Psalms 36:8

"How precious is your loving kindness, God! The children of men take refuge under the shadow of your wings."

Key Reflection

In Psalms 36:8, the psalmist praises God’s loving kindness as a source of refuge and safety for humanity, comparing it to a bird’s wings providing shelter. For the original audience—ancient Israelites—the image would have resonated with their cultural understanding of protective deities and divine favor, where seeking refuge under a god's wing was a metaphorical expression of trust and security in times of need.

From the Scholars: Barnes' Notes

They shall be abundantly satisfied -Margin, “watered.” That is, all who thus put their trust in the mercy of God. The Hebrew word -רוהrâvâh- means to drink to the full; to be satisfied, or sated with drink; or to be satisfied or filled with water, as the earth or fields after an abundant rain:Isaiah 34:7;Psalms 65:10. The state referred to by the word is that of one who was thirsty, but who has drunk to the full; who feels that his desire is satisfied: (a) He has found that which is adapted to his wants, or which meets his needs, as water does the wants of one who is a thirst; (b) He has found this “in abundance.” There is no lack, and he partakes of it in as large measure as he chooses.

Related Verses

Job 36:16

More from Psalms 36

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