranquil and settled dwelling with a mere temporary residence, as if he had said: Now that the sacred throne is erected, the time has come when the children of Abraham will enjoy the rest that has been promised to them, without fear of being removed from it.