[4] Thou art my King, O God: command deliverances for Jacob.
My king — The whole people speak as one man, being united in one body.
Verse 11
[11] Thou hast given us like sheep appointed for meat; and hast scattered us among the heathen.
Scattered — Those who were not slain are carried into captivity, and dispersed in several places.
Verse 16
[16] For the voice of him that reproacheth and blasphemeth; by reason of the enemy and avenger.
Avenger — Who executeth both God's and his own vengeance upon me.
Verse 17
[17] All this is come upon us; yet have we not forgotten thee, neither have we dealt falsely in thy covenant.
Yet — Although we cannot excuse ourselves from many other sins, yet through thy grace we have kept ourselves from apostacy and idolatry, notwithstanding all examples and provocations.
Verse 18
[18] Our heart is not turned back, neither have our steps declined from thy way;
Turned — From thy worship to idols.
Verse 19
[19] Though thou hast sore broken us in the place of dragons, and covered us with the shadow of death.
Broken us — By inflicting upon us one breach after another, thou hast at last brought us to this pass.
The place — A place extremely desolate, such as dragons love, Isaiah 13:21,22, and therefore full of horror, and danger.
Covered us — With deadly horrors and miseries.
Verse 22
[22] Yea, for thy sake are we killed all the day long; we are counted as sheep for the slaughter.
Yea — Because we are constant in thy worship, which they abhor.
Verse 25
[25] For our soul is bowed down to the dust: our belly cleaveth unto the earth.
Our soul — Our persons.
Our belly — We are not only thrown down to the earth, but we lie there like dead carcases.
Psalm 44 Bible Commentary
John Wesley’s Explanatory Notes
Verse 4
[4] Thou art my King, O God: command deliverances for Jacob.
My king — The whole people speak as one man, being united in one body.
Verse 11
[11] Thou hast given us like sheep appointed for meat; and hast scattered us among the heathen.
Scattered — Those who were not slain are carried into captivity, and dispersed in several places.
Verse 16
[16] For the voice of him that reproacheth and blasphemeth; by reason of the enemy and avenger.
Avenger — Who executeth both God's and his own vengeance upon me.
Verse 17
[17] All this is come upon us; yet have we not forgotten thee, neither have we dealt falsely in thy covenant.
Yet — Although we cannot excuse ourselves from many other sins, yet through thy grace we have kept ourselves from apostacy and idolatry, notwithstanding all examples and provocations.
Verse 18
[18] Our heart is not turned back, neither have our steps declined from thy way;
Turned — From thy worship to idols.
Verse 19
[19] Though thou hast sore broken us in the place of dragons, and covered us with the shadow of death.
Broken us — By inflicting upon us one breach after another, thou hast at last brought us to this pass.
The place — A place extremely desolate, such as dragons love, Isaiah 13:21,22, and therefore full of horror, and danger.
Covered us — With deadly horrors and miseries.
Verse 22
[22] Yea, for thy sake are we killed all the day long; we are counted as sheep for the slaughter.
Yea — Because we are constant in thy worship, which they abhor.
Verse 25
[25] For our soul is bowed down to the dust: our belly cleaveth unto the earth.
Our soul — Our persons.
Our belly — We are not only thrown down to the earth, but we lie there like dead carcases.