King James Version
Psalms 52
9 verses with commentary
The Steadfast Love of God Endures
To the chief Musician, Maschil, A Psalm of David, when Doeg the Edomite came and told Saul, and said unto him, David is come to the house of Ahimelech. Why boastest thou thyself in mischief, O mighty man? the goodness of God endureth continually.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Why boastest thou thyself in mischief, O mighty man? the goodness of God endureth continually.</strong> This opening question exposes the absurdity and futility of boasting in evil, immediately contrasting human wickedness with divine goodness. The psalm's superscription identifies the historical context: when Doeg the Edomite told Saul that David visited Ahimelech, resulting in the massac...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(1) **Mighty man.**—Better, *hero*, used sarcastically. LXX. and Vulg., “a mighty one at mischief.” (Comp. Isaiah 5:22 : “a hero at drinking.”) The order of the Hebrew is, however, against this, and in favour of the English, *why dost thou exult in wickedness, O hero, i.e., *perhaps, not only his own, but in the wickedness the people are led into by his means. This seems necessitated by the next c...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 52
Chapter Outline
The enemies of the truth and the church described, Their destruction.(1-5)
The righteous rejoice.(6-9)
**Verses 1-5**
Those that glory in sin, glory in their shame. The patience and forbearance of God are abused by sinners, to the hardening of their hearts in their wicked ways. But the enemies in vain boast in their mischief, while we have God's mercy t...
Read full commentary →Thy tongue deviseth mischiefs; like a sharp razor, working deceitfully.
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KJV Study Commentary
The accusation: 'Thy tongue deviseth mischiefs; like a sharp razor, working deceitfully.' The 'tongue' represents speech and influence. 'Deviseth' indicates deliberate planning of harm. The razor image suggests cutting precision that wounds while appearing to serve. Deceitful speech appears helpful while actually harming.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(2) **Working deceitfully.**—Better, *working guile. *(For the metaphor, see Psalm 55:21; Psalm 57:4, *&c*)
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
PSALM 21 Psa 21:1-13. The pious are led by the Psalmist to celebrate God's favor to the king in the already conferred and in prospective victories. The doxology added may relate to both Psalms; the preceding of petition, chiefly this of thanksgiving, ascribing honor to God for His display of grace and power to His Church in all ages, not only under David, but also under his last greatest successor...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 52
Chapter Outline
The enemies of the truth and the church described, Their destruction.(1-5)
The righteous rejoice.(6-9)
**Verses 1-5**
Those that glory in sin, glory in their shame. The patience and forbearance of God are abused by sinners, to the hardening of their hearts in their wicked ways. But the enemies in vain boast in their mischief, while we have God's mercy t...
Read full commentary →Thou lovest evil more than good; and lying rather than to speak righteousness. Selah.
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KJV Study Commentary
The perverse values: 'Thou lovest evil more than good; and lying rather than to speak righteousness.' The comparison is not between evil and good alone but reveals active preference--'loving' evil, 'choosing' lies. This is not accidental sin but chosen orientation, character rather than incident.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
2. The sentiment affirmed in the first clause is reaffirmed by the negation of its opposite in the second.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 52
Chapter Outline
The enemies of the truth and the church described, Their destruction.(1-5)
The righteous rejoice.(6-9)
**Verses 1-5**
Those that glory in sin, glory in their shame. The patience and forbearance of God are abused by sinners, to the hardening of their hearts in their wicked ways. But the enemies in vain boast in their mischief, while we have God's mercy t...
Read full commentary →Thou lovest all devouring words, O thou deceitful tongue. O thou: or, and the deceitful tongue
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KJV Study Commentary
The summary: 'Thou lovest all devouring words, O thou deceitful tongue.' 'Devouring words' consume their victims--reputation, safety, life. The tongue is characterized as 'deceitful' in its essence, not just occasionally misleading. Words become weapons of destruction.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(4) **Devouring words.**—Literally, *words of swallowing, *such as swallow down (comp. Psalm 5:9, where the throat is called “an open sepulchre”) a neighbour’s life, honour, and goods.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**3. preventest--**literally, "to meet here in good sense," or "friendship" (Psa 59:10; compare opposite, Psa 17:13).
**blessings of goodness--**which confer happiness.
**crown of pure gold--**a figure for the highest royal prosperity.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 52
Chapter Outline
The enemies of the truth and the church described, Their destruction.(1-5)
The righteous rejoice.(6-9)
**Verses 1-5**
Those that glory in sin, glory in their shame. The patience and forbearance of God are abused by sinners, to the hardening of their hearts in their wicked ways. But the enemies in vain boast in their mischief, while we have God's mercy t...
Read full commentary →God shall likewise destroy thee for ever, he shall take thee away, and pluck thee out of thy dwelling place, and root thee out of the land of the living. Selah. destroy: Heb. beat thee down
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KJV Study Commentary
The divine response: 'God shall likewise destroy thee for ever, he shall take thee away, and pluck thee out of thy dwelling place, and root thee out of the land of the living.' Four verbs of destruction: destroy, take away, pluck out, root out. The punishment matches the crime--the devourer is devoured, the uprooter is uprooted.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(5) **Destroy.**—Better, *tear down, *as if of a building.
**Take thee away.**—Better, *lay hold of thee. *The Hebrew word is always used of taking a live coal from the hearth. Notice, however, that the exactly opposite is intended of our “pluck a brand from the burning.” Here the idea is of pulling the house-fire to pieces, and so extinguishing domestic life.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
4-6. (Compare 2Sa 7:13-16). The glory and blessedness of the king as head of his line, including Christ, as well as in being God's specially selected servant, exceeded that of all others.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 52
Chapter Outline
The enemies of the truth and the church described, Their destruction.(1-5)
The righteous rejoice.(6-9)
**Verses 1-5**
Those that glory in sin, glory in their shame. The patience and forbearance of God are abused by sinners, to the hardening of their hearts in their wicked ways. But the enemies in vain boast in their mischief, while we have God's mercy t...
Read full commentary →The righteous also shall see, and fear, and shall laugh at him:
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KJV Study Commentary
The righteous response: 'The righteous also shall see, and fear, and shall laugh at him.' The righteous witness judgment, fear God's justice, and laugh--not with cruelty but with recognition that evil ultimately fails. 'Laugh' expresses vindication and relief when the oppressor falls.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(6) **Fear . . . laugh.**—The mingled feelings of awe at the tyrant’s terrible fall, and exultation at his overthrow, are finely caught and described.
**Dwelling-place.**—Better, *tent.*
**Root thee out.**—This word, suggestive of rooting up a corrupt tree, becomes more forcible from the contrast in the figure of Psalm 52:8.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
4-6. (Compare 2Sa 7:13-16). The glory and blessedness of the king as head of his line, including Christ, as well as in being God's specially selected servant, exceeded that of all others.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 6-9**
Those wretchedly deceive themselves, who think to support themselves in power and wealth without God. The wicked man trusted in the abundance of his riches; he thought his wickedness would help him to keep his wealth. Right or wrong, he would get what he could, and keep what he had, and ruin any one that stood in his way; this he thought would strengthen him; but see what it com...
Read full commentary →Lo, this is the man that made not God his strength; but trusted in the abundance of his riches, and strengthened himself in his wickedness. wickedness: or, substance
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Lo, this is the man that made not God his strength; but trusted in the abundance of his riches, and strengthened himself in his wickedness.</strong> This verse pronounces judgment on the wicked man described throughout the psalm, identifying the root of his evil: misplaced trust. The structure contrasts false security (riches and wickedness) with true security (God as strength).<br><br>"Lo...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
4-6. (Compare 2Sa 7:13-16). The glory and blessedness of the king as head of his line, including Christ, as well as in being God's specially selected servant, exceeded that of all others.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 6-9**
Those wretchedly deceive themselves, who think to support themselves in power and wealth without God. The wicked man trusted in the abundance of his riches; he thought his wickedness would help him to keep his wealth. Right or wrong, he would get what he could, and keep what he had, and ruin any one that stood in his way; this he thought would strengthen him; but see what it com...
Read full commentary →But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God: I trust in the mercy of God for ever and ever.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God: I trust in the mercy of God for ever and ever.</strong> This verse presents David's sharp contrast to the wicked man just described. While the wicked trusts in riches and is uprooted (v.5), David trusts in God's mercy and flourishes like a planted tree. The imagery is rich with covenant significance.<br><br>"But I" (<em>va'ani</em>, וַא...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(8) **But I am like.**—The flourishing olive alternates with the vine, in Hebrew poetry, as an emblem of prosperous Israel. (See Jeremiah 11:16; Hosea 14:6.) The epithet “green” hardly refers to the colour so much as the “vigour” of the tree, for the foliage of “wan grey olive wood” cannot be called verdant. But though the olive is scarcely, to our Western eyes, a beautiful tree, “to the Oriental ...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
7. The mediate cause is the king's faith, the efficient, God's mercy.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 6-9**
Those wretchedly deceive themselves, who think to support themselves in power and wealth without God. The wicked man trusted in the abundance of his riches; he thought his wickedness would help him to keep his wealth. Right or wrong, he would get what he could, and keep what he had, and ruin any one that stood in his way; this he thought would strengthen him; but see what it com...
Read full commentary →I will praise thee for ever, because thou hast done it: and I will wait on thy name; for it is good before thy saints.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>I will praise thee for ever, because thou hast done it: and I will wait on thy name; for it is good before thy saints.</strong> This concluding verse expresses David's commitment to perpetual praise and patient trust, grounded in God's character and actions. The structure moves from praise (past action) to patient waiting (future hope) to communal testimony (before the saints).<br><br>"I w...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(9) **Because thou hast done it.**—Better, *because thou workest, i.e., for thy works, *but spoken in anticipation of future manifestations.
**I will wait on thy name. . . .**—Better, *I will wait for thy glory; “*name,” here, after the mention of God’s works in the last clause, being evidently, as so often, synonymous with “fame” and “reputation.”
**For it is good before thy saints.**—This may me...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
8. The address is now made to the king.
**hand--**denotes power, and
**right hand--**a more active and efficient degree of its exercise.
**find out--**reach, lay hold of, indicating success in pursuit of his enemies.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 6-9**
Those wretchedly deceive themselves, who think to support themselves in power and wealth without God. The wicked man trusted in the abundance of his riches; he thought his wickedness would help him to keep his wealth. Right or wrong, he would get what he could, and keep what he had, and ruin any one that stood in his way; this he thought would strengthen him; but see what it com...
Read full commentary →