David prayeth against his enemy, by whose slanderous behaviour he had been driven to reside among strangers.
0A Song 1of degrees.
1 Or, A song of Hammaäloth, that is, of ascending, or decrees; of which this and fourteen following psalms have this heading, whereof there are various conjectures. Some conceive the reason to be that the Levites were to sing them standing upon certain steps; others, have other opinions.
1IN my distress I cried unto the LORD, and 2he heard me.
2 That is, He has delivered me.
2Deliver 3my soul, Oa LORD, from lying lips, and from a deceitful tongue.
3 That is, me, or, Save my soul, that is, my life, namely, that it be not taken from me.
a 1 Sam. 24:10; 26:19.
34What shall be given unto thee? or what shall be done unto thee, thou false tongue?
4 He turns himself to those lying wretches, and directs his speech to them one by one, convincing them of their malice. Other, What shall he (namely, God) give unto thee, O thou deceitful tongue?
45Sharpb arrows of the mighty, with 6coals of 7juniper.
5 That is, arrows shot by a mighty man. The evil and slandering words of evil tongues are likewise called arrows, Psalm 64:3; Prov. 25:18.
bPsalm 11:2; 59:7.
6 Which soon take fire, burn very hot and keep the heat a long time.
7 See 1 Kings 19:4.
5Woe is me, that I sojourn 8in Mesech, that I dwell in the tents of 9Kedar!
8 That is, among an unholy and ungodly people, such as were the posterities of Mesech and Kedar. See Gen. 10:2; 25:13.
9Kedar was the son of Ishmael, Gen. 25:13, whose children dwelt in stony places of Arabia, and lived in tents, Isa. 21:13, 17.
610My soul hath long dwelt 11with him that hateth peace.
10 Other, My soul (that is, I) hath for her dwelt long, etc., and: for her, or for herself, that is, according to her opinion, as Psalm 123:4.
11 Hereby the psalmist gives to understand whom he means or points at, as by those of Mesech and Kedar.
712I am for peace: but 13when I speak, they are for war.
12 Hebr. I am peace. Or, a man of peace. See a similar expression in Psalm 109:4 and see the annotation there, as also on 2 Sam. 17:3.
13 That is, when I speak or exhort of peace, they are straightway for war. Or, they may not hear me speak.