Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Psalms 35:15
But in mine adversity they rejoiced, and gathered themselves together: [yea], the abjects gathered themselves together against me, and I knew [it] not; they did tear [me], and ceased not:
15. But at my halting they rejoice, and gather themselves together. Limping, like stumbling, is a figure for misfortune. Cp. Psa 38:17; Jer 20:10.
Yea, the abjects ] The word rendered abjects is of doubtful meaning and possibly corrupt. (1) According to the rendering of A.V., retained by R.V., the sense is, that with his other enemies were associated the lowest outcasts, a rabble of men whom he knew not (Job 30:8 ff.); for the last words of the line must be rendered with R.V. marg., and those whom I knew not. (2) But the form of the sentence rather points to a description of the conduct of the men who have been mentioned already: so (retaining or slightly altering the present text), they gather themselves together smiting me unawares, or, for things that I know not. The wounds of slander are meant (Jer 18:18). So the Targum: wicked men who smite me with their words. (3) Various emendations have been proposed. One that has found some favour, strangers, is foreign to the rest of the Psalm.
they did tear me &c.] They rend me, and cease not. Like beasts of prey (Hos 13:8); or as we talk of tearing a man’s reputation to shreds. ‘Making mouths ’ in P.B.V. is a modernisation of ‘making mowes ’, i.e. grimaces, which is found in the Great Bible and the early editions of the Prayer Book.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
But in mine adversity they rejoiced – Margin, as in Hebrew, halting. That is, when reverses and troubles came upon me; when, in my journey of life, I seemed to stumble.
And gathered themselves together – Not to help me, but to oppose me, and to deride me.
Yea, the abjects gathered themselves together against me – The word rendered abjects – nekiym – has been very variously rendered. The Septuagint renders it: mastiges, scourges; so the Vulgate, flagella. Our translators evidently regarded it as meaning the low, the vile, the outcasts of society; but this idea is not necessarily implied in the Hebrew word. The word used here is derived from a verb – nakah – which means to smite, to strike, to beat; and it would be correctly rendered in this place, those smiting, or beating: – the smiters. But probably the allusion is to the tongue – to those who, as it were, smite or beat with the tongue; that is, who rail or revile: those who are slanderous. Compare Jer 18:18; Gesenius (Lexicon). Others have supposed that it means lame; that is, those who limp or halt – meaning that all classes of persons gathered themselves together. But probably the true idea is that which is expressed above, that he was surrounded by slanderers and revilers.
And I knew it not – Hebrew, I knew not; that is, I knew nothing of what they accused me of; I was wholly ignorant of the charges brought against me. See the notes at Psa 35:11.
They did tear me – See the notes at Job 16:9. The idea here is that they tore or rent with words; or, as we say in English, they tore him in pieces; that is, they railed at, or reviled him, tearing his character in pieces.
And ceased not – It was not one act only; it was continuous and unceasing. They did it when alone; and they gathered themselves together to do it; they countenanced and encouraged one another.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 15. But in mine adversity they rejoiced] How David was mocked and insulted in the case of Absalom’s rebellion by Shimei and others, is well known.
The abjects] nechim, the smiters, probably hired assassins. They were everywhere lying in wait, to take away my life.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
In mine adversity, Heb. in my halting, i.e. when I was in great danger of falling into mischief; when I had any sickness, or ill success in my affairs, and was almost lost; for such are said to halt, Mic 4:6,7; Zep 3:19. See also Psa 38:17; Jer 20:10.
Gathered themselves together, to wit, against me, as it is expressed in the next clause; either because they were so full of joy at the tidings, that they could not contain it in their own breasts, but sought to communicate it to others; or that they might insult over me, and please and recreate themselves and one another with discourses about it; or that they might consult how to improve the advantage which they now had against me, to my utter destruction. The objects; or, vile persons; either for the meanness of their condition, of for their wickedness, for which they were worthy to be beaten, as the phrase is, Deu 25:2; where the Hebrew word is of the same root with this. Or, the lame, as this very word is rendered, 2Sa 4:4; 9:3, to wit, of their feet, as it is there expressed. The cripples that could not walk without trouble and pain, were as forward as any to go to these meetings upon this occasion.
I knew it not: this may be added to express either their hypocrisy and pretences of respect and affection to him, by reason whereof he had no suspicion of them, nor of any such practices of theirs; or his own danger, that he did not know, and therefore could not prevent, their plots and conspiracies against him. Heb. and I knew not; which is by others, and well may be, rendered thus, even they whom I knew not, they whom I was so far from provoking by any injury, that I never saw their faces, nor heard of their names.
Tear me, i.e. my good name, with scoffs, and calumnies, and reproaches, and curses.
Ceased not, Heb. were not silent, i.e. did thus unweariedly and continually.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
15, 16. On the contrary, theyrejoiced in his affliction. Halting, or, “lameness,”as in Ps 38:17 for anydistress.
abjectseither ascripples (compare 2Sa 4:4),contemptible; or, degraded persons, such as had been beaten (compareJob 30:1-8).
I knew it noteitherthe persons, or, reasons of such conduct.
tear me, and ceasednotliterally, “were not silent”showing that thetearing meant slandering.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
But in mine adversity they rejoiced,…. Or “at my halting” u, either by means of falling into sin; good men are subject to slips and falls, and that to the dislocating or breaking of their bones, which cause them to go halting all their days; wicked men watch for their halting, as Jeremiah’s familiars did for his, Jer 20:10; and rejoice at it; see Ps 38:16; or by falling into some misfortune or calamity; hence we render it “adversity”, and may design some affliction or other, as in Mic 4:6, at which wicked men rejoice; see Eze 35:15; so David’s enemies rejoiced at his afflictions; and the enemies of his son and antitype, the Lord Jesus Christ, were glad when Judas offered to betray him to them; more so when they had got him into their hands; and most of all when he was condemned and crucified: and so do the enemies of his people, as the Philistines sported with Samson when he was in his adversity, and as the antichristian party will rejoice and send gifts one to another when the two witnesses are slain; but the saints have a gracious God, who knows their souls in adversity; a sympathizing high priest, who is touched with a feeling of their infirmities; and fellow saints that are afflicted with them in all their afflictions, and bear a part of their burdens;
and gathered themselves together; not to pity him, but to insult him; not to help him in his distress, but to add to it;
[yea], the abjects gathered themselves together against me; mean persons, the refuse and scum of the earth; such as Job describes,
Job 30:1; the word may be rendered “smitten” w, either in spirit, as in Isa 66:2; they pretending sorrow of heart for his troubles; or rather smitten in body, in their feet, as Mephibosheth was; yet as lame as they were, and notwithstanding their lameness, they got together to rejoice at David’s halting: or it may be best of all to understand it of their being smitten of God and afflicted; and the sense may be, that though the hand of God was upon them, this did not deter them from gathering together to insult David in his afflictions; some render the word “smiters” x, that is, with their tongues, and so the Targum, “the wicked who smite with their words”; see Jer 18:18; and such sort of persons were they that gathered together against Christ: it is true indeed that some of them were men of rank and figure, were the princes of this world, as Herod and Pontius Pilate, and the Jewish rulers, Ac 4:27, compared with Ps 2:1; but the greater part of them were the meaner sort of people; particularly the Roman soldiers that gathered about him, and sported with him in Pilate’s hall, and that surrounded him with scoffs when upon the cross; these also were literally “smiters” of him, both with words and with their hands, and are so called, Isa 50:6;
and I knew [it] not; David knew his enemies, or he could not have shown so much concern for them, as he did in the preceding verses; but either he knew not of their gathering together against him; until he saw them in great numbers about him; or he was not conscious to himself of any evil he had done them, that should be the reason of it; and this was the case of his son the Messiah, he who they were that gathered about him, even those that blindfolded him, and bid him prophesy who smote him; but he knew no sin he had done why he should be treated in the manner he was;
they did tear [me], and ceased not; not their own garments, as some supply it, pretending great grief of heart for him; nor their mouth with laughing at him, as others; see Ps 35:21; but either his character and reputation, with hard sayings and reproachful words, or his flesh with blows; and this they did incessantly; and which was literally true of Christ, whose enemies tore his flesh, by plucking off the hair, by buffeting and scourging him, and by piercing his hands and his feet with nails, when they crucified him; and they ceased not, even after death, to pierce his side with a spear.
u “in claudicatione mea”, Pagninus, Montanus, Vatablus, Gejerus, Michaelis; so Ainsworth. w “percussi”, Pagninus, Montanus, Vatablus, Cocceius. x So Ainsworth.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
15. But they rejoiced at my halting. I see no reason why interpreters should trouble themselves as they do about the word halting. Some conjecture that David had his leg put out of joint, and others suppose that he halted from some disease. But when we consider carefully the whole passage, nothing is more evident than that he refers by this expression to the calamities which befell him; as if he had said, As soon as they saw me begin to stagger and ready to fall, they did as it were gather together against me, and endeavored entirely to overthrow me. There is, therefore, in this expression almost the same metaphor as we have already seen in the word sickness. Now, as men often relent at seeing the misfortunes of their enemies, so that they cease to hate or persecute those who are already miserably wretched, it was an evidence of the very cruel and fierce spirit by which David’s former friends were actuated against him, when, upon seeing him cast down and afflicted, they were rather by this incited furiously and insolently to assail him. At the commencement he speaks only of a few; but immediately after, in order to show still farther the indignity which had been done to him, he adds to them the base and ignoble of the common people; not that he blames all alike, but that he may the better show with what bitter hostility he was assailed on all sides. It is probable that those who were then in power were as it were firebrands, who endeavored to kindle every where the flame of hatred against David, that the people every where might rise up to destroy him, and strive with each other in this enterprise. And he repeats twice that they gathered themselves together, in order to show how resolute and determined they were in their opposition to him; unless, perhaps, some would prefer to explain the words thus: They gathered themselves together, not only those who had some pretext for doing so, but even the lowest of the people. The Hebrew word נכים, nekim, literally signifies the whipped, or beaten, (712) but it is here to be understood as denoting base and disreputable persons. Some interpreters, indeed, derive it from the word כאה, kaäh, which signifies to make sad, and expound it actively, Those who make me sad: but the previous interpretation agrees better with the design of the passage, namely, that David was shamefully treated by the lowest dregs of the people. The words, I knew not, may be referred to the cause as well as to the persons. I, however, explain it as referring to the persons in this sense: So far from having any cause to complain that I have offended them, or done them any harm, I did not even know them. At the same time, these words may be understood as implying a complaint on the part of David, that the people were enraged against him without any cause, since he is conscious of no crime, and can conceive of no ground for such fierce hatred towards him. As to the last clause of the verse, also, although interpreters entertain different opinions, it appears to me that I have given the true and natural meaning. Literally it is, they did cut, and ceased not; but there can be no doubt that the language is metaphorical, and that the word cut (713) signifies that they opened their mouth; as if David had said, They have insolently poured forth with open mouth their scoffing and reproachful words against me. The additional clause in the sentence, and ceased not, is a repetition common in the Hebrew language, and is employed to express the vehemence with which David’s enemies proceeded against him. It implies that there was no end or measure to their evil-speaking, and that they continued to pour forth with distended throats whatever first occurred to them.
(712) The word is derived from נכה, nakah, to strike or to smite. The LXX. render it μαστιγες, scourges; and Jerome reads percutientes , smiters, in which he is followed by Ainsworth, who understands the word as meaning smiters with the tongue, or calumniators, and who thinks that the LXX., in translating it scourges, alluded to the scourge of the tongue, as in Job 5:21; and if smiters is the proper rendering, we may certainly conclude, that as this smiting is represented as done upon the person who was its object in his absence, it was a smiting by the tongue. At the same time, this critic observes, that the word may be read the smitten, that is, abjects, vile persons, as in Job 30:8 Dr Kennicott translates it by verbcrones, whipt slaves, vile scoundrels. Another meaning of the word, according to Buxtorff, is, the wry-legged, the lame. In this sense it is used in 2Sa 4:4, and 9:3; and hence the epithet of Necho was given to one of the Pharaohs, who halted in his gait. Thus it easily came to be employed as a term of contempt. Calvin and the translators of our English Bible agree in the meaning which they attach to this word.
(713) The verb קרע, kara, for cut, “is significant of tearing or rending, and by an easy metaphor, is applicable to wounds inflicted by evil speaking and slander.” — Walford.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(15) In mine adversity.Better, at my fall.
The abjects . . .The Hebrew word occurs only here. It is derived from a root meaning to smite, but its form is perplexing. The ancient versions all give it an active sense. LXX. and Vulg. whips; Symmachus, smiters; Chaldee, the wicked who smite me with their words, probably a correct paraphrase. The passive, these smitten, or objects, is due to R. Kimchi.
And I knew it noti.e., either (1) unawares, as in Psa. 35:8; (2) for what reason I knew not; (3) whom I knew not; (4) and I was innocent. Of these possible explanations (2) is to be preferred.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
15. But in mine adversity In my halting, or fall. It is evident that the courtiers of Saul had all along taken part with the king against David, though their conduct to him was not openly rude or hostile until his fall, or the time he was forced to flee from Saul for his life.
They rejoiced, and gathered together Now their true character appears. They assemble for gratulations and joy. David’s popularity with the people had been an impediment to the ambition of these men; now it seems removed.
Abjects The dregs of the populace, who are always ready to please the party in power. The radical sense of the term nekeem ( abjects) is “smitten-men, men who are brought low or reduced,” (Hengstenberg, Delitzsch,) which suggests the idea of disappointed office-seekers. And
I knew it not Literally, And I knew not. These who now assemble to rejoice at my calamity “I knew not,” being men with whom, on account of their low condition, I could have no intercourse. Compare Job 30:1
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Psa 35:15-16. But in mine adversity they rejoiced, &c. But in my halting they rejoiced, and gathered together; they gathered about me, crouching, when I did not know it; they rent me without ceasing: Psa 35:16. Amidst profligate common buffoons, they grinned upon me with their teeth. These two verses express in the strongest images the insult of his enemies. When he halted, from weakness, they gathered about him, and mocked him with a mimic halting; for nekim, properly signifies people weak in their legs, and consequently limping and crouching: they would come behind him and rend his garment; for karu, I think, never signifies any thing else. They would grin their teeth at him, amidst the loosest, most abandoned, profligate buffoons by profession; for there is not a worse word than chanpei. See Mudge. The indignities and outrages which our Blessed Saviour endured from the Jews seem to be plainly foretold here. Compare Mar 14:65 where Jesus, being blindfolded, suffered a variety of indignities; but could not know who the wretched mockers and buffoons were, otherwise than by his divine power.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Look at the cross, and behold this most strikingly fulfilled. Where indeed shall we look for it in the affliction of any other? Mat 27:39-44 .
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Psa 35:15 But in mine adversity they rejoiced, and gathered themselves together: [yea], the abjects gathered themselves together against me, and I knew [it] not; they did tear [me], and ceased not:
Ver. 15. But in mine adversity ] Heb. in my halting; when through weakness I could not but halt before my best friends, as we say. Morbus est sic dictus quia incedere nequit nisi cum doloro quasi claudicando (Aben-Ezra).
Yea, the abjects gathered themselves together
And I knew not
They did tear me
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
adversity = halting or falling. Compare Psa 38:17. Jer 20:10.
abjects = outcasts.
it. Supply Ellipsis (App-6), by reading “[them]”.
tear me. Hebrew. kar’u (with Ayin = ‘). Spelled with Aleph (kar’u); it means “cry out”. See note on Isa 11:4.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
in mine: Psa 35:25, Psa 35:26, Psa 41:8, Psa 71:10, Psa 71:11, Job 31:29, Pro 17:5, Pro 24:17, Pro 24:18
adversity: Heb. halting, Psa 38:17, Jer 20:10, 1Co 13:6
the abjects: Psa 22:16, Psa 69:12, Job 30:1-12, Mat 27:27-30, Mat 27:39-44, Mar 14:65, Act 17:5
I knew: Psa 35:8, *marg.
they: Psa 7:2, Psa 57:4, Job 16:9
Reciprocal: Jdg 16:23 – to rejoice Jdg 16:25 – sport 2Ki 2:23 – mocked Neh 4:1 – mocked Job 16:10 – gathered Job 30:9 – am I Psa 22:7 – laugh Psa 35:19 – Let Psa 109:25 – a reproach Jer 11:19 – and I Jer 20:7 – I am Lam 1:21 – they are Lam 3:14 – General Eze 36:3 – and are Mic 7:8 – Rejoice Mat 27:29 – platted Mat 27:44 – General Mar 15:19 – they smote Mar 15:29 – they Luk 16:14 – derided Luk 22:63 – mocked Luk 23:35 – derided
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Psa 35:15-16. But in mine adversity Hebrew, , betzalgni, in my halting, that is, when I was in great danger of falling into mischief. When I had any sickness or ill success in my affairs, and was almost lost, for such are often said to halt, in the Scripture; they rejoiced and gathered themselves together These very men (such was their inhumanity!) could not dissemble the joy they conceived when the news was brought of any evil that befell me, but ran to tell one another, and assembled themselves together that they might publicly testify how glad they were to hear it. Yea, the very abjects Hebrew, , neechim, loripedes, the bow-legged, or, lame. It means, properly, percussi aut lsi pedibus, persons wounded or hurt in their feet. The sense is, vile persons, the very scum of the people, persons so mean that I did not so much as know there were such men in the world, met together to revile me; nay, the cripples, who could not walk without trouble and pain, were as forward as any others to go to these meetings on this occasion. They did tear me That is, my good name, with scoffs, and calumnies, and reproaches, and curses; and ceased not Hebrew, , velo damu, were not silent, that is, they acted thus unweariedly and continually; with hypocritical, or profane, mockers Whose common practice it was to scoff at, and deride, others; in feasts Hebrew, , sanniones placent, vel cibi, buffoons, or jesters, for a cake, or morsel of bread; namely, parasites, qui gul causa aliis adulantur, says Buxtorf, who flatter others for the sake of their belly. They made themselves buffoons and jesters, and accustomed themselves to mock and deride David, that they might gain admittance to the tables of great men, where they might fill their bellies, which was all that they sought, or got by such conduct. They gnashed upon me with their teeth They used all expressions of rage and hatred against me, which they did to curry favour with my great and powerful adversaries. The indignities and outrage which the Lord Jesus endured from the Jews seem to be plainly foretold in these two verses. See Mar 14:65.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
35:15 But in mine {m} adversity they rejoiced, and gathered themselves together: [yea], the abjects gathered themselves together against me, and I knew [it] not; they did tear {n} [me], and ceased not:
(m) When they thought me ready to slip and as one that limped for infirmity.
(n) With their railing words.
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
Conversely when David experienced trouble, rather than showing concern for him, they mocked and really made his condition worse.