Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Psalms 7:13

He hath also prepared for him the instruments of death; he ordaineth his arrows against the persecutors.

13. Render:

Tea at him hath he aimed deadly missiles;

Making his arrows fiery.

Or, Yea, for him hath he prepared &c.

The description of the warrior-judge is continued. God’s arrows are His lightnings (Psa 18:14; Zec 9:14), which He aims at the impenitent sinner. There may be a reference to the fire-darts of ancient warfare (Lat. malleoli), arrows with tow, pitch, and other inflammable materials attached to them, lighted and discharged into a besieged town with the object of setting it on fire. Cp. ‘the fire-charged darts of the evil one,’ Eph 6:16.

Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

He hath also prepared for him – The instruments of punishment are already prepared, and God can use them when he pleases. They are not to be made ready, and, therefore, there is no necessity for delay when he shall have occasion to use them. The idea is, that arrangements are made for the destruction of the wicked, and that the destruction must come upon them. The world is full of these arrangements, and it is impossible that the sinner should escape.

The instruments of death – The means of putting them to death; that is, of punishing them. The particular means referred to here are arrows, as being what God has prepared for the wicked. Death here is designed simply to denote punishment, as death would be inflicted by arrows.

He ordaineth his arrows against the persecutors – Or rather, as the Hebrew is, He makes his arrows for burning, that is, for burning arrows. Horsley renders it, He putteth his arrows in action against those who are ready for burning. Prof. Alexander, His arrows to (be) burning he will make. DeWette, His arrows he makes burning. The Latin Vulgate and Septuagint, His arrows he has made for the burning: that is, probably for those who are burning with rage, for persecutors. This seems to have been the idea of our translators. The Hebrew word – dalaq – means to burn, to flame; and hence, also, to burn with love, with anxiety, or with zeal or wrath – as persecutors do. But here the word seems properly to be connected with arrows; and the sense is, as rendered by Gesenius, he maketh his arrows flaming; that is, burning – alluding to the ancient custom of shooting ignited darts or arrows into besieged towns or camps, for the purpose of setting them on fire, as well as for the purpose of inflicting greater personal injury. The sense is, that God had prepared the means of certain destruction for the wicked. The reference here is not necessarily to persecutors, but what is said here pertains to all the wicked unless they repent.

Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible

Psa 7:13

He ordaineth His arrows against the persecutors.

Gods arrows

Mercy and love often lurk in the meanings of these Psalms, which on their surface seem, like Saul on the road to Damascus, to breathe threatenings and slaughter. David thought only of the arrows of Gods judgments; the Christian loves to think of these arrows of conviction and of love which God hath often discharged against the persecutors of His Church, such as Saul was. See this in his conversion. The disciples awaited his coming to Damascus in fear and trembling. But Gods arrow was ready against him, had been ordained long ago. It was of God, of Christ. For of Him it is said: Thine arrows are very sharp; and the people shall be subdued unto Thee, even in the midst among the Kings enemies. Such were the Pharisees, of whom Saul was one. When Jesus appeared to Saul He spoke not of arrows, but of goads–the ox goads, which when the oxen lash out against them only wound themselves the more. Conscience had been such a goad to Saul. The influence of Stephens death; the calm patience of those whom he had cruelly persecuted–all this must have made him feel as every persecutor, down to the inquisitors of later days, must have felt, that he was doing the devils work. Yet he hardened himself and kicked out against the goads of conscience and went on madly persecuting Jesus. But this arrow was too much for him; it was altogether too sharp. The great lesson, then, of our text is that no persecutor will be allowed to proceed too far. If the arrows of conviction will not serve, then God will whet His sword. As with Antiochus Epiphanes. Such an one most strikingly was that Julian the Apostate, who was perhaps more dangerous to the Church than any Nero or Decius, because he knew her weak points, and because he mingled so much craft with his violence. It was in very sooth an arrow–a Parthian arrow, shot at random in some paltry skirmish–which ]aid that persecutor low, for God had ordained it against him of old. He himself would seem to have been aware whence that arrow came, and who it was whom he had been so bitterly persecuting, for it is said that when he perceived his wound to be mortal, he threw some of his blood up into the air (after the manner of dying gladiators) and exclaimed, Thou hast conquered, O Nazarene! (R. Winterbotham.)

Gods arrows not shot at random

It is said that God hath ordained His arrows against the persecutors; the word signifies such as burn in anger and malice against the godly; and the word translated ordained, signifies God hath wrought His arrows; He doth not shoot them at random, but He works them against the wicked. Illiricus hath a story which may well be a commentary upon this text in both the parts of it. One Felix, Earl of Wartenburg, one of the captains of the Emperor Charles V, swore in the presence of divers at supper, that before he died he would ride up to the spurs in the blood of the Lutherans. Here was one that burned in malice, but behold how God works His arrows against him: that very night the hand of God so struck him, that he was strangled and choked in his own blood; so he rode not, but bathed himself, not up to the spurs, but up to the throat, not in the blood of the Lutherans, but in his own blood before ha died. (Jeremiah Burroughs.)

Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell

Verse 13. He hath also prepared for him the instruments of death] This appears to be all a prophecy of the tragical death of Saul. He was wounded by the arrows of the Philistines; and his own keen sword, on which he fell, terminated his woful days!

Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible

For him; either,

1. For or against the persecutor, as it follows. Or rather,

2. For himself, for his own use, to wit, to shoot against his enemies.

The instruments of death, i.e. arrows, or other deadly weapons.

He ordaineth, Heb. maketh or worketh, designeth or fitteth for his very use.

Against the persecutors; or, against furious and wry persecutors, as the word signifies, and as it is used, Gen 31:36; Psa 10:2; Lam 4:19.

Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole

13. against the persecutorsSomerender “for burning,” but the former is the best sense.Arrows for burning would be appropriate in besieging a town, not inwarring against one man or a company in open fight.

Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible

He hath also prepared for him the instruments of death,…. The weapons of his indignation, Isa 13:5; which, will issue both in the first and second death, corporeal and eternal; the instruments of the former are diseases of various kinds, and judgments, as famine, pestilence, c. and of the latter not only the law is an instrument of it, that being the letter which kills, and is the ministration of condemnation and death, but even the Gospel itself to wicked men is the savour of death unto death and devils will be the executioners of it;

he ordaineth his arrows against the persecutors: the word for persecutors signifies “hot” or “burning” h, and designs such persons who burn in malice and wrath, In rage and fury, against the saints, and hotly pursue after them, as Laban did after Jacob, Ge 31:36; for these more especially God has determined in his eternal purposes and decrees, and for these he has provided in his quiver, arrows of wrath and vengeance, fiery ones; and against these will he bring them forth, direct them, and shoot them at them, Ps 64:7. Some i understand all this not of God, but of the wicked man, and read “if he turn not”, but, on the contrary, instead of that, “will whet his sword, bend his bow”, c. against the righteous yet he shall be disappointed, he shall not accomplish his designs, as appears by the following verses; these phrases are used of wicked men, Ps 11:2, but the former sense seems best.

h “ardentibus”, V. L. “in ardentes”, Montanus; “hot persecutors”, Ainsworth. i So Brentius & Glassius in Gejerus.

Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible

(13) Instruments of death.That is, deadly weapons.

Against the persecutors.Literally, for those burning; so LXX. and Vulg. The meaning appears to be, His arrows he makes into fiery arrowsi.e., tips them with fire, by wrapping them in burning tow. Latin, malleoli. (Comp. Eph. 6:16, with Note, in New Testament Commentary.) Miltons rattling storm of arrows barbd with fire, refers to the same custom.

Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)

Psa 7:13. He ordaineth his arrows, &c. He will make his {arrows to pursue. / pursuing arrows.}

Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke

Psa 7:13 He hath also prepared for him the instruments of death; he ordaineth his arrows against the persecutors.

Ver. 13. He hath also prepared, &c. ] The punishment of ungodly persons is here elegantly set forth by three similitudes. 1. From warfare. 2. From child birth, Psa 7:14 Psa 7:3 . From hunting, Psa 7:15-16 . Well might the Lord say, “I have used similitudes by the ministry of the prophets,” Hos 12:10 . See Trapp on “ Hos 12:10 “

He ordaineth his arrows against the persecutors ] Heb. the hot burning persecutors, that are set on work by the great red dragon (Ardentes, importing their haste to perpetrate mischief). Such were Felix of Wurtemburg, who swore that ere he died he would ride up to the spurs, and Fornesius, who vowed that he would ride up to the saddle skirts, in the blood of the Lutherans. The archbishop of Tours made suit for the erection of a court called Chambre Ardent, wherein to condemn the French Protestants to the fire. But ere he died he had fire enough, for he was stricken with a disease called The Fire of God; which began at his feet, and so ascended upward, that he caused one member after another to be cut off, and so he died miserably. This was God’s burning arrow against a hot burning persecutor. The like may be said of Dioclesian, that bloody tyrant, who had his house burnt over his head with fire from heaven; wherewith he was so frightened that he died soon after (Euseb. l. 5). The previously mentioned Count Felix of Wurtemburg was, the same night that he had so vowed and vaunted, choked in his own blood. So he rode not, but bathed himself, not up to the spurs, but throat, not in the Lutherans’ blood, but in his own, before he died. And the like we read of Charles IX of France.

Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)

ordaineth = will ordain.

Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics

ordaineth: Psa 11:2, Psa 45:5, Psa 64:3, Psa 64:7, Psa 144:6, Deu 32:23, Deu 32:42, Job 6:4, Lam 3:12, Lam 3:13, Hab 3:11, Hab 3:13

persecutors: 2Th 1:6, Rev 6:10, Rev 16:6

Reciprocal: 2Sa 22:15 – arrows 1Ch 5:18 – to shoot Est 5:14 – he caused Job 16:13 – archers Psa 21:12 – thou shalt Psa 35:2 – General Psa 59:5 – be not Psa 120:4 – arrows Isa 59:4 – they conceive Eze 5:16 – the evil Hab 3:9 – bow

Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge