John Gill Commentary Psalms 116

I love the Lord
As the Messiah, David's antitype, did; of which he gave the fullest proof by his obedience to his will; and as David, the man after God's own heart, did, and as every good man does; and the Lord is to be loved for the perfections of his nature, and especially as they are displayed in Christ, and salvation by him; and for his works of creation, providence, and grace, and particularly for his great love shown in redemption, regeneration, and other blessings of grace, as well as for what follows.

Because he has heard my voice and my supplication ;
in the original text the words lie thus, "I love, because the Lord has heard", or "will hear"; and so read the Septuagint and Vulgate Latin, Ethiopic, Syriac, and Arabic versions, and so the Targum; and may be rendered, "I love that the Lord should hear me", so the Syriac and Arabic versions; nothing is more desirable and grateful to good men than that the Lord should hear them;

but Kimchi and others transpose the words as we do, which gives a reason why he loved the Lord; because he heard his prayers, which were vocal, put up in a time of distress, in an humble and submissive manner, under the influence of the Spirit of grace and supplication, in the name of Christ, for his righteousness sake, and through his mediation; and such supplications are heard and answered by the Lord, sooner or later; and which engages the love of his people to him; see (Psalms 34:1–6) . It may be applied to Christ, who offered up prayers and supplications, with strong crying and tears, and was always heard; and for which he thanked his Father and loved him, (Hebrews 5:7) (John 11:41John 11:42) .

Because he has inclined his ear unto me
Not as hard of hearing, for his ear is not heavy that it cannot hear; he is quick of hearing, and his ears are always open to the righteous; it rather denotes his readiness to hear; he hearkens and hears, he listens to what his people say, and hears them at once, and understands them, though ever so broken and confused; when their prayers are but like the chatterings of a crane or swallow, or only expressed in sighs and groans, and even without a voice; when nothing is articulately pronounced: moreover, this shows condescension in him; he bows his ear as a rattler to a child, he stoops as being above them, and inclines his ear to them.

Therefore will I call upon him as long as I live ;
or "in my days" ^F4 ; in days of adversity and affliction, for help and relief; in days of prosperity, with thankfulness for favours received; every day I live, and several times a day: prayer should be constantly used; men should pray without ceasing always, and not faint; prayer is the first and last action of a spiritual life; it is the first thing a regenerate man does, "behold, he prays"; as soon as he is born again he prays, and continues praying all his days; and generally goes out of the world praying, as Stephen did, "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit"; and it is the Lord's hearing prayer that encourages his people to keep on praying, and which makes the work delightful to them. Christ was often at this work in life, and died praying, (Luke 6:12) (23:46) .

FOOTNOTES:

• F4: (ymyb) "in diebus meis", V. L. Pagninus, Montanus, Junius & Tremellius, Piscator

The sorrows of death compassed me
Christ, of whom David was a type, was a man of sorrows all his days; and in the garden he was surrounded with sorrow; exceeding sorrowful even to death, in a view of the sins of his people imputed to him, and under a sense of wrath for them, he was about to bear; and his agonies in the article of death were very grievous, he died the painful and accursed death of the cross. This was true of David, when Saul and his men surrounded him on every side, threatening to cut him off in a moment; when he despaired of life, and had the sentence of death in himself, and saw no way of escape; and such a case is that of the people of God, or they may be said to be compassed about with the sorrows of death, when through a slavish fear of it they are all their lives subject to bondage; and especially when under dreadful apprehensions of eternal death.

And the pains of hell got hold upon me ;
or "found me" ^F5 ; overtook him and seized upon him; meaning either the horrors of a guilty conscience under a sense of sin, without a view of pardon; which is as it were a hell in the conscience, and like the pains and torments of it: or "the pains of the grave" ^F6 ; not that there are any pains felt there, the body being destitute of life and senseless; but such sorrows or troubles are meant which threaten to bring down to the grave, which was the case of Jacob upon the loss of his children, (Genesis 37:35) (42:38) . This applied to Christ may design the wrath of God and curse of the law, which he endured in the room and stead of his people, as their surety; and which were equivalent to the pains of the damned in hell; or it may refer to his being laid in the grave, in a strait and narrow place, as the word ^F7 signifies; where he lay bound in grave clothes, until he was loosed from the pains and cords of death, it being not possible he should be held by them, (Acts 2:24) , (See Gill on Psalms 18:4) (See Gill on Psalms 18:5)

I found trouble and sorrow ;
without seeking them; they seized and took hold of him, on David, and his antitype, when in the above circumstances; and often do the saints find trouble and sorrow from a body of sin and death, from the temptations of Satan, divine desertions, and afflictive providences. Aben Ezra refers the one to the body, the other to the soul.

FOOTNOTES:

• F5: (ynwaum) "invenerunt me", Pagninus, Montanus
• F6: (lav) "sepulchri", Vatablus, Junius & Tremellius, Piscator.
• F7: (yrum) "augustiae", Pagninus, Montanus

Then called I upon the name of the Lord Upon the Lord himself in prayer for speedy deliverance; or "in the name of the Lord" {h}, in the name of the Messiah, the only Mediator between God and man; "saying", as follows, and which word may be supplied,

O Lord, I beseech thee, deliver my soul ; from these sorrows and pains, from these afflictions and distresses, from death and the grave, and from wrath, and a sense of it, and fears about it.

FOOTNOTES:

• F8: (hwhy Mvb) "in nomine Domini", Montanus, Musculus, Vatablus.

Gracious is the Lord
So the psalmist found him, calling upon him; so he is in Christ, the author and giver of all grace, to help in time of need.

And righteous ;
faithful to his promises, just in every dispensation of his providence, even in afflictive ones; righteous in punishing the enemies of his people, and in saving, justifying, and pardoning them for Christ's sake.

Yea, our God is merciful ;
compassionate, tenderhearted, a heart full of pity, as a father to his child; and sympathizes with his people under all their afflictions, and saves them out of them; see (Psalms 86:5Psalms 86:15) .