King James Version
Psalms 35
28 verses with commentary
Contend, O Lord, with Those Who Contend
A Psalm of David. Plead my cause, O LORD, with them that strive with me: fight against them that fight against me.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Plead my cause, O LORD, with them that strive with me: fight against them that fight against me.</strong> This imprecatory psalm opens with a remarkable legal and military metaphor combined. David appeals to God simultaneously as divine advocate and warrior. The Hebrew word for 'plead' (<em>rivah</em>, רִיבָה) is a legal term meaning to conduct a lawsuit, to contend in court, to argue a ca...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(1) **Plead my cause.**—Better, *Strive, O Jehovah, with them that strive with me. *The construction requires this, and the parallelism suggests recourse to arms rather than to the law.
**Fight.**—Literally, *devour. *(Comp. Numbers 24:8.
“He shall eat up the nations.” So a Latin author—
“Qua medius pugnæ vorat agmina vortex.”
SILIUS: *Punic, *4:230.
Comp. Shakespeare—
“If the wars eat us not up.’...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**26. cannot hold--**on his hard skin.
**habergeon--**coat of mail; avail must be taken by zeugma out of "hold," as the verb in the second clause: "hold" cannot apply to the "coat of mail."
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 35
Chapter Outline
Elihu speaks of man's conduct.(1-8)
Why those who cry out under afflictions are not regarded.(9-13)
Elihu reproves Job's impatience.(14-16)
**Verses 1-8**
Elihu reproves Job for justifying himself more than God, and called his attention to the heavens. They are far above us, and God is far above them; how much then is he out of the reach, either of ...
Read full commentary →Take hold of shield and buckler, and stand up for mine help.
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KJV Study Commentary
The military imagery of shield and buckler (a smaller shield worn on the arm) portrays God as the divine warrior fighting on behalf of His people. This reflects the Hebrew understanding of Yahweh Sabaoth ('LORD of hosts'), emphasizing God's active intervention in defense of the righteous. The call for God to 'stand up' anthropomorphically depicts divine action, showing that prayer moves the sovere...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(2) **Shield and buckler.**—Better, *buckler and shield, *as the first (Heb., *magen*) suggests a small, the latter (*tsinnah*) a large shield covering the whole body. Greek, θυρεός (see Note, Psalm 5:12.) Notice that the poet, in the intensity of his purpose, overlooks the anomaly of arming a warrior with two shields at once. The bold flight of imagination that could picture the Divine Being as a...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**27. iron ... brass--**namely, weapons.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 35
Chapter Outline
Elihu speaks of man's conduct.(1-8)
Why those who cry out under afflictions are not regarded.(9-13)
Elihu reproves Job's impatience.(14-16)
**Verses 1-8**
Elihu reproves Job for justifying himself more than God, and called his attention to the heavens. They are far above us, and God is far above them; how much then is he out of the reach, either of ...
Read full commentary →Draw out also the spear, and stop the way against them that persecute me: say unto my soul, I am thy salvation.
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KJV Study Commentary
The Hebrew verb for 'draw out' (reyq) suggests both unsheathing a weapon and barricading a way, combining offense and defense. The petition 'say unto my soul, I am thy salvation' reveals the psalmist's deepest need—not merely deliverance from enemies but assurance of God's saving presence. The Hebrew 'yeshua' (salvation) foreshadows Christ as Yeshua, the ultimate fulfillment of God's saving word t...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(3) **Draw out also the spear**—*i.e., *from the sheath, that seems to have been used to guard its point. So δουροδόκη (Homer, *Odyssey, *i. 128).
**Stop the way.**—So LXX., Vulg., and all ancient versions. Many modern scholars, however, are disposed to treat the word *segor *not as the imperative of a verb, but as a noun, equivalent to the Greek σάγαρις*, *Latin, *securis, *a Persian and Scythian...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**28. arrow--**literally, "son of the bow"; Oriental imagery (La 3:13; Margin).
**stubble--**Arrows produce no more effect than it would to throw stubble at him.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 35
Chapter Outline
Elihu speaks of man's conduct.(1-8)
Why those who cry out under afflictions are not regarded.(9-13)
Elihu reproves Job's impatience.(14-16)
**Verses 1-8**
Elihu reproves Job for justifying himself more than God, and called his attention to the heavens. They are far above us, and God is far above them; how much then is he out of the reach, either of ...
Read full commentary →Let them be confounded and put to shame that seek after my soul: let them be turned back and brought to confusion that devise my hurt.
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KJV Study Commentary
These imprecatory elements reflect judicial language where the psalmist appeals to God as righteous judge rather than taking personal vengeance. The Hebrew 'bosh' (confounded) and 'chapher' (put to shame) indicate divine justice exposing and overturning evil schemes. This aligns with Romans 12:19's command to leave vengeance to God, showing that imprecatory psalms model godly restraint—bringing gr...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(4) **Confounded.**—Comp. Psalm 35:26.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**29. Darts--**rather, "clubs"; darts have been already mentioned (Job 41:26).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 35
Chapter Outline
Elihu speaks of man's conduct.(1-8)
Why those who cry out under afflictions are not regarded.(9-13)
Elihu reproves Job's impatience.(14-16)
**Verses 1-8**
Elihu reproves Job for justifying himself more than God, and called his attention to the heavens. They are far above us, and God is far above them; how much then is he out of the reach, either of ...
Read full commentary →Let them be as chaff before the wind: and let the angel of the LORD chase them.
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KJV Study Commentary
Chaff represents worthlessness and vulnerability—the useless husks blown away during threshing. This imagery appears throughout Scripture (Psalm 1:4, Matthew 3:12) to depict the fate of the wicked. The 'angel of the LORD' may refer to the Angel of the LORD (Christophany) or divine agents executing judgment, emphasizing that God personally superintends the destruction of evil while the righteous ne...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(5) **As chaff.**—Comp. Psalm 1:4, and see Note. There can be little doubt that the “angel of Jehovah” in this and the following verse is (comp. Psalm 104:4) a personification of the “hurricane” itself, which drives before it all obstacles, and overwhelms even whole armies in dangerous places.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**30. stones--**rather, "potsherds," that is, the sharp and pointed scales on the belly, like broken pieces of pottery.
**sharp-pointed things--**rather, "a threshing instrument," but not on the fruits of the earth, but "on the mire"; irony. When he lies on the mire, he leaves the marks of his scales so imprinted on it, that one might fancy a threshing instrument with its sharp teeth had been dr...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 35
Chapter Outline
Elihu speaks of man's conduct.(1-8)
Why those who cry out under afflictions are not regarded.(9-13)
Elihu reproves Job's impatience.(14-16)
**Verses 1-8**
Elihu reproves Job for justifying himself more than God, and called his attention to the heavens. They are far above us, and God is far above them; how much then is he out of the reach, either of ...
Read full commentary →Let their way be dark and slippery: and let the angel of the LORD persecute them. dark: Heb. darkness and slipperiness
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KJV Study Commentary
Darkness and slipperiness combined create the image of complete disorientation and helplessness. The Hebrew 'chalaqlaqqot' (slippery) intensifies the danger—enemies cannot find sure footing for escape or counterattack. God's judgment isn't merely punitive but ensures evildoers experience the insecurity they inflicted on others, fulfilling the principle that 'the wicked are trapped by their own dee...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(6) **Dark and slippery.**—See margin. Delitzsch supposes an allusion to the passage of the Red Sea, but the picture suggests rather the passage of some dangerous mountain pass in a raging storm. “The tracks in the limestone hills of Palestine are often worn as smooth as marble; comp. Psalm 73:18” (quoted from Kay, in the *Speaker’s Commentary*)*.*
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
31. Whenever he moves.
**sea--**the Nile (Is 19:5; Na 3:8).
**pot of ointment--**the vessel in which it is mixed. Appropriate to the crocodile, which emits a musky smell.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 35
Chapter Outline
Elihu speaks of man's conduct.(1-8)
Why those who cry out under afflictions are not regarded.(9-13)
Elihu reproves Job's impatience.(14-16)
**Verses 1-8**
Elihu reproves Job for justifying himself more than God, and called his attention to the heavens. They are far above us, and God is far above them; how much then is he out of the reach, either of ...
Read full commentary →For without cause have they hid for me their net in a pit, which without cause they have digged for my soul.
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KJV Study Commentary
The phrase 'without cause' (Hebrew 'chinnam') appears twice, emphasizing the unprovoked nature of the persecution. This echoes Christ's experience: 'They hated me without a cause' (John 15:25), making this psalm messianic. The hunting metaphors (net, pit) depict premeditated malice, yet David's restraint from retaliation demonstrates trust in divine justice rather than human vindication.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(7) **Have they hid . . .**—Literally, *they have hid for me the pit of their net, *which, as it stands, can mean nothing but a “pit with a net in it,” such as was used to entrap lions and other wild beasts. But it is better to remove the word “pit” to the second clause, thus doing away with the necessity of supplying a relative, and improving the rhythm.
“ For unprovoked they hid a net for me,
Un...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**32. path--**the foam on his track.
**hoary--**as hair of the aged.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 35
Chapter Outline
Elihu speaks of man's conduct.(1-8)
Why those who cry out under afflictions are not regarded.(9-13)
Elihu reproves Job's impatience.(14-16)
**Verses 1-8**
Elihu reproves Job for justifying himself more than God, and called his attention to the heavens. They are far above us, and God is far above them; how much then is he out of the reach, either of ...
Read full commentary →Let destruction come upon him at unawares ; and let his net that he hath hid catch himself: into that very destruction let him fall. at: Heb. which he knoweth not of
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KJV Study Commentary
The Hebrew concept of measure-for-measure justice (middah keneged middah) appears here—the hunter caught in his own trap. This principle, evident throughout Proverbs and fulfilled in Haman's execution on his own gallows (Esther 7), reveals God's poetic justice. The word 'unawares' emphasizes that as the wicked surprise the innocent, so divine judgment will surprise them, unable to escape the very ...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(8) **Let destruction.**—There is considerable difficulty here, and the ancient versions, by their variations, seem to point to some confusion in the text. The LXX., no doubt, are right in reading the pronouns as plurals, instead of singular. The word translated “destruction” means, primarily, a *storm, *or the *crash *that accompanies a storm (Proverbs 1:27), and if with the Syriac we might suppl...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**33. who--**being one who, &c.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 35
Chapter Outline
Elihu speaks of man's conduct.(1-8)
Why those who cry out under afflictions are not regarded.(9-13)
Elihu reproves Job's impatience.(14-16)
**Verses 1-8**
Elihu reproves Job for justifying himself more than God, and called his attention to the heavens. They are far above us, and God is far above them; how much then is he out of the reach, either of ...
Read full commentary →And my soul shall be joyful in the LORD: it shall rejoice in his salvation.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And my soul shall be joyful in the LORD: it shall rejoice in his salvation.</strong> After an extended plea for divine intervention (verses 1-8), David pivots to anticipated praise. This shift from lament to confidence is characteristic of the psalms and reflects mature faith. The verse doesn't describe present circumstances but future certainty—David declares what will be true when God ac...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**34. beholdeth--**as their superior.
**children of pride--**the proud and fierce beasts. So Job 28:8; Hebrew, "sons of pride." To humble the pride of man and to teach implicit submission, is the aim of Jehovah's speech and of the book; therefore with this as to leviathan, the type of God in His lordship over creation, He closes.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 9-13**
Job complained that God did not regard the cries of the oppressed against their oppressors. This he knew not how to reconcile the justice of God and his government. Elihu solves the difficulty. Men do not notice the mercies they enjoy in and under their afflictions, nor are thankful for them, therefore they cannot expect that God should deliver them out of affliction. He gives ...
Read full commentary →All my bones shall say, LORD, who is like unto thee, which deliverest the poor from him that is too strong for him, yea, the poor and the needy from him that spoileth him?
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>All my bones shall say, LORD, who is like unto thee, which deliverest the poor from him that is too strong for him, yea, the poor and the needy from him that spoileth him?</strong> This verse intensifies the commitment to praise from verse 9. Now not just David's soul but 'all my bones'—his entire physical being—will proclaim God's uniqueness. The Hebrew idiom 'all my bones' (<em>kol atzmo...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(10) **All my bones.**—As we say, “all the fibres of my body.” (Comp. Psalm 6:2; Psalm 34:20.)
**The poor . . . the poor.**—Better, *the sufferer ***. . .** *the sufferer.*
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 9-13**
Job complained that God did not regard the cries of the oppressed against their oppressors. This he knew not how to reconcile the justice of God and his government. Elihu solves the difficulty. Men do not notice the mercies they enjoy in and under their afflictions, nor are thankful for them, therefore they cannot expect that God should deliver them out of affliction. He gives ...
Read full commentary →False witnesses did rise up; they laid to my charge things that I knew not. False: Heb. Witnesses of wrong they: Heb. they asked me
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KJV Study Commentary
False witness violated the ninth commandment and carried severe penalties under Mosaic law (Deuteronomy 19:16-19). The Hebrew 'chamas' (violence, wrong) witnesses rose 'did stand up' in formal legal accusation. This previews Christ's trial where false witnesses testified against Him (Matthew 26:60). The phrase 'things that I knew not' indicates baseless charges, highlighting the psalmist's innocen...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 11-16**
Call a man ungrateful, and you can call him no worse: this was the character of David's enemies. Herein he was a type of Christ. David shows how tenderly he had behaved towards them in afflictions. We ought to mourn for the sins of those who do not mourn for themselves. We shall not lose by the good offices we do to any, how ungrateful soever they may be. Let us learn to posse...
Read full commentary →They rewarded me evil for good to the spoiling of my soul. spoiling: Heb. depriving
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KJV Study Commentary
The principle of returning evil for good violates natural justice and covenant loyalty (Hebrew 'chesed'). The phrase 'spoiling of my soul' indicates the devastating spiritual impact of betrayal—it depletes inner vitality and trust. This experience typologically points to Judas's betrayal of Christ, who received evil for good. Romans 12:21 reverses this dynamic: 'Be not overcome of evil, but overco...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(12) **To the spoiling of my soul.**—Literally, *desolation to my soul. *We may paraphrase,
“They rewarded me evil for good,
Which to me was desolation.”
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
CHAPTER 42 Job 42:1-6. Job's Penitent Reply.
2. In the first clause he owns God to be omnipotent over nature, as contrasted with his own feebleness, which God had proved (Job 40:15; 41:34); in the second, that God is supremely just (which, in order to be governor of the world, He must needs be) in all His dealings, as contrasted with his own vileness (Job 42:6), and incompetence to deal with the ...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 11-16**
Call a man ungrateful, and you can call him no worse: this was the character of David's enemies. Herein he was a type of Christ. David shows how tenderly he had behaved towards them in afflictions. We ought to mourn for the sins of those who do not mourn for themselves. We shall not lose by the good offices we do to any, how ungrateful soever they may be. Let us learn to posse...
Read full commentary →But as for me, when they were sick, my clothing was sackcloth: I humbled my soul with fasting; and my prayer returned into mine own bosom. humbled: or, afflicted
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KJV Study Commentary
David's response to enemies' sickness demonstrates covenant love transcending personal grievance. Sackcloth and fasting expressed genuine intercession, yet his prayer 'returned into mine own bosom' suggests either unanswered prayer or blessing rebounding to himself. This models Christ's command to love enemies and pray for persecutors (Matthew 5:44), proving that righteous character persists regar...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(13)**And my prayer returned into mine own bosom.**—This has been most variously explained. The context evidently implies something done for the benefit of the whilome friends for whom, in their sickness, the poet had worn sackcloth, and had fasted and adopted all the other signs of mourning. We must therefore set aside (1) the idea of *fruitless *prayer, in spite of the analogy of Matthew 10:13, ...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
3. I am the man! Job in God's own words (Job 38:2) expresses his deep and humble penitence. God's word concerning our guilt should be engraven on our hearts and form the groundwork of our confession. Most men in confessing sin palliate rather than confess. Job in omitting "by words" (Job 38:2), goes even further than God's accusation. Not merely my words, but my whole thoughts and ways were "witho...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 11-16**
Call a man ungrateful, and you can call him no worse: this was the character of David's enemies. Herein he was a type of Christ. David shows how tenderly he had behaved towards them in afflictions. We ought to mourn for the sins of those who do not mourn for themselves. We shall not lose by the good offices we do to any, how ungrateful soever they may be. Let us learn to posse...
Read full commentary →I behaved myself as though he had been my friend or brother: I bowed down heavily, as one that mourneth for his mother. behaved myself: Heb. walked as though: Heb. as a friend, as a brother to me
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KJV Study Commentary
The Hebrew intensifies the intimacy: 'rea' (friend), 'ach' (brother), and mourning 'for his mother' represent the deepest human connections. David's grief was authentic, not performative, revealing Christlike compassion for enemies. Yet this very vulnerability became occasion for their attack (v. 15), teaching that godly love risks betrayal but remains the commanded path, for 'while we were yet en...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(14) **I bowed down heavily.**—Better, *I went squalid, and bowed down, *alluding to the neglected beard and person, and to the dust and ashes of Oriental mourning.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
4. When I said, "Hear," &c., Job's demand (Job 13:22) convicted him of being "without knowledge." God alone could speak thus to Job, not Job to God: therefore he quotes again God's words as the groundwork of retracting his own foolish words.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 11-16**
Call a man ungrateful, and you can call him no worse: this was the character of David's enemies. Herein he was a type of Christ. David shows how tenderly he had behaved towards them in afflictions. We ought to mourn for the sins of those who do not mourn for themselves. We shall not lose by the good offices we do to any, how ungrateful soever they may be. Let us learn to posse...
Read full commentary →But in mine adversity they rejoiced, and gathered themselves together: yea, the abjects gathered themselves together against me, and I knew it not; they did tear me, and ceased not: adversity: Heb. halting
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KJV Study Commentary
The word 'abjects' (Hebrew 'nakheh') denotes the lowest social class—perhaps mercenaries or ruffians. Their joy at David's 'adversity' (literally 'limping' or stumbling) reveals moral depravity celebrating another's suffering. The phrase 'I knew it not' suggests conspiracy and ambush. This contrasts David's transparency with their deceit, and prophetically pictures Christ's experience: mocked by t...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(15) **In mine adversity.**—Better, *at my fall.*
**The abjects . . .**—The Hebrew word occurs only here. It is derived from a root meaning *to smite, *but its form is perplexing. The ancient versions all give it an active sense. LXX. and Vulg. “whips”; Symmachus, “smiters”; Chaldee, “the wicked who smite me with their words,” probably a correct paraphrase. The passive, “these smitten,” or “object...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**5. hearing of the ear--**(Psa 18:44, Margin). Hearing and seeing are often in antithesis (Job 29:11; Psa 18:8).
**seeth--**not God's face (Ex 33:20), but His presence in the veil of a dark cloud (Job 38:1). Job implies also that, besides this literal seeing, he now saw spiritually what he had indistinctly taken on hearsay before God's infinite wisdom. He "now" proves this; he had seen in a lit...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 11-16**
Call a man ungrateful, and you can call him no worse: this was the character of David's enemies. Herein he was a type of Christ. David shows how tenderly he had behaved towards them in afflictions. We ought to mourn for the sins of those who do not mourn for themselves. We shall not lose by the good offices we do to any, how ungrateful soever they may be. Let us learn to posse...
Read full commentary →With hypocritical mockers in feasts, they gnashed upon me with their teeth.
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KJV Study Commentary
Hypocritical mockers 'at feasts' suggests people who ate David's bread then turned against him, heightening the betrayal. Gnashing teeth expresses rage and hostile intent (Job 16:9, Acts 7:54). This imagery foreshadows both Christ's passion where mockers gnashed at Him, and the eschatological judgment where the wicked gnash teeth in outer darkness (Matthew 8:12), showing that present hostility pre...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(16) **With hypocritical mockers in feasts.**—This clause is full of difficulty. The LXX. and Vulg. have, “they tempted me, they mocked me with a mocking”; Symmachus, “in hypocrisy, with feigned words”; Chaldee, “with derisive words of flattery.” All these take the word rendered in the Authorised Version, “feasts,” as a cognate of a word in Isaiah 28:11, translated “stammering,” but which means ra...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**6. myself--**rather "I abhor," and retract the rash speeches I made against thee (Job 42:3, 4) [Umbreit].
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 11-16**
Call a man ungrateful, and you can call him no worse: this was the character of David's enemies. Herein he was a type of Christ. David shows how tenderly he had behaved towards them in afflictions. We ought to mourn for the sins of those who do not mourn for themselves. We shall not lose by the good offices we do to any, how ungrateful soever they may be. Let us learn to posse...
Read full commentary →Lord, how long wilt thou look on? rescue my soul from their destructions, my darling from the lions. darling: Heb. only one
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KJV Study Commentary
The cry 'how long' echoes throughout Psalms, expressing the tension between faith and felt abandonment. 'My darling' (Hebrew 'yachid,' only one, unique) likely refers to his life or soul, something precious and singular. Protection from 'lions' metaphorically represents powerful, violent enemies. This petition acknowledges God's sovereignty over timing while urgently requesting relief, modeling pr...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(17) **Darling . . .** see margin and Note to Psalm 22:20.
**The lions **is another suitable epithet for the hostile foreign party, so bitter against the genuine Israelite.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
Job 42:7-17. Epilogue, in prose.
**7. to Eliphaz--**because he was the foremost of the three friends; their speeches were but the echo of his.
**right--**literally, "well-grounded," sure and true. Their spirit towards Job was unkindly, and to justify themselves in their unkindliness they used false arguments (Job 13:7); (namely, that calamities always prove peculiar guilt); therefore, though it...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 17-28**
Though the people of God are, and study to be, quiet, yet it has been common for their enemies to devise deceitful matters against them. David prays, My soul is in danger, Lord, rescue it; it belongs to thee the Father of spirits, therefore claim thine own; it is thine, save it! Lord, be not far from me, as if I were a stranger. He who exalted the once suffering Redeemer, will...
Read full commentary →I will give thee thanks in the great congregation: I will praise thee among much people. much: Heb. strong
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KJV Study Commentary
The vow of public thanksgiving anticipates deliverance, expressing faith before rescue appears. 'Great congregation' and 'much people' emphasize public testimony magnifying God's name, not private relief. This pattern—crying out, then praising—structures many psalms, teaching that confident worship precedes visible victory. Public testimony multiplies God's glory and strengthens others' faith thro...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**8. seven--**(See Introduction). The number offered by the Gentile prophet (Nu 23:1). Job plainly lived before the legal priesthood, &c. The patriarchs acted as priests for their families; and sometimes as praying mediators (Ge 20:17), thus foreshadowing the true Mediator (1Ti 2:5), but sacrifice accompanies and is the groundwork on which the mediation rests.
**him--**rather, "His person [f...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 17-28**
Though the people of God are, and study to be, quiet, yet it has been common for their enemies to devise deceitful matters against them. David prays, My soul is in danger, Lord, rescue it; it belongs to thee the Father of spirits, therefore claim thine own; it is thine, save it! Lord, be not far from me, as if I were a stranger. He who exalted the once suffering Redeemer, will...
Read full commentary →Let not them that are mine enemies wrongfully rejoice over me: neither let them wink with the eye that hate me without a cause. wrongfully: Heb. falsely
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KJV Study Commentary
Enemies who 'hate me without a cause' directly parallels Christ's words in John 15:25, making this psalm messianic. The 'wink with the eye' signifies conspiratorial contempt (Proverbs 6:13, 10:10), covert signaling of malicious intent. David's innocence and their baseless hatred establish the pattern fulfilled in Christ, whom the world hated though He deserved worship, revealing that righteousness...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(19) **Wink.**—Proverbs 6:13; Proverbs 10:10; a common gesture of agreement among confederates.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
9. The forgiving spirit of Job foreshadows the love of Jesus Christ and of Christians to enemies (Mt 5:44; Lu 23:34; Ac 7:60; 16:24, 28, 30, 31).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 17-28**
Though the people of God are, and study to be, quiet, yet it has been common for their enemies to devise deceitful matters against them. David prays, My soul is in danger, Lord, rescue it; it belongs to thee the Father of spirits, therefore claim thine own; it is thine, save it! Lord, be not far from me, as if I were a stranger. He who exalted the once suffering Redeemer, will...
Read full commentary →For they speak not peace: but they devise deceitful matters against them that are quiet in the land.
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KJV Study Commentary
Those 'quiet in the land' (Hebrew 'shaanan,' peaceful, secure, trusting) represents innocent people living in covenant fidelity. Wicked individuals specifically target such people because righteousness exposes their evil (John 3:20). The plotting of 'deceitful matters' rather than honest confrontation reveals moral corruption—they lack even the courage of open opposition, instead employing cunning...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(20) **Quiet in the land.**—For the construction, comp. Isaiah 23:8 : “The honourable of the earth.” They are evidently the pious Jews who wished to preserve their national life and religion against foreign influence and intervention, and certainly among them were Levites.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**10. turned ... captivity--**proverbial for restored, or amply indemnified him for all he had lost (Eze 16:53; Psa 14:7; Ho 6:11). Thus the future vindication of man, body and soul, against Satan (Job 1:9-12), at the resurrection (Job 19:25-27), has its earnest and adumbration in the temporal vindication of Job at last by Jehovah in person.
**twice--**so to the afflicted literal and spiritual J...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 17-28**
Though the people of God are, and study to be, quiet, yet it has been common for their enemies to devise deceitful matters against them. David prays, My soul is in danger, Lord, rescue it; it belongs to thee the Father of spirits, therefore claim thine own; it is thine, save it! Lord, be not far from me, as if I were a stranger. He who exalted the once suffering Redeemer, will...
Read full commentary →Yea, they opened their mouth wide against me, and said, Aha, aha, our eye hath seen it.
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KJV Study Commentary
The double 'Aha, aha' expresses triumphant gloating, the enemy's premature celebration of apparent victory. 'Our eye hath seen it' suggests catching someone in compromising circumstances or witnessing their downfall. Yet God also sees, and His seeing carries judicial weight—He observes both the wicked's triumph and the righteous person's vindication. This sets up the contrast between human percept...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
11. It was Job's complaint in his misery that his "brethren," were "estranged" from him (Job 19:13); these now return with the return of his prosperity (Pr 14:20; 19:6, 7); the true friend loveth at all times (Pr 17:17; 18:24). "Swallow friends leave in the winter and return with the spring" [Henry].
**eat bread--**in token of friendship (Psa 41:9).
**piece of money--**Presents are usual in vi...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 17-28**
Though the people of God are, and study to be, quiet, yet it has been common for their enemies to devise deceitful matters against them. David prays, My soul is in danger, Lord, rescue it; it belongs to thee the Father of spirits, therefore claim thine own; it is thine, save it! Lord, be not far from me, as if I were a stranger. He who exalted the once suffering Redeemer, will...
Read full commentary →This thou hast seen, O LORD: keep not silence: O Lord, be not far from me.
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KJV Study Commentary
The progression from 'keep not silence' to 'be not far from me' reveals David's dual need—for God's voice (vindication) and God's presence (communion). The Hebrew 'charash' (keep silence) doesn't mean God is unaware but that He hasn't yet spoken in judgment or deliverance. This petition trusts that God's speech creates reality, that His word changes circumstances, echoing the creative power of div...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
12. Probably by degrees, not all at once.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 17-28**
Though the people of God are, and study to be, quiet, yet it has been common for their enemies to devise deceitful matters against them. David prays, My soul is in danger, Lord, rescue it; it belongs to thee the Father of spirits, therefore claim thine own; it is thine, save it! Lord, be not far from me, as if I were a stranger. He who exalted the once suffering Redeemer, will...
Read full commentary →Stir up thyself, and awake to my judgment, even unto my cause, my God and my Lord.
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KJV Study Commentary
The military language 'stir up' and 'awake' anthropomorphically pictures God rousing for battle like a warrior rising from rest. This doesn't imply divine inactivity but uses human metaphor to express the psalmist's urgent desire for manifest intervention. 'My judgment' and 'my cause' are David's because they're entrusted to God as righteous judge, modeling the New Testament teaching to commit jud...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(23) **Stir up thyself.**—Comp. Psalm 7:6.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
13. The same number as before, Job 1:2; perhaps by a second wife; in Job 19:17 his wife is last mentioned.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 17-28**
Though the people of God are, and study to be, quiet, yet it has been common for their enemies to devise deceitful matters against them. David prays, My soul is in danger, Lord, rescue it; it belongs to thee the Father of spirits, therefore claim thine own; it is thine, save it! Lord, be not far from me, as if I were a stranger. He who exalted the once suffering Redeemer, will...
Read full commentary →Judge me, O LORD my God, according to thy righteousness; and let them not rejoice over me.
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KJV Study Commentary
David appeals to God's righteousness as the basis for judgment, not his own merit. This reflects covenant theology where God's character guarantees justice. The petition 'let them not rejoice over me' recognizes that the wicked's triumph would imply God's inability or unwillingness to save, thus impugning His name. Personal vindication becomes secondary to God's glory—the primary concern is that G...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
14. Names significant of his restored prosperity (Ge 4:25; 5:29).
**Jemima--**"daylight," after his "night" of calamity; but Maurer, "a dove."
**Kezia--**"cassia," an aromatic herb (Psa 45:8), instead of his offensive breath and ulcers.
**Keren-happuch--**"horn of stibium," a paint with which females dyed their eyelids; in contrast to his "horn defiled in the dust" (Job 16:15). The names als...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 17-28**
Though the people of God are, and study to be, quiet, yet it has been common for their enemies to devise deceitful matters against them. David prays, My soul is in danger, Lord, rescue it; it belongs to thee the Father of spirits, therefore claim thine own; it is thine, save it! Lord, be not far from me, as if I were a stranger. He who exalted the once suffering Redeemer, will...
Read full commentary →Let them not say in their hearts, Ah, so would we have it: let them not say, We have swallowed him up. Ah: Heb. Ah, ah, our soul
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KJV Study Commentary
The heart's secret satisfaction 'Ah, so would we have it' exposes the inner malice preceding outward action. 'We have swallowed him up' uses the Hebrew 'bala' (engulf, destroy completely), the same word for Jonah being swallowed. David prays against both the attitude and the outcome—that enemies would neither mentally gloat nor actually destroy him. This reveals that sin begins internally (Matthew...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**15. inheritance among ... brethren--**An unusual favor in the East to daughters, who, in the Jewish law, only inherited, if there were no sons (Nu 27:8), a proof of wealth and unanimity.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 17-28**
Though the people of God are, and study to be, quiet, yet it has been common for their enemies to devise deceitful matters against them. David prays, My soul is in danger, Lord, rescue it; it belongs to thee the Father of spirits, therefore claim thine own; it is thine, save it! Lord, be not far from me, as if I were a stranger. He who exalted the once suffering Redeemer, will...
Read full commentary →Let them be ashamed and brought to confusion together that rejoice at mine hurt: let them be clothed with shame and dishonour that magnify themselves against me.
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KJV Study Commentary
The judicial imagery reaches its climax: shame and dishonor as divine verdict on the proud who exalted themselves. Being 'clothed' with shame contrasts their desired clothing with honor, showing that God's judgment reverses human aspirations. Those who 'magnify themselves' (Hebrew 'gadal,' make great) against David actually magnify themselves against God's anointed, thus warranting divine humiliat...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
16. The Septuagint makes Job live a hundred seventy years after his calamity, and two hundred forty in all. This would make him seventy at the time of his calamity, which added to a hundred forty in Hebrew text makes up two hundred ten; a little more than the age (two hundred five) of Terah, father of Abraham, perhaps his contemporary. Man's length of life gradually shortened, till it reached thre...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 17-28**
Though the people of God are, and study to be, quiet, yet it has been common for their enemies to devise deceitful matters against them. David prays, My soul is in danger, Lord, rescue it; it belongs to thee the Father of spirits, therefore claim thine own; it is thine, save it! Lord, be not far from me, as if I were a stranger. He who exalted the once suffering Redeemer, will...
Read full commentary →Let them shout for joy, and be glad, that favour my righteous cause: yea, let them say continually, Let the LORD be magnified, which hath pleasure in the prosperity of his servant. righteous: Heb. righteousness
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Let them shout for joy, and be glad, that favour my righteous cause: yea, let them say continually, Let the LORD be magnified, which hath pleasure in the prosperity of his servant.</strong> After calling for judgment on his enemies (verses 4-8, 26), David now prays for his allies' joy. This demonstrates godly concern for others even amid personal crisis. David wants those who support his '...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**17. full of days--**fully sated and contented with all the happiness that life could give him; realizing what Eliphaz had painted as the lot of the godly (Job 5:26; Psa 91:16; Ge 25:8; 35:29). The Septuagint adds, "It is written, that he will rise again with those whom the Lord will raise up." Compare Mt 27:52, 53, from which it perhaps was derived spuriously.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 17-28**
Though the people of God are, and study to be, quiet, yet it has been common for their enemies to devise deceitful matters against them. David prays, My soul is in danger, Lord, rescue it; it belongs to thee the Father of spirits, therefore claim thine own; it is thine, save it! Lord, be not far from me, as if I were a stranger. He who exalted the once suffering Redeemer, will...
Read full commentary →And my tongue shall speak of thy righteousness and of thy praise all the day long.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And my tongue shall speak of thy righteousness and of thy praise all the day long.</strong> This concluding verse of Psalm 35 returns to the personal commitment with which the psalm began. David's 'tongue'—the instrument that could have been used for complaint, cursing, or self-defense—will instead be devoted entirely to proclaiming God's righteousness and praise. The commitment is total (...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
THE BOOK OF PSALMS
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 17-28**
Though the people of God are, and study to be, quiet, yet it has been common for their enemies to devise deceitful matters against them. David prays, My soul is in danger, Lord, rescue it; it belongs to thee the Father of spirits, therefore claim thine own; it is thine, save it! Lord, be not far from me, as if I were a stranger. He who exalted the once suffering Redeemer, will...
Read full commentary →