1The recompence of the charitable man. 4David prayeth for mercy, complaining of the treachery of his enemies and apostate friends: 11he acknowledgeth God's favour, and blesseth him.
0To the chief 1Musician, A Psalm of David.
1 See the first annotation at Psalm 4 in the title.
1BLESSED is he that considereth the 2poor: the LORD will deliver him in time of 3trouble.
2 The Hebrew word dal signifies one who is thin, lean, exhausted of abilities, whether of the body, that is, a sick person, or of goods and means, that is, a poor person (see Job 5 on verse 15). Here it seems that it signifies a sick person; for, David, having been sick or (as some perceive) being yet not fully recovered and having found how it had cheered him when good people came with an upright and godly compassion to visit and comfort him faithfully and on the contrary what a grief it was to him that the hypocrites visiting him with a false heart had most basely censured and spoken of him behind his back and still did, has wanted to thank the godly solemnly with this psalm and has (wanted) to shame his false friends and covert enemies.
3 Hebr. in the day of the evil. That is, in the time of trouble and adversity.
2The LORD will preserve him, and keep him 4alive; and he shall be blessed upon the 5earth: and thou wilt not 6deliver him unto the 7will of his enemies.
4 Or, revive, heal him, make him whole. The Hebrew word (which properly signifies to quicken or make alive) is likewise so taken.
5 Compare 1 Tim. 4:8. Or, be taken for blessed, be held esteemed.
6 Or, do not thou deliver him, etc. Here David addresses God.
7 Hebr. into the soul, that is here, desire, pleasure, will. See Psalm 27 on verse 12.
3The LORD will strengthen him upon the 8bed of languishing: thou wilt 9make all his bed in his sickness.
8 Or, bed or couch of faintness, weakness, feebleness.
9 Or, hast changed, that is, Thou, O God, shalt as surely turn his sickness to the best, as if I saw it already performed; spoken in a prophetical manner. Or, thou turnest, or, alterest his entire couch, that is, Thou art to him instead of all human help, which is commonly done to a sick person.
4 I 10said, LORD, be merciful unto me: heal my soul; for I have sinned against thee.
10 Namely, in my sickness. Other, I say.
511Mine enemies speak evil of me, When shall he die, and his name perish?
11 This and the following some take as such, that David relates here further what he, at the time of his sickness, has complained of his experiences before God and has said, and they consequently translate it as: spake; and such in the next two verses.
6And if he come to 12see me, he speaketh 13vanity: his heart gathereth 14iniquity to itself; when he 15goeth abroad, he telleth it.
12 That is, to visit me, to see how it is with me.
13 He pretends as if he meant it very cordially with me, but wishes me all the harm he can think of, and utters it freely when he is gone from me and is among his companions.
14 Or, naughtiness, unrighteousness, grief, anger.
15 Or, when he goeth out, he speaketh of it abroad.
7All that hate me 16whisper together against me: 17against me do they devise my hurt.
16 They talk together in private and under their breath, as they say; thus the same word is used, 2 Sam. 12:19.
17 Other, they devise evil over me, that is against me.
8An evil disease, say they, 18cleaveth fast unto him: and now that he lieth he shall rise up 19no more.
18 Or, oppresseth him; as if they would say: he has committed some Belial’s trick, some mischief, villainy or other, therefore is now this plague of Belial (whereof some understand this) upon him, consequently he must go that way from now on; even as Job’s friends condemned him for a wicked man because of his strange sufferings. Of the word Belial, see Deut. 13 on verse 13 and compare 2 Sam. 22:5.
19 Hebr. not add or go on to rise.
9Yea, mine own familiar 20friend, in whom I trusted, whicha did eat of my 21bread, hath 22lifted up his heel against me.
20 That is, my ally, confederate, with whom I lived in peace. Compare 2 Sam. 8 on verse 10; Psalm 55 on verse 20; Jer. 20 on verse 10.
a John 13:18.
21 Was daily entertained at my table, with whom I lived in a very familiar manner.
22 Hebr. magnified, made great. A similitude taken from those beasts, that use to kick backward with their heels, and hurt someone. The sense is: he has lifted up himself against me in a most foolish, brutish, faithless and unthankful manner to throw me under foot either by craft or by force. Compare Deut. 32:15. These words are likewise referred and applied to the traitor Judas and the Lord Christ (Whose type David was), John 13:18, as there are more other reasons which point to Christ in this psalm.
10But thou, O LORD, be merciful unto me, and raise me up, that I may 23requite them.
23 As being their lord and sovereign and being appointed to punish the evil and to protect the good, I shall deal with them according to mine office and their desert. For, albeit that Thou dost justly chastise me, yet they have neither right nor reason as such to deal unfaithfully and falsely with me, their gracious lord and master.
11By this I 24know that thou favourest me, because mine enemy doth not 25triumph over me.
24 Or, have I observed.
25 That Thou, delivering me, dost thereby deprive mine enemy the cause to shout and triumph over my ruin (which he wishes).
12And as for me, thou 26upholdest me in mine integrity, and 27settest me before thy face for ever.
26 Or, hast maintained or supported, and hast put me, etc.
27 To have me always as in Thine eyes, under Thine inspection and Fatherly care, and to preserve me graciously, that here I may serve Thee as king, and hereafter behold Thy glory forever.
1328Blessed be the LORD God of Israel from everlasting, and to everlasting. 29Amen, and 30Amen.
28 Or, Praised.
29 Of this word see Num. 5 on verse 22.
30 This repetition of the word Amen signifies here a very strong confidence and hearty zeal of the prophet, serving to excite the same in the heart of all the godly.