to gaze at · verb, qal imperative, 2nd person masculine plural
works
מִפְעֲל֣וֹתmif.'a.Lot
H4659
a performance · noun, common feminine plural construct
LORD
יְהוָ֑הYah.weh
H3068
Jehovah · proper noun, a title
desolations
שַׁמּ֣וֹתsha.Mot
H8047
ruin · noun, common feminine plural absolute
made
שָׂ֖םsam
H7760
to put (used in a great variety of applications · verb, qal perfect, 3rd person masculine singular
earth
בָּאָֽרֶץba.'A.retz
H776
the earth (at large · preposition with the article + noun, common feminine singular absolute
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).
Cross-references
Psalms 66:5 Come and see the works of God: he is terrible in his doing toward the children of men.
Isaiah 24:1 Behold, the LORD maketh the earth empty, and maketh it waste, and turneth it upside down, and scattereth abroad the inhabitants thereof.
Psalms 92:4-6 For thou, LORD, hast made me glad through thy work: I will triumph in the works of thy hands.
Isaiah 61:4 And they shall build the old wastes, they shall raise up the former desolations, and they shall repair the waste cities, the desolations of…
Isaiah 34:2-17 For the indignation of the LORD is upon all nations, and his fury upon all their armies: he hath utterly destroyed them, he hath delivered t…
Psalms 111:2-3 The works of the LORD are great, sought out of all them that have pleasure therein.
Exodus 12:30 And Pharaoh rose up in the night, he, and all his servants, and all the Egyptians; and there was a great cry in Egypt; for there was not a h…
Joshua 11:20 For it was of the LORD to harden their hearts, that they should come against Israel in battle, that he might destroy them utterly, and that…
Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).
Commentary
Matthew Henry on Psalms 46:6–end
These verses give glory to God both as King of nations and as King of saints.
I. As King of nations, ruling the world by his power and providence, and overruling all the affairs of the children of men to his own glory; he does according to his will among the inhabitants of the earth, and none may say, What doest thou? 1. He checks the rage and breaks the power of the nations that oppose him and his interests in the world (Psa 46:6): The heathen raged at David's coming to the throne, and at the setting up of the kingdom of the Son of David; compare Psa 2:1, Psa 2:2. The kingdoms were moved with indignation, and rose in a tumultuous furious manner to oppose it; but God uttered his voice, spoke…
what desolations--literally, "who hath put desolations," destroying our enemies.
John Gill on Psalms 46:8
Come, behold the works of the Lord,.... Of nature and grace, especially those of Providence; both in a way of judgment, as in this verse; and of mercy, as in Psalm 46:9. These words are an address of the psalmist to his friends, as Apollinarius supplies it; or of the church to the fearful among them, who were dismayed at the commotions and disturbances that were in the world, Psalm 46:2; and who are encouraged to trust in the Lord, from the consideration of his works, particularly his providential dispensations;
what desolations he hath made in the earth; in the land of Judea, at the time of the destruction of the city and temple of Jerusalem, foretold by Moses, Deuteronomy 32:22; by Daniel…
Psalm 46:6-11
6. The peoples raged, the kingdoms were moved: he uttered his voice [178] the earth melted. 7. Jehovah of armies is with us: the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah. 8. Come ye, consider the works of Jehovah, what desolations [179] he hath made in the earth. 9. He maketh battles to cease even to the end of the earth; he breaketh the bow, he cutteth in pieces the spear; he burneth the chariots with fire. [180] 10. Be still [181] and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth [182] 11. Jehovah of armies is with us: the God of Jacob is our fortress. Selah.
6 The peoples raged Since the Church of God is never without enemies, and these…
The Church Fathers
Since the weak prevailed over the strong, the few over the many, the powerless over the powerful, and the outcome defied expectations, rightly does he call them "marvels" for happening to everyone's surprise and being spread everywhere on earth.
Just as … great distances make the perception of visible objects dim, but a nearer approach offers a clear knowledge of the objects seen, so also in the case of objects of contemplation in the mind, he who has not drawn near to God is not able to see his works with the pure eyes of his mind. Therefore, "Come," first approach, then see the works of the Lord, which are prodigious and admirable.… He who has heard the call and has approached and cleaves to the One commanding will see him who through the cross made all things peaceful "whether on the earth or in the heavens."
"Come and see the works of the Lord" [Psalm 46:8]. Now of this taking up, what has the Lord done? Consider the whole world, come and see. For if you come not, you see not; if you see not, you believe not; if you believe not, you stand afar off: if you believek, you come; if you believek, you see. For how came we to that mountain? Not on foot? Is it by ship? Is it on the wing? Is it on horses? For all that pertain to space and place, be not concerned, trouble not yourself, He comes to you. For out of a small stone He has grown, and become a great mountain, so that He has filled all the face of the earth. Why then would you by land come to Him, who fills all lands? Lo, He has already come: watch thou. By growing He wakes even sleepers; if yet there is not in them so deep sleep, as that they be hardened even against the mountain coming; but they hear, "Awake, you that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give you light." [Ephesians 5:14] For it was a great thing for the Jews to see the stone. For the stone was yet small: and small they deservedly despised it, and despising they stumbled, and stumbling they were broken; remains that they be ground to powder. For so was it said of the stone, "Whosoever shall fall upon that stone shall be broken; but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder." [Luke 20:18] It is one thing to be broken, another to be ground to powder. To be broken is less than to be ground to powder: but none grinds He coming exalted, save whom He broke lying low. For now before His coming He lay low before the Jews, and they stumbled at Him, and were broken; hereafter shall He come in His Judgment, glorious and exalted, great and powerful, not weak to be judged, but strong to judge, and grind to powder those who were broken stumbling at Him. For "A stone of stumbling and a rock of offense," [1 Peter 2:8] is He to them that believe not. Therefore, brethren, no wonder if the Jews acknowledged not Him, whom as a small stone lying before their feet they despised. They are to be wondered at, who even now so great a mountain will not acknowledge. The Jews at a small stone by not seeing stumbled; the heretics stumble at a mountain. For now that stone has grown, now say we unto them, Lo, now is fulfilled the prophecy of Daniel, "The stone that was small became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth." [Daniel 2:35]…
Dictionary and topics
Alamoth — Virgins, a musical term (1 Chr. 15:20), denoting that the psalm which bears this inscription (Ps. 46) was to be sung by soprano or female voices.
Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).
(Heb.: 46:9-12) The mighty deeds of Jahve still lie visibly before them in their results, and those who are without the pale of the church are to see for themselves and be convinced. In a passage founded upon this, Psa 66:5, stands מפעלות אלהים; here, according to Targum and Masora (vid., Psalter, ii. 472), מפעלות יהוה.
(Note: Nevertheless מפעלות אלהים is also found here as a various reading that goes back to the time of the Talmud. The oldest Hebrew Psalter of 1477 reads thus, vide Repertorium fr Bibl. und Morgenlnd. Liter. v. (1779), 148. Norzi decides in favour of it, and Biesenthal has also adopted it in his edition of the Psalter (1837), which in other respects is a reproduction of Heid…
This invitation to trust in the Lord offers a perspective on God’s interactions with human powers.
46:8 Israel saw the Lord’s glorious works in the wilderness (107:24; 111:2), but the wicked, who have no concern for them (28:5), are left desolate (73:19).
Spurgeon's Treasury of David on Psalms 46:8
Come, behold the works of the Lord, what desolations he hath made in the earth.
Come, behold the works of the Lord. The joyful citizens of Jerusalem are invited to go forth and view the remains of their enemies, that they may mark the prowess of Jehovah and the spoil which his right hand hath won for his people. It were well if we also carefully noted the providential dealings of our covenant God, and were quick to perceive his hand in the battles of his church. Whenever we read history is should be with this verse sounding in our ears. We should read the newspaper in the same spirit, to see how the Head of the Church rules the nations for his people's good, as Joseph governed Egypt for the…
