Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Psalms 15:3
[He that] backbiteth not with his tongue, nor doeth evil to his neighbor, nor taketh up a reproach against his neighbor.
3. In the preceding verse the present participle is used; but here the perfect tense, describing how his actual behaviour has been governed by the principles of truth and justice.
He that hath had no slander on his tongue,
Nor done evil to his fellow,
Nor taken up reproach against his neighbour.
Neighbour in A.V. represents two different words. Friend (R.V.) however is somewhat too strong for the first, which denotes anyone with whom he is associated in the intercourse of life. The general sense of the last line is clear. He has not made his neighbour’s faults or misfortunes the object of his ridicule or sarcasm (Psa 69:20). The precise meaning is however not quite certain. Either (1) uttered reproach, or (2) taken up, and given currency to, what might otherwise have lain unheeded; or (3), as is most probable, loaded his neighbour with reproach, adding to the burden of his trouble (Psa 69:7).
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
He that backbiteth not with his tongue – The word backbite means to censure; slander; reproach; speak evil of. The Hebrew word – ragal – a verb formed from the word foot, means properly to foot it, and then to go about. Then it means to go about as a tale-bearer or slanderer; to circulate reports unfavorable to others. It is not improperly rendered here backbite; and the idea is, that it is essential to true piety that one should not be a slanderer, or should not circulate evil reports in regard to others. On the use of the tongue, see the note at Jam 3:2-11.
Nor doeth evil to his neighbor – That does his neighbor no harm. This refers to injury in any way, whether by word or deed. The idea is, that the man who will be admitted to dwell on the holy hill of Zion, the man who is truly religious, is one who does no injury to anyone; who always does that which is right to others. The word neighbor usually refers to one who resides near us; and their it denotes all persons who are near to us in the sense that we have business relations with them; all persons with whom we have anything to do. It is used in this sense here as referring to our dealings with other persons.
Nor taketh up a reproach – Margin, or receiveth, or, endureth. The idea is that of taking up, or receiving as true, or readily giving credit to it. He is slow to believe evil of another. He does not grasp at it greedily as if he had pleasure in it. He does not himself originate such a reproach, nor does he readily and cheerfully credit it when it is stated by others. If he is constrained to believe it, it is only because the evidence becomes so strong that he cannot resist it, and his believing it is contrary to all the desires of is heart. This is true religion every where; but this is contrary to the conduct of no small part of the world. There are large classes of persons to whom nothing is more acceptable than reproachful accusations of others, and who embrace no reports more readily than they do those which impute bad conduct or bad motives to them. Often there is nothing more marked in true conversion than the change which is produced in this respect. He who delighted in gossip and in slanderous reports of others; who found pleasure in the alleged failings and errors of his neighbors; who gladly lent a listening ear to the first intimations of this kind, and who cheerfully contributed his influence in giving circulation to such things, augmenting such reports as they passed through his hands – now sincerely rejoices on hearing everybody well spoken of, and does all that can be done consistently with truth to check such reports, and to secure to every man a good name.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Psa 15:3
He that backbiteth not with his tongue.
How may detraction be best prevented or cured
The abuses of the tongue are many, one whereof is the malignity of it. A man can scarce come into any company but his ears shall be filled with censures, detractions, reproaches; party against party, person against person. Doctrine: It is the duty, and must be the care, of every true Christian not to take up a reproach against his neighbour.
I. Explain the point.
1. Who is my neighbour? It is the peculiarity of the Gospel that every man is made my neighbour. Augustine says, Every man is a neighbour to any other man. Kimchi says, He is called my neighbour with whom I have any business.
2. What is a reproach?
(1) It is nothing else but an evil report, or an evil speech, unduly uttered concerning another. A report is evil in two ways–when it is evil in itself, a false report, and when it is evil to a mans neighbour, when your speech tends to your neighbours disparagement and defamation.
(2) When a man publisheth a neighbours secret infirmities or sins.
(3) When a man aggravates the real or supposed faults of his neighbour either in opinion or practice. Men often censure others for things indifferent and of small moment, as, for example, in their habits and garbs.
3. What is it to take up a reproach against a mans neighbour? It is a defective manner of expression, and therefore is diversely supplied, but especially and most reasonably two ways–when he takes it up into his mouth, and is the first raiser of the reproach, or the spreader and promoter of it; and when he takes it into his ear. This he may do when he quietly permits it, and gives no check to it; when he hears a reproach greedily, and with delight; and when he easily believes a reproach.
II. The proof of the doctrine. This shall consist in the representation of the sinfulness and injury of this practice of censuring, backbiting, and reproaching of others.
1. It is injurious to God. As an invasion of Gods prerogative: a manifest breach of His laws. It is against particular and express Scriptures; against the fundamental law of love and charity; against the royal law of Christ; against the great law of maintaining peace among men; against the great command laid upon all Christians, of excelling other men: it is a sin against the whole design and scope of the Scriptures; it is a great injury to God, because it is a confederacy with Gods greatest enemy, the devil.
2. It is an injury done to thyself. Hereby thou dost contract guilt, the worst of all evils. Hereby thou dost expel or weaken that excellent grace of love, that necessary and fundamental grace, that sweet and amiable grace. Hereby thou dost lay a foundation for thy own reproach.
3. It is a great injury to the person whom thou dost censure and reproach. Thou dost rob him of the best treasure he hath in the world. Hereby thou dost disenable him from getting good, both as to his outward and as to his inward man. Hereby thou dost hinder him from doing of good in the world.
4. It is a great injury to other men. Thou corruptest others by thy example. Thou art a disturber of human society. Thou art a great enemy to the Church of God.
Two questions–
1. May I not speak evil of another person when it is true? A man may be faulty in so doing. A man may speak evil of another person when necessity requires it. If you will speak evil of others, do it in the right method. In doubtful cases silence is the safest way.
2. If the man I speak against is an enemy of God and His people? Well to remember there is much sinful zeal in the world and in the Church. Con-eider how easy a mistake is in this case, and how dangerous. And you must not go out of your way to meet with Gods enemies.
Application:
1. Lamentation for the gross neglect of this duty, or the frequent commission of this sin.
2. Take heed that you be not found guilty of this sin.
3. Avoid the causes of this sin. Take heed of uncharitableness, in all its kinds and degrees. Take heed of loquacity and multitude of words. Take heed of pragmaticalness, which is when men are inquisitive and busy about other mens matters. Take heed of man-pleasing.
4. Learn the government of your tongues. (Matthew Poole, A. M.)
The good man no backbiter
He that backbiteth not with his tongue. That is an extraordinary expression! To bite with the tongue! But the word is even more expressive still. The backbiter is one who walks along the way for the purpose of spying out anothers defects. He then takes the products of his ugly search and presses them into his social intercourse, and endows his words with teeth that are coated with venom. The companion of the Lord paces the common way with quite a different purpose. He, too, spies about, but not with the eyes of the cynic, but with the eyes of a friend, and his words are a fountain of life. (J. H. Jowett, M. A.)
Venomous speech
We saw in the museum at Venice an instrument with which one of the old Italian tyrants was accustomed to shoot poisoned needles at the objects of his wanton malignity; we thought of gossips, backbiters, and secret slanderers, and wished that their mischievous devices might come to a speedy end. Their weapons of innuendo, shrug, and whisper appear to be as insignificant as needles, but the venom which they instill is deadly to many a reputation. (C. H. Spurgeon.)
Slander avoided
1. Slander. All reproachful, opprobrious, and vile speech of or to our brethren is condemned; and that speech which, uttered in their absence, tendeth to their disgrace, discredit, or defamation. This evil is against the law of charity. Satan is the author of slander. See his words to Eve. St. James, speaking of slander, said the tongue was full of deadly poison. This sin is in sundry ways committed. Diogenes, being asked, what beast bit sorest, answered, Among wild beasts, the slanderer; but among tame beasts, the flatterer.
(1) When anything is falsely said of us, and we are charged with matters that are untrue.
(2) When men, by vehemency of words, aggravate and amplify the infirmities and light offences of men.
(3) When men blaze abroad the secret sins and infirmities of their brethren.
(4) When we deprave the good deeds and well doing of men.
(5) When, by our manner of speaking, we leave a surmise and suspicion in the hearts of the hearers.
(6) When we report truly the faults of men, yet not for love to the truth, but for envy to the persons. The chief causes of slandering seem to be these: Love of yourselves. Malice towards others. Desire of revenge. Hope of commodity. Study to please.
2. Injury. Men do injury and evil unto other men chiefly in four ways: in body, in goods, in rights and privileges, in name and estimation.
3. Receiving and believing false reports against brethren. Men should not be too light of belief. They are often even pleased with false reports.
4. Flattering the wicked. To hate the wicked and favour the just is a point of equity.
5. Breaking promises. This is usual in the wicked. (R. Turnbull.)
The backbiter
The backbiter is so called because, like the dog, he steals behind those in whom he wishes to flesh his teeth, deals in innuendoes, insinuations, evil surmisings, significant shrugs and looks, words meaning one thing in their literal sense and altogether another thing from the tone in which they are uttered, and so destroys a good name that no open assault could have affected. In this way the weak often overwhelm the strong; the vilest the most pure. The blow from behind and in the dark accomplishes its work of ruin before danger is even suspected. The truly good man, however, will assail no mans good name. If he cannot speak good of another he will say nothing. He thinks, and justly too, that he has no more right to injure anothers character, than he has to injure his health; to destroy anothers good name, than he has to destroy his life. If he discover a neighbours faults he does not noise them abroad, but tries to conceal them; and so, if he discovers his neighbours necessities, he does what he can to relieve them. Moreover, be taketh not up a reproach against his neighbour; that is, either he will not originate a reproach, or he will not listen to one. The willing listener is as bad as the tale bearer. If there were none to listen to the tale of scandal, there would be none to start it, and none to repeat it; the slanderous ear is as detestable as the slanderous tongue. (David Caldwell, A. M.)
Nor doeth evil to his neighbour.—
The good man no evil-doer
Nor doeth evil to his neighbour. I think we are still in the region of speech, and the Psalmist is still describing the influence of destructive conversation. To do evil in ones speech is to spoil ones neighbour; to break him to pieces. We have preserved the equivalent of the Psalmists phrase down to our own time. We still speak of picking a person to pieces. This is precisely the significance of the original word. There is a conversation which mercilessly engages in the exercise of spoliation; breaking up the reputation of another, and leaving it like the bones of some poor bird which has been picked to pieces by a destructive hawk. The speech of the companion of the Lord is quite otherwise. It ever seeks to construct and strengthen. Let no speech proceed out of your mouth but what is edifying. (J. H. Jowett, M. A.)
Detraction
From the day that Adam fell, thorns and thistles, with other noxious plants, have sprung up to vex and molest the sinner. As travellers wending their way through some dismal swamp, let us pause a moment on the way and pull up one of these weeds and examine it for our instruction. We may have it in our own garden plot; who knows? The weed we speak of is–Detraction.
I. It is owe of a class of sins. There are many of them, such as slander, calumny, defamation, revilings, aspersions, vilifications, and libel. All these are worse in some respects than detraction; they are coarser, uglier, bigger weeds. Calumny involves deliberate false statement. The defamer publishes his unfriendly message to the world. The libeler writes down and prints, and so puts before the eyes of a thousand readers in lasting form, the expressions of his malignity. And they who revile and asperse give us the idea of common scolds and scatterers of mud and offal, and show meanly themselves for the very manner of their work. But the act of the detractor is different from all these. It needs not lies nor aught which is essential to the others.
II. What, then, is it? It is a taking something away, a kind of petty minute robbery. It consists in depreciating and disparaging others, It is made up of slurs and innuendoes, of hints and gestures; and is often clad in graceful and witty garb. But it is very villainous. For with all our weakness and faults there is some good in everybody which is very precious to its possessor. Now the Lord sees this, however little it be, and makes the most of it. But detraction makes the least of it it can.
III. The causes of this sin.
1. Personal interest. People think there is something to be gained by it.
2. Envy. They cannot endure the prosperity or happiness of others. What evil it works in all public affairs. It is the crying scandal of our day. And in business, men use it to supplant their rivals and to advance themselves. The envious detractor is moved thereto by his bad temper and also by the pleasure, which he ought to be ashamed of,–the pleasure which people take in hearing of the misfortunes of others. Who is not conscious of this pleasure, vile as it is? But
3. Vanity is the chief motive of detraction. Reputation for wit is gained in such easy way by it, and a vain, weak person cannot resist the temptation. Nobody would listen to him on any other subject, but let him open his lips with some wretched gossip or scandal, and all listen. What punishment is too severe for this? It is the pest of society; but as for reform, it is all but impossible. Habit, and rivalry, and lack of high aim maintain it. But we have need greatly to fear if we be guilty of it. (Morgan Dix.)
Nor taketh up a reproach against his neighbour.
Evil speaking not to be listened to
Nor taketh up a reproach against his neighbour. Then we are not only forbidden to speak evil, we are forbidden to listen to it. We are not only forbidden to cast a slander, we are forbidden to take it up when another has hurled it. To repeat a thing is to incur guilt quite as much as if we originated it. I think that one of the great needs of our day is the grace of sanctified hearing. How much the Master made of the responsibility of possessing ears! He that hath ears to hear, let him hear. Take heed how ye hear. There is a discriminating way of listening. There is a listening which encourages the speaker of slander, and there is a closing of the ears which reduces the slanderer to silence. There would be much less evil speaking if there was much less evil listening. The evil speaker yearns for the reward of attention and applause. If these are withheld he will soon tire of his nefarious trade. The companion of the Lord listens for commendations, eulogies, and repeats them to others. He likes to hear a good thing of somebody, and he sings it again into the ears of somebody else. (J. H. Jowett, M. A.)
The law of the lip
I. The nature of slander.
1. The origination of an evil report concerning our neighbour.
2. The circulation of an evil report invented by others.
3. The listening to such a report. Giving it the sanction of our ear.
II. The evil of slander. What mighty unhappiness it causeth.
1. It demoralises the slanderer.
2. It demoralises the person to whom the slander is related.
3. It wrongs the party slandered.
III. The cure for slander. It is a most difficult thing to rule the tongue, and refrain from evil-speaking. What is the grand cure for all sins of the lip? He speaketh the truth in his heart. The heart must be changed, enlightened, exalted. Out of a pure fountain flows a pure stream. (W. L. Watkinson.)
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
Verse 3. He that backbiteth not with his tongue] lo ragal al leshono, “he foots not upon his tongue.”
4. He is one who treats his neighbour with respect. He says nothing that might injure him in his character, person, or property; he forgets no calumny, he is author of no slander, he insinuates nothing by which his neighbour may be injured. The tongue, because of its slanderous conversation, is represented in the nervous original as kicking about the character of an absent person; a very common vice, and as destructive as it is common: but the man who expects to see God abhors it, and backbites not with his tongue. The words backbite and backbiter come from the Anglo-Saxon bac, the back, and [A.S.], to bite. How it came to be used in the sense it has in our language, seems at first view unaccountable; but it was intended to convey the treble sense of knavishness, cowardice, and brutality. He is a knave, who would rob you of your good name; he is a coward, that would speak of you in your absence what he dared not to do in your presence; and only an ill-conditioned dog would fly at and bite your back when your face was turned. All these three ideas are included in the term; and they all meet in the detractor and calumniator. His tongue is the tongue of a knave, a coward, and a dog. Such a person, of course, has no right to the privileges of the Church militant, and none of his disposition can ever see God.
Nor doeth evil to his neighbour]
5. He not only avoids evil speaking, but he avoids also evil acting towards his neighbour. He speaks no evil of him; he does no evil to him; he does him no harm; he occasions him no wrong. On the contrary, he gives him his due. See under the second particular. See Clarke on Ps 15:2.
Nor taketh up a reproach against his neighbour.]
6. The word cherpah, which we here translate a reproach, comes from charaph, to strip, or make bare, to deprive one of his garments; hence choreph, the winter, because it strips the fields of their clothing, and the trees of their foliage. By this, nature appears to be dishonoured and disgraced. The application is easy: a man, for instance, of a good character is reported to have done something wrong: the tale is spread, and the slanderers and backbiters carry it about; and thus the man is stripped of his fair character, of his clothing of righteousness, truth, and honesty. All may be false; or the man, in an hour of the power of darkness, may have been tempted and overcome; may have been wounded in the cloudy and dark day, and deeply mourns his fall before God. Who that has not the heart of a devil would not strive rather to cover than make bare the fault? Those who feed, as the proverb says, like the flies, passing over all a man’s whole parts to light upon his wounds, will take up the tale, and carry it about. Such, in the course of their diabolic work, carry the story of scandal to the righteous man; to him who loves his God and his neighbour. But what reception has the tale-bearer? The good man taketh it not up; lo nasa, he will not bear it; it shall not be propagated from him. He cannot prevent the detractor from laying it down; but it is in his power not to take it up: and thus the progress of the slander may be arrested. He taketh not up a reproach against his neighbour; and the tale-bearer is probably discouraged from carrying it to another door. Reader, drive the slanderer of your neighbour far away from you: ever remembering that in the law of God, as well as in the law of the land, “the receiver is as bad as the thief.”
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
He doth not take away or diminish his neighbours good name, either by denying him his due praises, or by laying any thing to his charge falsely, or without sufficient cause and evidence;
nor doeth evil, i.e. any hurt or injury, to his neighbour, i.e. to any man; as is evident,
1. From the nature of this precept, which reacheth to all, it being plain and certain that, both by laws of nature and of Moses, it was not. lawful to do evil to any man, except where God the Sovereign commanded it, as he did to the Canaanites and Amalekites.
2. From the Scripture usage of this word neighbour, which frequently signifies every man, though a stranger or a heathen, as appears from Gen 29:4; Exo 20:10,17; Le 18:20; 19:15, &c.; Pro 25:8,9; Lu 10:20, &c.; Mat 5:43,44. And he useth this word neighbour, because he who is strictly so is most within our reach, and most liable to the injuries which one man doth to another.
Nor taketh up, to wit, into his lips or mouth, which is understood here, as also Exo 20:7; Job 4:2, and fully expressed Psa 16:4; 50:16, i.e. doth not raise it, though that may seem to be included in the first clause, that backbiteth not; or doth not spread and propagate it; which men are too prone and ready to do, and which makes that a public which before was but a private injury and mischief. Or, nor taketh or receiveth, i.e. entertaineth it cheerfully and greedily, as men usually do such things, and easily believeth it without sufficient reason. See Exo 23:1; Lev 19:16. Or, nor beareth or endureth, as this phrase signifies, Psa 69:7; Eze 36:15. He doth not suffer another to defame him without some rebuke or signification of his dislike, Pro 25:23.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
3. He neither slanders norspreads slander.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
[He that] backbiteth not with his tongue,…. Is not a slanderer, a defamer, a tale bearer; a backbiter is one who privately, secretly, behind a man’s back speaks evil of him, devours and destroys his credit and reputation: the word here used comes from , which signifies the “foot”, and denotes such a person who goes about from house to house, speaking things he should not, 1Ti 5:13; and a word from this root signifies spies; and the phrase here may point at such persons who creep into houses, pry into the secrets of families, and divulge them, and oftentimes represent them in a false light. Such are ranked amongst the worst of men, and are very unfit to be in the society of the saints, or in a church of Christ; see Ro 1:30
2Co 12:20;
nor doeth evil to his neighbour: to any man whatever, good or bad, friend or foe, whether in a natural, civil, or spiritual relation, either by words or deeds, to his person, property, or good name;
nor taketh up, a reproach against his neighbour; does not raise any scandalous report on him himself, nor will he bear to hear one from another, much less will he spread one; nor will he suffer one to lie upon his neighbour, but will do all he can to vindicate him, and clear his character.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
The distich which contains the question and that containing the general answer are now followed by three tristichs, which work the answer out in detail. The description is continued in independent clauses, which, however, have logically the value of relative clauses. The perff. have the signification of abstract presents, for they are the expression of tried qualities, of the habitual mode of action, of that which the man, who is the subject of the question, never did and what consequently it is not his wont to do. means to go about, whether in order to spie out (which is its usual meaning), or to gossip and slander (here, and the Piel in 2Sa 19:28; cf. , ). Instead we have (with Dag. in the second , in order that it may be read with emphasis and not slurred over),
(Note: Vid., the rule for this orthophonic Dag. in the Luther. Zeitschrift, 1863, S. 413.)
because a word lies upon the tongue ere it is uttered, the speaker brings it up as it were from within on to his tongue or lips, Psa 16:4; Psa 50:16; Eze 36:3. The assonance of is well conceived. To do evil to him who is bound to us by the ties of kindred and friendship, is a sin which will bring its own punishment. is also the parallel word to in Exo 32:27. Both are here intended to refer not merely to persons of the same nation; for whatever is sinful in itself and under any circumstances whatever, is also sinful in relation to every man according to the morality of the Old Testament. The assertion of Hupfeld and others that in conjunction with means efferre = effari , is opposed by its combination with and its use elsewhere in the phrase “to bear reproach” (Psa 69:8). It means (since is just as much tollere as ferre ) to bring reproach on any one, or load any one with reproach. Reproach is a burden which is more easily put on than cast off; au dacter calumniare, semper aliquid haeret . In Psa 15:4 the interpretation “he is little in his own eyes, despised,” of which Hupfeld, rejecting it, says that Hitzig has picked it up out of the dust, is to be retained. Even the Targ., Saad., Aben-Ezra, Kimchi, Urbino (in his Grammar, ) take together, even though explaining it differently, and it is accordingly accented by Baer | ( Mahpach, Asla Legarme, Rebia magnum).
(Note: The usual accentuation | forcibly separates from to which according to its position it belongs. And Heidenheim’s accentuation is to be rejected on accentuological grounds, because of two like distinctives the second has always a less distinctive value than the first. We are consequently only left to the one given above. The MSS vary.)
God exalts him who is , 1Sa 15:17. David, when he brought up the ark of his God, could not sufficiently degrade himself ( ), and appeared , 2Sa 6:22. This lowliness, which David also confesses in Psa 131:1-3, is noted here and throughout the whole of the Old Testament, e.g., Isa 57:15, as a condition of being well-pleasing before God; just as it is in reality the chief of all virtues. On the other hand, it is mostly translated either, according to the usual accentuation, with which the Beth of is dageshed: the reprobate is despised in his eyes (Rashi, Hupf.), or in accordance with the above accentuation: despised in his eyes is the reprobate (Maurer, Hengst., Olsh., Luzzatto); but this would say but little, and be badly expressed. For the placing together of two participles without an article, and moreover of similar meaning, with the design of the one being taken as subject and the other as predicate, is to be repudiated simply on the ground of style; and the difference among expositors shows how equivocal the expression is.
On the other hand, when we translate it: “despicable is he in his own eyes, worthy to be despised” (Ges. 134, 1), we can appeal to Psa 14:1, where is intensified just in the same way by , as is here by ; cf. also Gen 30:31; Job 31:23; Isa 43:4. The antithesis of Psa 15:4 to Psa 15:4 is also thus fully met: he himself seems to himself unworthy of any respect, whereas he constantly shows respect to others; and the standard by which he judges is the fear of God. His own fear of Jahve is manifest from the self-denying strictness with which he performs his vows. This sense of is entirely misapprehended when it is rendered: he swears to his neighbour ( = ), which ought to be , or: he swears to the wicked (and keeps to what he has thus solemnly promised), which ought to be ; for to what purpose would be the omission of the elision of the article, which is extremely rarely (Psa 36:6) not attended to in the classic style of the period before the Exile? The words have reference to Lev 5:4: if any one swear, thoughtlessly pronouncing , to do evil or to do good, etc. The subject spoken of is oaths which are forgotten, and the forgetting of which must be atoned for by an asham, whether the nature of the oath be something unpleasant and injurious, or agreeable and profitable, to the person making the vow. The retrospective reference of to the subject is self-evident; for to injure another is indeed a sin, the vowing and performance of which, not its omission, would require to be expiated. On = vid., Ges. 67, rem. 6. The hypothetical antecedent (cf. e.g., 2Ki 5:13) is followed by is an apodosis. The verb is native to the law of vows, which, if any one has vowed an animal in sacrifice, forbids both changing it for its money value ( ) and exchanging it for another, be it , Lev 27:10, Lev 27:33. The psalmist of course does not use these words in the technical sense in which they are used in the Law. Swearing includes making a vow, and disavows not merely any exchanging of that which was solemnly promised, but also any alteration of that which was sworn: he does not misuse the name of God in anywise, .
In Psa 15:5 the psalmist also has a passage of the Tra before his mind, viz., Lev 25:37, cf. Exo 22:24; Deu 23:20; Eze 18:8. signifies to give a thing away in order to take usury ( ( yrusu ekat ot r from to bite, ) for it. The receiver or demander of interest is , the one who pays interest , the interest itself . The trait of character described in Psa 15:5 also recalls the language of the Mosaic law: , the prohibition Exo 23:8; Deu 16:19; and , the curse Deu 27:25: on account of the innocent, i.e., against him, to condemn him. Whether it be as a loan or as a gift, he gives without conditions, and if he attain the dignity of a judge he is proof against bribery, especially with reference to the destruction of the innocent. And now instead of closing in conformity with the description of character already given: such a man shall dwell, etc., the concluding sentence takes a different form, moulded in accordance with the spiritual meaning of the opening question: he who doeth these things shall never be moved ( fut. Niph.), he stands fast, being upheld by Jahve, hidden in His fellowship; nothing from without, no misfortune, can cause his overthrow.
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
David, after having briefly set forth the virtues with which all who desire to have a place in the Church ought to be endued, now enumerates certain vices from which they ought to be free. In the first place, he tells them that they must not be slanderers or detractors; secondly, that they must restrain themselves from doing any thing mischievous and injurious to their neighbors; and, thirdly, that they must not aid in giving currency to calumnies and false reports. Other vices, from which the righteous are free, we shall meet with as we proceed. David, then, sets down calumny and detraction as the first point of injustice by which our neighbors are injured. If a good name is a treasure, more precious than all the riches of the world, (Pro 22:1,) no greater injury can be inflicted upon men than to wound their reputation. It is not, however, every injurious word which is here condemned; but the disease and lust of detraction, which stirs up malicious persons to spread abroad calumnies. At the same time, it cannot be doubted that the design of the Holy Spirit is to condemn all false and wicked accusations. In the clause which immediately follows, the doctrine that the children of God ought to be far removed from all injustice, is stated more generally: Nor doeth evil to his companion. By the words companion and neighbor, the Psalmist means not only those with whom we enjoy familiar intercourse, and live on terms of intimate friendship, but all men, to whom we are bound by the ties of humanity and a common nature. He employs these terms to show more clearly the odiousness of what he condemns, and that the saints may have the greater abhorrence of all wrong dealing, since every man who hurts his neighbor violates the fundamental law of human society. With respect to the meaning of the last clause, interpreters are not agreed. Some take the phrase, to raise up a calumnious report, for to invent, because malicious persons raise up calumnies from nothing; and thus it would be a repetition of the statement contained in the first clause of the verse, namely, that good men should not allow themselves to indulge in detraction. But I think there is also here rebuked the vice of undue credulity, which, when any evil reports are spread against our neighbors, leads us either eagerly to listen to them, or at least to receive them without sufficient reason; whereas we ought rather to use all means to suppress and trample them under foot. (295) When any one is the bearer of invented falsehoods, those who reject them leave them, as it were, to fall to the ground; while, on the contrary, those who propagate and publish them from one person to another are, by an expressive form of speech, said to raise them up.
(295) “ Et mettre sous le pied.” — Fr.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(3) He that backbiteth not.Literally, he has not footed it on his tongue. Very expressive of those who go about from house to house carrying tittle- tattle. (Comp. 1Ti. 5:13.)
Reproach.The Hebrew word has a striking derivation. Properly, the stripping of the trees of autumn fruit; so, stripping honour and reputation from a person. Two different words are in the Hebrew for neighbour. Translate, Who does no ill to his friend, nor carries a reproach against his neighbour. The marginal receiveth, or endureth, is quite against the context.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
3. The remaining verses of the psalm describe the character inquired after (Psa 15:1) in its conduct toward others.
Backbiteth not The word rendered “backbiteth,” radically means to go about, walk, wander, for whatever purpose, and hence as talebearer, slanderer. By the law of God, and the judgment of mankind, a most cowardly, despicable, and pernicious practice, and yet how common! Exo 23:1; Lev 19:16. Our English version of the latter passage brings out the full idea: “Thou shalt not go up and down as a talebearer.”
Evil The term is generic any thing that works injury.
Neighbour That is, another, whoever he may be, any member of the human family. The word also denotes friend, companion, fellow.
Taketh up a reproach To “take up a reproach” is to repeat it.
Against his neighbour The word here rendered “neighbour” is different from that in the previous line, and means one who is nigh, either by residence, friendship, or blood relationship. Talebearing and slanderous gossip are proverbially neighbourhood nuisances and Church scandals.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Psa 15:3. Nor taketh up a reproach, &c. Nor throweth a disgrace upon his neighbour: namely, by dishonouring his wife or daughter. I understand it so, says Mr. Mudge, for two reasons; one, that the common translation comes too near the meaning of the first clause of this verse; the second, that otherwise something very essential to a good man, and which is usually made part of his character, (See Ezekiel 18.) would be omitted.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Having said so much upon the first account given of the citizen of Zion, less will be necessary to be observed here, in the other different features of character added. But the Reader himself, if he loves to trace the loveliness of the altogether lovely one here drawn, will find throughout the Bible, beautiful repetitions of the same, in every part, to show that it could be only Him the Holy Ghost had in view. And though all his redeemed have fellowship with him, are righteous in his righteousness, and are citizens, in him their glorious Head, of Zion; yet from first to last, while in the body here below, it is by grace alone, and from God’s accepting them in the Beloved, that they are considered holy, and without blame before him in love. Reader, pause as you read the several characters given of our Jesus, in these sweet verses, and see how fully they mark his person, and at the same time, how all his saints fall short of him. Who but of Jesus can it be said, that he never slandered his neighbour, nor did evil to him, nor took up a reproach against him? Who but of Jesus could it ever be said, that a vile person is uniformly contemned without respect of persons, and he that feared the Lord, was always honored? Who but of Jesus could it be said, that he never swerved from his kind purposes, though it was to his own hurt, and changed not, however personally he suffered for it? Of none among the fallen sons of Adam, though renewed by grace, could such accounts be strictly given. But of Jesus all these features of character, yea, and a thousand more, mark his divine person. Yes, thou Holy One of God, thou and thou only, when thou wert reviled, reviled not again, but wast led as a lamb to the slaughter. Thou didst show no respect of persons, but didst choose the poor of this world, rich in faith, and heirs of thy kingdom, when sending the rich empty away! Thou didst not change thy blessed purposes, when thou hadst once undertaken the redemption of thy people, though by becoming surety for another, thou didst smart for it, and every joy of theirs, in thy great undertaking, cost thee pangs and blood. Hail! blessed Jesus: thou alone art worthy of ascending, and fixing thy eternal residence upon thy Zion, which thou hast justly earned. Thou alone wert worthy to open the book, and loose the seals thereof; for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood. Rev 5:9 .
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Psa 15:3 [He that] backbiteth not with his tongue, nor doeth evil to his neighbour, nor taketh up a reproach against his neighbour.
Ver. 3. He that backbiteth not with his tongue ] That trotteth not up and down for the purpose, as the word signifieth; that walketh not about as a pedlar with his pack, as the word is, Lev 19:16 , this is a bloody sin, ibid.; confer Eze 22:9 . Ragal, whence Regal, a foot. Many ways a man may backbite with his tongue, that unruly member.
Imponens, augens, manifestans, in mala vertens,
Qui negat, aut minuit, tacuit, laudatque remisse.
One observeth from this text that there is also a slander of the heart that never cometh into the tongue, sc.
Nor doth evil to his neighbour
Nor taketh up a reproach against his neighbour
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
He that = that never hath. So in the following two lines.
evil. Hebrew. ra’a’. App-44.
neighbour = friend.
taketh up = receiveth.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
backbiteth: Psa 101:5-8, Exo 23:1-33, Lev 19:16, Jer 9:4-9, Rom 1:30, Tit 3:2, Jam 4:11, 1Pe 2:1, 1Pe 2:2
doeth: 1Sa 24:11, Isa 56:2, Mat 7:12, Rom 12:17, Rom 13:10, 3Jo 1:11
taketh up: or, receiveth or, endureth, Pro 22:10, Pro 25:3
Reciprocal: Exo 20:16 – General Num 30:2 – vow a vow 2Sa 16:3 – day 2Sa 19:27 – slandered Pro 10:18 – that uttereth Pro 25:23 – so Eph 4:31 – evil speaking 1Ti 3:11 – not
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Psa 15:3. He backbites not with his tongue Doth not use his tongue to calumniate, or detract from the reputation of any one; speaks evil of no man, nor makes the faults of others the subject of his conversation, much less of his sport or ridicule, nor speaks of them with pleasure, nor at all but for edification. Nor doeth evil Any hurt or injury, willingly or designedly, to his neighbour That is, any man; doth nothing to offend or grieve his spirit, to prejudice the health or ease of his body, to injure him in his estate or secular concerns, in his family or relations; but makes conscience of doing as he would be done by. Nor taketh up a reproach against his neighbour Namely, into his lips or mouth: doth not raise it, or spread and propagate it, or even believe it, without sufficient reason.