Psalms 50:6
Translations
King James Version (KJV)
And the heavens shall declare his righteousness: for God is judge himself. Selah.
American King James Version (AKJV)
And the heavens shall declare his righteousness: for God is judge himself. Selah.
American Standard Version (ASV)
And the heavens shall declare his righteousness; For God is judge himself. Selah
Basic English Translation (BBE)
And let the heavens make clear his righteousness; for God himself is the judge. (Selah.)
Webster's Revision
And the heavens shall declare his righteousness: for God is judge himself. Selah.
World English Bible
The heavens shall declare his righteousness, for God himself is judge. Selah.
English Revised Version (ERV)
And the heavens shall declare his righteousness; for God is judge himself. Selah
Barnes's Psalms 50:6 Bible Commentary
And the heavens shall declare his righteousness - Shall make it known, or announce it. That is, the heavens - the heavenly inhabitants - will bear witness to the justness of the sentence, or will approve the sentence. See the notes at Psalm 50:4. Compare Psalm 97:6.
For God is judge himself - The judgment is not committed to mortal men, or even to angels. Creatures, even the most exalted and pure, might err in such a work as that of judging the world. That judgment, to be correct, must be founded on a perfect knowledge of the heart, and on a clear and complete understanding of all the thoughts, the motives, the words, the deeds of all people. It cannot be supposed that any created being, however exalted, could possess all this knowledge, and it cannot be supposed that any created being, however pure, could be so endowed as to be secure against error in pronouncing a judgment on the countless millions of people. But God combines all these in himself; a perfect knowledge of all that has ever occurred on earth, and of the motives and feelings of every creature - and, at the same time, absolute purity and impartiality; therefore his judgment must be such that the universe will see that it is just. It may be added here that as the New Testament has stated (see the notes at Psalm 50:3) that the judgment of the world in the last day will be committed to the Lord Jesus Christ, the considerations just suggested prove that he is Divine. The immediate point in the passage before us is, that the fact that "God" will preside in the judgment, demonstrates that the acts of judgment will be "right," and will be such as the "heavens" - the universe - will approve; such, that all worlds will proclaim them to be right. There is no higher evidence that a thing is right, and that it ought to be done, than the fact that God has done it. Compare Genesis 18:25; Psalm 39:9.
Wesley's Psalms 50:6 Bible Commentary
50:6 Declare - God will convince the people of his righteousness, and of their own wickedness, by thunders and lightnings, and storms, or other dreadful signs wrought by him in the heavens. Himself - In his own person.God will not now reprove them, by his priests or prophets, but in an extraordinary manner from heaven.