Because thou hast been a strength to the poor, a strength to the needy in his distress: a refuge from the whirlwind, a shadow from the heat. For the blast of the mighty is like a whirlwind beating against a wall.

“For thou hast been, etc. It is wonderful how all well fortified towns were taken, and the city of the poor, that is, Jerusalem, escaped. A refuge from the showers, from the enemy who is compared to showers of water. For the blast of the terrible ones is as showers against the wall. This phrase is to explain the expression from the showers.”

“O Lord God. Here the giving of thanks is set forth: and first, concerning the exaltation of the people; second, concerning their justification: ch. 26: in that day; third, concerning the Father's correction: ch. 27: in that day. The first is divided into two. In the first, the giving of thanks is set forth: I will exalt you, in preaching you loftily among others; I will confess, in giving thanks within myself. Ps. 9: I will confess to you, Lord, with my whole heart. Second, the matter of the thanksgiving is set forth: for you have done. And first, in general, as to the greatness of the deeds: wonders. Job 9: who does great things, etc. As to the fulfillment of the promises: faithful. Ecclus. 36: give a reward, Lord, to those who wait for you, that your prophets may be found faithful. Amen, that is, truly. Second, in particular: for you have made; and first, the works that pertain to the putting down of evils; second, those that pertain to the exaltation of good things: and the Lord will make. Concerning the first, three things. First he threatens the scourge of punishment; second, the fruit of the punishment: upon this; third, the manner of the punishment: as. He says therefore first: the city. Of Jerusalem; of strangers, estranged from God, namely of the Jews; it shall not be rebuilt forever: for neither afterward in the same place, above, 17: behold, Damascus shall cease to be a city. Micah 3: Zion shall be as a field. Ezek. 27: you have been brought to nothing. Or, of Babylon, or of any other city of the Gentiles opposing them. Upon this. Here he sets forth the fruit, in the subjection of men to God. And first he sets forth two signs of subjection. Praise: the strong shall praise you, however much subject to you; or, the Gentile people, strong in sufferings. Fear: whatever city shall fear you. Below, 60: the strength of the nations shall come to you. Second, he assigns the reason, which he first sets forth: for you have been made; to the poor, who has little though sufficient for himself; to the needy, who is in want. Ps. 93: the Lord has become for me a refuge, and my God the help of my hope. Second, he sets forth a comparison: hope, of defense, from the whirlwind, on account of the violence of the persecutor; a shelter, of consolation, from the heat, on account of the affliction of persecution. Below, 32: a man shall be as. Third, he sets forth the exposition. Spirit, that is, indignation and pride. Above, 21: as whirlwinds come from the south, it comes from the desert, from a terrible land. As the heat. Here he sets forth the manner of the punishment as to affliction: as heat in thirst, it afflicts. Tumult, proud clamor, as to barrenness. And as heat under a cloud, gathered from the south wind, by which also sometimes, on account of excessive heat, the fruits of the vine are destroyed. James 1: the sun arose with burning heat, and dried up the grass, and its flower fell. And the Lord will make. Here he sets forth the things that pertain to the exaltation of the good: and this in three ways. First, as to the abundance of honor, which he describes under the metaphor of a feast, which is prepared from fat animals and refined wine, on this mountain, because there Christ suffered, whence all good things have come to us; or because there he will judge, as is said, Matt. 22: behold, I have prepared my dinner, my oxen and fatlings are killed. Second, as to the removal of evils: and he will cast down, as to the punishment of death, which he calls a bond insofar as we are bound to it by sin, and (the web) insofar as it is ordained by the just sentence of God. 1 Cor. 15: death is swallowed up in victory. Hosea 13: I will be your death, O death; your bite, O Hell. The sadness of sorrow, and he will take away. Rev. 21: God will wipe away every tear from the eyes of the saints. The shame of confusion: and reproach. Above, 4: take away, etc. Some refer this to the judgment rendered in the death of Holofernes, who came against all nations; and likewise concerning the feast. And he sets forth the giving of thanks. And they shall say: we have waited, expecting patiently. Ecclus. 2: you who fear the Lord, wait for his mercy. And he sets forth the reason: for he shall rest, with whom no evil can be. Ps. 131: this is my rest for ever and ever. Third, as to the oppression of enemies, namely of the Moabites, who on account of sleep were especially hostile to them. And first he sets forth their affliction: it shall be threshed. Amos 1: they threshed Gilead with iron wagons. Second, their complete subjection: he will stretch out his hands, as one prostrate, and seeking mercy or aid. Below, 49: he shall come; and the destruction of the fortifications, and the fortresses, concerning which see above, 16. Note, on that word, I will confess to the name, that confession is manifold. The first, of humility. James, last chapter: confess your sins to one another. The second, of truth. Rom. 10: with the heart one believes unto righteousness, but with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. The third, of praise. Ps. 32: confess to the Lord on the harp. The fourth, of thanksgiving. Above, 12: I will confess to you, Lord, for you were angry with me: your fury is turned away, and you have comforted me. Also, note on that word, amen, that amen is Hebrew: and sometimes it is a verb, that is, let it be done. Deut. 27: and all the people shall say, amen. Sometimes an adverb, that is, truly. John 6: amen, amen, I say to you. Sometimes a noun, that is, truth. Rev. 3: these things says the Amen. Sometimes it is Greek, without defect, from a, which is without, and mene, which is defect. Rom. 9: who is God blessed forever, amen. Note on that word, a feast of fat things, that there is a threefold feast. The first, the household feast of the Church militant: in which he sets forth three things. First, the bitterness of the passion. Exod. 12: you shall eat it with wild lettuce. 1 Cor. 11: as often as you shall eat this bread, and drink the cup, you shall proclaim the death of the Lord until he comes. Second, the sweetness of love. Wis. 16: you provided them bread from heaven without labor, having in itself every delight, and the sweetness of every taste. Third, fatness, as to its effect. Ps. 22: you have made my head fat with oil. The second is the private feast of the soul: in which he sets forth three things. First, the wine of love. Song 1: your breasts are better than wine. Second, the honey of contemplation. Ps. 118: how sweet are your words to my palate. More than honey to my mouth. Third, the milk of purification, and this for growing unto perfection. 1 Pet. 2: as rational ones, without guile, desire milk. The third is the solemn feast of the heavenly court; in which he sets forth three things. First, wine unto inebriation. Song 5: eat, friends, and drink, and be inebriated. Second, honey unto satiety. Ps. 16: I shall be satisfied when your glory shall appear. Third, milk unto the perfection of body and soul. Song 5: your eyes are as doves.”

“For thou hast been a strength to the poor, a strength to the needy in his distress,.... The people of God, who are poor and needy, both in a literal and in a spiritual sense; and especially when under afflicted circumstances, in times of desertion, temptation, bodily affliction, and persecution from men, which may be here chiefly intended; to whom the Lord is a strength: he strengthens their hearts, and his own grace in them; he sheds abroad his love in their hearts, which makes their mountain to stand strong; he directs them to Christ, in whom is strength, as well as righteousness; he strengthens them by his Spirit, his promises, word, and ordinances. Christ may be more especially meant; and it may refer to the strength and power he will give to his people in the latter day; when a small one shall be a strong nation; when the feeble shall be as David, and the house of David as the angel of the Lord; when they shall have got the victory over the beast, his mark and image, Isa 60:21, a refuge from the storm; or tempestuous rain, or overflowing flood; as Christ is a refuge from the tempest and storm of divine wrath and vengeance, by his satisfaction and righteousness, Isa 32:2 so from the flood of persecution, by his power and providence, Rev 12:15, a shadow from the heat; which gives refreshment and rest, and is a protection from the scorching beams of the sun. Christ, as he is the shadow from the heat of a fiery law, from the flaming sword of justice, from the wrath of God, and the fiery darts of Satan's temptations; so from the violence of persecution, which heat shall now be no more, antichrist being destroyed, Rev 7:15, when blast of the terrible ones is as a storm against the wall; these terrible ones are either Satan and his principalities, who are very terrible to the Lord's people; and whose temptations are like a strong wind, which beat against them as against a wall, but they stand, the Lord being their strength, refuge, and shadow; see Isa 49:24 or rather antichrist and his persecuting princes, the kings of the earth, that have joined him, and persecuted the saints, and have been terrible to them; and whose persecutions have been like a blustering strong wind, threatening to carry all before them; but the Lord has been their protection, and made them to stand as a wall, firm and immovable, against them. The Targum is, "so the words of the wicked are to the righteous, as a storm that dasheth against a wall.''”