1David complaineth to God of the outrages of the wicked: 12he prayeth for reparation: 16he professeth his confidence.
1WHY1 standest thou afar off, O LORD? why hidest thou thyself 2in times of trouble?
1 As if he said, do not thus: draw near with Thy help, and let Thy gracious countenance shine upon us. This is spoken of God after the manner of men, as frequently in this book. Compare Psalm 3 on verse 7; Psalm 7 on verses 6, 7.
2 As Psalm 9:9.
2The 3wicked in his pride doth 4persecute the poor: leta them be taken in the devices that they have imagined.
3 That is, godless men, as appears by the sequel.
4 As Psalm 7:13.
a Psalm 7:15; 9:15: Prov. 5:22.
3For the wicked 5boasteth of his heart's desire, and 6blesseth the covetous, whom the LORD 7abhorreth.
5 Fully persuaded that he shall accomplish his attempt and obtain his heart’s desire. Other, he praiseth according to the desire of his soul, that is, whomsoever he will; for example: the covetous, as follows. Or, he boasteth himself about the wish of his soul, that is, about his evil lusts, when he has accomplished them.
6 That is, he holds and accounts the unrighteous, who oppresses the poor, to be a happy man by his covetousness. See Deut. 29 on verse 19. Other, the covetous (earlier called wicked) curses and reviles the LORD; as blessing is sometimes used instead of cursing. See 1 Kings 21 on verse 10. Or, the covetous blesseth himself.
7 Or, provoketh.
4The wicked, 8through the pride of his countenance, will not 9seek after God: God is notb in 10all his thoughts.
8 Hebr. according to the height, or holding up, lifting up of his face, or his countenance, his nose, his anger, that is, according to his insolence and scornful contempt of good instruction, which he shows forth on his entire face and in all his gestures; as the height of the heart, Psalm 131:1, and of the spirit, Prov. 16:18, signify the inward insolence or high-mindedness; so the height of the eyes, Psalm 18:27; 101:5, and here of the countenance or the nose, means the outward.
9 Whether he do well or ill, caring for nothing at all. Other, he does not seek God, from Psalm 14:2.
b Psalm 14:1; 53:1.
10 Other, in all his subtle devices God is not.
5His 11ways 12are always grievous; thy 13judgments are 14far above out of his sight: as for all his enemies, 15he puffeth at them.
11 That is, his purposes, attempts and practice.
12 Namely, to him whom he oppresses in his pride. Other, His ways are prosperous at all times. The Hebrew word has the signification of the pains or travails in childbirth, upon which follows the rejoicing when the child is born, John 16:21. And thus some seem to have taken it further here in the sense of success, prospering, advancing his work that it may come to light, as the fruit of the womb; thus the wicked stirs up himself, toils and labors till he works out his purpose, and succeeds according to his mind; therefore he does not ask for God.
13 Thy government and the punishments which Thou, O Lord, hast prepared for the wicked.
14 Compare the manner of speaking with Judges 9 on verse 17 and Cant. 6 on verse 5. Hebr. from or from over against him, that is, he casts the same from him, out of his sight and never minds them once; or, they are higher or too high for him to set them before him, they are hidden before him, above the reach of his understanding and apprehension; while he is blessed, he does not think on any punishments to come. See the next verse.
15 Or, he bloweth thereupon, or, against the same he bloweth, that is, he thinks to dispel them as chaff, as it were, with his very breath; so small account he makes of them, because all things go with him according to his pleasure. Compare Psalm 12:5.
6He hath 16said in his heart, I shall not be 17moved: for I shall 18never be in 19adversity.
16 That is, he thinketh, as verses 11, 13; Psalm 14:1, etc.
17 That is, I shall not be displaced out of my state or prosperity; it shall always go well with me; I shall not be slain and fall or be overthrown.
18 Hebr. in generation and generation, that is, never.
19 That is, no kind of mishap or adversity shall ever happen to me.
7Hisc mouth is full of cursing and deceit and fraud: 20under his tongue is mischief and vanity.
c Rom. 3:14.
20 Compare Psalm 66:17; Rom. 3:13.
8He sitteth in the lurking places of the 21villages: in the secret places doth he murder the innocent: his eyes are 22privily set against the poor.
21 Or, country-towns, market-towns.
22 That is, he spies on him in secret.
9He lieth in wait secretly as a lion in his den: he lieth in wait to catch the poor: he doth catch the poor, when he draweth him into his net.
10He 23croucheth, and humbleth himself, 24that the poor may fall by his strong ones.
23 Not to be seen, and to fall upon him unawares, as it were, with an unexpected leap. Compare Psalm 17:11.
24 Or, that the poor troop may fall, etc. Other, and he falleth upon the poor company with his strong limbs; the Hebrew has the poor in the plural, connected with the word fall in the singular.
11Hed hath said in his heart, God 25hath forgotten: he hideth his face; he will never see it.
d Psalm 94:7.
25 Hebr. hath forgotten, namely, these people, or the cause of them whom I intend to taunt. They are the afflicted ones for whom, on the contrary, the prophet prays in the sequel, that God would not forget them.
1226Arise, O LORD; O God, 27lift up thine hand: forget not the 28humble.
26 See Psalm 3 on verse 7.
27 This phrase is taken diversely in Scripture. Here it signifies the public manifestation of the power of God in helping the godly and confounding the wicked, who were previously described with their wickedness.
28 Other, meek.
1329Wherefore doth the wicked 30contemne God? he hath said in his heart, Thou wilt not 31require it.
29 He wishes to say: Why dost Thou permit him thus to slander Thee?
30 Or, doth provoke.
e despise, scorn*
31 As Psalm 9:12, and below verse 15. Or, He saith in his heart: thou wilt not, etc.
14Thou hast seen it; for thou beholdest 32mischief and spite, 33to requite it with thy hand: the poor 34committeth himself unto thee; thou 35art the helper of the 36fatherless.
32 Which the afflicted must suffer by the wicked.
33 That is, commit the avenge unto Thee, with which the following words do well agree. Other, that thou mayest put it into thine hand, that is, to have their cause and their right, as it were, before Thine eyes, and to consider the same, or, that thou mayest give it with thine hand, that is, requite it.
34 Or, on thee the poor letteth it, namely, he leaves it in Thine hand, he entrusts Thee with the safe-guarding of his cause, and the prosecuting of his right. Compare the manner of speaking with Gen. 39:6; Job 39:11; Isa. 10:3; 2 Tim. 1:12.
35 Namely, always in times past. Compare Psalm 27:9.
36 That is, of myself and all those who, like poor orphans, were forsaken and oppressed by men. Compare Psalm 68:5; John 14:18 and below verse 18.
15Break thou the 37arm of the wicked and the evil man: 38seek out his wickedness 39till thou find none.
37 That is, the power, the violence, as frequently.
38 As Psalm 9:12.
39 The meaning is: punish them and destroy them in order that the wicked be no more able to molest and vex the godly. Compare Ezek. 23:48. In a total different sense the sins of God’s people are likewise said to be sough and not found, while they are all pardoned of God by grace for the sake of the Messiah, Jer. 50:20. Other, shalt thou not find them? That is, yea, Thou shalt surely find them.
16Thef LORD is King for ever and ever: the heathen are perished out of 40his land.
fPsalm 29:10; 145:13; 146:10; Jer. 10:10; Lam. 5:19; Dan. 4:3; 6:27; 1 Tim. 1:17.
40 Namely, Canaan, which God calls His land, Lev. 25:23. Other, out of or from his earth, as the entire earth is indeed of God, Psalm 24:1.
17LORD, thou hast heard the desire of the 41humble: thou wilt 42prepare their heart, thou wilt cause thine ear to hear:
41 Or, the meek, who were humbled by the hand of God and by means of the cross. This is a remarkable title of God’s children, who are regenerated by the Holy Spirit, humbled and brought under the yoke and obedience of His commandments. Also Psalm 22:26; 25:9; 34:2, etc.
42 Namely, by Thy Word and Holy Spirit.
18To judge the fatherless and the oppressed, that the 43man 44of the earth may no more oppress.
43 See Psalm 8 on verse 4, and compare Psalm 9:19, 20.
44 That is, that has sprung from the earth or was made thereof, and consequently has no reason to be so arrogant and insolent. Other, in order that a mortal man no more continue to expel out of the land.