Psalm 66:19

But verily God hath heard me; he hath attended to the voice of my prayer.

EXPOSITORY (ENGLISH BIBLE)

Benson Commentary

Psalm 66:19-20. But verily God hath heard me — And thereby hath borne his testimony to my integrity for my own comfort, and the vindication of my character against all my false accusers. Blessed be God, who hath not turned away my prayer — Or, rejected, or removed it from his sight and audience; but hath graciously received and granted it, which I ascribe to his infinite goodness, and not to the merit of my own righteousness; nor his mercy from me — To which, and not to any worthiness of my own, I owe my acceptance with him, and the answer of my prayers.

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

66:13-20 We should declare unto those that fear God, what he has done for our souls, and how he has heard and answered our prayers, inviting them to join us in prayer and praise; this will turn to our mutual comfort, and to the glory of God. We cannot share these spiritual privileges, if we retain the love of sin in our hearts, though we refrain from the gross practice, Sin, regarded in the heart, will spoil the comfort and success of prayer; for the sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination of the Lord. But if the feeling of sin in the heart causes desires to be rid of it; if it be the presence of one urging a demand we know we must not, cannot comply with, this is an argument of sincerity. And when we pray in simplicity and godly sincerity, our prayers will be answered. This will excite gratitude to Him who hath not turned away our prayer nor his mercy from us. It was not prayer that fetched the deliverance, but his mercy that sent it. That is the foundation of our hopes, the fountain of our comforts; and ought to be the matter of our praises.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

But verily God hath heard me ... - That is, He has given me evidence that he has heard my prayer; and, in doing this, he has thus given me the assurance also that I do not regard iniquity in my heart. The evidence that he has heard me is at the same time proof to my mind that I do not love sin. As it is a settled and universal principle that God does not hear prayer when there is in the heart a cherished love and purpose of iniquity, so it follows that, if there is evidence that he has heard our prayers, it is proof that he has seen that our hearts are sincere, and that we truly desire to forsake all forms of sin.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

18. If I regard iniquity in my heart—literally, "see iniquity with pleasure."

Matthew Poole's Commentary

Which is a public vindication and a Divine testimony of my integrity against all my false accusers.

Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

But verily God hath heard me,.... So that it was a plain case that he had not regarded iniquity in his heart; had not lived a vicious course of life, nor was an hypocrite; otherwise God would not have heard his prayer; whereas he had, and which is confirmed in the following clause;

he hath attended to the voice of my prayer; which is an instance of the grace and condescension of God, and showed in what high favour the psalmist was with the Lord, and what regard he had unto him; and therefore could not be the man his enemies represented him to be.

Geneva Study Bible

But verily God hath heard me; he hath attended to the voice of my prayer.

EXEGETICAL (ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)

Pulpit Commentary

Verse 19. - But verily God hath heard me. The psalmist's prayer had been answered so unmistakably, so directly, that he could not doubt of the result, which had been brought about, being the consequence of his vows and supplications (vers. 13. 14). He hath attended to the voice of my prayer. Strange as it might seem to be that God had attended to the voice of a man (Job 7:17; Psalm 8:4; Psalm 144:3; James 5:14-18), yet so it was; the psalmist did not and could not doubt it. Psalm 66:19

Keil and Delitzsch Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament

The words in Psalm 66:16 are addressed in the widest extent, as in Psalm 66:5 and Psalm 66:2, to all who fear God, wheresoever such are to be found on the face of the earth. To all these, for the glory of God and for their own profit, he would gladly relate what God has made him to experience. The individual-looking expression לנפשׁי is not opposed to the fact of the occurrence of a marvellous answering of prayer, to which he refers, being one which has been experienced by him in common with the whole congregation. He cried unto God with his mouth (that is to say, not merely silently in spirit, but audibly and importunately), and a hymn (רומם,

(Note: Kimchi (Michlol 146a) and Parchon (under רמם) read רומם with Pathach; and Heidenheim and Baer have adopted it.)

something that rises, collateral form to רומם, as עולל and שׁובב to עולל and שׁובב) was under my tongue; i.e., I became also at once so sure of my being heard, that I even had the song of praise in readiness (vid., Psalm 10:7), with which I had determined to break forth when the help for which I had prayed, and which was assured to me, should arrive. For the purpose of his heart was not at any time, in contradiction to his words, און, God-abhorred vileness or worthlessness; ראה with the accusative, as in Genesis 20:10; Psalm 37:37 : to aim at, or design anything, to have it in one's eye. We render: If I had aimed at evil in my heart, the Lord would not hear; not: He would not have heard, but: He would not on any occasion hear. For a hypocritical prayer, coming from a heart which has not its aim sincerely directed towards Him, He does not hear. The idea that such a heart was not hidden behind his prayer is refuted in Psalm 66:19 from the result, which is of a totally opposite character. In the closing doxology the accentuation rightly takes תּפלּתי וחסדּו as belonging together. Prayer and mercy stand in the relation to one another of call and echo. When God turns away from a man his prayer and His mercy, He commands him to be silent and refuses him a favourable answer. The poet, however, praises God that He has deprived him neither of the joyfulness of prayer nor the proof of His favour. In this sense Augustine makes the following practical observation on this passage: Cum videris non a te amotam deprecationem tuam, securus esto, quia non est a te amota misericordia ejus.