John Calvin Commentary Psalms 75:1

"We give thanks unto thee, O God; We give thanks, for thy name is near: Men tell of thy wondrous works." — Psalms 75:1 (ASV)

We will praise you, O God! Regarding the inscription of this psalm, I have spoken sufficiently when explaining Psalm 57. As for its author, this is a point I am not inclined to trouble myself much with determining. Whoever he was, whether David or some other prophet, he breaks forth at the very beginning into the language of joy and thanksgiving: We will praise you, O God! We will praise you. The repetition serves to express more forcefully his strong affection and ardent zeal in singing the praises of God.

The verbs in Hebrew are in the past tense, but the subject of the psalm requires that they be translated into the future; this can be done in perfect consistency with the idiom of the Hebrew language. The inspired writer, however, may declare that God had been praised among His people for the benefits He bestowed in past times, intending thereby to induce God to continue acting in the same manner, so that by remaining consistent with Himself, He might from time to time provide His people new cause for celebrating His praises.

The change of person in the concluding part of the verse has led some interpreters to supply the relative pronoun אשר, asher, who, as if the reading were, O Lord! We will praise you; and your name is near to those who declare your wondrous works. But the prophet, I have no doubt, puts the verb they will declare, indefinitely, that is, without determining the person; and he has used the copula and instead of the causal participle for, as is frequently done.

His meaning, then, may be brought out very appropriately thus: We will praise you, O God! For your name is near; and, therefore, your wondrous works shall be declared. He, no doubt, means that the same persons whom he said would celebrate the praise of God would be the publishers of His wonderful works.

And certainly, God, in displaying His power, opens the mouths of His servants to recount His works. In short, the design is to intimate that there is just ground for praising God, who shows Himself to be near to provide help to His people. The name of God, as is well known, is taken for His power; and His presence, or nearness, is judged by the assistance He grants to His people in their time of need.