Ps 50:8

“But where is humility from hyssop? Hear what followeth: "To my hearing Thou shall give exultation and gladness, and bones humbled shall exult" (ver. 8). I will rejoice in hearing Thee, not in speaking against Thee. Thou hast sinned, why defendest thou thyself? Thou wilt speak: suffer thou; hear, yield to divine words, lest thou be put to confusion, and be still more wounded: sin hath been committed, be it not defended: to confession let it come, not to defence. Thou engagest thyself as defender of thy sin, thou art conquered: no innocent patron hast thou engaged, thy defence is not profitable to thee. For who art thou that defendest thyself? Thou art meet to accuse thyself. Say not, either, "I have done nothing;" or, "What great thing have I done?" or, "Other men as well have done." If in doing sin thou sayest thou hast done nothing, thou wilt be nothing, thou wilt receive nothing: God is ready to give indulgence, thou closest the door against thyself: He is ready to give, do not oppose the bar of defence, but open the bosom of confession. "To my hearing Thou shall give exultation and gladness." ...”

“Behold, You desired that truth be in the hidden places and behold, I confess to the truth, that I sinned. in the hidden places Heb. בטחות. These are the reins, which are smooth. Menachem (p. 97), however, associated it with (Gen. 21:16): “as it were a bowshot (כמטחוי קשת)”; and so (Job 38: 36): “Who placed wisdom in the inward parts (בטחות).” And their interpretation is an expression of drawing, for just as a bow is drawn, so is their yearning for knowledge. and in the concealed part You teach me wisdom And in the heart, which is concealed, You have taught me wisdom to confess.”

“"To my hearing." Here he sets forth how he has hope for the recovery of the goods which he had lost; and there are two: namely, the gift of prophecy and the joy of conscience. The gift of prophecy is compared to hearing, because the prophet does not see the essence of God so as to see revealed things in it, but certain signs of the revealed truth are made in the soul of the prophet, and these signs function in the manner of speech, etc. 1 Sam. 3: "Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening." Is. 21: "What I have heard from the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, I have announced to you." This hearing had been interrupted for him through sin, and he hoped to recover it; and therefore he says, "To my hearing you shall give," etc. Or, "to my hearing" by which I heard from Nathan that my sin was taken away, whereby I conceived joy. But as to the joy of conscience, it should be known that spiritual joy has three degrees. First, it exists in the delight of the affection; second, in the expansion of the heart; third, in its outward progression. Delight is designated by "joy" when he says, "To my hearing," etc., namely, from the fact that I shall hear what you speak, or what Nathan has spoken. Phil. 4: "Rejoice in the Lord," etc. But when the affection rests in the beloved thing, then the mind expands to receive more of this expansion; and this also appears in sensible things. 2 Cor. 6: "Our heart is enlarged"; and therefore he says, "gladness," which here signifies expansion as a kind of gladness. But further, gladness also overflows to the body. Prov. 17: "A joyful mind makes for a flourishing age; a sorrowful spirit dries up the bones." And so, in the vision of glory in the homeland, after the resurrection, from the joy of the mind the body shall be glorified. Is. 66: "You shall see, and your heart shall rejoice, and your bones shall sprout like grass." And so he himself says, "the humbled bones shall exult"; and this for present glorification, for through the sorrow of penance the heart of a person is crushed; and therefore when people are joyful, it is a sign that the bones which have been crushed and afflicted participate in the joy. Prov. 12: "Sorrow in the heart of a man shall bring him low." Is. 58: "He will fill your soul with brightness, and will deliver your bones." Or, "the bones shall exult," that is, the spiritual virtues, which are increased through spiritual joy. And because through this joy the just person is strengthened.”