King James Version
Psalms 11
7 verses with commentary
The Lord Is in His Holy Temple
To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David. In the LORD put I my trust: how say ye to my soul, Flee as a bird to your mountain?
View commentary (4 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>In the LORD put I my trust: how say ye to my soul, Flee as a bird to your mountain?</strong> This psalm opens with David's bold declaration of trust in the face of urgent counsel to flee. The Hebrew construction places "In the LORD" (<em>baYahweh</em>, בַּיהוָה) in emphatic position—trust is not merely in God generically, but specifically in Yahweh, Israel's covenant-keeping God who has pr...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(1) **Put I my trust.**—Better, as in Psalm 7:1, *I find my refuge.*
**Flee as a bird.**—Literally, *flee ye a bird. *The plural verb, with the singular noun, offers a difficulty which is not obviated by the reading which changes the verb to the singular, since *your mountain *has the plural suffix. We may supply the sign of comparison, as elsewhere sometimes omitted (Psalm 22:14); “flee ye *like ...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
16-23. Job's outward calamities affect his mind.
**poured out--**in irrepressible complaints (Psa 42:4; Jos 7:5).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 11
David's struggle with, and triumph over a strong temptation to distrust God, and betake himself to indirect means for his own safety, in a time of danger.
--Those that truly fear God and serve him, are welcome to put their trust in him. The psalmist, before he gives an account of his temptation to distrust God, records his resolution to trust in Him, as that by which he was resolv...
Read full commentary →For, lo, the wicked bend their bow, they make ready their arrow upon the string, that they may privily shoot at the upright in heart. privily: Heb. in darkness
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KJV Study Commentary
The imagery of wicked archers drawing bows in darkness portrays secret assault on the righteous. The Hebrew 'yashar leb' (upright in heart) contrasts with those who walk in darkness. This anticipates Paul's spiritual warfare teaching about flaming arrows of the evil one (Ephesians 6:16). The darkness suggests both secrecy and moral blindness—the wicked cannot perceive light (John 3:19-20).
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(2) **Privily.**—See margin, which preserves the image of the archer lurking in a dark corner.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
16-23. Job's outward calamities affect his mind.
**poured out--**in irrepressible complaints (Psa 42:4; Jos 7:5).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 11
David's struggle with, and triumph over a strong temptation to distrust God, and betake himself to indirect means for his own safety, in a time of danger.
--Those that truly fear God and serve him, are welcome to put their trust in him. The psalmist, before he gives an account of his temptation to distrust God, records his resolution to trust in Him, as that by which he was resolv...
Read full commentary →If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do?
View commentary (4 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do?</strong> This verse presents the counselors' argument for why David should flee—the very foundations of society are collapsing, rendering righteous action impossible. The Hebrew "foundations" (<em>hashathot</em>, הַשָּׁתוֹת) refers to fundamental structures, supporting pillars, essential bases of ordered society.<br><br>"Be destro...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(3) **The foundations.**—By this word must be understood the principles of morality, which are the foundation of society. Symmachus and Jerome render “laws.” But the rendering “What could the righteous do?” is doubtful. The image is of a house shattered by an earthquake (comp. Psalm 82:5); in such a case how find safety? The LXX. and Vulg. have “Since they have destroyed what thou hast established...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
16-23. Job's outward calamities affect his mind.
**poured out--**in irrepressible complaints (Psa 42:4; Jos 7:5).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 11
David's struggle with, and triumph over a strong temptation to distrust God, and betake himself to indirect means for his own safety, in a time of danger.
--Those that truly fear God and serve him, are welcome to put their trust in him. The psalmist, before he gives an account of his temptation to distrust God, records his resolution to trust in Him, as that by which he was resolv...
Read full commentary →The LORD is in his holy temple, the LORD'S throne is in heaven: his eyes behold, his eyelids try, the children of men.
View commentary (4 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>The LORD is in his holy temple, the LORD'S throne is in heaven: his eyes behold, his eyelids try, the children of men.</strong> This verse provides David's powerful answer to the counselors' despair. While earthly foundations crumble, God's position remains unshakeable. The verse presents three complementary truths about God's sovereignty: His presence ("in his holy temple"), His authority...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(4*)* **Temple.**—Here, plainly from the parallelism, not any earthly building, but *the heavenly palace of the Divine King. *One thought of God’s supreme righteousness, high above earth’s anarchy and sin, is enough to reassure the psalmist and make him strong. “God’s in His heaven; all’s right with the world.”—Browning, *Pippa Passes.*
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
16-23. Job's outward calamities affect his mind.
**poured out--**in irrepressible complaints (Psa 42:4; Jos 7:5).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 11
David's struggle with, and triumph over a strong temptation to distrust God, and betake himself to indirect means for his own safety, in a time of danger.
--Those that truly fear God and serve him, are welcome to put their trust in him. The psalmist, before he gives an account of his temptation to distrust God, records his resolution to trust in Him, as that by which he was resolv...
Read full commentary →The LORD trieth the righteous: but the wicked and him that loveth violence his soul hateth.
View commentary (3 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>The LORD trieth the righteous: but the wicked and him that loveth violence his soul hateth.</strong> This verse presents God's discriminating judgment, revealing that His observation (v.4) leads to evaluation and verdict. The verse employs striking parallelism: God tests the righteous, but hates the wicked—particularly those who love violence.<br><br>"The LORD trieth" (<em>Yahweh yivhan</e...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
16-23. Job's outward calamities affect his mind.
**poured out--**in irrepressible complaints (Psa 42:4; Jos 7:5).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 11
David's struggle with, and triumph over a strong temptation to distrust God, and betake himself to indirect means for his own safety, in a time of danger.
--Those that truly fear God and serve him, are welcome to put their trust in him. The psalmist, before he gives an account of his temptation to distrust God, records his resolution to trust in Him, as that by which he was resolv...
Read full commentary →Upon the wicked he shall rain snares, fire and brimstone, and an horrible tempest: this shall be the portion of their cup. an horrible: or, a burning tempest
View commentary (4 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
This verse describes God's judgment using the imagery of Sodom and Gomorrah—fire, brimstone, and scorching wind. The 'cup' metaphor appears throughout Scripture as God's wrath (Jeremiah 25:15, Revelation 14:10). Reformed theology sees this as God's active judgment, not mere natural consequences. The 'portion of their cup' indicates appointed, measured judgment—God's justice is exact, not capriciou...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(6) **Rain snares.**—Or *nooses. *(Comp. 1Corinthians 7:35.) This is certainly an extraordinary figure, and various emendations have been suggested. Ewald’s “coals of fire” (*pecham *for *pachîm*) is the best (comp. Psalm 18:13, where the Hebrew word, however, is *gechalîm, *“live, or red coals”; while *pecham *is used in Proverbs 26:21 as *fuel *for fire, in contrast with *live coals: *but in Isa...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
16-23. Job's outward calamities affect his mind.
**poured out--**in irrepressible complaints (Psa 42:4; Jos 7:5).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 11
David's struggle with, and triumph over a strong temptation to distrust God, and betake himself to indirect means for his own safety, in a time of danger.
--Those that truly fear God and serve him, are welcome to put their trust in him. The psalmist, before he gives an account of his temptation to distrust God, records his resolution to trust in Him, as that by which he was resolv...
Read full commentary →For the righteous LORD loveth righteousness; his countenance doth behold the upright.
View commentary (4 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
<strong>For the righteous LORD loveth righteousness; his countenance doth behold the upright.</strong> This concluding verse provides the theological foundation for everything preceding. God's actions toward the righteous and wicked flow from His essential character—He is righteous and loves righteousness. The verse employs emphatic Hebrew construction to stress God's perfect justice and favorable...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(7) **His countenance.**—Better, *the upright shall behold His countenance. *This beautiful religious hope finds its highest expression in the beatitude on the pure in heart. The beatific vision in Dante is its most glorious poetical development. By the vision of God the Hebrew poet means triumph of right and the acknowledgment of his innocence—light and peace after darkness and trouble, as in Job...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
16-23. Job's outward calamities affect his mind.
**poured out--**in irrepressible complaints (Psa 42:4; Jos 7:5).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 11
David's struggle with, and triumph over a strong temptation to distrust God, and betake himself to indirect means for his own safety, in a time of danger.
--Those that truly fear God and serve him, are welcome to put their trust in him. The psalmist, before he gives an account of his temptation to distrust God, records his resolution to trust in Him, as that by which he was resolv...
Read full commentary →