1David prayeth God to deliver him from the mischief of his enemies, 8to frustrate their devices, and turn their evil upon themselves: 12his confidence in God's vindication of the poor man's cause.
0To1 the chief Musician, A Psalm of David.
1 See the first annotation at Psalm 4 in the title.
1DELIVER me, O LORD, 2from the evil man: preserve me from 3the violent man;
2 Some understand by the evil man Doeg, others Saul. Others read here: evil men, namely, who persecuted David in a hostile manner, as verse 2.
3 Hebr. the man of violent behaviors. See 2 Sam. 22:49.
24Which imagine 5mischiefs in their heart; continually are they gathered together for war.
4 The meaning is: who seek and endeavor to oppress me, not only by open force and violence, but also by all manner of wiles and subtle practices.
5 Hebr. evils.
3They have 6sharpened their tongues like a serpent; 7adders’a poison is under their lips. Selah.
6 The naturalists write that serpents use to whet their tongues when they intend to sting someone. Compare Psalm 58:4.
7 Understand here such kind of adders which can shoot forth their poison.
a Psalm 58:4; Rom. 3:13.
4Keep me, O LORD, from the hands of the wicked; preserve me 8from the violent man; who have purposed to overthrow 9my goings.
8 See verse 1.
9 Or, my steps or ways; namely, to make me fall.
5The proud have hid a snare for me, and cords; they have spread a net 10by the wayside; they have set ginsb for me. Selah.
10 Hebr. at or on the hand of the track, that is, of the path in which, namely, they know I was wont to walk.
bJer. 18:22.
6I said unto the LORD, Thou art my God: hear the voice of my supplications, O LORD.
7O GOD the Lord, the 11strength of my salvation, 12thou hast covered my head in the day of 13battle.
11 That is, my strong Salvation, my strong Savior, Who has power to help and to save me.
12 That is, Thou hast kept and protected me against all dangers and difficulties, covering, as it were, my head with an helmet or shield.
13 That is, in the combat or fight.
814Grant not, O LORD, the desires of the wicked: further not his wicked device; lest 15they exalt themselves. Selah.
14 That is, give the wicked not the thing which he desires, namely, that wicked one who seeks my destruction.
15 That is, they would but grow more insolent and mischievous, if they had all things according to their wish. Compare Deut. 32:27.
9As for 16the head of those that compass me about, let 17the mischief of their own lips cover them.
16 Understand here some particular evil man, the chief and ringleader of David’s enemies, whether Saul or some other. Other, the heads, that is, the principal and most important men among the enemies, in the plural number, as verse 10; or, the troop, company. Compare Job 1:17. Other, the poison. See verse 3
17 Namely, the toil or trouble, which the aforementioned head, together with his adherents compassing me about, cause this upon me with their evil tongues.
10Let 18burning coals fall upon them: 19let them be cast into the 20fire; 21into deep pits, that they rise not up again.
18 That is, the fire from heaven, as upon those of Sodom and Gomorrah, for their destruction.
19 Namely, from God.
20 That is, into the fire of hell.
21 That is, into grievous pains and miseries.
11Let not an 22evil speaker be established in the earth: 23evil 24shall hunt the violent man 25to overthrow him.
22 That is, an evil-speaker or a prater who has his tongue ever ready, and at command, using and misusing the same, according to his own pleasure. So we have in Job 11:2: a man full of talk, see the annotation there; Exod. 4:10: I am not eloquent, or a man of words; Job 22:8: the mighty man, or man of arms.
23 Other, a man of violence is evil.
24 That is, he shall at length, by his own malice and evil practices, fall into great trouble and vexation like a wild animal, which after much running this way and that way, comes or runs into its own ruin at last.
25 Hebr. unto devastations, or expulsions.
12I know that the LORD 26will maintain the cause of the afflicted, and the right of the poor.
26 Hebr. shall do, namely, by delivering them out of the hands of their adversaries. See 1 Kings 8 on verse 45.
13Surely the righteous shall give thanks unto thy name: the upright 27shall dwell in thy presence.
27 That is, Thou shalt always assist them with Thy favor, help and protection.