Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Psalms 140:11

Let not an evil speaker be established in the earth: evil shall hunt the violent man to overthrow [him].

11. A slanderer shall not be established in the land] Cp. Psa 101:5.

to overthrow him] Again the idea is that of the evil which he devises for others relentlessly pursuing him, lit. with thrust upon thrust. Cp. Psa 35:5-6; Pro 13:21. The Targ. paraphrases, “misfortune shall hunt the violent man; the angel of death shall drive him down to hell.”

Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

Let not an evil speaker – literally, A man of tongue. That is, a man whom the tongue rules; a man of an unbridled tongue; a man who does not control his tongue. See the notes at Jam 3:2-12.

Be established in the earth – Be successful or prosperous; let him not carry out his designs. It is not desirable that a man should prosper in such purposes; and therefore, this is not a prayer of malignity, but of benevolence.

Evil shall hunt the violent man … – More literally, A man of violence – a bad man – they shall hunt him down speedily; or, let him be hunted down speedily. Let him who forms a project of violence and wrong – a bad man – be hunted as the beasts of prey are, and let his destruction come quickly. Margin, Let him be hunted to his overthrow. But the explanation now given suits the connection, and is a literal expression of the sense of the original.

Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible

Verse 11. Let not an evil speaker be established] ish lashon, “a man of tongue.” There is much force in the rendering of this clause in the Chaldee gebar demishtai lishan telithai, “The man of detraction, or inflammation, with the three-forked tongue.” He whose tongue is set on fire from hell; the tale-bearer, slanderer, and dealer in scandal: with the three-forked tongue; wounding three at once: his neighbour whom he slanders; the person who receives the slander; and himself who deals in it. What a just description of a character which God, angels, and good men must detest! Let not such a one be established in the land; let him be unmasked; let no person trust him; and let all join together to hoot him out of society. “He shall be hunted by the angel of death, and thrust into hell.” – CHALDEE.

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

An evil speaker; such as slander me and other innocent persons, to exasperate princes against us.

Evil; either the evil of punishment; or, which comes to the same thing, the evil of sin, their own wickedness, which shall recoil upon themselves.

Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole

11. an evil speakeror,”slanderer” will not be tolerated (Ps101:7). The last clause may be translated: “an evil (man) He(God) shall hunt,” &c.

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

Let not an evil speaker be established in the earth,…. One that sets his mouth against the heavens, and speaks evil of God; of his being, perfections, purposes, and providences: whose tongue walks through the earth, and speaks evil of all men, even of dignities; and especially of the saints of the most High, and of the Gospel and ways of Christ. Or, “a men of tongue” q; that uses his tongue in an ill way, in detractions and slanders r; in blaspheming God, his name and tabernacle, and those that dwell therein, as antichrist, Re 13:5; a man that calumniates with a triple tongue, so the Targum; like a serpent, whose tongue seems to be so sometimes. Kimchi applies this to Doeg, and Jarchi to Esau. The request is, that such an one might not be established in the earth; in the land of the living, as the Targum; might not increase and flourish in worldly substance, or be continued in his posterity; but be rooted out of the earth, and he and his be no more; see Ps 3:4;

evil shall hunt the violent man to overthrow [him]; or “to impulsions” s: to drive him from evil to evil, as Kimchi. The sense is, that the evil of punishment shall hunt him, as a beast of prey is hunted; it shall closely pursue him and overtake him, and seize on him, and thrust him down to utter ruin and destruction. The Targum is,

“the injurious wicked man, let the angel of death hunt, and drive into hell.”

Of the violent man, see Ps 140:1; he who purposed to overthrow David, he was persuaded would be overthrown himself. This clause teaches us how to understand the rest; for though they are delivered out as wishes and imprecations, yet are prophetic, and are strongly expressive of the certainty of the things imprecated.

q “vir linguae”, Pagninus, Montanus, Cocceius, Gejerus, Michaelis. r So the word “tongue” is used in Cicero, “Si linguas minus facila possimus”, Epist. l. 9. 2. s “ad impulsiones”, Montanus.

Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible

11. The man of tongue, (232) etc. Some understand by this the loquacious man, but the sense is too restricted; nor is the reference to a reproachful, garrulous, vain and boastful man, but the man of virulence, who wars by deceit and calumny, and not openly. This is plain from what is said of the other class of persons in the subsequent part of the sentence, that his enemies were given to open violence as well as to treachery and cunning — like the lion as well as the wolf — as formerly he complained that the poison of the asp or viper was under their lips. The words run in the future tense, and many interpreters construe them into the optative form, or into a prayer; but I prefer retaining the future tense, as David does not appear so much to pray, as to look forward to a coming deliverance. Whether his enemies wrought by treachery, or by open violence, he looks forward to God as his deliverer. The figure drawn from hunting is expressive. The hunter, by spreading his toils on all sides, leaves no way of escape for the wild beast; and the ungodly cannot by any subterfuge elude the divine judgments. Mischief hunts them into banishment’s, for the more they look for impunity and escape, they only precipitate themselves more certainly upon destruction.

(232) “ A man, of tongue, i.e. , of evil tongue; a slanderer or detractor.” — Phillips. The Bible translation renders the phrase “an evil speaker;” and the Chaldee Paraphrase has “the man of detraction, with a three-forked tongue;” because such a man wounds three at once — the receiver, the sufferer, and himself.

Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary

(11) An evil speaker.Literally, as in LXX. and Vulg., a man of tongue; (Comp. Sir. 8:3; Job. 11:2.) margin, man of lips. It is hardly possible to resist the suggestion that some particular person, noted for the loudness or violence of his speech, was intended.

Evil shall hunt . . .Comp. Pro. 13:21 and Horace, Odes iii. 2, Coningtons translation:

Though vengeance halt, she seldom leaves
The wretch whose flying step she hounds.

To overthrow.The Hebrew is a noun, formed from a root meaning to thrust, and literally means either to destruction or with hasty pursuit. Some render with successive thrusts; but this is hardly a hunting figure.

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

11. An evil speaker Hebrew, A man of tongue. An idle tattler, a slanderer. In Ecc 10:11, “babbler,” is lord of the tongue one who subjects his tongue to no restraint. Later in life David enacted, in regard to his house and court, “He that telleth lies shall not be established in my sight,” Psa 101:7. The sharp Athnach, after “evil,” terminating the line at that word, connects it with violence as an adjective, and makes the sentence parallel to the preceding. The whole verse would then read: “The man of tongue shall not be established in the earth; nor the man of evil violence; he [God] shall hunt him,” etc. But ancient and modern authority generally sets aside the present pointing, ending the line at the preceding word, and makes “evil” the subject of the verb, as in the English version.

Hunt to overthrow Chase to headlong ruin. The idea of the word rendered “overthrow” is that of precipitate ruin.

Evil The consequences of their evil doing shall pursue them to speedy, down-rushing destruction. Bythner: To precipices. Hengstenberg: Pursue him, thrust upon thrust.

Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments