Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Psalms 12:6
The words of the LORD [are] pure words: [as] silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times.
6. A general truth with direct application to the promise of the preceding verse. In Jehovah’s words there is no dross of flattery or insincerity or falsehood. Unlike the words of men, they are wholly to be relied on.
as silver tried ] Omit as. Silver is a natural emblem of purity and preciousness. The metaphor underlies the language of Psa 18:30, Psa 119:140, Pro 30:5.
in a furnace of earth ] The precise meaning is doubtful. Either (1) in a furnace on the earth (R.V.), i.e. a furnace built on the ground, the point of which is not obvious: or (2) silver refined in a furnace (flowing down) to the earth may be meant to picture the bright stream of pure metal flowing from the furnace, shewing that the process of refining has done its work.
purified seven times ] Again and again till no trace of dross is left. Seven is the number of completeness and perfection. Cp. Psa 79:12; Pro 6:31; Isa 30:16.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
The words of the Lord – In contrast with the words of the persons referred to in Psa 12:2-4. Their words were vanity, flattery, and falsehood; and no reliance could be placed on them. In contrast with these words, the words of the Lord were pure. They were to be relied on. All his sayings were true and faithful. The design is to bring his words into contrast with the sayings of such men, and to show how much more safety there is in relying on his promises than on the promises made by such men. Man failed, but God would not. Reliance could not be placed on the words of even the professedly godly and faithful Psa 12:1, but entire confidence might be placed in the words of Yahweh. All his words were true, pure, faithful, so that even when his own professed friends failed, and confidence could be placed in them, yet there was still reason for unwavering confidence in God himself.
Are pure words – That is, they are without any mixture of falsehood – for this idea is implied in the comparison which the psalmist makes when he says that they are like silver purified in the furnace, that is, from which all the dross has been removed.
As silver tried in a furnace of earth – The word here rendered furnace properly means a workshop. Perhaps it corresponds nearly with our word laboratory, as the term is now used by chemists. It evidently refers to some place where the metal was tried and purified. The words rendered of earth literally mean on the earth, or in the earth? The language does not mean that the furnace was made of earth, as would seem to be implied in our version, but that the furnace or laboratory was erected on the earth, or in the earth. It may refer to something like a crucible placed on the ground, around which a fire of intense heat could be made. It is probable that some such structure would be made near the mines where ore was obtained, and that the ore would be thus purified from dross before it was removed.
Purified seven times – By passing it seven times – that is, very often – through the fire. The word seven in the Scriptures denotes a complete or perfect number, and is often used to denote frequency. The idea here would seem to be that the process was repeated until the silver became entirely pure. The sense is, that the words of the Lord are perfectly pure. There is no admixture of falsehood in his statements; there is no deception in his promises; there is no flattery in what he says. This was the ground of confidence on the part of the psalmist – that while men (even those who professed to be good men) so failed that no reliance could be placed on their statements, the most perfect trust could be reposed on all the statements of God.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Psa 12:6
The words of the Lord are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times.
The excellence of the Holy Scriptures
I. The holy description of the sacred writings here given. It tells of–
1. Their high authority. The men who wrote these books say, The Spirit of God spoke by me, and His Word was upon my tongue, Thus saith the Lord, and so on. Thus they claim high authority. But you may ask, How are we to know it? Therefore note–
2. Their inherent sanctity. The words of the Lord are pure words. And are they not so? Some say the book is immoral because it records immoral actions. But could the Scriptures have given a faithful account of human nature without such records? Those who study the Bible most are those who most of all live and practise all the public and social virtues. Modern infidels are not so candid as those of the former century. Rousseau could say, I will confess that, the majority of the Scriptures strike me with admiration, as the purity of the Gospel hath its influence on my heart. Peruse the works of our philosophers, with all their pomp of diction: how mean, how contemptible are they compared with the Scriptures! Is it possible that a book at once so simple and sublime should be merely the work of man?
3. Their intrinsic worth. In our text they are compared to the finest silver and gold. And in Psa 119:1-176. And this eulogy is deserved, because they speak of God and man reasonably and in harmony with our experience. They satisfy man upon the most anxious questions.
II. The scrutiny they have endured. Tried in the furnace, purified seven times. The reference is to the searching process of the refiner, by which he detects the presence of any alloy and removes it. And the Word of God has passed under a scrutiny like that of fire: It is not accepted on mere hearsay and because of the teachings of priests.
1. It has been thoroughly investigated. Josephus gives his testimony to the sacred books of the Jews. Hence the Old Testament is evidently not a book of yesterday. And from the testimony of the Fathers we know that the books of the New Testament have existed from the time they profess. The ancient versions confirm this. The entire New Testament might be collated out of the quotations made by the Fathers.
2. Then there has been antiquarian and scientific research. And these do homage to the testimony of revelation.
3. Philosophical and moral discoveries likewise bear their testimony in the philosophies of China and India, and yet others, have been searched, and they have been found poor and unsatisfactory, like the glimmer of gas lights at noonday, compared with the Scriptures. That eminent Oriental scholar, Sir William Jones, says, The Scriptures contain, independently of a Divine origin, more true sublimity, more exquisite beauty, purer morality, more important history, and finer strains, both of poetry and eloquence, than could be collected within the same compass from all other books that were ever composed in any age or in any tongue. Now these are not the testimonies of priests, but of laymen, learned, travelled, and who have become acquainted with the literature of all nations. And should any be disposed to trifle with the Bible, let me quote to him two lines from a poem penned by one of the greatest geniuses that has ever adorned our empire, and whose intellectual light has been just lost to us–
Better he had neer been born
Who reads to doubt, who reads to scorn.
(J. Blackburn.)
Testing the truth
The Psalmist is telling of the Word of God, and contrasting it with the words of men. He tells of those who speak vanity. With flattering lips and a double heart do they speak. He wants something better, and finds it in the Word of the Lord. For in contrast with mans weakness and falsehood there was the Divine promise immediately made, For the oppression of the poor, for the sighing of the needy, now, etc. May that be depended upon! May we take heart? Yes, For the words of the Lord are pure words, etc. So then, we may apply this text to the Bible.
I. By the prolonged and severe conflict it has had with all the evil of our world. There are two great forces in the moral world, that of evil–the world, the flesh, and the devil, and that of good–in truth, in holiness, and in love. And God is the source of all this good. Now, if the words are of God they will be like Him; which is just what they are. And they will occupy His place, bitter against nothing but evil, enamoured of nothing but good. And they will do His work. So they do, have done everywhere and always, under all circumstances and amid all conditions.
II. By all the contradictions of unbelief. Concerning Him it is said, He endured the contradiction of sinners against Himself. Just so it has been with the Word of God, and is so now. They have heated the furnace to the intensest heat, and cast the Bible in, and the result is that it has lost nothing but the tinsel of mans folly or the bonds wherewith mens authority sought to bind it.
III. By the evil consequences of the conduct of false professors. We complain of the unfair dealing of unbelief. Naturally. But there are others who deserve our indignation far more, and these are those who profess to be, but are not, friends of the Gospel or of the words of God. Worldly men, who have determined to make it a political engine. Hence it has been encumbered with ceremonies and dogmas; kept back from the people; mans own interpretations fastened upon it, as if they were the words of God Himself.
IV. The infirmities and inconsistencies of its real friends. Many of you here profess to be its real friends. Some of you hold prominent positions, and, like Peter and John, you bid men look on you and see what your religion can do. And men do look on you and judge the Word of God by you. And they see very soon where there are inconsistencies in you; whilst, on the other hand, there is nothing so awes the world as the spirituality, unselfishness, and devotedness of earnest holiness. But who of us can profess fitly to represent the Word of God? How imperfect are the best of men.
V. By the spiritual discernment of all sanctified men. In one sense the Word of God tries a man, for according as he acts towards it so does he reveal his spiritual state. On the other hand, all holy souls test the living Word. My sheep hear My voice, said the Saviour, but a stranger will they not follow.
VI. By the personal experience of both saints and sinners. VII. by those, most of all, who have most thoroughly lived in it and worked hardest for it. If I want to know the sustaining qualities of any particular kind of food I observe those who live most on it, yet do the greatest amount of work, and with the greatest ease, and, nevertheless, show the most robust health. And so, would I know what the Word of God can do, I turn to those who are such as I have described. See Paul. Hear him say, I can do all things through Christ, who strengthened me. All of you who hear the Word, bind it to your hearts, and let it be your holy resolve, God helping you, to live as well as speak His Word. (John Aldis.)
The Word of God tested and proven
The fable that there were animals that lived in the fire, called Salamanders, came from the glowing brilliance of some metals that, when they are heated to a white heat, acquire a supernatural splendour, and apparently a new and mysterious life. The metal seems now to live, breathe, heave, move at every new expansion and contraction; a hundred hues, indescribably brilliant and radiant, play around the molten surface. Of all books, the Word of God is the only one with Salamander qualities. The flames of persecution and hostile criticism, instead of effecting its destruction, have but added to its lustre and strengthened its claims to be indeed the Word of the Lord that endureth forever. (A. T. Pierson D. D.)
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Psa 13:1-6
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
Verse 6. The words of the Lord are pure words] None of his promises shall fall to the ground; the salvation which he has promised shall be communicated.
Silver tried in a furnace of earth] A reference to the purification of silver by the cupel. This is a sort of instrument used in the purification of silver. It may be formed out of a strong iron ring or hoop, adjusted in width and depth to the quantum of silver to be purified, and rammed full of well pulverized calcined bone. The metal to be purified must be mingled with lead, and laid on the cupel, and exposed to a strong heat in an air furnace. The impurities of the metal will be partly absorbed, and partly thrown off in fume. The metal will continue in a state of agitation till all the impurities are thrown off; it will then become perfectly still, no more motion appearing, which is the token that the process is completed, or, according to the words of the text, is seven times, that is, perfectly purified.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Pure; or, sincere; without the least mixture of vanity or falsehood; and therefore shall infallibly be fulfilled. This he seems to add to answer an objection which might arise in some mens minds concerning what was last said. You tell us, The, Lord saith, I will set him in safety, &c.; but saying and doing are two things. They are so indeed in men, who oft speak rashly what they cannot perform, and deceitfully what they never intend: but all Gods words are pure from all manner of dross; from all folly, or fraud, or uncertainty; he is holy and true in all his doctrines, threatenings, predictions, and promises.
Tried in a furnace of earth, i.e. made of such earth or clay as was proper for and then usual in that work. See 1Ki 7:46.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
6. The wordsliterally,”saying of” (Ps 12:5).
seven timesthoroughly(Da 3:19).
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
The words of the Lord [are] pure words,…. This observation the psalmist makes in reference to what is just now said in Ps 12:5:, and in opposition to the words of wicked men in Ps 12:2; which are deceitful, sinful, and impure. The Scriptures are the words of God; and they are pure and holy, free from all human mixtures, and from all fraud and deceit; they are the Scriptures of truth. The promises are the words of God, and they are firm and stable, and always to be depended on, and are ever fulfilled, being yea and amen in Christ Jesus. The Gospel, and the doctrines of it, are the words of God; that is the sincere milk of the word, pure and incorrupt; as it is in itself, and as it is dispensed by the faithful ministers of it; and they are all according to godliness, and tend to encourage and promote purity and holiness of heart and life; See Pr 30:5;
[as] silver tried in a furnace of earth; they are as “silver” for worth and value; yea, they are more valuable than silver or gold,
Ps 19:10. The Bible is a mine of rich treasure, and to be searched into as for it; the promises in it are exceeding precious; they are like apples of gold in pictures of silver, and yield more joy than the finding a great spoil. The doctrines of the Gospel are comparable to gold and silver and precious stones, and to be bought at any rate, but to be sold at none: and they are as silver “tried”, which is pure, and free from dross. The words of men, of false teachers, are as dross and reprobate silver; but the words of the Lord are tried, and are pure, and free from all the dross of error and falsehood, Ps 18:30. And they are as silver tried “in a furnace of earth”, which some o render “by the Lord of the earth”; but the word rather signifies a furnace, or an refinery, in which metal is melted and purified; and may be applied to the Lord Jesus Christ in human nature, in whom are all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge, and who came full fraught with the doctrines of the Gospel; and in whom they have been “tried”, by his sufferings and death, and are found to be pure, solid, and substantial: or to the ministers of the Gospel, who have this treasure in earthen vessels, whose works and words and ministry are tried by many fiery trials, and abide: or to all the people of God in general, who dwelt in earthly tabernacles; and who, in the midst of various afflictions, have a comfortable and confirming evidence of the purity and truth of the words of God, of the promises of his covenant, and the doctrines of the Gospel;
purified seven times; that is, many times, Pr 24:16; and so completely and perfectly pure, and clear of all dross whatsoever, as silver so many times tried must needs be: and so the words of God are not only pure, but very pure, exceeding pure, Ps 119:140.
o Vid. Jarchi, Kimchi, & Ben Melech in loc. so some in David de Pomis, Lexic. fol. 11. 1. taking in to be radical, and doubled as if it was .
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
6. The words of Jehovah. The Psalmist now declares, that God is sure, faithful, and steadfast in his promises. But the insertion by the way of this commendation of the word of God would be to no purpose, if he had not first called himself, and other believers, to meditate on God’s promises in their afflictions. Accordingly, the order of the Psalmist is to be attended to, namely, that, after telling us how God gives to his servants the hope of speedy deliverance, even in their deepest distresses, he now adds, to support their faith and hope, that God promises nothing in vain, or for the purpose of disappointing man. This, at first sight, seems a matter of small importance; but if any person consider more closely and attentively how prone the minds of men are to distrust and ungodly doubtings, he will easily perceive how requisite it is for our faith to be supported by this assurance, that God is not deceitful, that he does not delude or beguile us with empty words, and that he does not magnify beyond all measure either his power or his goodness, but that whatever he promises in word he will perform in deed. There is no man, it is true, who will not frankly confess that he entertains the same conviction which David here records, that the words of Jehovah are pure; but those who while lying in the shade and living at their ease liberally extol by their praises the truth of God’s word, when they come to struggle with adversity in good earnest, although they may not venture openly to pour forth blasphemies against God, often charge him with not keeping his word. Whenever he delays his assistance, we call in question his fidelity to his promises and murmur just as if he had deceived us. There is no truth which is more generally received among men than that God is true; but there are few who frankly give him credit for this when they are in adversity. It is, therefore, highly necessary for us to cut off the occasion of our distrust; and whenever any doubt respecting the faithfulness of God’s promises steals in upon us, we ought immediately to lift up against it this shield, that the words of the Lord are pure. The similitude of silver, which the Psalmist subjoins, is indeed far below the dignity and excellence of so great a subject; but it is very well adapted to the measure of our limited and imperfect understanding. Silver, if thoroughly refined, is valued at a high price amongst us. But we are far from manifesting for the word of God, the price of which is inestimable, an equal regard; and its purity is of less account with us than that of a corruptible metal. Yea, a great many coin mere dross in their own brain, by which to efface or obscure the brightness which shines in the word of God. The word בעליל, baälil, which we have translated crucible, is interpreted by many prince, or lord, as if it were a simple word. According to them, the meaning would be, that the word of God is like the purest silver, from which the dross has been completely removed with the greatest art and care, not for common use, but for the service of a great lord or prince of some country. I, however, rather agree with others who consider that בעליל, baälil, is a word compounded of the letter ב, beth, which signifies in, and the noun עליל, alil, which signifies a clean or well polished vessel or crucible.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(6) As silver.This solemn promise of Jehovah may be relied on, for His words are not like those of deceitful menalloyed with self and falsehoodbut are pure as silver seven times smelted.
In a furnace.Either a workshop or a crucible, according as derived.
Of earth.These words are difficult; they must mean either in earth, referring to the ashes in which the smelted silver falls, or as to earth, i.e., as to the alloy, or as we say, purified of the alloy.
But erets is never else used for the material, earth, and Hitzigs emendation, rats = bar, or piece (Psa. 68:30), melted into a bar from the crucible, is almost convincing in its simplicity and aptness.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
6. The words of the Lord are pure words The sayings of Jehovah are pure sayings. From the lying lips and perverse speeches of the wicked already noticed, by which they thought to compass their ends, the psalmist turns with adoring delight to the pure and perfect words of God, by which, and not by the falsehood and arrogance of man, the world shall be governed.
Furnace of earth The word , ( aleel,) furnace, which occurs nowhere else in Scripture, has been translated workshop, from the root idea, to work, perform, accomplish: and of earth has been understood as denoting, as to earth, thus making the passage read, Silver tried in a workshop, ( as to earth,) that is, purged from its earthy particles, its dross, scoria. Others more naturally understand it of a furnace, crucible, or melting pot made of earth, which gives a better construction, and one more in harmony with the figure. It is no objection to this latter view, that it takes “earth” in the unusual sense of element, or material.
Seven times A proverbial phrase for perfectly, completely.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
‘The words of YHWH are pure words,
As silver tried in a furnace on the earth,
Purified seven times.
In contrast to the deceit and falsehood of men the words of YHWH are true and pure, and totally to be relied on. They are like silver which has been refined, yes refined ‘seven times’ (totally and completely), as silver on earth needs to be. But the words of YHWH are so pure that they do not need such a refining process. They are already purer than any silver on earth, even though they are practical and effective on earth. Thus we can always rely on His word to see us through any situation. It has survived through the centuries, and will continue to do so. And it brings home truth to the heart.
There may also be the thought here that the words of YHWH themselves have such a purifying effect, making those who receive them pure.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Psa 12:6. The words of the Lord are pure words The words of God, mentioned in the verse before, may certainly be depended on; they are pure truth, without any mixture of dross or deceit: Silver fined in a ground furnace [a furnace or melting-pot in the earth] seven times purified.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
How beautifully is this verse introduced, by way of contrast to what was said before concerning the words of the ungodly. Do sinners talk of vanity? let saints then speak of Jesus and his gospel. Do they talk impure words? then let the faithful use the pure words of God, which, like silver; the more used, the more melted in the fire, the more precious will they be. It is true indeed, despisers will esteem both God and his word as trifling; but oh! what unknown treasure doth the word, the promises, the covenant relation of the divine things of Jesus, contain! They are more to be desired than gold, yea than fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honey-comb.
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
“Handfuls of Purpose”
For All Gleaners
“The words of the Lord are pure words.” Psa 12:6
Purity would seem to be impossible upon earth. Even where we have divine treasure we have it in earthen vessels, and the danger is that the vessels shall in some degree corrupt the treasures. All human words are tainted with alloy. Even when men make their best promises there is of necessity an element of selfishness in the pledge. If the heart is deceitful, the words must partake of the quality of the heart. There is an unconscious deceitfulness, there is an unconscious self-deception. We may mean every word we say, and yet our deceit may be more subtle in its action than our intellectual energy. The intellect goes out to do some work, and does it earnestly and well, but no intellect can keep pace with the subtlety and swiftness of moral action. The heart can outrun the head. It is characteristic of divine words that they are themselves divine. They are as silver melted seven times in a furnace of earth. God has spoken nothing in mere excess for the sake of emphasis. In the case of the divine promises, it is simply impossible that the emphasis can be equal to the meaning. We can test the purity of the divine word by submitting it to daily practice. The pureness of divine messages is not an intellectual question but is almost exclusively a moral inquiry. How do the words of God go down into the life? How do they stand the strain of temptation, and self-expenditure, and the daily conflict of life? The words of God are few, because they are pure. God does not need to multiply words in order to assure us of his earnestness. Eloquence is often a sign of insincerity. Mere fluency is always to be distrusted, because life itself does not flow out in so easy and unimpeded a strain. The speech of life should represent the tragedy of life, its ups and downs, its swift fluctuations, its sudden surprises, its fears, and its hopes. The speech of a wise man is a skilfully painted texture. The continuance of the Bible as the highest and strongest factor in civilisation depends wholly on the pureness of the divine words. Because of their pureness they shall endure for ever.
Fuente: The People’s Bible by Joseph Parker
Psa 12:6 The words of the LORD [are] pure words: [as] silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times.
Ver. 6. The words of the Lord are pure words ] Free from all insincerity or falsehood; and not like those of Saul’s flatterers, vile and vicious. All God’s promises are infallible, and such as a man may write upon, as they say. They are yea and Amen, 2Co 1:20 , that is, truth and assurance. God hath hitherto kept promise with nights and days, that they shall one succeed another, Jer 33:20 ; Jer 33:25 , therefore much more will he keep promise with his people.
As silver tried in a furnace
Purifed seven times
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Psa 12:6-8
6The words of the Lord are pure words;
As silver tried in a furnace on the earth, refined seven times.
7You, O Lord, will keep them;
You will preserve him from this generation forever.
8The wicked strut about on every side
When vileness is exalted among the sons of men.
Psa 12:6-8 Contrast the revelation of YHWH with the worthless attitude of the wicked. YHWH’s message is characterized as
1. pure words (cf. Psa 19:8; Psa 119:140)
2. refined silver (Psa 18:30; Pro 30:5)
He is faithful to His word (cf. Psa 12:7). The wicked reveal themselves by their words and actions (cf. Mat 7:15-27).
Psa 12:6
NASBa furnace on the earth
NKJVa furnace of earth
NRSVa furnace on the ground
NJBwhich comes from the earth
JPSOAan earthen crucible
REBtested for soil
The word translated furnace (BDB 760, KB 833) is found only here in the OT. Many scholars believe it is a technical term from metallurgy denoting an earthen mold in the ground made from dirt or clay.
The MT has to the ground or on the ground, which seems to refer to an earthen mold into which the refined silver is poured.
seven times Seven is the symbolic number of perfection which originated from the seven days of creation in Genesis 1-2.
SPECIAL TOPIC: SYMBOLIC NUMBERS IN SCRIPTURE
Psa 12:7 protect. . .guard These verbs (BDB 1036, KB 1581, Qal imperfect and BDB 665, KB 718, Qal imperfect) are used many times in the Psalms to express the psalmist’s cry for YHWH’s presence to avail against the opponents or circumstances.
from this generation This phrase in Psalms 12 refers to those who
1. speak falsehood, Psa 12:2
2. have flattering lips, Psa 12:2
3. have a double heart, Psa 12:2
4. speak great things about themselves, Psa 12:3-4
5. devastate the needy, Psa 12:5
6. are the wicked who strut about, Psa 12:8
forever This may be a title for YHWH, the Eternal One (AB, p. 75). If so, it parallels YHWH in the previous line of poetry.
Psa 12:8
NASB, NKJV,
NRSVvileness
NJBdepravity
JPSOAbaseness
REBof little worth
This noun (BDB 273) is found only here in the OT. The verb form (NIDOTTE, vol. 1, p. 1109) means
1. in Qal, be frivolous or be despised
2. in Hiphil, to treat lightly
If one tries to see how the two lines of Psa 12:8 form a synonymous parallelism, other textual emendations have been suggested.
1. revocalization hold vile
2. different supposed root pit
3. emendation stolen goods (cf. LXX)
4. emendation astral bodies
It seems best in this etymological issue involving rare words, to let
1. the meaning of the whole Psalm
2. the central truth of the strophe
3. the possible parallelism of the lines
4. possible cognate roots
give us the best guess!
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
This is a study guide commentary, which means that you are responsible for your own interpretation of the Bible. Each of us must walk in the light we have. You, the Bible, and the Holy Spirit are priority in interpretation. You must not relinquish this to a commentator.
These discussion questions are provided to help you think through the major issues of this section of the book. They are meant to be thought-provoking, not definitive.
1. What is a double heart (Psa 12:2)?
2. What does Psa 12:4 mean?
3. Why are a person’s words so important?
Fuente: You Can Understand the Bible: Study Guide Commentary Series by Bob Utley
words = the spoken words, sayings, or utterances. Compare Psa 119:38.
silver tried: i.e. pure silver.
furnace = crucible. Put a full stop after this word.
of = to, or pertaining to (referring to the “words”). The letter lamed is the sign of the Dative case, not the Genitive.
earth. Hebrew. ‘erez (the earth), not ‘adamah (the ground): i.e. “words for, or pertaining to the earth”, but purified seven times: i.e. with spiritual perfection (see App-10). Some are used with a higher meaning; some in a different sense. Psa 12:6 is an alternation.
Purified. The verb is singular, agreeing with silver. The words of Jehovah are pure words. As silver tried in a furnace: [Words] pertaining to the earth: Purified seven times.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Psa 12:6
Psa 12:6
“The words of Jehovah are pure words;
As silver tried in a furnace on the earth, purified seven times.”
Delitzsch recognized these words also as the direct message of God to David. He also interpreted David’s words in Psa 12:7 as the equivalent of the psalmist’s solemn “Amen” to God’s promise in Psa 12:5-6.
THE SEVEN-FOLD PURIFICATION OF GOD’S WORD
Satan himself tried God’s Word in Eden, saying “Thou shalt not surely die,” but the sprawling cemeteries of the whole world, spread like patches of leprosy in every nation have purified God’s word. Yes indeed, it was absolutely true.
It has been alleged by some that science has discredited the Bible, but Sir Isaac Newton, the founder of modern science was a devout believer in the Bible. In fact, many of the greatest scientists who ever lived, including our own generation, were all believers in the holy Bible. In fact science has never uncovered a single truth that contradicts anything in the Bible. Furthermore, it is an amazing fact that in many of the most marvelous discoveries of the scientific community, they have merely caught up with what was stated in the Bible nearly two thousand years ago.
The probability that our earth will eventually “burn up” is one such discovery.
Then God’s Word was tested again when the radical critics of the 19th century attempted to destroy its credibility; but today not a line has been lost from the sacred Book. The critics in the greater part have been swallowed up in the grave, and devout people still believe every word of the Bible. As Jesus said, “Heaven and earth shall pass away; but my word shall not pass away”!
There is an honest and helpful kind of criticism that is invaluable in trying to discover the meaning of damaged or corrupted texts; and this is appreciated by all thoughtful persons. However, the vicious, unbelieving critic whose only objective is to discredit the Bible is a vanishing species. True, many of such men were truly intellectuals, having brilliant minds and unusually remarkable skills; but the rules under which radical criticism consented to conduct their studies have been absolutely discredited, rejected, outmoded and forsaken by most Christian scholars of our generation. That kind of criticism is now a dead duck.
E.M. Zerr:
Psa 12:6. Pure means unmixed, and the words of the Lord have that quality. Nothing can literally be purified more than once. Purified seven times is a figurative term used for emphasis on the quality of the words of the Lord.
Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary
words: Psa 18:30, Psa 19:8, Psa 119:140, 2Sa 22:31, Pro 30:5
as silver: Psa 66:10
Reciprocal: Gen 21:1 – Sarah as Job 28:1 – where they fine it Psa 33:4 – the word Psa 56:4 – In God I will Pro 8:8 – All Pro 22:20 – General Pro 27:21 – the fining Isa 31:2 – arise Isa 45:19 – speak righteousness Joh 17:17 – word
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Psa 12:6. The words of the Lord are pure Without the least mixture of falsehood, and therefore shall be infallibly fulfilled. Men often speak rashly, and promise what they cannot perform, and deceitfully, what they never intend to perform. But Gods words are different; they are pure from all manner of dross; from all folly, or fraud, or uncertainty. Often have they been put to the test, in the trials of the faithful, like silver committed to the furnace in an earthen crucible; but, like silver in its most refined and exalted purity, found to contain no dross. The words of Jehovah are holy in his precepts, just in his laws, gracious in his promises, significant in his institutions, true in his narrations, and infallible in his predictions. What are thousands of gold and silver, compared to the treasures of the sacred page? Horne.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
3. Confidence in God’s promise 12:6-8
Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)
In contrast to the promises of the liars that so frustrated David, the Lord’s promise that he had received (Psa 12:5) was absolutely pure (flawless) and very precious. He could rely on it completely. Seven was the number the Israelites associated with the perfect work of God, going back to the creation of the cosmos in seven days.