1David appealeth to God for his innocence, and prayeth to be saved from his enemies: 10he sheweth their pride and eagerness to ruin him: 13he prayeth against worldly men, expressing his own confidence in God.
0A Prayer of David.
1HEAR the 1right, O LORD, attend unto my cry, give ear unto my prayer, that goeth not 2out of feigned lips.
1 Receive my righteous cause, or, hear me, who has a righteous cause.
2 Hebr. with no lips of deceit.
23Let my sentence come forth from thy presence; let thine eyes behold the things that are 4equal.
3 As if he said: Do pronounce even now judgment publicly upon my cause, and execute it, while mine innocence is fully known unto Thee, as follows. Compare Psalm 37:6.
4 Hebr. rightnesses or straightnesses, that is, the equity or equitableness, or the justice and reasonableness of my cause, as elsewhere. Compare Prov. 1 on verse 3.
3Thou hast 5proved mine heart; thou hast visited me in the night; thou hast tried me, and shalt 6find nothing; I am 7purposed that my mouth shall not transgress.
5 A comparison taken from the practice of goldsmiths or refiners. See Psalm 7 on verse 9; 66:10; Zech. 13:9.
6 Namely, no dross; that is, no wrong or deceit, which I would intend in my cause or in my suffering, as follows.
7 That is, my mouth utters nothing else than my heart conceives it. Other, I have resolved that my mouth shall not transgress.
4Concerning the works of men, 8by the word of thy lips I have 9kept me from the paths of the 10destroyer.
8 That is, according to the command of Thy Word. Others join these words to the previous, thus Concerning the works of men according to the word of thy lips, etc., that is, which men are bound to do in accordance to Thy Word.
9 Or, I have taken heed of the path, etc., namely, to avoid such paths, though my enemies do falsely charge me with the contrary.
10 That is, oppressors, hoodlums, murderers, in comparison with Jer. 7:11 and Mat. 21:13. Hebr. properly: breakers, burglars, namely, of houses, cities, countries, laws, etc., See Ezek. 7:22; 18:10; Hosea 4:2.
511Hold up my goings in thy 12paths, that my footsteps slip not.
11 Other, Keep, O LORD, etc.
12 That is, directing the course of my life according to Thy commandments.
6I have called upon thee, for thou wilt hear me, O God: incline thine ear unto me, and hear my speech.
7Shew thy 13marvellous lovingkindness, O thou that savest by thy 14right hand them which put their trust in thee from those that rise up against them.
13 David implies hereby that he was in such danger and distress that he could not be preserved without a wonderful help of the Lord.
14 Wherewith Thou dost protect and deliver Thy people. Other, Thou Who deliverest with Thy right hand those who trust in Thee from those who rise up against them.
8Keep me as 15the apple of the eye,a hide me under the 16shadow of thy wings,
15 Hebr. of the daughter of the eye. Compare Deut. 32:10, and see there the annotation.
a pupil of the eye
16 Compare Ruth 2 on verse 12.
917From the wicked that oppress me, from my 18deadly enemies, who compass me about.
17 Or, because of the wicked.
18 Hebr. enemies in or with the soul, that is, who do hate me mortally from the inmost (parts) of their hearts. Other, against the soul, that is, who seek to take away my life from me.
10They are 19inclosedb in their own fat: with their mouth they speak 20proudly.
19 That is, covered. Compare Job 15 on verse 27; Psalm 73:7.
b enclose, surround, set
20 Hebr. in pride, or haughtiness.
11They have now 21compassed us in our steps: they have set their 22eyes bowing down to the earth;
21 See 1 Sam. 23:8; 24:3; 25:26; 26:2, 3.
22 Lurking for me and mine, like a lion for the prey. See the next verse and Psalm 10 on verse 10.
12Like 23as a lion that is greedy of his prey, and as it were a young lion lurking in secret places.
23 Hebr. his resemblance or likeness as, etc.; understand the likeness of every one of them, or their chief leader.
1324Arise, O LORD, 25disappoint him, cast him down: deliver my soul from the wicked, which is 26thy sword:
24 See Psalm 3 on verse 7.
25 That is, strike him down, Lord, before he falls upon me.
26 Other, with thy sword from the wicked, that is, by whose sword Thou dost exercise and prove me; and so in the next verse: which are thy hand.
14From men which are thy hand, O LORD, from men of the world, which have their 27portion in this life, and whose belly thou fillest with thy 28hid treasure: 29they are full of children, and leave the 30rest of their substance to their 31babes.
27 See the contrary in Psalm 16:5, etc., and here in the next verse.
28 That is, all manner of abundance and dainties of meat and drink, which are called God’s hidden treasure, because they lie, as it were, hidden in God’s sky and earth, and by His government are brought forth, above and below, out of the ground of the earth.
29 Other, they abound with children.
30 Or, their abundance, their glory.
31 See Psalm 8 on verse 2.
1532As for me, I will behold thy face in righteousness: I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with 33thy likeness.
32 Compare Psalm 4:6, 7; 16:11, with the annotations there. Likewise 1 Cor. 13:12; 2 Cor. 5:7; 1 John 3:2.
33 Or, thy image. Other, I shall be satisfied, when I shall awake with thy image or thy likeness. See 1 Cor. 15:49; 1 John 3:2.