King James Version
Psalms 38
22 verses with commentary
Do Not Forsake Me, O Lord
A Psalm of David, to bring to remembrance. O LORD, rebuke me not in thy wrath: neither chasten me in thy hot displeasure.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>O LORD, rebuke me not in thy wrath: neither chasten me in thy hot displeasure.</strong> David opens this penitential psalm (one of seven) with urgent plea—not to escape discipline, but to avoid divine <em>wrath</em> (חֵמָה, <em>chemah</em>, burning fury) versus corrective <em>chastening</em> (יָסַר, <em>yasar</em>, discipline). The covenant name <strong>LORD</strong> (יהוה, YHWH) appeals t...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(1) **O Lord, rebuke.**—See Note, Psalm 6:1, of which verse this is almost a repetition.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
PSALM 6 Psa 6:1-10. On Neginoth (See on Psa 4:1, title) upon Sheminith--the eighth--an instrument for the eighth key; or, more probably, the bass, as it is contrasted with Alamoth (the treble, Psa 46:1) in 1Ch 15:20,21. In deep affliction the Psalmist appeals to God's mercy for relief from chastisement, which otherwise must destroy him, and thus disable him for God's service. Sure of a gracious an...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 38
Chapter Outline
God calls upon Job to answer.(1-3)
God questions Job.(4-11)
Concerning the light and darkness.(12-24)
Concerning other mighty works.(25-41)
**Verses 1-3**
Job had silenced, but had not convinced his friends. Elihu had silenced Job, but had not brought him to admit his guilt before God. It pleased the Lord to interpose. The Lord, in this discours...
Read full commentary →For thine arrows stick fast in me, and thy hand presseth me sore.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>For thine arrows stick fast in me, and thy hand presseth me sore.</strong> David employs battle imagery—God's <em>arrows</em> (חִצִּים, <em>chitsim</em>) have penetrated and remain lodged, while His <em>hand</em> (יָד, <em>yad</em>) bears down with crushing weight. This is not enemy attack but divine discipline.<br><br>The Hebrew <em>נָחַת</em> (<em>nachat</em>, 'stick fast') implies arrow...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(2) **For thine arrows . . .**—The same figure is used of the disease from which Job suffered (elephantiasis? Job 6:4); of famine (Ezekiel 5:16); and generally of divine judgments (Deuteronomy 32:23). By itself it therefore decides nothing as to the particular cause of the Psalmist’s grief.
**Stick fast.**—Better, *have sunk into, *from a root meaning *to descend. Presseth, *in the next clause, is...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**2. I am weak--**as a culled plant (Is 24:4).
**my bones--**the very frame.
**are vexed--**(Psa 2:5)--shaken with fear.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 38
Chapter Outline
God calls upon Job to answer.(1-3)
God questions Job.(4-11)
Concerning the light and darkness.(12-24)
Concerning other mighty works.(25-41)
**Verses 1-3**
Job had silenced, but had not convinced his friends. Elihu had silenced Job, but had not brought him to admit his guilt before God. It pleased the Lord to interpose. The Lord, in this discours...
Read full commentary →There is no soundness in my flesh because of thine anger; neither is there any rest in my bones because of my sin. rest: Heb. peace, or, health
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>There is no soundness in my flesh because of thine anger; neither is there any rest in my bones because of my sin.</strong> Sin's effects manifest somatically—no <em>soundness</em> (מְתֹם, <em>metom</em>, wholeness/integrity) remains in flesh or <em>rest</em> (שָׁלוֹם, <em>shalom</em>, peace) in bones. The parallel: God's <em>anger</em> brings physical consequences; David's <em>sin</em> br...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(3) **Rest . . .**—Better, *health. *The Hebrew is from a root meaning *to be whole. Peace *(see margin), the reading of the LXX. and Vulg. is a derived meaning.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**3. how long?--**shall this be so (compare Psa 79:5).
**but--**or, "and."
**thou--**The sentence is incomplete as expressive of strong emotion.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 38
Chapter Outline
God calls upon Job to answer.(1-3)
God questions Job.(4-11)
Concerning the light and darkness.(12-24)
Concerning other mighty works.(25-41)
**Verses 1-3**
Job had silenced, but had not convinced his friends. Elihu had silenced Job, but had not brought him to admit his guilt before God. It pleased the Lord to interpose. The Lord, in this discours...
Read full commentary →For mine iniquities are gone over mine head: as an heavy burden they are too heavy for me.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>For mine iniquities are gone over mine head: as an heavy burden they are too heavy for me.</strong> David depicts sin as floodwaters rising <em>over his head</em> (עָבַר, <em>avar</em>, to pass over, overwhelm) and as crushing <em>burden</em> (מַשָּׂא, <em>massa</em>, load). The progression: arrows lodged (v.2) → no soundness (v.3) → drowning/crushed (v.4).<br><br>The phrase 'gone over min...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(4) **Are gone over mine head.**—Like waves or a flood. (Comp. Psalm 18:15; Psalm 69:2; Psalm 69:15. Comp.
“A sea of troubles.”—*Hamlet, *Acts 3, scene 1)
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**4. Return--**that is, to my relief; or, "turn," as now having His face averted.
**for thy mercies' sake--**to illustrate Thy mercy.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 4-11**
For the humbling of Job, God here shows him his ignorance, even concerning the earth and the sea. As we cannot find fault with God's work, so we need not fear concerning it. The works of his providence, as well as the work of creation, never can be broken; and the work of redemption is no less firm, of which Christ himself is both the Foundation and the Corner-stone. The church...
Read full commentary →My wounds stink and are corrupt because of my foolishness.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>My wounds stink and are corrupt because of my foolishness.</strong> Sin's <em>wounds</em> (חַבּוּרָה, <em>chaburah</em>, stripes/welts) have become infected—they <em>stink</em> (בָּאַשׁ, <em>ba'ash</em>, emit foul odor) and <em>are corrupt</em> (מָקַק, <em>maqaq</em>, fester/putrefy). David attributes this to <em>foolishness</em> (אִוֶּלֶת, <em>ivvelet</em>), moral stupidity that ignores w...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(5) **Wounds.**—Better, *stripes, *as in LXX.
**Stink and are corrupt.**—Both words denote suppuration; the first in reference to the offensive smell, the second of the discharge of matter; the whole passage recalls Isaiah 1:6, *seq.*
**Foolishness.**—Men are generally even more loth to confess their folly than their sins.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
5. (Compare Psa 115:17, 18; Is 38:18). There is no incredulity as to a future state. The contrast is between this scene of life, and the grave or Sheol, the unseen world of the dead.
**give ... thanks--**or, "praise for mercies."
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 4-11**
For the humbling of Job, God here shows him his ignorance, even concerning the earth and the sea. As we cannot find fault with God's work, so we need not fear concerning it. The works of his providence, as well as the work of creation, never can be broken; and the work of redemption is no less firm, of which Christ himself is both the Foundation and the Corner-stone. The church...
Read full commentary →I am troubled; I am bowed down greatly; I go mourning all the day long. troubled: Heb. wried
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>I am troubled; I am bowed down greatly; I go mourning all the day long.</strong> Three Hebrew verbs intensify: <em>troubled</em> (עָוָה, <em>avah</em>, twisted/distorted), <em>bowed down</em> (שָׁחַח, <em>shachach</em>, bent over), <em>mourning</em> (קָדַר, <em>qadar</em>, darkened/in gloom). The progression: internal distortion → physical prostration → perpetual grief.<br><br>David's post...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(6) **I am troubled.**—Better,
I am made to writhe (see margin),
I am bowed down exceedingly,
All day long I go about squalid.
(See Psalm 35:14, and comp. Isaiah 21:3.) The usual Oriental signs of mourning are alluded to in the last clause.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
6. By a strong figure the abundance as well as intensity of grief is depicted.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 4-11**
For the humbling of Job, God here shows him his ignorance, even concerning the earth and the sea. As we cannot find fault with God's work, so we need not fear concerning it. The works of his providence, as well as the work of creation, never can be broken; and the work of redemption is no less firm, of which Christ himself is both the Foundation and the Corner-stone. The church...
Read full commentary →For my loins are filled with a loathsome disease: and there is no soundness in my flesh.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>For my loins are filled with a loathsome disease: and there is no soundness in my flesh.</strong> The <em>loins</em> (כֶּסֶל, <em>kesel</em>, seat of vitality/reproductive power) are filled with <em>loathsome disease</em> (נִקְלֶה, <em>niqleh</em>, something burned/scorched). This repeats v.3's 'no soundness' (מְתֹם, <em>metom</em>), emphasizing total corruption from core to surface.<br><b...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(7) **Loathsome disease.**—The Hebrew word is a passive participle of a verb meaning to *scorch, *and here means *inflamed *or *inflammation. *Ewald renders “ulcers.” The LXX. and Vulg., deriving from another root meaning *to be light, *or *made light of, *render “mockings.”
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**7. consumed--**or, "has failed," denoting general debility (Psa 13:3; 38:10).
**waxeth old--**or, "dim."
**grief--**mingled with indignation.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 4-11**
For the humbling of Job, God here shows him his ignorance, even concerning the earth and the sea. As we cannot find fault with God's work, so we need not fear concerning it. The works of his providence, as well as the work of creation, never can be broken; and the work of redemption is no less firm, of which Christ himself is both the Foundation and the Corner-stone. The church...
Read full commentary →I am feeble and sore broken: I have roared by reason of the disquietness of my heart.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>I am feeble and sore broken: I have roared by reason of the disquietness of my heart.</strong> David reaches the nadir: <em>feeble</em> (פּוּג, <em>pug</em>, numb/torpid), <em>sore broken</em> (דָּכָה, <em>dakah</em>, crushed to powder), <em>roared</em> (שָׁאַג, <em>sha'ag</em>, groaning like a lion). The <em>heart</em> (לֵב, <em>lev</em>) lacks <em>quietness</em>—inner chaos erupts in ani...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(8) **I am feeble and sore broken.**—Better, *I am become deadly cold, and am quite worn out.*
**Disquietness.**—Properly, *roaring. *Thus, *of the sea *(Isaiah 5:30), *of lions *(Proverbs 19:12; Proverbs 20:2). A very slight alteration once suggested by Hitzig, but since abandoned, would give here, “I roared more than the roaring of a lion.”
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
8-9. Assured of God's hearing, he suddenly defies his enemies by an address indicating that he no longer fears them.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 4-11**
For the humbling of Job, God here shows him his ignorance, even concerning the earth and the sea. As we cannot find fault with God's work, so we need not fear concerning it. The works of his providence, as well as the work of creation, never can be broken; and the work of redemption is no less firm, of which Christ himself is both the Foundation and the Corner-stone. The church...
Read full commentary →Lord, all my desire is before thee; and my groaning is not hid from thee.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Lord, all my desire is before thee; and my groaning is not hid from thee.</strong> The psalm pivots—after eight verses of lament, David addresses <em>Lord</em> (אֲדֹנָי, <em>Adonai</em>, sovereign master) directly. His <em>desire</em> (תַּאֲוָה, <em>ta'avah</em>, longing) and <em>groaning</em> (אֲנָחָה, <em>anachah</em>, sighing) are <em>before</em> God—fully exposed yet fully known.<br><b...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(9) **All my desire.**—Notice the clutch at the thought of divine justice, as the clutch of a drowning man amid that sea of trouble.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
8-9. Assured of God's hearing, he suddenly defies his enemies by an address indicating that he no longer fears them.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 4-11**
For the humbling of Job, God here shows him his ignorance, even concerning the earth and the sea. As we cannot find fault with God's work, so we need not fear concerning it. The works of his providence, as well as the work of creation, never can be broken; and the work of redemption is no less firm, of which Christ himself is both the Foundation and the Corner-stone. The church...
Read full commentary →My heart panteth, my strength faileth me: as for the light of mine eyes, it also is gone from me. is gone: Heb. is not with me
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>My heart panteth, my strength faileth me: as for the light of mine eyes, it also is gone from me.</strong> Three losses: <em>heart panteth</em> (סָחַר, <em>sachar</em>, whirls/races), <em>strength faileth</em> (כֹּחַ, <em>koach</em>, vigor depleted), <em>light of eyes gone</em> (dimmed vision). The vital centers—emotional, physical, perceptual—all compromised.<br><br>The panting heart sugg...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(10) **Panteth.**—Better, *palpitates. *The Hebrew word, like *palpitate, *expresses the beating of the heart, by its sound, *secharchar.*
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
10. and knows they will be disappointed and in their turn (compare Psa 6:3) be terror-stricken or confounded.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 4-11**
For the humbling of Job, God here shows him his ignorance, even concerning the earth and the sea. As we cannot find fault with God's work, so we need not fear concerning it. The works of his providence, as well as the work of creation, never can be broken; and the work of redemption is no less firm, of which Christ himself is both the Foundation and the Corner-stone. The church...
Read full commentary →My lovers and my friends stand aloof from my sore; and my kinsmen stand afar off. sore: Heb. stroke my kinsmen: or, my neighbours
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>My lovers and my friends stand aloof from my sore; and my kinsmen stand afar off.</strong> Social isolation compounds physical suffering—<em>lovers and friends</em> (אֹהֵב רֵעַ, <em>ohev rea</em>, intimate companions) and <em>kinsmen</em> (קָרוֹב, <em>qarov</em>, near relatives) all <em>stand aloof</em> (עָמַד נֶגֶד, <em>amad neged</em>, position themselves opposite/apart) from his <em>sor...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(11) **Sore **is rather *stroke, *as in margin, or *plague. *His friends, looking on him as “one smitten of God,” and thinking “he must be wicked to deserve such pain,” abandon him as too vile for their society.
**Kinsmen.**—Render rather, as in margin, *neighbours, *or *near ones.*
Those who should have been near me stand aloof.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 4-11**
For the humbling of Job, God here shows him his ignorance, even concerning the earth and the sea. As we cannot find fault with God's work, so we need not fear concerning it. The works of his providence, as well as the work of creation, never can be broken; and the work of redemption is no less firm, of which Christ himself is both the Foundation and the Corner-stone. The church...
Read full commentary →They also that seek after my life lay snares for me: and they that seek my hurt speak mischievous things, and imagine deceits all the day long.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>They also that seek after my life lay snares for me: and they that seek my hurt speak mischievous things, and imagine deceits all the day long.</strong> Isolation (v.11) escalates to active hostility—enemies <em>seek my life</em> (בָּקַשׁ נֶפֶשׁ, <em>baqash nephesh</em>, hunt the soul), <em>lay snares</em> (נָקַשׁ מוֹקֵשׁ, <em>naqash moqesh</em>, set traps), <em>speak mischievous things</e...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
PSALM 7 Psa 7:1-17. Shiggaion--a plaintive song or elegy. Though obscure in details, this title seems to intimate that the occasion of this Psalm was some event in David's persecution by Saul. He prays for relief because he is innocent, and God will be glorified in his vindication. He thus passes to the celebration of God's righteous government, in defending the upright and punishing the wicked, w...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 12-22**
Wicked men hate goodness, even when they benefit by it. David, in the complaints he makes of his enemies, seems to refer to Christ. But our enemies do us real mischief only when they drive us from God and our duty. The true believer's trouble will be made useful; he will learn to wait for his God, and will not seek relief from the world or himself. The less we notice the unkin...
Read full commentary →But I, as a deaf man, heard not; and I was as a dumb man that openeth not his mouth.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>But I, as a deaf man, heard not; and I was as a dumb man that openeth not his mouth.</strong> David's response to slander (v.12): strategic silence. <em>As a deaf man</em> (כְּחֵרֵשׁ, <em>kecheresh</em>) he refuses to hear accusations; <em>as a dumb man</em> (כְּאִלֵּם, <em>ke'illem</em>) he withholds self-defense. The double simile emphasizes deliberate restraint.<br><br>This silence fulf...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
PSALM 7 Psa 7:1-17. Shiggaion--a plaintive song or elegy. Though obscure in details, this title seems to intimate that the occasion of this Psalm was some event in David's persecution by Saul. He prays for relief because he is innocent, and God will be glorified in his vindication. He thus passes to the celebration of God's righteous government, in defending the upright and punishing the wicked, w...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 12-22**
Wicked men hate goodness, even when they benefit by it. David, in the complaints he makes of his enemies, seems to refer to Christ. But our enemies do us real mischief only when they drive us from God and our duty. The true believer's trouble will be made useful; he will learn to wait for his God, and will not seek relief from the world or himself. The less we notice the unkin...
Read full commentary →Thus I was as a man that heareth not, and in whose mouth are no reproofs.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Thus I was as a man that heareth not, and in whose mouth are no reproofs.</strong> David reinforces v.13's silence—he becomes one who <em>heareth not</em> (לֹא שֹׁמֵעַ, <em>lo shomea</em>) and offers <em>no reproofs</em> (תּוֹכָחוֹת, <em>tokachot</em>, corrections/arguments). He refuses both to receive false accusations and to issue counter-accusations.<br><br>This restraint is not passive...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(14) **Reproofs.**—Better, *replies *or *justifications, *(For the whole passage comp. Isaiah 53:7.)
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**3. if I have done this--**that is, the crime charged in the "words of Cush" (compare 1Sa 24:9).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 12-22**
Wicked men hate goodness, even when they benefit by it. David, in the complaints he makes of his enemies, seems to refer to Christ. But our enemies do us real mischief only when they drive us from God and our duty. The true believer's trouble will be made useful; he will learn to wait for his God, and will not seek relief from the world or himself. The less we notice the unkin...
Read full commentary →For in thee, O LORD, do I hope: thou wilt hear, O Lord my God. in: or, thee do I wait for hear: or, answer
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>For in thee, O LORD, do I hope: thou wilt hear, O Lord my God.</strong> The psalm's theological core: David's <em>hope</em> (יָחַל, <em>yachal</em>, wait expectantly) rests in <em>LORD</em> (יהוה, YHWH, covenant name). He trusts: <em>thou wilt hear</em> (תַּעֲנֶה, <em>ta'aneh</em>, answer/respond), addressing God as <em>Lord my God</em> (אֲדֹנָי אֱלֹהָי, <em>Adonai Elohay</em>, sovereign +...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(15) **Thou wilt hear.**—*Thou *is emphatic.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
4. If I have injured my friend.
**yea, I have delivered, &c.--**This makes a good sense, but interrupts the course of thought, and hence it is proposed to render, "if I have spoiled my enemy"--in either case (compare 1Sa 24:4-17; 31:8, 11).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 12-22**
Wicked men hate goodness, even when they benefit by it. David, in the complaints he makes of his enemies, seems to refer to Christ. But our enemies do us real mischief only when they drive us from God and our duty. The true believer's trouble will be made useful; he will learn to wait for his God, and will not seek relief from the world or himself. The less we notice the unkin...
Read full commentary →For I said, Hear me, lest otherwise they should rejoice over me: when my foot slippeth, they magnify themselves against me.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>For I said, Hear me, lest otherwise they should rejoice over me: when my foot slippeth, they magnify themselves against me.</strong> David's prayer rationale: prevent enemies' <em>rejoicing</em> (שָׂמַח, <em>samach</em>, exulting). When his <em>foot slippeth</em> (מוֹט רֶגֶל, <em>mot regel</em>, foot wavers), they <em>magnify themselves</em> (גָּדַל, <em>gadal</em>, make themselves great) ...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(16) **Lest.**—It is better to carry on the force of the particle of condition:
For I said, Lest they should rejoice over me:
Lest, when my foot slipped, they should vaunt themselves against me.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
5. This is the consequence, if such has been his conduct.
**mine honour--**(compare Psa 3:3; 4:2)--my personal and official dignity.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 12-22**
Wicked men hate goodness, even when they benefit by it. David, in the complaints he makes of his enemies, seems to refer to Christ. But our enemies do us real mischief only when they drive us from God and our duty. The true believer's trouble will be made useful; he will learn to wait for his God, and will not seek relief from the world or himself. The less we notice the unkin...
Read full commentary →For I am ready to halt, and my sorrow is continually before me. to halt: Heb. for halting
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>For I am ready to halt, and my sorrow is continually before me.</strong> David acknowledges precarious position: <em>ready to halt</em> (נָכוֹן לִצְלֹעַ, <em>nakon litslo'a</em>, prepared for limping/stumbling), and <em>sorrow continually before me</em> (מַכְאוֹב נֶגְדִּי תָמִיד, <em>mak'ov negdi tamid</em>, pain opposite me always). This isn't self-pity but sober self-assessment.<br><br>T...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
6. God is involved as if hitherto careless of him (Psa 3:7; 9:18).
**rage--**the most violent, like a flood rising over a river's banks.
**the judgment ... commanded--**or, "ordained"; a just decision.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 12-22**
Wicked men hate goodness, even when they benefit by it. David, in the complaints he makes of his enemies, seems to refer to Christ. But our enemies do us real mischief only when they drive us from God and our duty. The true believer's trouble will be made useful; he will learn to wait for his God, and will not seek relief from the world or himself. The less we notice the unkin...
Read full commentary →For I will declare mine iniquity; I will be sorry for my sin.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>For I will declare mine iniquity; I will be sorry for my sin.</strong> David commits to two actions: <em>declare iniquity</em> (נָגַד עָוֹן, <em>nagad avon</em>, make known perversity) and <em>be sorry</em> (דָּאַג, <em>da'ag</em>, be anxious/grieved) for <em>sin</em> (חַטָּאת, <em>chatta't</em>, missing the mark). Confession plus contrition—both public acknowledgment and internal grief.<b...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(18) **Sorry.**—The note of true penitence is here. The sorrow is for the *sin *itself, not for its miserable results.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**7. compass thee--**as those seeking justice.
**return thou on high--**assume the judgment seat, to be honored as a just Ruler by them.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 12-22**
Wicked men hate goodness, even when they benefit by it. David, in the complaints he makes of his enemies, seems to refer to Christ. But our enemies do us real mischief only when they drive us from God and our duty. The true believer's trouble will be made useful; he will learn to wait for his God, and will not seek relief from the world or himself. The less we notice the unkin...
Read full commentary →But mine enemies are lively, and they are strong: and they that hate me wrongfully are multiplied. are lively: Heb. being living, are strong
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>But mine enemies are lively, and they are strong: and they that hate me wrongfully are multiplied.</strong> The contrast: David weakens (vv.1-18) while enemies are <em>lively</em> (חַי, <em>chay</em>, vigorous/living) and <em>strong</em> (עָצוּם, <em>atsum</em>, mighty/numerous). Those who <em>hate wrongfully</em> (שָׂנֵא שֶׁקֶר, <em>sane sheqer</em>, hate with deception/falsehood) are <em...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(19) **But mine enemies are lively.**—See margin. But the parallelism and a comparison with Psalm 35:19 lead to the suspicion that the true reading is “without cause.”
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
8. Though not claiming innocence in general, he can confidently do so in this case, and in demanding from the Judge of all the earth a judgment, he virtually asks acquittal.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 12-22**
Wicked men hate goodness, even when they benefit by it. David, in the complaints he makes of his enemies, seems to refer to Christ. But our enemies do us real mischief only when they drive us from God and our duty. The true believer's trouble will be made useful; he will learn to wait for his God, and will not seek relief from the world or himself. The less we notice the unkin...
Read full commentary →They also that render evil for good are mine adversaries; because I follow the thing that good is.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>They also that render evil for good are mine adversaries; because I follow the thing that good is.</strong> David laments the injustice of receiving evil in return for good. The Hebrew verb "render" (<em>shalam</em>, שָׁלַם) means to repay, recompense, or requite—indicating deliberate, unjust reciprocation. Instead of gratitude for David's kindness, his enemies responded with hostility and...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**9. the hearts and reins--**the affections and motives of men, or the seat of them (compare Psa 16:7; 26:2); as we use heart and bosom or breast.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 12-22**
Wicked men hate goodness, even when they benefit by it. David, in the complaints he makes of his enemies, seems to refer to Christ. But our enemies do us real mischief only when they drive us from God and our duty. The true believer's trouble will be made useful; he will learn to wait for his God, and will not seek relief from the world or himself. The less we notice the unkin...
Read full commentary →Forsake me not, O LORD: O my God, be not far from me.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Forsake me not, O LORD</strong> (אַל־תַּעַזְבֵנִי יְהוָה, <em>al-ta'azveni YHWH</em>)—<em>Azav</em> means abandon, forsake. The negative particle <em>al</em> makes this urgent. <strong>O my God, be not far from me</strong> (אֱלֹהַי אַל־תִּרְחַק מִמֶּנִּי, <em>elohai al-tirchak mimmenni</em>)—<em>Rachak</em> means be distant. David uses both divine names to appeal to covenant faithfulness a...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**10. defence--**literally, "shield" (Psa 5:12).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 12-22**
Wicked men hate goodness, even when they benefit by it. David, in the complaints he makes of his enemies, seems to refer to Christ. But our enemies do us real mischief only when they drive us from God and our duty. The true believer's trouble will be made useful; he will learn to wait for his God, and will not seek relief from the world or himself. The less we notice the unkin...
Read full commentary →Make haste to help me, O Lord my salvation. to: Heb. for my help
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Make haste to help me</strong> (חוּשָׁה לְעֶזְרָתִי, <em>chushah le-ezrati</em>)—<em>Chush</em> means hurry, hasten; <em>ezrah</em> is help, aid. The imperative expresses desperate urgency. <strong>O Lord my salvation</strong> (אֲדֹנָי תְּשׁוּעָתִי, <em>Adonai teshu'ati</em>)—<em>Adonai</em> (Lord, Master) with <em>teshu'ah</em> (salvation) in possessive form: "my salvation" is not abstrac...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**11. judgeth--**as in Psa 7:8.
**the wicked--**Though not expressed, they are implied, for they alone are left as objects of anger.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 12-22**
Wicked men hate goodness, even when they benefit by it. David, in the complaints he makes of his enemies, seems to refer to Christ. But our enemies do us real mischief only when they drive us from God and our duty. The true believer's trouble will be made useful; he will learn to wait for his God, and will not seek relief from the world or himself. The less we notice the unkin...
Read full commentary →