Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Psalms 7:5
Let the enemy persecute my soul, and take [it]; yea, let him tread down my life upon the earth, and lay mine honor in the dust. Selah.
5. Render:
Let an enemy pursue my soul and overtake it;
Yea, trample my life to the ground,
And make my glory to dwell in the dust.
With the first line comp. Exo 15:9, echoed again in Psa 18:37. The last line might mean only, ‘degrade my dignity, treat me with insult and ignominy;’ but the parallelism of ‘my soul,’ ‘my life,’ ‘my glory,’ is decisive in favour of interpreting ‘my glory’ to mean ‘my soul, as in Psa 16:9; Psa 30:12; Psa 57:8. The ‘soul’ is so designated either as the noblest part of man, or as the image of the divine glory. ‘The dust’ will then be ‘the dust of death.’ Cp. Psa 22:15; and the exact parallel ‘dwellers in the dust,’ Isa 26:19. David then invokes death by an enemy’s hand if he is guilty, and death, as the language implies, with every circumstance of violence and disgrace.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Let the enemy persecute my soul – Persecute my life, for so the word rendered soul, nephesh, is evidently used here. He was willing, if he had been guilty of the thing charged upon him, that the enemy here referred to should pursue or persecute him until he should destroy his life. Compare with this the expression of Paul in Act 25:11. The meaning here is simply that if he were a guilty man, in the manner charged on him, he would be willing to be treated accordingly. He did not wish to screen himself from any just treatment; and if he had been guilty he would not complain even if he were cut off from the land of the living.
And take it – Take my life; put me to death.
Yea, let him tread down my life upon the earth – The allusion here is to the manner in which the vanquished were often treated in battle, when they were rode over by horses, or trampled by men into the dust. The idea of David is, that if he was guilty he would be willing that his enemy should triumph over him, should subdue him, should treat him with the utmost indignity and scorn.
And lay mine honor in the dust – All the tokens or marks of my honor or distinction in life. That is, I am willing to be utterly degraded and humbled, if I have been guilty of this conduct toward him who is my enemy. The idea in all this is, that David did not wish to screen himself from the treatment which he deserved if he had done wrong. His own principles were such that he would have felt that the treatment here referred to would have been right and proper as a recompense for such base conduct; and he would not have had a word to say against it. His desire for the interposition of God, therefore, arose solely from the fact of his feeling that, in these respects, he was entirely innocent, and that the conduct of his enemy was unjust and cruel.
Selah – A musical pause, not affecting the sense, but introduced here, perhaps, because the sense of the psalm now demanded a change in the style of the music. See the notes at Psa 3:2.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 5. Let the enemy persecute my soul] If I have been guilty of the things laid to my charge, let the worst evils fall upon me.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
I am contented, and wish that Saul may so persecute my life as to overtake it, and take it away. Mine honour; either,
1. That honourable and royal estate to which I am chosen and designed. Or,
2. My reputation and memory. Or rather,
3. The same thing which he called his
soul and his life in the former branch of the verse, and here his honour; it being very frequent to express one thing in several words or phrases in one verse. And so here may be observed a gradation. Let him,
1. Persist to persecute it;
2. Take it;
3. Tread it down, or destroy it; and,
4. Lay it in the dust, or bury it, to prevent all hopes of restitution.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
5. This is the consequence, ifsuch has been his conduct.
mine honour(comparePsa 3:3; Psa 4:2)my personal and official dignity.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
Let the enemy persecute my soul, and take [it],…. That is, if the above things he was charged with could be proved against him; then he was content that Saul his enemy should pursue after him, and apprehend him, and bring him to justice, by taking away his life from him;
yea, let him tread down my life upon the earth; with the utmost indignation and contempt, without showing any mercy; as the lion treads down his prey, and tears it to pieces, Mic 5:8; or as the potter treads his clay under foot, Isa 41:25;
and lay mine honour in the dust; meaning either his life and soul, as before; denominating himself from his better part, and which he elsewhere calls his glory, Ps 16:9; see Ge 49:6; or else his body, as R. Judah Ben Balaam, who is blamed for it by Jarchi; or rather his fame, credit, and reputation, that he had gained, both by his courage and valour in the field, and by his wise and prudent behaviour at court, 1Sa 18:7. Should he appear to be guilty of the crimes he was accused of, he is willing to have his glorious name buried in the dust of oblivion, and his memory perish for ever. The words are to be considered as a strong assertion of his innocence, in an appeal to God, the searcher of hearts, and the trier of the reins of men; and as imprecating on himself the worst of evils, should it not appear; see Job 31:21.
Selah; Aben Ezra renders “selah”, “in truth”, “let it be so”; and the Targum renders it, as usual, “for ever”; [See comments on Ps 3:2].
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
5 Let mine enemy pursue It is a striking proof of the great confidence which David had in his own integrity, when he is willing to endure any kind of punishment, however dreadful, provided he should be found guilty of any crime. If we could bring a good conscience like this before God, his hand would be more quickly stretched forth to afford us immediate assistance. But as it often happens that those who molest us have been provoked by us, or that we burn with the desire of revenge when offended, we are unworthy of receiving succour from God; yea, our own impatience shuts the gate against our prayers. In the first place, David is prepared to be given over to the will of his enemies, that they may seize his life, and throw it down to the ground; and then to be publicly exhibited as an object of their mockery, so that, even after he is dead, he may lie under eternal disgrace. Some think that the כבוד kebod, which we have translated glory, is here to be taken for life, and thus there will be three words, soul, life, glory, signifying the same thing. But it appears to me, that the meaning of the passage will be fuller if we refer the word glory to his memory, or his good name, as if he had said, Let my enemy not only destroy me, but, after having put me to death, let him speak of me in the most reproachful terms, so that my name may be buried in mire or filth.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(5) Let the enemy.Better, let an enemy.
Persecute.Literally, burn. (See Note on Psa. 10:2.)
Tread.Used of a potter treading the clay (Isa. 41:25); of the trampling of horses (Eze. 26:11); of a herd trampling down their pasture (Eze. 34:28).
Dust.Either as Psa. 22:15, the dust of death, and if so, then khabd.
Honour must be the soul or life, as plainly in Psa. 16:9; Psa. 57:8, where the Authorised Version has glory. The parallelism is in favour of this. On the other hand, to lay ones honour in the dust is a common figurative phrase. Shakespeare, K. Hen. VI., i. 5, Now, France, thy glory droopeth to the dust; and Coriol. iii. 1, And throw their power in the dust.
Selah.See Note on Psa. 3:2. This is one of the places which suggest its interpretation as a direction to the music, to strike up with passion and force.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
5. Let the enemy persecute my soul Here is a direct and solemn appeal to God to judge and punish him if he were not upright and pure in the matters urged by his accuser. Here is the boldness of conscious righteousness before God, even before his judgment seat. Compare in the evangelical sense, Rom 8:33-34; 1Jn 3:19-21 ; 1Jn 4:17.
Lay mine honour in the dust “Honour,” or glory as it is more commonly rendered, unquestionably refers to his kingly dignity, and proves that David had, at this time, come to the throne of Israel, which corroborates the date and occasion above given to this psalm. The significant pause “selah” fitly follows so solemn an appeal to God as has just been made, and closes the strophe.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Psa 7:5 Let the enemy persecute my soul, and take [it]; yea, let him tread down my life upon the earth, and lay mine honour in the dust. Selah.
Ver. 5. Let the enemy persecute my soul, and take it ] Thus he cleareth himself by a holy imprecation (the Spanish Bible hath the Shiggaion Davidis, in the title, Purgatio Davidis, as the same Hebrew word signifieth both sin and purification from sin, Psa 51:1-19 ), taking God to witness his innocence and good conscience, and wishing evil to himself if it were otherwise. This he did from a good cause, in a good manner, and for a good end. And not as many profane ones do today, who, taxed, though never so truly, with some evil they have done, seek to justify themselves by appealing to God, and calling for his curse upon them if guilty; who, therefore, striketh such impudent imprecators immediately, as Anne Averies and others. See Mr Clark’s Mirror.
And tread down my life
And lay mine honour in the dust. Selah
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
enemy = foe. Hebrew. ‘oyeb.
persecute . . . take . . . tread. Figure of speech Anabasis. App-6.
it = me.
Selah. Connecting the treading down of Psa 7:5 with the rising up of Jehovah. See App-66.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Let: Job 31:5-10, Job 31:38-40
tread: Psa 44:5, Psa 60:12, Job 40:12, Isa 10:6, Isa 63:3, Zec 10:5, Mal 4:3
lay: Psa 49:12, Job 16:15, Job 40:13, Jer 17:13
Selah: Psa 3:2, Hab 3:13
Reciprocal: Num 5:22 – the woman 1Sa 20:8 – if there be Job 31:22 – let Psa 9:6 – O thou Psa 13:2 – enemy Psa 17:9 – deadly enemies Psa 25:3 – without Psa 143:3 – smitten
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Psa 7:5. Let the enemy persecute my soul, &c. I am contented, and wish that Saul may so persecute my life as to overtake it, and take it away. And lay mine honour in the dust Meaning either 1st, that honourable and royal dignity for which he was designed; or, 2d, his reputation and memory: or, rather, 3d, his soul or life, mentioned in the former clause, it being very usual to express the same thing by different words or phrases in one verse: thus we may observe a gradation here. 1st, Let him persist to persecute it; 2d, take it; 3d, tread it down, or destroy it; and, 4th, lay it in the dust, or bury it, to prevent all hopes of restitution. So that the evils which David imprecates on himself, if he were such a person as his adversaries represented him to be, are persecution, apprehension, death, and disgrace.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
7:5 Let the enemy persecute my soul, and take [it]; yea, let him tread down my life upon the earth, and lay mine {d} honour in the dust. Selah.
(d) Let me not only die, but be dishonoured forever.
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
He was willing to die at his enemy’s hand if guilty. The terms "soul," "life," and "glory" (NASB) are synonyms restating the fate of David in parallel terms.