Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Psalms 58:1
To the chief Musician, Al-taschith, Michtam of David. Do ye indeed speak righteousness, O congregation? do ye judge uprightly, O ye sons of men?
1. O congregation ] This rendering of the obscure word l m, adopted by the scholars of the early part of the 16th century from the learned Rabbi David Kimchi (c. 1160 1235), cannot be defended, and does not suit the context. The word l m occurs elsewhere only in the title of Psalms 56, and from its derivation appears to mean silence.
i. Taking this meaning, we may render,
(1) as R.V., Do ye indeed in silence speak righteousness? The Psalmist expostulates with the judges who neglect their office. “They are dumb when they ought to speak, as afterwards they are said to be deaf when they ought to hear.” (Bp Perowne). ‘To speak righteousness’ means ‘to pronounce just sentences.’ Justice and uprightness are characteristics of God’s judgement (Psa 9:8), which ought to be reflected by all earthly judges.
(2) as R.V. marg. with substantially the same sense: Is the righteousness ye should speak dumb?
(3) as Kay: Will ye indeed utter long-silent Justice? a reference, he supposes, to Absalom’s profession of a desire to remedy the want of proper provision for the administration of justice, while he was himself plotting the unnatural crime of rebellion against his father. See 2Sa 15:2-6.
With this reading it is best to retain the rendering, O ye sons of men, in the next line, though it is also possible to render, Do ye judge uprightly the sons of men? The judges are addressed as sons of men to remind them that they are but human, and themselves subject to a higher tribunal.
ii. Most critics, however, think that here (as perhaps in the title of Psalms 56 also) the word l m should be read with different vowels, lm, ‘gods,’ or, ‘mighty ones.’ We must then render,
Do ye indeed, O ye gods, speak righteousness?
Do ye judge uprightly the sons of men?
The judges are addressed as lm, ‘gods,’ as in Psa 82:1; Psa 82:6 they are called elhm, ‘gods,’ because in their judicial capacity they acted as the representatives of God, the supreme Judge. They are thus addressed here, half-sarcastically and half-reproachfully, in contrast to the ‘sons of men,’ over whom they exercise jurisdiction; as well as to emphasise the comparison between their failure to administer justice, and the righteous judgement of God ( Psa 58:11).
Elm however is not so used elsewhere, and may simply mean ‘mighty ones.’ Cp. Exo 15:15; 2Ki 24:15; Job 41:25 (Heb. 17); Eze 17:13; Eze 32:21.
Cheyne and some other commentators find here a reference to the angels, “to whom the actual administration of the world’s government has been entrusted.” But there is nothing in the context to justify the importation of an idea which belongs to the later development of Jewish theology. It is true that it is found in the LXX of Deu 32:8, “He set the bounds of the nations according to the number of the angels of God”; but this paraphrase has no claim to be regarded as representing the original text.
iii. None of the Ancient Versions however give any support to this emendation. The LXX and Jerome render l m as an adverb (‘then’ or ‘certainly’); the Syr. omits it; Aquila and the Targ. attest the reading of the text. Plausible as the emendation is, it must not be made a basis of argument, and the obscurity of the passage must be admitted.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
1, 2. An indignant remonstrance with those in authority, who, instead of condemning crime, are themselves the most guilty criminals.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Do ye indeed speak righteousness, O congregation? – Luther renders this, Are you then dumb, that you will not speak what is right, and judge what is proper, ye children of men? The meaning of the verse is exceedingly obscure; but probably the whole sense of the psalm turns on it. The word rendered congregation, ‘elem – occurs only in this place and in the title to Psa 56:1-13, Jonath-elem-rechokim. See the notes at that title. The word properly means dumbness, silence. Gesenius (Lexicon) renders it here, Do ye indeed decree dumb justice? that is, Do ye really at length decree justice, which so long has seemed dumb? Professor Alexander renders it, Are ye indeed dumb when ye should speak righteousness? The allusion is clearly to some public act of judging; to a judicial sentence; to magistrates and rulers; to people who should give a righteous sentence; to those in authority who ought to pronounce a just opinion on the conduct of others.
The fact in the case on which the appeal is made seems to have been that they did not do this; that their conduct was wicked and perverse; that no reliance could be placed on their judicial decisions. Rosenmuller renders it, There is, in fact, silence of justice; that is, justice is not declared or spoken. Perhaps the meaning of the phrase may be thus expressed: Is there truly a dumbness or silence of justice when ye speak? do you judge righteously, O ye sons of men? That is, You indeed speak; you do declare an opinion; you pronounce a sentence; but justice is, in fact, dumb or silent when you do it. There is no correct or just judgment in the matter. The opinion which is declared is based on error, and has its origin in a wicked heart. There is no expression in the original to correspond to the words O congregation in our translation, unless it is the word ‘elem, which never has this signification.
It is not so rendered in any of the versions. It is not easy to determine who is referred to by this question. It cannot be, as is implied in our common version, that it is to any congregation, any people gathered together for the purpose of pronouncing judgment. Yet it is evidently a reference to some persons, or classes of persons, who were expected to judge, or to whom it pertained to pass judgment; and the most natural supposition is that the reference is to the rulers of the nation – to Saul, and the heads of the government. If the supposition is correct that the psalm was composed, like Psa 56:1-13; Psa 57:1-11; 59, in the time of the Sauline persecutions, and that it belongs to the same group of psalms, then it would have reference to Saul and to those who were associated with him in persecuting David. The subject of the psalm would then be the unjust judgments which they passed on him in treating him as an enemy of the commonwealth; in regarding him as an outlaw, and in driving him from his places of refuge as if hunting him down like a wild beast. The contents of the psalm well accord with this explanation.
Do ye judge uprightly? – Do you judge right things? are your judgments in accordance with truth and justice?
O ye sons of men – Perhaps referring to the fact that in their judgments they showed that they were people – influenced by the common passions of people; in other words, they showed that they could not, in forming their judgments, rise above the corrupt passions and prejudices which usually influence and sway mankind.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Psa 58:1-11
Do ye indeed speak righteousness, O congregation?
Man in many aspects
I. The character of depraved men portrayed.
1. Unrighteous in judgment.
2. Wrong in heart.
3. Violent in the treatment of men.
4. Early in apostasy.
5. False in life.
6. Malignant in spirit.
7. Deceitful in heart.
II. The destruction of wicked men invoked.
1. Their entire destruction.
2. Their quick destruction.
III. The spirit of righteous men misrepresented. The psalmist utters a calumny in representing them as delighting in blood. If righteous Noah had delighted in the sufferings of his enemies, would he have built an ark? No; righteous men are not men of vengeance, they are not men of blood.
IV. The verdict of all men anticipated. So that a man shall say, Verily, there is a reward for the righteous.
1. This is a testimony that often seems to be at variance with the providential government of the human race.
2. This is a testimony that every man sooner or later will be bound by his own conscience to render. Retribution is inevitable–
(1) From the law of causation. We are to-day the result of our conduct yesterday, and the cause of our conduct to-morrow; and thus ever must we reap the works of our own hands.
(2) From the law of conscience. The past works of our hands are not lost. Memory gathers up the fragments of our life; and conscience stings or smiles, according to their character.
(3) From the law of righteousness. There is justice in the universe; and justice will ever punish the wicked and reward the good (Gal 6:7). (Homilist.)
Faith in righteousness
This is a difficult psalm. It is difficult even to read; the most advanced scholarship can make hardly anything of some of the verses. Besides, the situation which it describes is very foreign to us; and here and there when it expresses delight in the destruction of enemies, the sentiment jars on the Christian sense. Yet it is a psalm of high originality, the poetic imagery being both abundant and uncommon; and it gives such clear expression to the voice of eternal righteousness that it is worth while to make an effort to extend our sympathies widely enough to comprehend it.
I. The throne of iniquity (Psa 58:1-5). Perhaps the opening words ought to be as they are given in the margin of the Revised Version, Is the righteousness ye should speak dumb? The psalmist is accusing the administrators of justice of bribery. In the second verse, he describes them as weighing out violence in the scales in which justice ought to be weighed. That is, they observed all the solemn forms of justice, but had no regard for the interests of those who could not pay for their verdicts. In the East this has always been, and is at the present day, one of the leading features of an evil time. Justice cannot be procured; the well-doing man is harassed by his wicked neighbours, and has no redress. The effect of this condition of things on the general community is given in Psa 58:3-5. Society is poisoned in every department. Lying especially is everywhere rife, as it will always be where there is a corrupt administration of justice. Insensibility to the voices of reason and of the spirit is universal. Men are, he says, like the deaf adder, which stoppeth her ear and will not listen to the voice of the charmer, charm he ever so wisely. There have been epochs in history like this–when at the top of society there has been a corrupt court with a profligate aristocracy, and down through all ranks of the people the poison of falsehood and worldliness has been so diffused that there has been apparently no audience for any one speaking for God, and no career for any one wishing to be simple and true. On the small scale, such a situation often exists. The individual finds himself in a position where those above him are false, reckless and profligate; success seems to be obtainable only by lying and selfishness; and a tender conscience has no chance.
II. The throne of God (Psa 58:6-9). What is to be done in such a situation? The natural thing is to conform, and this is what the majority in all ages do: being at Rome they act as Rome does. Indeed, without religious conviction it is difficult to see how any one can act otherwise, where sin is strong and tyrannical, occupying all the high places, speaking through the organs of public opinion, and exhibiting to the young hundreds of examples. But it is here the Bible helps us. The writer of this psalm, though surrounded by prosperous wickedness, saw, over against the throne of iniquity, another throne lofty and eternal. It was the throne of the living and righteous God. He fixed his eyes on it till his soul was filled with faith and strength; and then, when he turned his eyes to look again on the images of the evil worlds power, their glory and stability had disappeared, and they looked fleeting and paltry. In a series of striking figures of speech he expresses his disdain of them. They are like toothless lions and fangless serpents (Psa 58:6); like a torrent which for a moment may seem to be a river, but immediately disappears in the sand (Psa 58:7); like an abortion; for their plans will come to nothing (Psa 58:8); they are cooking the flesh of their pleasure in a pot, but, before it is ready for eating, a whirlwind from the desert will carry the fire away (Psa 58:9).
III. The spectacle of justice (Psa 58:10-11). Not only does the psalmist, inspired by the vision of the eternal throne, foresee that this must be the issue, but he earnestly pleads for it; and he does so on two grounds–that the righteous may obtain the reward of their righteousness, and that all men may see that there is a God that judgeth in the earth. The triumph of injustice can only be temporary. There is a day coming when all the unjust judgments both of corrupt tribunals and of unrighteous society will be reversed. Even now God asserts Himself and vindicates His own; and, when He does so, the instincts of every honest heart must rise up to welcome Him. (J. Stalker, D. D.)
The perversion of justice
Agesilaus, indeed, in other respects was strictly and inflexibly just; but where a mans friends are concerned, he thought a rigid regard to justice a mere pretence. There is still extant a short letter of his to Hydreius the Carian, which is a proof of what we have said: If Nicias is innocent, acquit him; if he is not innocent, acquit him on my account; however, be sure to acquit him. (Plutarch.)
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
PSALM LVIII
David reproves wicked counsellors and judges, who pervert
justice, and stir up the strong against the weak and innocent,
1-5.
He foretells their destruction, and describes the nature of it,
6-9.
The righteous, seeing this, will magnify God’s justice and
providence, 10, 11.
NOTES ON PSALM LVIII
The title seems to have no reference to the subject of the Psalm. See the introduction to the preceding. Ps 57:1 Saul having attempted the life of David, the latter was obliged to flee from the court, and take refuge in the deserts of Judea. Saul, missing him, is supposed by Bishop Patrick to have called a council, when they, to ingratiate themselves with the monarch, adjudged David to be guilty of treason in aspiring to the throne of Israel. This being made known to David was the cause of this Psalm. It is a good lesson to all kings, judges, and civil magistrates; and from it they obtain maxims to regulate their conduct and influence their decisions; and at the same time they may discern the awful account they must give to God, and the dreadful punishment they shall incur who prostitute justice to serve sinister ends.
Verse 1. Do ye indeed speak righteousness] Or, O cabinet seeing ye profess to act according to the principles of justice, why do ye not give righteous counsels and just decisions, ye sons of men? Or, it may be an irony: What excellent judges you are! well do ye judge according to law and justice, when ye give decisions not founded on any law, nor supported by any principle of justice! To please your master, ye pervert judgment; and take part against the innocent, in order to retain your places and their emoluments. Saul’s counsellors appear to have done so, though in their consciences they must have been satisfied of David’s innocence.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Do ye indeed speak righteousness? the question implies a denial. You censure me freely, without any regard to truth or justice.
Congregation: the word signifies a band or company of men, and seems to point at Sauls judges and counsellors; who met together to consult what they should do against David, and probably passed a sentence upon him, as guilty of treason and rebellion.
Sons of men; so he calls them, either,
1. In contempt and opposition to the sons of God, or good men. Or,
2. By way of admonition, to mind them that they also were men, and must give an account to God for all their hard speeches and unrighteous decrees against him.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
1. O congregationliterally,”Oh, dumb”; the word used is never translated”congregation.” “Are ye dumb? ye should speakrighteousness,” may be the translation. In any case, the writerremonstrates with them, perhaps a council, who were assembled to tryhis cause, and bound to give a right decision.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
Do ye indeed speak righteousness, O congregation?…. Of the mighty, as in Ps 82:1; the judges of the land, who were many, and therefore called a congregation, as it is necessary they should; for, being many, they are not so easily bribed; and besides, one may see that in a cause which another does not. The word signifies a “sheaf” t; and so it is by some rendered, to which a bench or assembly of judges may be compared; because consisting of many, and a select body, who should unite together in a sentence or decree, and act uprightly, like a sheaf of wheat standing upright; see Ge 37:7; some think the word has the signification of dumbness, or silence; so Jarchi and R. Moses u; as “elem” in Ps 56:1, title, and render it, “do ye indeed speak dumb justice?” or “the dumbness of justice” w; or are you dumb, or your mouth silent, when ye should speak righteousness? and so the psalmist accuses them for their criminal silence, in not contradicting Saul and his courtiers when they spake against him; and for not advising him to another kind of conduct towards him. All men ought to speak that which is right and truth; but especially judges on the bench, who are to judge the people with just judgment, De 16:18; but here this is doubted of, and called in question; at least their sincerity in giving judgment: yea, it is denied; for this interrogation carries in it a strong denial; and the meaning is, that they did not speak righteousness, or that which was just and right in the cause of David, when before them;
do ye judge uprightly, O ye sons of men? no, they did not; they were unjust judges. The psalmist calls them “the sons of men”, as in
1Sa 26:19, in distinction from God the Judge of all, and to put them in mind of their frailty and mortality; for though they were gods by office, they were but men, and should die like men, and be accountable to the supreme Judge for all their proceedings in judgment here,
Ps 82:1.
t “e manipulo”, Tigurine version, Junius Tremellius, Piscator “e manipulo justifiae”, Cocceius. u In Aben Ezra in loc. w So Varenius, Reinbech, Michaelis.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
The text of Psa 58:2 runs: Do ye really dictate the silence of righteousness? i.e., that before which righteousness must become silent, as the collector (cf. Psa 56:1) appears to have read it ( = , B. Chullin 89a). But instead of it is, with Houbigant, J. D. Michaelis, Mendelssohn, and others, to be read (= , as in Exo 15:11), as an apostrophe of those who discharge the godlike office of rulers and judges. Both the interrogative (with u as is always the case at the head of interrogative clauses), num vere , which proceeds from doubt as to the questionable matter of fact (Num 22:37; 1Ki 8:27; 2Ch 6:18), and the parallel member of the verse, and also the historical circumstances out of which the Psalm springs, demand this alteration. Absalom with his followers had made the administration of justice the means of stealing from David the heart of his people; he feigned to be the more impartial judge. Hence David asks: Is it then really so, ye gods ( like , Psa 82:1, and here, as there, not without reference to their superhumanly proud and assumptive bearing), that ye speak righteousness, that ye judge the children of men in accordance with justice? Nay, on the contrary ( , imo, introducing an answer that goes beyond the first No), in heart (i.e., not merely outwardly allowing yourselves to be carried away) ye prepare villanies ( , as in Mic 2:1; and , as in Psa 64:7, from = , Ps 92:16, Job 5:16, with o = a + w) , in the land ye weigh out the violence of your hands (so that consequently violence fills the balances of your pretended justice). in Psa 58:2 is the accusative of the object; if it had been intended as a second vocative, it ought to have been (Psa 4:3). The expression is inverted in order to make it possible to use the heavy energetic futures. (mostly erroneously marked with Pazer) has Athnach, cf. Psa 35:20; Psa 76:12.
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
| A Reproof to Wicked Judges. | |
To the chief musician, Al-taschith, Michtam of David.
1 Do ye indeed speak righteousness, O congregation? do ye judge uprightly, O ye sons of men? 2 Yea, in heart ye work wickedness; ye weigh the violence of your hands in the earth. 3 The wicked are estranged from the womb: they go astray as soon as they be born, speaking lies. 4 Their poison is like the poison of a serpent: they are like the deaf adder that stoppeth her ear; 5 Which will not hearken to the voice of charmers, charming never so wisely.
We have reason to think that this psalm refers to the malice of Saul and his janizaries against David, because it bears the same inscription (Al-taschith, and Michtam of David) with that which goes before and that which follows, both which appear, by the title, to have been penned with reference to that persecution through which God preserved him (Al-taschith–Destroy not), and therefore the psalms he then penned were precious to him, Michtams–David’s jewels, as Dr. Hammond translates it.
In these verses David, not as a king, for he had not yet come to the throne, but as a prophet, in God’s name arraigns and convicts his judges, with more authority and justice than they showed in prosecuting him. Two things he charges them with:
I. The corruption of their government. They were a congregation, a bench of justices, nay, perhaps, a congress or convention of the states, from whom one might have expected fair dealing, for they were men learned in the laws, had been brought up in the study of these statutes and judgments, which were so righteous that those of other nations were not to be compared with them. One would not have thought a congregation of such could be bribed and biassed with pensions, and yet, it seems, they were, because the son of Kish could do that for them which the son of Jesse could not, 1 Sam. xxii. 7. He had vineyards, and fields, and preferments, to give them, and therefore, to please him, they would do any thing, right or wrong. Of all the melancholy views which Solomon took of this earth and its grievances, nothing vexed him so much as to see that in the place of judgment wickedness was there, Eccl. iii. 16. So it was in Saul’s time. 1. The judges would not do right, would not protect or vindicate oppressed innocency (v. 1): “Do you indeed speak righteousness, or judge uprightly? No; you are far from it; your own consciences cannot but tell you that you do not discharge the trust reposed in you as magistrates, by which you are bound to be a terror to evil-doers and a praise to those that do well. Is this the justice you pretend to administer? Is this the patronage, this the countenance, which an honest man and an honest cause may expect from you? Remember you are sons of men; mortal and dying, and that you stand upon the same level before God with the meanest of those you trample upon, and must yourselves be called to an account and judged. You are sons of men, and therefore we may appeal to yourselves, and to that law of nature which is written in every man’s heart: Do you indeed speak righteousness? And will not your second thoughts correct what you have done?” Note, It is good for us often to reflect upon what we say with this serious question, Do we indeed speak righteousness? that we may unsay what we have spoken amiss and may proceed no further in it. 2. They did a great deal of wrong; they used their power for the support of injury and oppression (v. 2): In heart you work wickedness (all the wickedness of the life is wrought in the heart). It intimates that they wrought with a great deal of plot and management, not by surprise, but with premeditation and design, and with a strong inclination to it and resolution in it. The moire there is of the heart in any act of wickedness the worse it is, Eccl. viii. 11. And what was their wickedness? It follows, “You weigh the violence of your hands in the earth” (or in the land), “the peace of which you are appointed to be the conservators of.” They did all the violence and injury they could, either to enrich or avenge themselves, and they weighed it; that is, 1. They did it with a great deal of craft and caution: “You frame it by rule and lines” (so the word signifies), “that it may effectually answer your mischievous intentions; such masters are you of the art of oppression.” 2. They did it under colour of justice. They held the balances (the emblem of justice) in their hands, as if they designed to do right, and right is expected from them, but the result is violence and oppression, which are practised the more effectually for being practised under the pretext of law and right.
II. The corruption of their nature. This was the root of bitterness from which that gall and wormwood sprang (v. 3): The wicked, who in heart work wickedness, are estranged from the womb, estranged from God and all good, alienated from the divine life, and its principles, powers, and pleasures, Eph. iv. 18. A sinful state is a state of estrangement from that acquaintance with God and service of him which we were made for. Let none wonder that these wicked men dare do such things, for wickedness is bred in the bone with them; they brought it into the world with them; they have in their natures a strong inclination to it; they learned it from their wicked parents, and have been trained up in it by a bad education. They are called, and not miscalled, transgressors from the womb; one can therefore expect no other than that they will deal very treacherously; see Isa. xlviii. 8. They go astray from God and their duty as soon as they are born, (that is, as soon as possibly they can); the foolishness that is bound up in their hearts appears with the first operations of reason; as the wheat springs up, the tares spring up with it. Three instances are here given of the corruption of nature:– 1. Falsehood. They soon learn to speak lies, and bend their tongues, like their bows, for that purpose, Jer. ix. 3. How soon will little children tell a lie to excuse a fault, or in their own commendation! No sooner can they speak than they speak to God’s dishonour; tongue-sins are some of the first of our actual transgressions. 2. Malice. Their poison (that is, their ill-will, and the spite they bore to goodness and all good men, particularly to David) was like the poison of a serpent, innate, venomous, and very mischievous, and that which they can never be cured of. We pity a dog that is poisoned by accident, but hate a serpent that is poisonous by nature. Such as the cursed enmity in this serpent’s brood against the Lord and his anointed. 3. Untractableness. They are malicious, and nothing will work upon them, no reason, no kindness, to mollify them, and bring them to a better temper. They are like the deaf adder that stops her ear,Psa 58:4; Psa 58:5. The psalmist, having compared these wicked men, whom he here complains of, to serpents, for their poisonous malice, takes occasion thence, upon another account, to compare them to the deaf adder or viper, concerning which there was then this vulgar tradition, that whereas, by music or some other art, they had a way of charming serpents, so as either to destroy them or at least disable them to do mischief, this deaf adder would lay one ear to the ground and stop the other with her tail, so that she could not hear the voice of the enchantment, and so defeated the intention of it and secured herself. The using of this comparison neither verifies the story, nor, if it were true, justifies the use of this enchantment; for it is only an allusion to the report of such a thing, to illustrate the obstinacy of sinners in a sinful way. God’s design, in his word and providence, is to cure serpents of their malignity; to this end how wise, how powerful, how well-chosen are the charms! How forcible the right words! But all in vain with most men; and what is the reason? It is because they will not hearken. None so deaf as those that will not hear. We have piped unto men, and they have not danced; how should they, when they have stopped their ears?
Fuente: Matthew Henry’s Whole Bible Commentary
Psalms 58
The Depravity of Man
This psalm lays the evil deeds of men at the root of the tree of every man, whose root-stock is depraved, morally deranged, from conception and birth. Yet, each responsible person must bear the consequence of his own willful deeds of sin and guilt, Rom 5:12-19; Corrupting sins are the fruit of an inborn, sin-blemish, in the very character of every responsible human being, that necessitates their regeneration, to appear in the glory presence of God, Joh 3:3; Joh 3:5; Rom 3:23.
Scripture v. 1-11:
Verse 1 inquires and chides “Do you all actually speak righteousness, O (ye) congregation, you bound together ones?” Do you all judge righteousness , O ye sons of anemic morally weakened men? It is, a question of shat H stinging irony. They did not, but were dumb to the oppression of the innocent and took bribes to let the guilty go free, Deu 1:16-17; Psa 38:13. Toward David they were treacherous, misconstruing his words to Saul’s armed band, Psa 56:5; Psa 57:3.
Verse 2 indicts “Yea, in your hearts ye work wickedness; Ye weigh the violence of your own hands in the earth;” Scales and weights symbolize the meting out of justice, which their judges distorted or perverted, Job 31:6; Mic 2:1; Psa 94:20; Isa 10:1.
Verse 3 asserts that “They (all sons of men) are estranged (separated) from the womb (from birth) repeatedly speaking lies.” Let it be noted that their “going astray, as soon as they are born, lying,” is a fruit or their “being astray,” by nature, as repeatedly certified in the scriptures, Psa 51:5; 1Ki 8:45; Ecc 7:20. The newborn is a sinner first by nature, then by practice, Eph 2:3.
Verse 4 declares that the venom of the serpent of sin exists in every man, causing him to stop his ear from the call of the word of God, like an adder that is deaf to the charm of a musical charmer. As the serpent strikes, and keeps it up by nature, so do men repeatedly sin, Jas 3:7-8; Psa 140:3; Rom 3:13.
Verse 5 states that these (David’s enemies) “will not hearken to the voice of charmers, charming never so wisely.” Saul would not heed, accept any message of truth from David, but insisted David was bent on dethroning him, 1Sa 24:20; 1Sa 24:22; 1Sa 26:21; 1Sa 26:25.
Verses 6-8 are an imprecatory prayer of David that God would break the teeth (destroying power) of the young lions of Saul who sought to swallow him up, gobble him down, like a devouring beast. He asked further that God would cause them to melt away, disappear, as continual running waters, Psa 3:7; Psa 112:10; Jos 7:5. He asked that when enemies drew bow against him, God would cause their arrows to break, frustrate their aim, Psa 37:15.
Verse 8 asks that as a snail melts away (exposed to the wind and sunshine) and as a premature child of miscarriage, so might God let His enemies pass away, Job 3:16.
Verse 9 declares that before the pots can feel the thorns burned to heat them, God would take his enemies away, like a whirlwind, that was as living wrath, rapid and continual against the wicked and wickedness, Psa 118:12; Ecc 7:6; Job 27:21.
Verse 10 asserts that the righteous will “rejoice when he sees the vengeance of God,” and His victory over his foes; It is added that “He (the righteous) shall wash his feet in the blood of the wicked,” in honor of the Lord’s victory, Psa 68:33; Psa 52:6; Psa 107:42; 1Sa 24:12; Rev 19:14-15; Psa 118:23.
Verse 11 concludes that a righteous man may say “truly there is (exists) a reward for the righteous,” as certified repeatedly, Psa 126:5-6; Rom 2:6-11; 1Co 3:8; Rev 22:12. “He is a God that judgeth (continually judges) in the earth,” Gal 6:7-8; Ecc 12:13; Act 17:31-32.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
1. Do ye indeed speak righteousness? In putting this question to his enemies, by way of challenge, David displays the boldness of conscious rectitude. It argues that the justice of our cause is demonstratively evident when we venture to appeal to the opposite party himself; for were there any ground to question its justice, it would show an absurd degree of confidence to challenge the testimony of an adversary. David comes forward with the openness of one who was supported by a sense of his integrity, and repels, by a declaration forced from their own lips, the base charges with which they blackened his character in the estimation of such as were simple enough to believe them. “Ye yourselves,” as if he had said, “can attest my innocence, and yet persecute me with groundless calumnies. Are you not ashamed of such gross and gratuitous oppression?” It is necessary, however, to determine who they were whom David here accuses. He calls them a congregation, and again, sons of men The Hebrew word אלם, elem, which I have rendered congregation, some consider to be an epithet applied to righteousness, and translate dumb; (346) but this does not express the meaning of the Psalmist. Interpreters differ as to what we should understand by the term congregation. Some think that he adverts, by way of accusation, to the meetings which his enemies held, as is usual with those who entertain wicked designs, for the purpose of concerting their plans. I rather incline to the opinion of those who conceive that he here gives (although only in courtesy) the usual title of honor to the counsellors of Saul, who met professedly to consult for the good of the nation, but in reality with no other intention than to accomplish his destruction. Others read, in the congregation — a translation which gives the same meaning to the passage we have already assigned to it, but is not supported by the natural construction of the words. The congregation which David addresses is that assembly which Saul convened, ostensibly for lawful objects, but really for the oppression of the innocent. The term, sons of men, which he immediately afterwards applies to them — taking back, as it were, the title of courtesy formerly given — would seem to be used in contempt of their character, being, as they were, rather a band of public robbers than a convention of judges. Some, however, may be of opinion, that in employing this expression, David had in his eye the universality of the opposition which confronted him — almost the whole people inclining to this wicked factions and that he here issues a magnanimous defiance to the multitude of his enemies. Meanwhile, the lesson taught us by the passage is apparent. Although the whole world be set against the people of God they need not fear, so long as they are supported by a sense of their integrity, to challenge kings and their counsellors, and the promiscuous mob of the people. Should the whole world refuse to hear us, we must learn, by the example of David, to rest satisfied with the testimony of a good conscience, and with appealing to the tribunal of God. Augustine, who had none but the Greek version in his hands, is led by this verse into a subtle disquisition upon the point, that the judgment of men is usually correct when called to decide upon general principles, but fails egregiously in the application of these principles to particular cases, (347) through the blinding and warping influences of their evil passions. All this may be plausible, and, in its own place, useful, but proceeds upon a complete misapprehension of the meaning of the passage.
(346) “ אלם.There is some difficulty in ascertaining the sense of this word. Gesenius derives it from אלם, to be silent: Is justice indeed silent ? but this breaks the parallelism, which requires צדק תדברון, ‘will ye speak righteousness?’ in the first line, to correspond with מישרים תשפטו, ‘will ye judge uprightness?’ In the second. Dathe agrees with Bishop Lowth, etc., who propose to point the word אלם, or plene , אלים, judices , ‘ O ye judges, or rulers!’ See Exo 22:27; Psa 82:1. But this reading, though it makes a very good sense, receives no support from the MSS., or ancient versions. Diodati and De Rossi agree with our translators in taking the word in the sense of assembly, congregation So Schindler אלם, collegatio hominum , congregation, multitudo coetus, ab אלם, ligavit, colligavit. This is probably the true sense. LXX. Vulg. Aeth. and Ar., seem to have read אלם, or אלם.” — ( Rogers ’ Book of Psalms, volume 2, p. 212.) Walford prefers Dathe’s version.
(347) “ Argute hic disputant, hominibus rectum esse judicium in generalibus principiis: sed ubi ad hypothesin ventum est, hallucinari,” etc. The French translation runs — “ Dispute yci subtilement que les hommes ont un jugement droit et entier es principes generaux, mais quand ce vient a la particularite, que leur raison defaut,” etc.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
CONFESSION AND RECOVERY FROM SIN
Psalms 51-60
IN continuing the study of this second Book in the Psalter Pentateuch we come now to the question of the centuries, the sin question. This is not the first time that we have had to face it. From Gen 3:6, it has been the ever-present and never-solved problem.
This study is marvelously near the middle of our Book Divine; and the same question that has rung through the pages, already turned, will present itself in some form on practically every page of the Book till we come to Rev 22:21.
There are certain manifest suggestions in these ten chapters; but in a large way they are directly associated with the confession of sin, contrition for sin, and recovery from sin.
THE CONFESSION OF SIN Chapter 51
Have mercy upon me, O God, according to Thy loving kindness: according unto the multitude of Thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions.
Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.
For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me.
Against Thee, Thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in Thy sight: that Thou mightest be justified when Thou speakest, and be clear when Thou judgest.
Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive five.
Behold, Thou desirest truth in the inward parts; and in the hidden part Thou shalt make me to know wisdom.
Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which Thou hast broken may rejoice.
Hide Thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities.
Create in me a clean heart, O God: and renew a right spirit within me.
Cast me not away from Thy presence; and take not Thy Holy Spirit from me.
Restore unto me the joy of Thy salvation; and uphold me with Thy free Spirit.
Then will I teach transgressors Thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto Thee.
Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, Thou God of my salvation: and my tongue shall sing aloud of Thy righteousness.
O Lord, open Thou my lips; and my mouth shall shew forth Thy praise.
For Thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it; Thou delightest not in burnt-offering.
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, Thou wilt not despise.
Do good in Thy good pleasure unto Zion: build Thou the walls of Jerusalem.
Then shalt Thou be pleased with the sacrifices of righteousness, with burnt-offering and whole burnt-offering: then shall they offer bullocks upon Thine altar.
Here we have the acknowledgment of a personal transgression. We believe absolutely with those who hold that David was thinking upon his own past and reflecting with grief upon the Bathsheba incident, involving as it did, a practical combination of murder and lust.
As is usual with sin, the horror of it is only felt after the deed is effected; and for every prayer, such as our Lord taught us to say, Lead us not into temptation, a prayer that looks to avoiding the iniquitous, there are a hundred petitions of the sort here recorded
Have mercy upon me, O God, according unto Thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of Thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions.
Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.
For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me.
Against Thee, Thee only, have I sinned and done this evil in Thy sight: that Thou mightest be justified when Thou speakest, and be clear when Thou judgest.
Too few of our prayers anticipate danger; too many of them confess damnable acts already done.
There are those who see in this acknowledgment a corporate, rather than an individual confession. They think that this is the prophetic language of Israel when at last she realizes the iniquity of her rejection of Jesus. But such an interpretation, if it be at all possible, can only be accepted as an inference from David the type. The simple truth is that every word in this fifty-first Psalm fits exactly the spiritual experience of the speaker. The whole history of David shows him a man of tender conscience, unusually affectionate, and with a keen discernment of right and wrong. We are not in the least surprised, therefore, to hear from his lips this pathetic plea. It is a proof of conscious wrong on the part of a conscientious believer. It is the saints abhorrence of his own sin; and incidently, it introduces some of the most natural features of soul-experience. Take, for instance, the sentence, Against Thee, Thee only, have I sinned and done this evil in Thy sight: that Thou mightest be justified when Thou speakest, and be clear when Thou judgest (Psa 51:4).
Grant, in The Numerical Bible argues that such a confession, in Davids lips, would not have been true, even, since he had sinned against Uriah, against himself, and against Bathsheba; and so Grant sees in this, an application to repentant Israel.
But the argument is poorly based and far-fetched. The simple fact is, and millions of saved men would bear testimony to it, when the soul is convicted of sin that conviction seldom takes the form of conscious wrong to individual victims, or even that of willful transgression of the Law. The truth is as Delitzsch argues, Every relation in which man stands to his fellow-men, and to created things in general, is but the manifest form of his fundamental relationship to God; and as even Grant himself admits, At every point at which we touch His creatures, we touch God Himself; every blow struck at them is struck at Him.* * The guilt of every sin is fundamentally the same, revolt against God. This is, in a true sense, the only sin.
We knew a man well; in fact, we preached to him the truths that effected his salvation, and with our hands we laid him beneath the baptismal wave, who before his confession was a highway man, a gambler, a drunkard, an adulterer, and at the last, a would-be murderer. But his confession, following his salvation, was to this effect, When on that morning, the very day I had fixed upon for the destruction of my wife and children, and suicide, the Spirit of God came upon me with overwhelming conviction; and, as I walked out from my home, to fall on the grass of the back yard, face down, to cry for mercy, I had no sense of wrong concerning my past indolence, my past gambling, my past drunkenness, my past lusts; not even was I painfully sensible of the intention of murder and suicide. One great, overwhelming thought surged through my brain as loud as the sirens whistle, Against Thee, Thee only, have I sinned and done this evil in Thy sight.
It is interesting also to study the psychology of the sentence that follows, Behold, I was shapen in iniquity: and in sin did my mother conceive me This was not intended by the Psalmist in self-defense. He had passed that point and had admitted that God would be justified when He spake, and clearly defensible when He judged. It was said, rather, in explanation; it was an admission, I have always been wrong! I came from my mothers womb with a frightful twist in my moral nature and from the days when my steps toddled in uncertain paths I have been nothing but a sinner!
The phrases that follow indicate further Your eyes have searched my inward parts in vain. No truth is in them. You have looked for wisdom but it was not mine by nature; and if I am ever cleansed you must accomplish it; and if my soul is ever white, the cleansing must come from above! And then, as if to appeal if possible to the tenderness of God, he cries, Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which Thou hast broken may rejoice. And that he may escape just judgment, he adds,
Hide Thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities.
And he pleads,
Create in me a. clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.
Cast me not away from Thy presence; and take not Thy Holy Spirit from me.
Rather,
Restore unto me the joy of Thy salvation; and uphold me with Thy free Spirit.
Then will I teach transgressors Thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto Thee.
Alas, as if such a thought was too good to be true, he breathes and begins again, Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, Thou God of my salvationremember against me no more Uriahs death; free my conscience from that whole subject by speaking my absolution. And then, My tongue shall sing aloud of Thy righteousness.
It looks now as if he had reached a higher table land; as if his heart would not sink again nor his feet mire; and he concludes the Psalm with these words,
Oh Lord, open Thou my lips; and my mouth shall shew forth Thy praise.
For Thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it; Thou delightest not in burnt-offering.
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and a contrite heart, O God, Thou wilt not despise.
Do good in Thy good pleasure unto Zion; build Thou the walls of Jerusalem.
Then shalt Thou be pleased with the sacrifices of righteousness, with burnt-offering and whole burnt-offering: then shall they offer bullocks upon Thine altar.
Sweeping aside that whole school of interpreters who see in this Israels confession, we stand absolutely with those who believe it to be the utterance of a believers heart, broken with the sense of sin, conscious of just condemnation, and yet daring to hope in a merciful God. The verses 18 and 19 do not militate against that view. Few saints ever deplore their own sins, and forget the sanctuary. They grieve personal sin, lest it hinder the general cause, and so David prays for Zion, for Jerusalem, and for cleansing and consecration as symbolized in the temple ceremonies.
We now go to the study of another chapter, chapter fifty-two, and here we are tracing the history that led David into disappointment and difficulty.
Why boastest thou thyself in mischief, O mighty man! The lovingkindness of God endureth continually;
Thy tongue deviseth very wickedness, like a sharp razor, working deceitfully;
Thou lovest evil more than good, and lying rather than to speak righteousness.
Thou lovest all devouring words, O thou deceitful tongue.
God will likewise destroy thee for ever: He will take thee up, and pluck thee out of thy tent, and root thee out of the land of the living.
The righteous also shall see it, and fear, and shall laugh at him,
Saying, Lo, this is the man that made not God his strength, but trusted in the abundance of his riches, and strengthened himself in his wickedness.
But as for me, I am like a green olive-tree in the house of God; I trust in the lovingkindness of God for ever and ever.
I will give Thee thanks for ever, because Thou hast done it; and I will hope in Thy Name, for it is good, in the presence of Thy saints. (Psa 52:1-9).
Here again, there are those who see in this Psalm a prophetic picture of the man of sin, the Anti-Christ to come. This view they rest in the phraseology of the Psalm. The boastful one if spoken of as mighty man, and the circumstance that he is a lying, deceitful man, is supposed to point to the great deceiver of prophetic Scriptures.
In our judgment such an interpretation is farfetched, and Psalms 52 is a natural sequence of Psalms 51. The whole setting of the Psalm is accounted for and explained in the incident of David meeting Doeg, the Edomite, the servant of Saul, when he visited Ahimelech, the priest, as recorded in 1 Samuel 21:l-9. It will be remembered that this information led to a fearful massacre, in which Doeg was a leader, and in which boastfulness and lying deceit played conspicuous part. Doeg was a mighty man, the chief of the herdmen. His arrogance is as great as his eventual ruin was eternal. When contemplating upon the former, David clearly prophesied the latter. God will likewise destroy thee for ever, He will take thee up, and pluck thee out of thy tent, and root thee out of the land of the living (Psa 52:5, A. S. V.).
Then he moralizes: The righteous also shall see it, and fear, and shall laugh at him, saying, Lo, this is the man that made not God his strength, but trusted in the abundance of his riches, and strengthened himself in his wickedness (Psa 52:6-7, A. S. V.). The record of that destruction is written into 1Sa 22:17-19. There are those who profess astonishment at Davids language. They are shocked by what they call gloating over the evil end of an enemy. But let it not be forgotten that true righteousness always rejoices in the overthrow, of the sinful, and the truly humble are, of necessity, glad to see the boastfully proud brought low.
What men call the imprecatory Psalms are not, as they imagine, merely curses of the self-confident, the malignant prayers of the man who imagines himself above and beyond his fellows; they are, instead, a legitimate expression of a heart that delights in good and hates evil. It is doubtful if there is ever a case in history in which the iniquitous are overthrown, but the righteous justly rejoice. As some one has said, The cross as the hope and refuge of repentant sinners, is Gods chief witness against sin.
The conclusion of this chapter I am like a green olive-tree in the house of God; I trust in the lovingkindness of God for ever and ever. I will give Thee thanks for ever, because Thou hast done it; and I will hope in Thy Name, for it is good, in the presence of Thy saints (Psa 52:8-9, A. S. V.) is not a mere expression of Phariseeism. On the contrary, it is the voice of gratitude that one has been kept, and of decision, concerning continued trust, together with that natural burst of praise that breaks from the lips of him, who rightly pleads and rightly interprets Gods acts in dealing with men.
From this review of the end of the evil man and this personal appreciation of Divine favor it is easy for the Psalmist to pass to the
FRUITFULNESS OF FOLLY
Psalms 5354 deal with that subject.
The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. Corrupt are they, and have done abominable iniquity; there is none that doeth good.
God looked down from Heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, that did seek God.
Every one of them is gone back; they are together become filthy; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.
Have the workers of iniquity no knowledge? who eat up My people as they eat bread: they have not called upon God.
There were they in great fear, where no fear was; for God hath scattered the bones of him that encampeth against thee; thou hast put them to shame, because God hath despised them.
Oh that the salvation of Israel were come out of Zion! When God bringeth back the captivity of His people Jacob shall rejoice, and Israel shall be glad.
Save me, O God, by Thy Name, and judge me by Thy strength.
Hear my prayer, O God; give ear to the words of my mouth;
For strangers are risen up against me, and oppressors seek after my soul; they have not set God before them. Selah.
Behold, God is mine helper; the Lord is with them that uphold my soul.
He shall reward evil unto mine enemies; cut them off in Thy truth.
I will freely sacrifice unto Thee. I will praise Thy Name, O Lord, for it is good.
For He hath delivered me out of all trouble; and mine eye hath seen his desire upon mine enemies (Psalms 53-54).
There are those who would imagine that the Psalmist forgot himself, and on occasions did what the average preacher does, palmed off an old sermon. If you make a comparison between this fifty-third Psalm and Psalm fourteen, you will discover more than resemblance. There is practical identity, clear repetition; but the fifty-fourth Psalm presents entirely new material; and its pathetic plea for salvation, follows logically from the evident effects of infidelity. The man who sees others swelled with skepticism, begs to be saved from a kindred experience. The man who sees others plunging into corruption, and consuming even saints in their mad course of immorality, longs for deliverance from all such danger. God and God alone is his help, and God and God alone is his adequate defense. The grace of the past is his ground of hope for the future; and as he reflects upon the multitude of times that he himself has been delivered out of trouble, he can but praise the Name of the Lord.
Beyond all question, this chapter voices a memory of dark days for David. It is supposed to have been written about the time of Absaloms rebellion, when a conspiracy was formed against him, and to have involved the participation in that rebellion of his most familiar and trusted friend, Ahithophel. Those unhappy incidents of life explain many of the pathetic expressionsthe voice of the enemy, the oppression of the wicked, the betrayal of a friend, a man mine equal, my guide and mine acquaintance, one with whom he had taken sweet counsel and with whom he had walked to the house of God. The whole setting fits the circumstance of Absaloms rebellion and Ahithophels betrayal.
Few men ever occupy positions of importance without suffering after a kindred manner. The oppression of natural enemies is comparatively easy to be borne; but the betrayal of friends, that, indeed, is a grief that takes the heart out of one and tends to shake his confidence in humanity itself; tempts one to say, No man can be trusted, and to doubt the reality of unselfish and untarnished affection.
Such an experience, however, leads the truly intelligent to fall back on God and God alone. Thats what the Psalmist does. Listen to his language and learn well the lesson. The words fall hard, upon disappointment, deception, betrayal.
As for me, I will call upon God; and the Lord shall save me (Psa 55:16).
Evening and morning and at noon will I pray, and cry aloud; and He shall hear my voice.
He hath delivered my soul in peace from the battle that was against me: for there were many with me.
God shall hear and afflict them. * *
Cast thy burden upon the Lord and He shall sustain thee. He shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.
But Thou, O God, shalt bring them down into the pit of destruction: bloody and deceitful men shall not live out half their days; but I will trust in Thee (Psa 55:17-23).
After all, its a good conclusion! The man who can take his eyes off the perfidy of his fellows and turn them to the faithfulness of his Heavenly Father, will never be fully discouraged.
From the old Baptist Hymnal, we used to sing,
Zion stands with hills surrounded,
Zion, kept by power Divine;
All her foes shall be confounded,
Though the world in arms combine;
Happy Zion,
What a favored lot is thine!
Every human tie may perish;
Friend to friend unfaithful prove;
Mothers cease their own to cherish;
Heaven and earth at last remove;
But no changes
Can attend Jehovahs love.
In the furnace God may prove thee,
Thence to bring thee forth more bright,
But can never cease to love thee;
Thou art precious in His sight;
God is with thee,
God, thine everlasting light.
This leads to a pledge of further praise (Psalms 56-57). Each of these opens with a prayer for mercy, but each of them moves to a burst of praise.
Be merciful unto me, O God; for man would swallow me up (Psa 56:1).
About a moment later
In God I have put my trust; I will not fear; what flesh can do unto me (Psa 56:4).
Be merciful unto me, O God, be merciful unto me; for my soul trusteth in Thee; yea, in the shadow of Thy wings will I make my refuge.
Until these; calamities be overpast (Psa 57:1).
My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is fixed; I will sing and give praise.
Awake up, my glory; awake, psaltery and harp; I myself will awake early.
I will praise Thee, O Lord, among the people; I will sing unto Thee among the nations (Psa 57:7-9).
H. M. Lischer was thinking along kindred lines with the Psalmist, when he wrote:
Upward I lift mine eyes;
From God is all my aid;
The God who built the skies,
And earth and nature made;
God is the tower to which I fly;
His grace is nigh in every hour.
My feet shall never slide
And fall in fatal snares,
Since God, my guard and guide,
Defends me from my fears;
Those wakeful eyes that never sleep
Shall Israel keep when dangers rise.
Hast Thou not given Thy Word
To save my soul from death?
And I can trust Thee, Lord,
To keep my mortal breath;
Ill go and come, nor fear to die,
Till from on high Thou call me home.
RECOVERY FROM SIN
Psalms 56, 59, 60 of this Book present the solemn phases of sin, but the grace and justice of God in saving His own not alone from sin but from the sinful.
In Psalms 58 Gods judgment rejoices the righteous. From Psa 58:2 to Psa 58:9 there is a picture of the wicked and of their wickedness; and a prayer that God will bring them to judgment. In Psa 58:10 and Psa 58:11 the Psalmist anticipates the question and declares the righteous shall rejoice when he seeth the vengeance: he shall wash his feet in the blood of the wicked. So that a man shall say, Verily there is a reward for the righteous: verily He is a God that judgest in the earth.
This figure may seem revolting to a people who are living at peace with their fellows, but it comes to have its meaning in the day when the violent seem about to capture the earth, and the wicked smite with the poison of the serpent.
Under all ordinary circumstances we grieve when a man is slain and his blood stains the earth but when such conditions arise as exist in Chicago now, when gangsters will line up men against the wall, seven in number, and shoot them dead as they stand huddled in fear and obedient to the command of a bandit, who will grieve if those men are overtaken and sent to the gallows; or even if the righteousness of the law obtain and they fall before the officers bullets? Gentleness, compassion and tears, these are for times of peace; but justice is essential when the violent threaten society and the wicked work their will against the same.
Gods judgment avenges the righteous. Hear Psalms 59:
Deliver me from mine enemies, O my God: defend me from them that rise up against me.
Deliver me from the workers of iniquity, and save me from bloody men.
For, lo, they lie in wait for my soul: the mighty are gathered against me; not for my transgression, nor for my sin, O Lord.
They run and prepare themselves without my fault: awake to help me, and behold.
Thou therefore, O Lord God of hosts, the God of Israel, awake to visit all the heathen: be not merciful to any wicked transgressors. Selah.
They return at evening: they make a noise like a dog, and go round about the city.
Behold, they belch out with their mouth: swords are in their lips: for who, say they, doth heart
But Thou, O Lord, shalt laugh at them; Thou shalt have all the heathen in derision.
Because of his strength will I wait upon Thee: for God is my defense.
The God of my mercy shall prevent me: God shall let me see my desire upon mine enemies.
Slay them not, lest my people forget: scatter them by Thy power; and bring them down, O Lord our shield.
For the sin of their mouth and the words of their lips let them even be taken in their pride: and for cursing and lying which they speak.
Consume them in wrath, consume them, that they may not be: and let them know that God ruleth in Jacob unto the ends of the earth. Selah.
And at evening let them return, and let them make a noise like a dog, and go round about the city.
Let them wander up and down for meat, and grudge if they be not satisfied.
But I will sing of Thy power; yea, I will sing aloud of Thy mercy in the morning: for Thou hast been my defense and refuge in the day of my trouble.
Unto Thee, O my strength, will I sing: for God is my defense, and the God of my mercy.
Here again the exercise of Divine power in judgment in behalf of the righteous is not only defensible, but is essential to the justification of Deity itself. The God who permits wickedness to stalk the land without speaking its rebuke, or smiting its head, would be a questionable God. There are instances in history that tend to show that God is the same yesterday, and to day and for ever. Narcissus was Bishop of Jerusalem, a man of faultless life, so John Foster tells us, faithful in rebuking vice of every kind, but was falsely accused. His first accuser, in closing his testimony on one occasion said, If these things are not so, may I be consumed by fire. A second accuser said, If these things are not so, may I be overtaken by some horrible disease. A third said, If these things are not so, may God smite me blind. And Foster continues, The day came when the house of the first was consumed by fire and he and his family perished in flames, and yet another day when the second was smitten and suffered long under a loathsome disease; and the third seeing the terrible end of his companions confessed his iniquity and wept over his crimes until his sight was utterly gone.
Finally, Gods power shall bring victory to the righteous.
O God, Thou hast cast us off, Thou hast been displeased; O turn Thyself to us again.
Thou hast made the earth to tremble; Thou hast broken it: heal the breaches thereof; for it shaketh.
Thou hast shewed Thy people hard things: Thou hast made us to drink the wine of astonishment.
Thou hast given a banner to them that fear Thee, that it may be displayed because of the truth. Selah.
That Thy beloved may be delivered; save with Thy right hand, and hear me.
God hath spoken in His holiness; I will rejoice, I will divide Shechem, and mete out the valley of Suecoth.
Gilead is Mine, and Manasseh is Mine; Ephraim also is the strength of Mine head; Judah is My lawgiver.
Moab is my washpot; over Edom will I cast out my shoe; Philistia, triumph thou because of Me.
Who will bring me into the strong city? who will lead me into Edom?
Wilt not Thou, O God, which hadst cast us off? and Thou, O God, which didst not go out with our armies?
Give us help from trouble; for vain is the help of man.
Through God we shall do valiantly: for He it is that shall tread down our enemies (Psa 60:1-12).
It is a glorious conclusion! Through God we shall be victorious; for it is He that shall tread down our enemies. In all the conflicts of life, the one thing that men need beyond all things else is the favor of God. If conquest is to be ours, if we are to come through victorious against them that would persecute and hurt us, if we are to triumph against trouble, vain is the help of man, he will fail us, but our God, never! If we are to have a victory against that impersonal enemy, and yet that most terrible of all, sin, He alone can give it to us.
God of our strength, enthroned above,The source of life, the fount of love;O let devotions sacred flame,Our souls awake to praise Thy Name
To Thee we lift our joyful eyes,To Thee on wings of faith we rise;Come Thou, and let Thy courts on earth Ring out Thy praise in holy mirth.
God of our strength from day to day,Direct our thoughts and guide our way;O may our hearts united be,In sweet communion, Lord, with Thee.
God of our strength, on Thee we call;God of our hope, our light, our all, Thy Name we praise, Thy love adore,Our Rock, our Shield for evermore.
Fuente: The Bible of the Expositor and the Evangelist by Riley
INTRODUCTION
Superscription.To the Chief Musician, Al-taschith. see introduction to Psalms 57. Michtam of David. See Introduction to Psalms 56. Moll: This complaint respecting domestic administrations of justice gushes forth from the Psalmist in a threatening language, which is almost obscure owing to bold and mingled figures of speech. It is like a torrent which plunges over every hindrance, foaming and raging. We may certainly credit this original poet with a richness of figures and changes in their use, as well as in the turns of language and of thought, in accordance with particular circumstances and feeling. Yet we lack sufficient evidence to show whether the composition occurred in the time of Saul, who was at the same time Davids judge and persecutor, who endeavoured to hide the persecution under the appearance of a righteous judgment; or in the time of Absalom, who made the administration of justice a means of stealing from David the hearts of the people, whilst he pretended to be impartial.
It seems to us probable that this Psalm, like Psalms 56, 57, , 59, relates to the Sauline persecutions. The similarity in the superscriptions and the character of the contents support this view.
THE HISTORY OF HUMAN WICKEDNESS
In dealing with these wicked judges, whom he addresses in the early portion of the Psalm, David gives us a general description of the origin, progress, and destiny of human wickedness.
I. Wickedness in its root. The wicked are estranged from the womb, &c. An innate estrangement of the heart from God is the root from which the wickedness of men springs. The doctrine of original sin rests on an awful fact. Moral qualities are transmissible. We enter upon life with tendencies to evil. In some natures these tendencies are terrible in their activity and strength. In this light David regards his enemies. The most lovely infant that is ushered into being, says Dr. Cumming, has within it by nature the germs of those elements which feed the flames of bell, and leaven its forlorn inmates with their direst misery. It has in its own heart the embryo of that Upas tree, which distils upon humanity on earth, and on humanity in hell, its death-drops; and so living are the seeds, and so congenial is the soil, that, unless overborne by the grace of the Holy Spirit and the appliances of the Gospel, they will inevitably spring up and flourish.
II. Wickedness in its manifestation.
1. In the mal-administration of justice (Psa. 58:1-2). The exact meaning of these verses is somewhat obscure. The rendering of the first clause of the first verse in the A. V. is certainly incorrect. Alexander translates: Are ye, indeed, dumb, when ye should speak righteousness! Conant: Do ye, of a truth, in silence, speak righteousness? A bitter sarcasm. Is it with silence that ye perform the office of speech, dumb when ye ought to speak, and declare the right? Perowne, on the latter clause of Psa. 58:2, remarks, This is said sarcastically. Ye pretend, indeed, to hold the balance of justice, and nicely to weigh out to each his just award, but violence is the weight with which ye adjust the scales. Moll: It is very bad when those persons and magistrates, who are appointed to administer justice, instead of pronouncing judgment, are silent, and are dumb to the prayers of their subordinates and the earnest entreaties of their frends, not less than to the demands of the law, honour, and conscience. They then not only misuse the scales of justice intrusted to them in an irresponsible manner, to the injury of their fellow-men, but they are likewise hypocrites and liars, since they violate justice at the very time that they pretend to exercise it, and in this manifest their serpent-like nature. Here, then, are three counts in the indictment against these judges.
(1) They were silent when they ought to have declared for righteousness.
(2) Their hearts were bent on wickedness.
(3) Under the pretence of justice they did evil. Thus in the place of judgment there was wickedness, and in the place of righteousness there was iniquity.
2. In falsehood. Speaking lies. This is a manifestation of wickedness from which David suffered much, and which, in various forms, has been widely prevalent in the whole history of human wickedness.
3. In malice. Their poison is like the poison of a serpent. Their spirit was malignant, and their utterances were spiteful, cruel, and deadly.
III. Wickedness in its full development. Like the deaf adder that stoppeth her ear; which will not hearken to the voice of charmers, charming never so wisely. It is not the adder which stoppeth the ear, but the wicked. What is already deaf by nature has no need to stop its ear. We may read the clause, As a deaf adder, he stoppeth his ear. By means of stopping their ears the wicked make themselves like the deaf adder. (On serpent charming, see The Land and the Book, by Dr. Thomson, p. 154, and Barnes and Lange, in loco.) As there are serpents which cannot be charmed, so there are men who will yield to no good influence. They harden themselves against the grace of God, and close their ears against His Word, and strengthen themselves in wickedness, and so prepare themselves for a terrible and inevitable ruin. It is not simply that the tendency to evil with which they were born has developed itself, but it has developed itself unchecked, and without any obstruction, and the influences which have been brought to bear upon them to lead them to resist that development they have resisted, and the aids which have been offered to them to enable them to do so, they have rejected. Ye do always resist the Holy Ghost. In this way that which at first was merely a tendency to evil becomes an irresistible despot. His own iniquities shall take the wicked himself, and he shall be holden with the cords of his sins. Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots? then may ye also do good that are accustomed to do evil. We see this stopping of the ears and hardening of the heart in the disregard of those who eagerly pursue wickedness
1. To the remonstrances and entreaties of men, even of their best friends.
2. To the invitations of Divine mercy, and the warnings of Divine judgment.
3. To the Divine influence working in and through their own conscience. All these they disregard. Saul is a conspicuous and terrible example of this. Men wilfully close their eyes against the light, and blindness supervenes; they wilfully stop their ears against Divine voices, and deafness results. Sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.
IV. Wickedness in its consummation. Break their teeth, O God, in their mouth, &c. (Psa. 58:6-9). There is, says Perowne, an abrupt change in the image employed. As these men are incorrigible in their wickedness, as they cannot be tamed, the Psalmist prays to God to destroy their power for mischief; but instead of continuing the figure of the serpent charmer, who robs the serpent of his poison, he suddenly represents them as young lions, whose teeth he would see broken that they may no longer devour. In this portion of the Psalm we see the destination of wickedness.
1. The power of the wicked shall be destroyed. Break their teeth, &c. The young lions are not the whelps, but those who are youthful in vigour and strength. God will break the power of wickedness. The arms of the wicked shall be broken.
2. The plans of the wicked shall be defeated. When he bendeth, &c. The Hebrew here is difficult. Hengstenberg translates: He takes aim with his arrows, as if they were cut in pieces. Conant: He will fit his arrows, they shall be as if severed. The idea, doubtless, is, that the arrows of the wicked would be without effect as though they had their points cut off. The Lord bringeth the counsel of the heathen to nought, &c.
3. The end of the wicked shall be failure and ruin.
(1) Here are the ideas of wasting and failure as the end of the wicked. Let them melt away as waters which run continually. As a snail which melteth, &c. (On the metaphor of the snail, see Tristrams Natural History of the Bible, p. 295, quoted in Lange.) Wickedness tends to failure. Sin is truly a missing of the mark. The life of the wicked shall pass away like an abortion (Psa. 37:35-36).
(2) Here is the idea of dread ruin as the end of the wicked. Before your pots, &c. Another difficult verse. A more correct translation would be, Before your pots feel the thorn, whether fresh or burning; He will sweep it away as with a tempest. Whether fresh or burning we take as applying to the thorns. Perowne: The general sense of this difficult verse seems to be this: As a sudden whirlwind in the desert sweeps away the thorns which have been gathered for cooking almost as soon as they have been set on fire, and before the cauldron has grown hot, so shall the wicked, and all their yet incomplete designs, be swept away by the wrath of God. The ruin of the wicked is here represented as () sudden (1Th. 5:3). () Irresistible, as with a whirlwind (Pro. 14:32). Such is the dread consummation to which wickedness tends.
V. Wickedness as viewed in its ultimate aspects. The consummation of wickedness affords
1. Satisfaction to the righteous. The righteous shall rejoice when he seeth the vengeance, &c. Alexander: To bathe his steps in the blood of others is to walk where their blood is flowing, to tread the battlefield where they have fallen, to gain a sanguinary triumph over them, or rather, to partake in the triumph of another. The righteous rejoice that wickedness does not triumph, but is defeated, destroyed. The Lord reigneth.
2. Conviction to men in general. And men will say, Verily, there is fruit for the righteous, &c. When the ultimate aspects of wickedness are seen men will be convinced that the moral government of the world is in the hands of a righteous God. Even in the present state of affairs events are frequently conducted to such issues that men cannot resist the conclusion that there is a God that judgeth in the earth.
CONCLUSION.
1. Learn the danger of following the bias of our nature apart from the grace of God. When we follow our inborn nature we ruin ourselves and others.
2. Rejoice that the bias of our nature to evil may be changed. By the grace of God we may be renewed in the spirit of our mind, &c. (Eph. 4:23-24).
3. Let those who are pursuing evil turn from it to Jesus Christ and to life ere it reaches its dread consummation (Isa. 55:6-7; Eze. 33:11).
4. Learn to take a comprehensive view of the divine dealings with men. By so doing we shall be likely correctly to understand the ways of God.
5. Cultivate a strong and constant faith in the exercise and rectitude of the Divine administration in human affairs.
Fuente: The Preacher’s Complete Homiletical Commentary Edited by Joseph S. Exell
Psalms 58
DESCRIPTIVE TITLE
A Significant Warning to Corrupt Judges.
ANALYSIS
Stanza I., Psa. 58:1-5, Corrupt Judges Apostrophised, Described in their Evil Doings and Training, in the Harm they Do and the Hopelessness of Trying to Reform them. Stanza II., Psa. 58:6-9; Psa. 58:11, the Judgment which has Overtaken them, by the Advent of a Righteous King. (A Maccabean cry for vengeance, Psa. 58:10.)
(Lm.)By DavidA Tablet.
1
Do ye indeed ye mighty ones[629] speak righteously?
[629] So Gt.; cp. Exo. 15:11Gn.
with equity do ye judge the sons of men?
2
Nay! ye all[630] do work perversity,
[630] So it shd. be (w. Syr.)Gn.
throughout the land it is violence that your hands weigh out.
3
Lawless men have been estranged from birth,
they have gone astray from nativity speaking falsehood:
4
They have poison like the poison of a serpent,
like a cobra deaf and stopping his ear;
5
That will not hearken to the voice of whispers,
when the wise one is casting his spells.
6
God hath broken.[631] their teeth in their mouth,
the incisors of young lions hath Jehovah knocked out.[631]
[631] Tenses changed by mere change of vowel-points.
7
Let them flow away like water let them disperse of themselves,
are they luxuriant as grass? so let them fade![632]
[632] So w. Sep. and Br. in this and following lines.
8
Like a snail that melteth away as it goeth:
there hath fallen fire they have not viewed the sun:
9
Before they perceive it they have become like brambles,
while they are yet green[633] in hot anger he sweepeth them away.[634]
[633] Ml.: living.
[634] M.T.: (prob. Maccabean addition) :
10 Let a righteous man rejoice that he hath seen an avenging, His feet let him bathe in the blood of the lawless one.
11
A son of earth then may saySurely there is fruit for a righteous man!
Surely there are messengers divine who are judging[635] in the land!
[635] Plural in Heb., warranting reference to Psa. 82:1, Psa. 97:7, also Exo. 21:6; Exo. 22:8-9; Exo. 22:28.
(Lm.) To the Chief Musician.
(CMm.) Do not destroy.
PARAPHRASE
Psalms 58
Justice? You high and mighty politicians dont even know the meaning of the word! Fairness? Which of you has any left? Not one! All your dealings are crooked: you give justice in exchange for bribes.[636]
[636] Literally, you deal out the violence of your hands in the land.
3 These men are born sinners, lying from their earliest words!
4, 5 They are poisonous as deadly snakes, cobras that close their ears to the most expert of charmers.
6 O God, break off their fangs. Tear out the teeth of these young lions, Lord.
7 Let them disappear like water into thirsty ground. Make their weapons useless in their hands.[637]
[637] Or, Let them be trodden down and wither like grass.
8 Let them be as snails that dissolve into slime; and as those who die at birth, who never see the sun.
9 God will sweep away both old and young. He will destroy them more quickly than a cooking pot can feel the blazing fire of thorns beneath it.
10 The godly shall rejoice in the triumph of right;[638] they shall walk the blood-stained fields of slaughtered, wicked men.
[638] Literally, when he sees the vengeance.
11 Then at last everyone will know that good is rewarded, and that there is a God who judges justly here on earth.
EXPOSITION
So little excuse is there for discrediting the superscription of this psalm by David, that we no sooner accept for it the proffered historical setting, than we become conscious of a powerful appeal to our sense of the fitness of things. There is nothing inherently improbable in the supposition, that, when David began to reign, he found occupying the position of judges throughout the land, men utterly unfit for it: wealthy, overbearing, careless; accustomed to falsehood from their youth up. Carry forward the state of things known to have existed from the time of the judges; recall how little the sons of Eli and of Samuel did to inculcate a high standard of national righteousness; notice how conspicuous by their absence are any efforts by King Saul to elevate the practical godliness of the nation; then remember how, as we have lately seen (Psalms 55), a comparatively short period of royal remissness, somewhere after this time, brought forth an enormous crop of noxious weeds in Jerusalem itselfand the conclusion will no longer seem far-fetched, if we assume that, when David came to the throne, he discovered judicial conditions so corrupt as to cause to flame out his known passion for righteousness. We know, from Psalms 101, the purity he deemed essential to his court; and, from Psalms 82, the estimate formed by his Chief Singer Asaph of the enormous wrongs easily inflicted on the helpless by a lax administration of justice. Hence we need feel no surprise to find him, in this psalm, equal to the occasion of giving corrupt judges notice, in solemn psalmody, of the drastic treatment which their perversion of righteousness might expect at his hands: no surprise to discover what a mighty instrument he was thus employing to create a purified and elevated public sentiment, likely to aid him in subsequent detailed endeavours to make Israel a law-abiding and holy people.
From this point of view, survey this psalm; and how fitting an instrument it appears for the forwarding of these noble ends. It grips these high-placed evil-doers with a will; sets their wrong-doing plainly before their faces; shows them that their characters have been thoroughly reckoned up; warns them that little is expected of them by way of reformeven the spell of a psalm is unlikely to save them from the consequences of their inborn and long-practised depravity. Such is the purport, under poetic guise, of the first Stanza of this psalm. The warning is veiled; but men must be stupid as well as stubborn if they cannot see through it.
The King, however (Stanza II.), has them in his power; and he knows it. They may yet be as fierce as lions; but in setting over them his righteous servant David, God has already, in effect, broken their teeth in their mouth; yea, let the young magnates, who are prepared to exceed their fathers in highhanded injustice, know, that Jehovah hath already knocked out their terrible incisors! The best thing they can do, is to disappear like water that drieth up; like grass for which the sun is too hot, whose luxuriating hours are done; like snails crawling away and wasting as they go. Otherwise, if they will not be admonished, let them beware lest they be suddenly made like unto thorns; yea, even though they be like green brambles, lest the fierce fire and strong wind of Divine wrath scorch and scatter them as in a storm of retribution!
Is it terrible? Yea, but it is just? Is it unmerciful? Nay, for they are thus publicly warned. The tempest will clear the air, and bring about health and peace. Justice is the foundation of grace. The common man has to be cared for. Well-doers must be encouragedmust have given back to them the conviction, that there is fruit for a righteous man: that, as there are visible representatives of God judging in the land, so there is an invisible God judging on the earth and in heaven.
QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION
1.
If we relate this psalm to David who are the judges here described? . . .
2.
Does verse three teach hereditary total deprivity? If not what does it teach?
3.
W. Graham Scroggie divides this psalm into three parts: (1) The sin, Psa. 58:1-5; (2) The sentence, Psa. 58:6-9; (3) The satisfaction (of the righteous at the overthrow of the wicked) Psa. 58:10-11. List and discuss the various characteristics and cause for the sin of injustice as set forth in verses one through five.
4.
The sentence of David against such corrupt leaders is indeed terrible; is it justeven merciful? Discuss.
5.
We must not, we cannot, we will not read vindictiveness into the justice of Godwhy not? What then shall we say? Discussespecially as related to verses ten and eleven.
Fuente: College Press Bible Study Textbook Series
(1) Congregation.This rendering comes of a mistaken derivation of the Hebrew word lem, which offers some difficulty. As pointed, it must mean silence (comp. Psalms 56 title, the only other place it occurs); and some, regardless of sense, would render, do ye truly in silence speak righteousness. Of the many conjectures on the passage, we may choose between reading elim (short for elm = gods), and here, as in Exo. 21:6; Exo. 22:8; Psa. 82:6, applied to the judges) and ulam (with the LXX., Syriac, and Arabic, in the sense of but. To speak righteousness is, of course, to pronounce a just judgment. If we prefer the former of these (with most modern scholars), it is best to take sons of men in the accusative rather than the vocative, do ye judge with equity the sons of men.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
1. Do ye indeed speak righteousness, O congregation Much perplexity and doubt attend the rendering of this clause. The difficulty lies in the
, translated in the vocative, “O congregation.” Its verbal root signifies, to bind, to grow dumb, as if tongue-tied; and the noun signifies dumbness, silence, and so it is used in Psalm lvi, title, the only other place of its occurrence. Our English Version derives the idea of “congregation” from the signification to bind, which is not satisfactory. The address is not to the “congregation,” but to the judges. No light of criticism has hitherto given a smooth sense to the passage. If we retain the word in question, and not, as many, throw it out as an interpolation, we may retain the radical sense to bind, and consider the judges or leaders of the nation addressed as binders of the people by their oppressive decrees, or as confederates arrayed against justice; or, rejecting the wordas an interpolation, read, “Do ye indeed decree justice?” ( Delitzsch;) or, “Are ye indeed dumb [when] ye [should] speak righteousness [and] judge equitably?” Alexander. It would seem safer to just criticism to retain the word in the text.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Heading ( Psa 58:1 a).
‘For the Chief Musician, set to Al-tashheth. A Psalm of David. Michtam.
The heading is a reproduction of the heading to Psalms 57 without the final clause. Psalms 58 is another of the many Psalms dedicated to the Choirmaster or Chief Musician. This may simply indicate Psalms put at his disposal. It is set to the tune Al-tashheth (‘Do not destroy’), and is one of the ‘Psalms of David’. Michtam is probably to be seen as a plea for protection.
Having himself been a victim of injustice, both at the hands of Saul, and at the hands of his duly appointed authorities, David inveighs against injustice in all its forms. It has brought home to him the sinfulness of man in general, and he calls on God to deal with it wherever it is found. He then ends the Psalm in the triumphant assurance that righteousness will prevail because it is God Who judges the earth.
Some have seen in the psalm a reference to Absalom’s rebellion, but it is difficult to see how the man who was so grieved over Absalom’s death because he loved him so much, could have written of him in such terms. It seems far more likely that the ideas spring from the time when David was himself suffering at the hands of unjust authorities.
Injustice Prevails Where There Should Be Justice ( Psa 58:1-2 ).
Having constantly experienced injustice at the hands of those who ruled over Israel, David gives his assessment of them. Instead of being men who quietly assess things and come to the right verdict, they make hasty judgments and act violently. It is certainly a fair assessment of the behaviour of Saul.
Psa 58:1
‘Do you indeed in silence speak righteousness?
Do you judge uprightly, O you sons of men?’
David reminds men of what they are, they are ‘sons of men (adam)’, not gods or heavenly beings. And he challenges them to consider as to whether they are wise in their judgments. Are they of those who listen quietly before coming to a verdict? Do they judge uprightly? David’s experience is otherwise. He was constantly aware of how much he had suffered as a consequence of those who would not listen to the truth.
To ‘speak righteousness’ is in context to pronounce a righteous verdict (it parallels judging uprightly). To do it ‘in silence’ (elem) is to act thoughtfully without being swayed by outside voices, or inward prejudices. The wise judge listens and does not talk too much. ‘He who refrains his lips does wisely’ (Pro 10:19). The Book of Proverbs constantly emphasises the need for the righteous to be silent, and not to judge things precipitately and speak too quickly (Pro 10:19; Pro 15:28; Pro 17:27-28; Pro 18:13).
Note On ’Elem (‘in silence’).
There is no real justification for emending ’elem (‘in silence’), derived from ’lm – to be speechless, to eliym (‘mighty ones’), and then emending further to elohiym (‘gods’). None of the ancient versions would support such a change, and elem makes good sense as it is. Thus the emendation is unnecessary. It is done by those who are attracted by emendations, (something which has been all too common in the past), as a suggested contrast with ‘sons of men’.
End of note.
Psa 58:2
‘No, in heart you work wickedness,
You weigh out the violence of your hands in the earth (or ‘land’).’
His reply to his own question is ‘No’. The tendency of men is not to judge uprightly (Psa 58:1), not to listen (Psa 58:4-5), but to ‘work unrighteousness’ (the word for wickedness constantly contrasts with righteousness), to come to hasty judgments, to be unrighteous of heart, to dispense (weigh out) their own kind of justice through violence. It was an assessment that came from his own experience.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Psalms 58
Psa 58:1 (To the chief Musician, Altaschith, Michtam of David.) Do ye indeed speak righteousness, O congregation? do ye judge uprightly, O ye sons of men?
Psa 58:1
Psa 58:1 “Michtam of David” Word Study on “Michtam” – Strong says the Hebrew word “michtam” ( ) (H4387) literally means, “an engraving,” and as a technical term, “a poem.” He says this word comes from a Hebrew root word ( ) (H3799), which means “to carve, or engrave.” Therefore, some translations prefer to use a poetic term ( NLT, Rotherham), while others prefer a more literal translation ( DRC, LXX, VgClem).
NLT, “A psalm of David”
Rotherham, “A Precious Psalm of David”
DRC, “The inscription of a title to David himself”
LXX, “ ”
VgClem, “Tituli inscriptio, ipsi David”
Comments – A similar Hebrew word ( ) (3800) means, “something carved out, i.e. ore; hence, gold.” Peter Craigie tells us that some scholars translate the title “A Golden Psalm” from “early rabbinical interpretations.” [81] Therefore, we get a variety of translations that carry the idea of treasure or gold.
[81] Peter C. Craigie, Psalms 1-50, in Word Biblical Commentary: 58 Volumes on CD-Rom, vol. 19, eds. Bruce M. Metzger, David A. Hubbard and Glenn W. Barker (Dallas: Word Inc., 2002), in Libronix Digital Library System, v. 2.1c [CD-ROM] (Bellingham, WA: Libronix Corp., 2000-2004), 154.
LITV, YLT, “A Secret Treasure of David”
Luther, “Ein glden Kleinod David”
There are six so called “Michtam Psalms” (16, 56, 57, 58, 59, 60), which open with the phrase “Michtam of David.” A similar title “the writing of Hezekiah” is used as the title for the psalm of Hezekiah in Isa 38:9-20, which uses a similar Hebrew word ( ) (H4385), means “a writing, the characters of something written, or a document such as a letter, a copy, an edict, or a poem.”
Psa 58:2 Yea, in heart ye work wickedness; ye weigh the violence of your hands in the earth.
Psa 58:2
Fuente: Everett’s Study Notes on the Holy Scriptures
A Cry for Vengeance upon the Subverters of Right.
v. 1. Do ye indeed speak righteousness, O congregation? v. 2. Yea, in heart ye work wickedness; ye weigh the violence of your hands in the earth, v. 3. The wicked are estranged from the womb, v. 4. Their poison, v. 5. which will not hearken to the voice of charmers, charming never so wisely, v. 6. Break their teeth, O God, in their mouth, v. 7. Let them melt away as waters which run continually, v. 8. As a snail which melteth, let every one of them pass away, v. 9. Before your pots can feel the thorns, v. 10. The righteous shall rejoice when he seeth the vengeance, v. 11. so that a man shall say,
Fuente: The Popular Commentary on the Bible by Kretzmann
Cheth. True Piety the Calling of the Believers.
v. 57. Thou art my Portion, O Lord; I have said that I would keep Thy words. v. 58. I entreated Thy favor, v. 59. I thought on my ways, v. 60. I made haste, v. 61. The bands of the wicked have robbed me, v. 62. At midnight, v. 63. I am a companion of all them that fear Thee, v. 64. The earth, O Lord, is full of Thy mercy,
Fuente: The Popular Commentary on the Bible by Kretzmann
EXPOSITION
A PSALM of condemnation on unrighteous judges. Some suppose the judges to be superhuman beings, entrusted with the government of the earth (Cheyne). Others suggest heathen rulers of Israel, in Babylonia, during the time of the Captivity. But the language is not stronger than that addressed often to native judges (see Isa 1:16-25; Isa 10:1-4; Jer 5:26-29; Mic 3:9-12, etc.). And there is no reason for rejecting the statement of the “title,” that the psalm was written by David. It may either belong to the early years of David’s reign, or to the time immediately preceding Absalom’s rebellion.
The psalm consists of two strophes and a conclusion. The first strophe is one of five verses, and lays down the grounds of complaint (Psa 58:1-5). The second, which is one of four verses (Psa 58:6-9), passes sentence, describing the coming punishment. The conclusion (Psa 58:10, Psa 58:11) expresses the righteous man’s satisfaction at the result.
Psa 58:1
Do ye indeed speak righteousness, O congregation! The rendering of elem () by “congregation” is contrary to all analogy, and quite untenable. It must either mean “dumb ones,” or be a corruption of elim ()”mighty ones” (comp. Psa 29:1). In either case it is an epithet applied to the judges of the people, and not to the congregation. Do ye judge uprightly, O ye sons of men? Both questions are asked in bitter irony, as is clear from the context.
Psa 58:2
Yea, in heart ye work wickedness; literally, wickednesses, or iniquities. These ye first devise in your heart, and then (see the next clause) carry out with your hands. Ye weigh (or, weigh out) the violence of your hands in the earth. Instead of carefully meting out justice to men, after accurately weighing it in the balance of right and equity, you weigh out to them mere wrong and “violence.”
Psa 58:3
The wicked are estranged from the womb: they go astray as soon as they be born, speaking lies. This is the language of hyperbole, and is certainly not the profession of the doctrine of original sin. What the psalmist means is that those who ultimately become heinous sinners, for the most part show, even from their early childhood, a strong tendency towards evil. He implies that with others the case is different. Though there may be in them a corruption of nature (Psa 51:6), yet, on the whole, they have good dispositions, and present a contrast to the ungodly ones whom he is describing.
Psa 58:4
Their poison is like the poison of a serpent (comp. Psa 140:3; Song of Sirach 25:15). They are like the deaf adder that stoppeth her ear. The “adder” was supposed to be deaf, on account of its being very difficult to charm. It was thought obstinately to set itself against the charmer, and, as it were, stop its ears against him.
Psa 58:5
Which will not hearken to the voice of charmers. Serpent charmers are alluded to in Ecc 10:11 and Jer 6:17. They have at all times been common in the East, as they are still in India; and it is with reason suspected that the magicians of Pharaoh employed the art in their contest with Moses and Aaron. Charming never so wisely; literally, though they bind their spells skilfully.
Psa 58:6-9
“Description passes into imprecation, with an ‘Elohim’ emphatically placed first” (Cheyne). Metaphors are accumulated. Menace follow menace. The wrath of God is first invoked upon the evil doers (Psa 58:6-8); then (Psa 58:9) coming judgment is announced.
Psa 58:6
Break their teeth, O God, in their mouth. Serpent charmers sometimes, when they have caught their snake, proceed to beat out the poison fangs with a stone or stick. The psalmist, in the first clause, seems to allude to this practice; in the second, he changes the metaphor, reverting to his favourite image of the young lion (kephir). Break out the great teeth of the young lions, O Lord. The “cheek teeth” (Joe 1:6), or principal fangs on either side, are intended.
Psa 58:7
Let them melt away as waters which run continually; i.e. “let them waste away, and go to naught, like water, that runs off and accomplishes nothing.” When he bendoth his bow to shoot his arrows, let them be as cut in pieces; i.e. “let the arrows be as though snapped in two, or headless.”
Psa 58:8
As a snail which molteth, lot every one of them pass away; or, “let them be as a snail, which melteth and passeth away” (Revised Version). Snails in Palestine, during dry seasons, often shrink, shrivel up, and disappear from their shells. Like the untimely birth of a woman, that they may not see the sun; rather, that hath not seen the sun (Professor Cheyne, Revised Version); i.e. “let them be as an abortion” (comp. Job 3:16).
Psa 58:9
Before your pots can feel the thorns, he shall take them away as with a whirlwind, both living, and in his wrath. This “difficult and obscure verse” has been variously explained. Professor Cheyne translates, “Before your pots can feel the thorns, and while your flesh (i.e. the flesh in the pots, on which you are about to feast) is still raw, the hot wrath of Jehovah shall sweep it away.” The Revised Version gives the following: “Before your pots can feel the thorns, he shall take them [i.e. the thorns] away with a whirlwind, the green [thorns] and the burning alike.” Dr. Kay, “Before your caldrons have felt the thorn fire, even as raw flesh, even so, shall hot fury sweep him away.” The general meaning seems to be that before the wicked judges can enjoy the fruits of their wickedness, the fierce wrath of God will come upon them like a tempest, and sweep both them and the produce of their villainy away.
Psa 58:10, Psa 58:11
In conclusion, the psalmist expresses the satisfaction of the righteous at the punishment of the unjust judges.
Psa 58:10
The righteous shall rejoice when he seeth the vengeance. As the good man is pained when he sees the ungodly prosper, so he cannot but feel a certain satisfaction and pleasure when punishment overtakes him. Dante says
“O Signor mio, quando saro io lieto
A veder la vendetta, che nascosa
Fa dolce l’ira tua nel suo segreto?“
(‘Purg.,’ 20:94-96.)
He shall wash his feet in the blood of the wicked (comp. Psa 68:24; Isa 63:1-19 :35. It is observable that David, personally, was too indulgent, rather than too severe, towards offenders.
Psa 58:11
So that a man shall say, Verily there is a reward for the righteous. God’s righteous judgment being seen in the punishment of the wicked, men will no longer doubt of the ultimate reward of the godly. God must, by his very nature, be more inclined to reward goodness than to punish wickedness. Verily he is a God that judgeth in the earth; rather, verily there is a God, etc. (see Revised Version). Elohim is joined with a plural here, because the speakers are men generally, not only Israelites.
HOMILIES BY W. FORSYTH
Psa 58:1-11
Unjust judges.
There is a contrast in this psalm between the unjust judges of the earth, and God the righteous Judge of all men (Psa 58:1, Psa 58:2, and Psa 58:11). “Do ye really, O ye gods, speak righteousness? Do ye in uprightness judge the children of men? Nay, in heart ye work iniquities, in the land ye weigh out the violence of your hands” (Delitzsch). This indignant protest is just. Judges have often been false to their trust. They have prostituted their power to selfish ends. They have increased instead of diminished the evils of society, and made confusion worse confounded by their wicked deeds. There are signal examples of this in the Bible, and though the lines have fallen unto us, in these last days, in pleasant places, our fathers, in the days of Bonner and Jeffries and Claverhouse, and in days of persecution, suffered grievously. But how different is it with God the Judge of all the earth! His judgments are all righteous. Even the wicked cannot complain. In their punishment they only receive, as their own consciences testify, “the just reward of their deeds.” Our attention is specially concentrated on the wicked.
I. THEIR CHARACTER IS PORTRAYED. (Verses 1-5.) Character is a growth. No man becomes of a sudden either very bad or very good. There is gradation”first the blade, then the ear, then the full corn in the ear.” We are shown wickedness in its germ. It has its source in a bad hearta heart not right with God. From within it works toward without. Evil may for a time be concealed or held in check, but it is sure to show itself. People may be worse than they seem. God only knows the evil that lies hidden and rooted in the heart. Then we see wickedness in its development. It has been said that “tongue sins are our first transgressions.” But how quickly do we proceed from “lies” to other and more flagrant forms of wickedness! The more the will of the flesh is indulged, the stronger it becomes. The poison spreads through all the veins.
“The soul grows clothed by contagion,
Imbodies and imbrutes, till she quite lose
The Divine property of her first being.”
(Milton)
Then cometh the consummation. All checks and warnings and remonstrances are in vain. Men become “more deaf than adders to the voice of true decision.” Like Saul, they choose the evil instead of the good. Like Rehoboam, they persist in their sins. Like Ahab, they sell themselves to work iniquity. Like Israel, they harden their hearts against all teaching and rebuke, till in the end there is no remedy (2Ch 36:16).
II. THEIR JUDGMENT IS PREDICTED. (Verses 6-11.) God is long suffering and merciful. How excellent his counsels! how tender his rebukes I how gracious his calls to repentance! But when evil men knowingly and obstinately persist in their evil ways, judgment must be done. The psalmist adds image to image to strengthen the argument, and to set forth the more vividly the awful doom of the wicked.
1. Judgment, is required in the interests of humanity. In all good governments there are laws for the protection of society. If evil doers will not repent, they must be restrained. Their power to do injury must be stopped.
2. Besides, judgment is demanded in accordance with righteousness. There is nothing arbitrary in the procedure. Even evil must be dealt with fairly.
3. Judgment also is necessary for the vindication of Goers truth. There is a moral necessity why it should be “ill with the wicked.” “God is not a man, that he should lie.”
“But evil on itself shall back recoil,
And mix no more with goodness, when at last.
Gather’d like scum, and settled to itself,
It shall be in eternal restless change,
Self-fed and self-consumed; if this fail,
The pillar’d firmament is rottenness,
And earth’s base built on stubble.”
(Milton.)
W.F.
HOMILIES BY C. SHORT
Psa 58:1-11
A bold protest against unrighteous judges.
I. THE INVETERATELY WICKED. (Psa 58:1-5.)
1. Wicked within and, without. (Psa 58:1, Psa 58:2.) In heart and deed.
2. Wicked by nature and by habit. (Psa 58:3.) Go astray all their lives.
3. Incorrigible. (Psa 58:4.) Like the adder that will not be turned by the voice of the charmer.
II. THEIR PUNISHMENT. (Psa 58:6-11.)
1. They shall be rendered powerless in their designs. (Psa 58:6-9.) All the figures in Psa 58:6-9 mean this.
2. They shall become the objects of God’s righteous vengeance. (Psa 58:9, Psa 58:10.)
3. The victims of their wickedness shall see their overthrow, and rejoice in it. (Psa 58:10, Psa 58:11.) They shall rejoice that there is a God that judgeth among men.S.
Fuente: The Complete Pulpit Commentary
Psalms 58.
David, reproving wicked judges, describeth the nature of the wicked, and devoteth them to God’s judgments, whereat the righteous shall rejoice.
To the chief Musician, Al-taschith, Michtam of David.
Title. al tashcheth. Bishop Patrick observes, that the order of time, in placing this, the former, and the following psalms, is inverted; for the occasion of the 59th was first. Then, upon Saul’s missing David, he supposes him to have called his council together; when they, to ingratiate themselves with the reigning prince, adjudged David to be guilty of treason in aspiring to the throne of Israel; which he thinks to have been the occasion of this psalm. And this was prior to what happened in the cave which gave occasion to the last psalm.
Psa 58:1. Do ye indeed speak righteousness, &c. Truth.O congregation, that is, “Ye courtiers assembled in council.” Ye sons of men, signifies, “Ye rulers of the people.” See Psa 8:4.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Psalms 58
To the chief Musician, Al-taschith, Michtam of David
Do ye indeed speak righteousness, O congregation?
Do ye judge uprightly, O ye sons of men?
2Yea, in heart ye work wickedness;
Ye weigh the violence of your hands in the earth.
3The wicked are estranged from the womb:
They go astray as soon as they be born, speaking lies.
4Their poison is like the poison of a serpent:
They are like the deaf adder that stoppeth her ear;
5Which will not hearken to the voice of charmers,
Charming never so wisely.
6Break their teeth, O God, in their mouth:
Break out the great teeth of the young lions, O Lord.
7Let them melt away as waters which run continually:
When he bendeth his bow to shoot his arrows, let them be as cut in pieces.
8As a snail which melteth, let every one of hem pass away:
Like the untimely birth of a woman, that they may not see the sun.
9Before your pots can feel the thorns,
He shall take them away as with a whirlwind, both living, and in his wrath.
10The righteous shall rejoice when he seeth the vengeance:
He shall wash his feet in the blood of the wicked.
11So that a man shall say, Verily there is a reward for the righteous:
Verily he is a God that judgeth in the earth.
EXEGETICAL AND CRITICAL
Its Contents And Composition.The position of this Psalm is due not only to expressions in the title, but to the figure of the lion and the mention of teeth. There is no reason to put its composition in a late period, and seek the unjust judges among the heathen (Ewald, Hitzig). The prophets afford sufficient analogies to this complaint respecting domestic administrations of justice (Hupfeld), as it here gushes forth from the indignant soul of the Psalmist in a threatening language which is almost obscure owing to bold and mingled figures of speech. It is like a torrent which plunges over every hindrance, foaming and raging. A comparison with other Psalms of David, e. g.,Pss. 64. and 140. shows that such language, especially in the expectation of Divine judgment, is not strange in the mouth of David. We may certainly credit this original poet with a richness of figures and changes in their use, as well as in the turns of language and of thought, in accordance with particular circumstances and feeling. Yet we lack sufficient evidence to show whether the composition occurred in the time of Saul, who was at the same time Davids judge and persecutor, who endeavored to hide the persecution under the appearance of a righteous judgment (Hengst.); or in the time of Absalom, who made the administration of justice a means of stealing from David the hearts of the people, whilst he pretended to be impartial (Knapp, Delitzsch). The reproachful question, which is ironical in form (Psa 58:1), and its cutting answer (Psa 58:2), are followed by the description of the entire corruption of the accused (Psa 58:3-5), and then follows the proclamation of their ruin by Divine judgment which has been implored (Psa 58:6-9); and finally the statements of its effects (Psa 58:10-11).
Str. I. Psa 58:1. Do ye truly in silence speak righteousness?The word occurs only here and in the title of Psalms 56, and is obscure and doubtful in both places. At any rate it is artificial and without sufficient warrant, to gain the sense of pactum, that is to say, publico jure sancitum by derivation from a word=bind (Maurer), or a vocative with the meaning congregatio to designate the companions of Saul (Kimchi, Calvin [A. V.], et al). The radical meaning is, to grow dumb or speechless, and the juxtaposition of two nouns is not without examples, Psa 45:4. But which is the most appropriate meaning? The question Do ye in truth or truly leads to the doubt whether the addressed are earnest in doing that which is alleged of them and presupposed or is to be required of them, or whether they do it only apparently or not at all; and the parallel clause shows that the question is with reference to the righteous administration of justice and equitable judgment. The form of this parallel clause, however, prevents the question from being regarded as one of astonishment. do you really decree dumb justice? but seems to lead to the question of doubt: do you really speak righteousness (previously) dumb, that is to say: recognize and express in the judicial sentence (the older interpreters, with Geier, J H. Mich., De Wette, Stier). But this is against the position of the word, and already an explanation of the too difficult oxymoron; do you really speak; that is to say, give utterance to, or express in words, dumbness of justice? The parallel clause Psa 58:4 b, likewise leads to the thought that those addressed are dumb, when they should speak, as they are deaf when they should hear. We might therefore be tempted to translate: are you really dumbness, that is to say, entirely dumb? The language would permit this; but what then could be made of the subsequent words? The translations; that you would not speak what is just (Luther, Hengst.), or: Do you speak righteousness? (Geier) are not only harsh but at the same time against grammar and the parallel clause. The same is true of the interpretation: Is righteousness really silent? Then speak it! (Rosenm.) Therefore we are to take it as a question of irony rather than one of direct reproach: Do you truly in silence speak righteousness? (Chald., Hupf.) This oxymoron is at least endurable, and the interpretation agrees with the expected thoughts and the irony of weighing out (Psa 58:2 b), better than the direct question which the language admits: Is the righteousness which you should speak, truly, dumb? (Isaki). If the vowel points are to be altered it is better to make it = ye people (Hitzig) parallel with the vocative sons of men, than , for which rare word was originally placed upon the margin as a gloss, then came into the text, and is now again to be removed from it in order to get the sense: do you truly speak justice? (Gesenius); or in the sense of a defective orthography of , as Exo 15:11, or , Num 7:77; Num 23:29, which then is a designation of the judges addressed, but cannot mean: strong (Tholuck with reference to Joab and his brother) but only: gods (since Houbigant many interpreters besides J. D. Mich., likewise Ewald, Olsh., Delitzsch). It is then admissible to take the sons of men of the following clause as an accusative, and as intentionally used here as Elohim is then used in the final clause as plural. The irony would then be still further strengthened by scornful allusion to the folly and vanity of self-exaltation. But there are very serious objections to regard this word as designating the unjust false judges as gods, for it is without any preparation in the Psalm, and still more would be in a very unusual form of the word.
[Psa 58:2. Ye weigh out.Perowne: This is said sarcastically Ye pretend indeed to hold the balance of justice, and nicely to weigh out to each his just award, but violence is the weight with which ye adjust the scales..C. A. B.]
Str. II. [Psa 58:3. From birth.Delitzsch: The Scriptures in such passages testify to the fact of experience, that there are men in whom evil has from childhood a truly devilish and selfish character, incapable of loving, for although original sin and guilt are common to all men, yet the former class has them in the most manifold J mixture and forms, as indeed the transmission of sin and the influence of the power of evil and the power of grace, ever working at the same time upon the propagation of the human race, demand; this dualism of human nature is taught especially by the gospel of John.C. A. B.]
Psa 58:4. Poison have they like the poison of a serpent.This is literally the poison which they have; for the stat. const. demands that should be supplied. Among the serpents the adder is mentioned as the best known of the dangerous ones (Deu 32:33) of which it is said in the Orient (vid. the passages in De Wette, Com.) it is dumb, when it will not obey the charmer. The intentional character of this dumbness is mentioned as a stopping up of the ear.11
Str. III. [Psa 58:6. Perowne: There is an abrupt change in the image employed. As these men are incorrigible in their wickedness, as they cannot be tamed, the Psalmist prays God to destroy their power for mischief; but instead of continuing the figure of the serpent-charmer, who robs the serpent of his poison, he suddenly represents them as young lions, whose teeth he would see broken that they may no longer devour, comp. Psa 3:7.C. A. B.]
Psa 58:7. Let him (namely the enemy) fix his arrows,(let them be) as though cut off.It is best not to regard God as the subject, because He has been immediately before directly addressed, and the explanations until the enemies have become weak, (Sept.), or donec conterantur (Jerome), ut succidantur et pereant (Isaki), and the like, afford grammatical objections, which disappear when it is referred to the enemies regarded in their unity, whose arrows are designated as without effect, as though they had their points cut off (most interpreters since Kimchi). The treading or bending the bow is transferred to the arrows, as Psa 64:3.12
Psa 58:8. As a snail which in melting passeth away.The meaning snail, which has its Hebrew name from its apparent melting away in slime, is rendered certain (Chald., Isaki, Kimchi) as against the interpretation wax (most of the older interpreters, Ewald), or torrent (Aben Ezra, Kster).13Miscarriage of a woman is here confirmed as a stat. absol.=woman by Deu 21:11; 1Sa 28:7 [although this is usually the stat. const.], as against the interpretation: mole (Chald.), or: fire (Sept.), namely: falls down, so that it is not necessary, by a change of reading, to get the sense of the hopeless one.
Psa 58:10. Before your pots feel the thorn whether fresh or burning.He whirls it away.The idea here is of the sudden and unexpected destruction of all their plans and all their arrangements for their fulfilment. It is represented in a figure, derived from a frequent occurrence in connection with caravans in the desert. The only striking thing is the sudden address to the wicked, who are spoken of from Psa 58:3 on, only in the third person. Since, however, they have been already directly addressed (Psa 58:1-2), there is no objection to it here. Still less is there any weight to be laid upon the fact that is used elsewhere of the fire of Gods wrath (Cleric). For since it properly means burning, and the words with were originally accusatives with nun, or adverbs which denote circumstance or condition (Hupfeld), we may have some objection to understand it of cooking meat, or meat already cooked (Hengstenb. after Berl. Bibel and Delitzsch) or of dry wood (Symm., Ewald), but not to understand it of the = black, or buck thorn (rhamnus), already on fire, which flames up quickly and high in the fire, and gives indeed suitable coals for cooking, yet is easily put out by the wind (dmann, Vermischte Samml. 4:99 sq.). On this account, therefore, we understand by the previously mentioned that is to say, living, not raw flesh (Calvin, et al.), but fresh thorns, still green (Geier and most interpreters). If the interpretation of the double in the sense of sive-sive should be doubted we might translate: when he is still lively, that is to say, fresh (Chald,, Isaki, Kimchi), it will whirl him away as burning wrath. It is however not advisable to give to the word the meaning thorns, instead of pots (the ancient versions, Aben Ezra, Isaki, Luther, and many interpreters). For the inaccuracy of the ancient versions: before your thorns have grown or ripened into the thorn bush may be avoided it is true, and the words thus interpreted: before your thorns were observed, a thorn bush was there (Aben Ezra, J. H. Mich,, Knapp, Kster), or: before your thorns observe it, whether fresh or dry He will whirl away the thorn bush (Ewald). But although the singular has a double meaning, yet only the masculine plural form has the meaning of thorns (Ecc 7:6), the feminine however: pots, with the exception of Amo 4:2, where, however, the idea of thorn prickle has passed over into that of fish hooks. It is entirely inadmissible to refer the word alive, in the second clause, directly to men, who would then be characterized as thorns, and of whom, with an allusion to the ruin of the band of Korah, it would be said: as living, as in the midst of life, He will devour them in wrath (Schegg, after the Sept. and Vulgate). However, it might mean, on the other hand: as often as he revives, so often the burning (Hitzig).14
Stir. IV. [Psa 58:10. He shall bathe his feet in the blood of the wicked.Alexander: To bathe his feet (or rather his steps) in the blood of others is to walk where their blood is flowing, to tread the battle-field where they have fallen, to gain a sanguinary triumph over them, or rather it is to partake in the triumph of another. 15C. A. B.]
Psa 58:11. Yes, there is a Divinity judging upon earth.Elohim is construed with the plural as Gen 20:13; Jos 24:19; 2Sa 7:23 (unchanged in 1Ch 17:21). Yet this is not in accordance with heathen usage (Ewald) or in the mouth of the heathen, who then would be named with (Olsh., Baur) or with a still more direct reference to Psa 58:1 a, if elim is taken as the proper reading there, in order to characterize the just Hebrew judge who makes the name gods which has been dishonored by unjust judges, a true designation (J. D. Mich.), or as rendering prominent the true judging God (Hupf.) or the real God elevated above all earthly magnates, Ecc 5:7 (Delitzsch), in contrast to the false and unjust gods of the earth. There is not the slightest trace of these references and contrasts in the entire Psalm. But the pure grammatical construction (Hitzig) and the sense and context afford the general meaning of Divinity.
DOCTRINAL AND ETHICAL
1. It is very bad when those persons and magistrates who are appointed to administer justice, instead of pronouncing judgment, are silent and are dumb to the prayer of their subordinates, and the earnest entreaties of their friends not less than to the demands of the law and the voice of duty, honor, and conscience. They then not only misuse the scales of justice entrusted to them, in an irresponsible manner to the injury of their fellow-men; but they are likewise hypocrites and liars, since they violate justice at the very time that they pretend to exercise it, and in this manifest their serpent-like nature.
2. In such conduct there is manifest partly the inherited sinful nature (Gen 8:21; Psa 51:6; Job 14:4; Isa 48:8), partly there is presented in them their own hardening of themselves, with which they stop the way of the grace as well as the word of God, increase their readiness to sin as well as their scorn of the means of grace, and hasten the approach of a terrible, unavoidable, and sudden ruin. What makes human ruin so fearful is the fact, that it rests upon original sin, and is rooted in the innermost depths of the heart. The contrast is not between those men who are corrupt from the womb, and those who are not, but of those in whom the ruin which is common to all has developed itself without hindrance, and those in whom the development has been checked and interrupted (Hengst.). Respecting the Doctrine of Original sin in the Old Testament, comp. Kleinert in the Stud, and Krit., 1860, Heft. 1.
3. The righteous need not despair. They will no more lose the fruit of God-fearing conduct than of their patient endurance of suffering, Isa 3:10 sq. But no less sure is the reward of the wicked by just recompense, which even when it is no longer looked upon and enjoyed as vengeance in the meaning of the Old Testament, yet remains just as joyful and comforting to the righteous, because they recognize therein the government of God, who reveals Himself from heaven as a Judge on earth.
HOMILETICAL AND PRACTICAL
When we follow our inborn nature we ruin ourselves and others.If some sinners harden themselves in sin even to obduracy, and fear neither God nor men, they yet will not escape their Judge, and will be ruined, together with their plans, before they have made their preparations.The ungodly are ruined by Gods judgment, it is true, but of their own guilt, and on account of their impenitence.He who will not hear when God speaks to him, will be obliged to feel when God judges him.The righteous may lose their rights, but not their fruit.We can sin not only by speaking, but likewise by silence, and since we injure our fellow-men, bring upon ourselves a severe reckoning.If the wicked will not hearken to you, you may testify against them, that others may be warned.Justice, may be violated, perverted, denied, but righteousness cannot perish, for God Himself leads it through to victory.Men may despise Gods word and deny Gods existence, yet they cannot do away with Gods word or prevent Gods rule upon earth.God Himself testifies to His existence by delivering and judging.
Starke: God has given us a ready tongue, that we may use it for His glory and the good of our neighbors.The leaving off from good is soon followed by the commission of evil.The wickedness and obduracy of many men are so great, that no prayers, warnings, or threatenings will help them.The blood-thirsty persecutors will be rewarded with blood; for a man will be punished with that with which he transgresses.If we knew how many thousand devices of the ungodly the Lord brings to naught, before they were fully conceived, and how many arrows He breaks, before they are shot off, we would be astonished at His wisdom, faithfulness, and Omnipotence.
Renschel: Sins of carelessness and neglect are likewise great sins.Frisch: Many, who have thirsted for blood have perished in their own blood.Tholuck: God does such signs that we may see that, although He has given much power to mortals, yet no one can deprive Him of His sceptre.Taube: Being dumb to the grace of God, they are dumb to the judgment of God.The first blessing that a man receives when He has committed his cause to God in prayer, is that he gains another view of the cause in the light of God.
[Matt. Henry Let none wonder that these wicked men dare do such things, for wickedness is bred in the bone with them; they brought it into the world with them, they have in their natures a strong inclination to it, they learned it from their wicked parents, and have been trained up in it by a bad education.Barnes: Men everywhere approve of the just administration of law, even though it consigns the transgressor to prison or to death; and it is a matter of gratification to ail who love law and order when a righteous government is maintained; when wickedness is checked; when justice is administered in a community.Spurgeon: It is not in your music, but in the sinners ear that the cause of failure lies, and it is only the power of God that can remove it.Every unregenerate man is an abortion. He misses the true form of God-made manhood; he corrupts in the darkness of sin; he never sees or shall see the light of God in purity, in heaven.Two things will come out clearly after allthere is a God, and there is a reward for the righteous.C. A. B.]
Footnotes:
[11][Lane. Mod. Egyptians, chap. 20. The charmer professes to discover, without ocular perception, (but perhaps he does so by a peculiar smell), whether there be any serpents in a house; and if there be, to attract them to him; as the fowler, by the fascination of his voice, allures the bird into his neat. He assumes an air of mystery, strikes the walls with a short palm stick, whistles, makes a clucking noise with his tongue, and spits upon the ground, and generally says, I adjure you by God, if ye be above, or if ye be below, that ye come forth: I adjure you by the Great Name if ye be obedient, come forth; and if ye be disobedient die! die! die!The serpent is generally dislodged by his stick, from a fissure in the wall, or drops from the ceiling of the room. Thomson, in the Land and the Book, p. 155, says, that there are some serpents which the charmer cannot subdue; and instances are related in which they have fallen victims to their daring attempts to conquer these deaf and obstinate cockatrices. Tristram, Nat. History of the Bible, p. 272, refers this clause of the Psalm to the fact that there are some species of serpent not amenable to the charmers art, or that there are individuals of the ordinary cobra which defy all his attempts to soothe them.C. A. B.]
[12][It is better to translate here fix or fit as the Hebrew means to tread or trample, in the wine press, the threshing-floor, or the bow in spanning it with the foot, and the treading thus passed over naturally into fixing the arrows by treading the bow, which the A. V. paraphrases by bendeth his bow to shoot his arrows, whilst Perowne translates directly shoot and Alexander bend his arrows.C. A. B.]
[13][This metaphor is thus explained by Tristram, Nat. History of the Bible, p. 295 sq. The snails of all species in the Holy Land are in the habit, not of hybernating in winter, as they do in our colder climate, but of shutting themselves into their shells and remaining dormant during the dry season. Few snails can remain long in an active state without moisture. In order to prevent the evaporation of the moisture of the body, all those molluscs which have a thin or semi-transparent shell, secrete themselves in dry weather under stones like the shellless snails or slugs, or else among moss, and under leaves, and many species also in the earth. But notwithstanding the care they take to secrete themselves, the heat often dries them up, either by a long continued drought, or by the suns rays penetrating to their holes. Thus we find in the Holy Land myriads of snailshells in fissures, still adhering by the calcareous exudation round their orifice to the surface of the rock, but the animal of which is utterly shrivelled and wasted, melted away, according to the expression of the Psalmist.C. A. B.]
[14][Perowne: The general sense of this difficult verse seems to be this: As a sudden whirlwind in the desert sweeps away the thorns which have been gathered for cooking, almost as soon as they have been set on fire, and before the caldron has grown hot (comp. Ecc 7:6), so shall the wicked, and all their yet incomplete designs, be swept away by the wrath of God.C. A. B.]
[15][Hupfeld regards it as a figure of speech indicating the quantity of the blood that has been shed. He compares the corresponding expressions in Psa 68:23, where the feet are washed in blood; Job 29:6, where the feet, are washed in mills and brooks of oil; Job 20:17, where brooks of honey and milk are mentioned. It here indicates the greatness of the vengeance; usually of that taken by the party himself, but here since it is not his own act but that of God, and is merely beheld, it can only be a symbolical expression of the internal participation therein, or the satisfied feeling of revenge. He compares Deu 32:42 sq.; Is. 46:23 sq., etc.C. A. B.]
Fuente: A Commentary on the Holy Scriptures, Critical, Doctrinal, and Homiletical by Lange
CONTENTS
The Psalmist is here reproving unjust judges: he appeals to God against them. He closeth the Psalm with the certain conclusion that God will judge the world in righteousness, and minister true judgments unto the people.
To the chief musician, Altaschith, Michtam of David.
Psa 58:1
I refer the Reader to what was offered under the title of the preceding Psalm, for the same will suit equally here. This is another of the Michtams. The Reader will do well to keep Jesus and his enemies in view while going over this Psalm. For what is here said, if considered as applicable to David, king of Israel, and his foes, will be found yet more strikingly suited to Christ and his. Indeed, how very opposite and pointed is this apostrophe and appeal, if referred to Pilate and his unjust sentence upon Christ! Compare Mat 27:24 with Mat 27:26 .
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
PSALMS
XI
AN INTRODUCTION TO THE BOOK OF PSALMS
According to my usual custom, when taking up the study of a book of the Bible I give at the beginning a list of books as helps to the study of that book. The following books I heartily commend on the Psalms:
1. Sampey’s Syllabus for Old Testament Study . This is especially good on the grouping and outlining of some selected psalms. There are also some valuable suggestions on other features of the book.
2. Kirkpatrick’g commentary, in “Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges,” is an excellent aid in the study of the Psalter.
3. Perowne’s Book of Psalms is a good, scholarly treatise on the Psalms. A special feature of this commentary is the author’s “New Translation” and his notes are very helpful.
4. Spurgeon’s Treasury of David. This is just what the title implies. It is a voluminous, devotional interpretation of the Psalms and helpful to those who have the time for such extensive study of the Psalter.
5. Hengstenburg on the Psalms. This is a fine, scholarly work by one of the greatest of the conservative German scholars.
6. Maclaren on the Psalms, in “The Expositor’s Bible,” is the work of the world’s safest, sanest, and best of all works that have ever been written on the Psalms.
7. Thirtle on the Titles of the Psalms. This is the best on the subject and well worth a careful study.
At this point some definitions are in order. The Hebrew word for psalm means praise. The word in English comes from psalmos , a song of lyrical character, or a song to be sung and accompanied with a lyre. The Psalter is a collection of sacred and inspired songs, composed at different times and by different authors.
The range of time in composition was more than 1,000 years, or from the time of Moses to the time of Ezra. The collection in its present form was arranged probably by Ezra in the fifth century, B.C.
The Jewish classification of Old Testament books was The Law, the Prophets, and the Holy Writings. The Psalms was given the first place in the last group.
They had several names, or titles, of the Psalms. In Hebrew they are called “The Book of Prayers,” or “The Book of Praises.” The Hebrew word thus used means praises. The title of the first two books is found in Psa 72:20 : “The prayers of David the son of Jesse are ended.” The title of the whole collection of Psalms in the Septuagint is Biblos Psalman which means the “Book of Psalms.” The title in the Alexandrian Codex is Psalterion which is the name of a stringed instrument, and means “The Psalter.”
The derivation of our English words, “psalms,” “psalter,” and “psaltery,” respectively, is as follows:
1. “Psalms” comes from the Greek word, psalmoi, which is also from psallein , which means to play upon a stringed instrument. Therefore the Psalms are songs played upon stringed instruments, and the word here is used to apply to the whole collection.
2. “Psalter” is of the same origin and means the Book of Psalms and refers also to the whole collection.
3. “Psaltery” is from the word psalterion, which means “a harp,” an instrument, supposed to be in the shape of a triangle or like the delta of the Greek alphabet. See Psa 33:2 ; Psa 71:22 ; Psa 81:2 ; Psa 144:9 .
In our collection there are 150 psalms. In the Septuagint there is one extra. It is regarded as being outside the sacred collection and not inspired. The subject of this extra psalm is “David’s victory over Goliath.” The following is a copy of it: I was small among my brethren, And youngest in my father’s house, I used to feed my father’s sheep. My hands made a harp, My fingers fashioned a Psaltery. And who will declare unto my Lord? He is Lord, he it is who heareth. He it was who sent his angel And took me from my father’s sheep, And anointed me with the oil of his anointing. My brethren were goodly and tall, But the Lord took no pleasure in them. I went forth to meet the Philistine. And he cursed me by his idols But I drew the sword from beside him; I beheaded him and removed reproach from the children of Israel.
It will be noted that this psalm does not have the earmarks of an inspired production. There is not found in it the modesty so characteristic of David, but there is here an evident spirit of boasting and self-praise which is foreign to the Spirit of inspiration.
There is a difference in the numbering of the psalms in our version which follows the Hebrew, and the numbering in the Septuagint. Omitting the extra one in the Septuagint, there is no difference as to the total number. Both have 150 and the same subject matter, but they are not divided alike.
The following scheme shows the division according to our version and also the Septuagint: Psalms 1-8 in the Hebrew equal 1-8 in the Septuagint; 9-10 in the Hebrew combine into 9 in the Septuagint; 11-113 in the Hebrew equal 10-112 in the Septuagint; 114-115 in the Hebrew combine into 113 in the Septuagint; 116 in the Hebrew divides into 114-115 in the Septuagint; 117-146 in the Hebrew equal 116-145 in the Septuagint; 147 in the Hebrew divides into 146-147 in the Septuagint; 148-150 in the Hebrew equal 148-150 in the Septuagint.
The arrangement in the Vulgate is the same as the Septuagint. Also some of the older English versions have this arangement. Another difficulty in numbering perplexes an inexperienced student in turning from one version to another, viz: In the Hebrew often the title is verse I, and sometimes the title embraces verses 1-2.
The book divisions of the Psalter are five books, as follows:
Book I, Psalms 1-41 (41 chapters)
Book II, Psalms 42-72 (31 chapters)
Book III, Psalms 73-89 (17 chapters)
Book IV, Psalms 90-106 (17 chapters)
Book V, Psalms 107-150 (44 chapters)
They are marked by an introduction and a doxology. Psalm I forms an introduction to the whole book; Psa 150 is the doxology for the whole book. The introduction and doxology of each book are the first and last psalms of each division, respectively.
There were smaller collections before the final one, as follows:
Books I and II were by David; Book III, by Hezekiah, and Books IV and V, by Ezra.
Certain principles determined the arrangement of the several psalms in the present collection:
1. David is honored with first place, Book I and II, including Psalms 1-72.
2. They are grouped according to the use of the name of God:
(1) Psalms 1-41 are Jehovah psalms;
(2) Psalms 42-83 are Elohim-psalms;
(3) Psalms 84-150 are Jehovah psalms.
3. Book IV is introduced by the psalm of Moses, which is the first psalm written.
4. Some are arranged as companion psalms, for instance, sometimes two, sometimes three, and sometimes more. Examples: Psa 2 and 3; 22, 23, and 24; 113-118.
5. They were arranged for liturgical purposes, which furnished the psalms for special occasions, such as feasts, etc. We may be sure this arrangement was not accidental. An intelligent study of each case is convincing that it was determined upon rational grounds.
All the psalms have titles but thirty-three, as follows:
In Book I, Psa 1 ; Psa 2 ; Psa 10 ; Psa 33 , (4 are without titles).
In Book II, Psa 43 ; Psa 71 , (2 are without titles).
In Book IV, Psa 91 ; Psa 93 ; Psa 94 ; Psa 95 ; Psa 96 ; Psa 97 ; Psa 104 ; Psa 105 ; Psa 106 , (9 are without titles).
In Book V, Psa 107 ; III; 112; 113; 114; 115; 116; 117; 118; 119; 135; 136; 137; 146; 147; 148; 149; 150, (18 are without titles).
The Talmud calls these psalms that have no title, “Orphan Psalms.” The later Jews supply these titles by taking the nearest preceding author. The lack of titles in Psa 1 ; Psa 2 ; and 10 may be accounted for as follows: Psa 1 is a general introduction to the whole collection and Psa 2 was, perhaps, a part of Psa 1 . Psalms 9-10 were formerly combined into one, therefore Psa 10 has the same title as Psa 9 .
QUESTIONS
1. What books are commended on the Psalms?
2. What is a psalm?
3. What is the Psalter?
4. What is the range of time in composition?
5. When and by whom was the collection in its present form arranged?
6. What the Jewish classification of Old Testament books, and what the position of the Psalter in this classification?
7. What is the Hebrew title of the Psalms?
8. Find the title of the first two books from the books themselves.
9. What is the title of the whole collection of psalms in the Septuagint?
10. What is the title in the Alexandrian Codex?
11. What is the derivation of our English word, “Psalms”, “Psalter”, and “Psaltery,” respectively?
12. How many psalms in our collection?
13. How many psalms in the Septuagint?
14. What about the extra one in the Septuagint?
15. What is the subject of this extra psalm?
16. How does it compare with the Canonical Psalms?
17. What is the difference in the numbering of the psalms in our version which follows the Hebrew, and the numbering in the Septuagint?
18. What is the arrangement in the Vulgate?
19. What other difficulty in numbering which perplexes an inexperienced student in turning from one version to another?
20. What are the book divisions of the Psalter and how are these divisions marked?
21. Were there smaller collections before the final one? If so, what were they?
22. What principles determined the arrangement of the several psalms in the present collection?
23. In what conclusion may we rest concerning this arrangement?
24. How many of the psalms have no titles?
25. What does the Talmud call these psalms that have no titles?
26. How do later Jews supply these titles?
27. How do you account for the lack of titles in Psa 1 ; Psa 2 ; Psa 10 ?
XII
AN INTRODUCTION TO THE BOOK OF PSALMS (CONTINUED)
The following is a list of the items of information gathered from the titles of the psalms:
1. The author: “A Psalm of David” (Psa 37 ).
2. The occasion: “When he fled from Absalom, his son” (Psa 3 ).
3. The nature, or character, of the poem:
(1) Maschil, meaning “instruction,” a didactic poem (Psa 42 ).
(2) Michtam, meaning “gold,” “A Golden Psalm”; this means excellence or mystery (Psa 16 ; 56-60).
4. The occasion of its use: “A Psalm of David for the dedication of the house” (Psa 30 ).
5. Its purpose: “A Psalm of David to bring remembrance” (Psa 38 ; Psa 70 ).
6. Direction for its use: “A Psalm of David for the chief musician” (Psa 4 ).
7. The kind of musical instrument:
(1) Neginoth, meaning to strike a chord, as on stringed instruments (Psa 4 ; Psa 61 ).
(2) Nehiloth, meaning to perforate, as a pipe or flute (Psa 5 ).
(3) Shoshannim, Lilies, which refers probably to cymbals (Psa 45 ; Psa 69 ).
8. A special choir:
(1) Sheminith, the “eighth,” or octave below, as a male choir (Psa 6 ; Psa 12 ).
(2) Alamoth, female choir (Psa 46 ).
(3) Muth-labben, music with virgin voice, to be sung by a choir of boys in the treble (Psa 9 ).
9. The keynote, or tune:
(1) Aijeleth-sharar, “Hind of the morning,” a song to the melody of which this is sung (Psa 22 ).
(2) Al-tashheth, “Destroy thou not,” the beginning of a song the tune of which is sung (Psa 57 ; Psa 58 ; Psa 59 ; Psa 75 ).
(3) Gittith, set to the tune of Gath, perhaps a tune which David brought from Gath (Psa 8 ; Psa 81 ; Psa 84 ).
(4) Jonath-elim-rehokim, “The dove of the distant terebinths,” the commencement of an ode to the air of which this song was to be sung (Psa 56 ).
(5) Leannoth, the name of a tune (Psa 88 ).
(6) Mahalath, an instrument (Psa 53 ); Leonnoth-Mahaloth, to chant to a tune called Mahaloth.
(7) Shiggaion, a song or a hymn.
(8) Shushan-Eduth, “Lily of testimony,” a tune (Psa 60 ). Note some examples: (1) “America,” “Shiloh,” “Auld Lang Syne.” These are the names of songs such as we are familiar with; (2) “Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing” and “There Is a Fountain Filled with Blood,” are examples of sacred hymns.
10. The liturgical use, those noted for the feasts, e.g., the Hallels and Hallelujah Psalms (Psalms 146-150).
11. The destination, as “Song of Ascents” (Psalms 120-134)
12. The direction for the music, such as Selah, which means “Singers, pause”; Higgaion-Selah, to strike a symphony with selah, which means an instrumental interlude (Psa 9:16 ).
The longest and fullest title to any of the psalms is the title to Psa 60 . The items of information from this title are as follows: (1) the author; (2) the chief musician; (3) the historical occasion; (4) the use, or design; (5) the style of poetry; (6) the instrument or style of music.
The parts of these superscriptions which most concern us now are those indicating author, occasion, and date. As to the historic value or trustworthiness of these titles most modern scholars deny that they are a part of the Hebrew text, but the oldest Hebrew text of which we know anything had all of them. This is the text from which the Septuagint was translated. It is much more probable that the author affixed them than later writers. There is no internal evidence in any of the psalms that disproves the correctness of them, but much to confirm. The critics disagree among themselves altogether as to these titles. Hence their testimony cannot consistently be received. Nor can it ever be received until they have at least agreed upon a common ground of opposition.
David is the author of more than half the entire collection, the arrangement of which is as follows:
1. Seventy-three are ascribed to him in the superscriptions.
2. Some of these are but continuations of the preceding ones of a pair, trio, or larger group.
3. Some of the Korahite Psalms are manifestly Davidic.
4. Some not ascribed to him in the titles are attributed to him expressly by New Testament writers.
5. It is not possible to account for some parts of the Psalter without David. The history of his early life as found in Samuel, 1 and 2 Kings, and 1and 2 Chronicles, not only shows his remarkable genius for patriotic and sacred songs and music, but also shows his cultivation of that gift in the schools of the prophets. Some of these psalms of the history appear in the Psalter itself. It is plain to all who read these that they are founded on experience, and the experience of no other Hebrew fits the case. These experiences are found in Samuel, 1 and 2 Kings, and 1 and 2 Chronicles.
As to the attempt of the destructive critics to rob David of his glory in relation to the Psalter by assigning the Maccabean era as the date of composition, I have this to say:
1. This theory has no historical support whatever, and therefore is not to be accepted at all.
2. It has no support in tradition, which weakens the contention of the critics greatly.
3. It has no support from finding any one with the necessary experience for their basis.
4. They can give no reasonable account as to how the titles ever got there.
5. It is psychologically impossible for anyone to have written these 150 psalms in the Maccabean times.
6. Their position is expressly contrary to the testimony of Christ and the apostles. Some of the psalms which they ascribe to the Maccabean Age are attributed to David by Christ himself, who said that David wrote them in the Spirit.
The obvious aim of this criticism and the necessary result if it be Just, is a positive denial of the inspiration of both Testaments.
Other authors are named in the titles, as follows: (1) Asaph, to whom twelve psalms have been assigned: (2) Mosee, Psa 90 ; (3) Solomon, Psa 72 ; Psa 127 ; (4) Heman, Psa 80 ; (5) Ethem, Psa 89 ; (6) A number of the psalms are ascribed to the sons of Korah.
Not all the psalms ascribed to Asaph were composed by one person. History indicates that Asaph’s family presided over the song service for several generations. Some of them were composed by his descendants by the game name. The five general outlines of the whole collection are as follows:
I. By books
1. Psalms 1-41 (41)
2. Psalms 42-72 (31)
3. Psalms 73-89 (17)
4. Psalms 90-106 (17)
5. Psalms 107-150 (44)
II. According to date and authorship
1. The psalm of Moses (Psa 90 )
2. Psalms of David:
(1) The shepherd boy (Psa 8 ; Psa 19 ; Psa 29 ; Psa 23 ).
(2) David when persecuted by Saul (Psa 59 ; Psa 56 ; Psa 34 ; Psa 52 ; Psa 54 ; Psa 57 ; Psa 142 ).
(3) David the King (Psa 101 ; Psa 18 ; Psa 24 ; Psa 2 ; Psa 110 ; Psa 20 ; Psa 20 ; Psa 21 ; Psa 60 ; Psa 51 ; Psa 32 ; Psa 41 ; Psa 55 ; Psa 3:4 ; Psa 64 ; Psa 62 ; Psa 61 ; Psa 27 ).
3. The Asaph Psalms (Psa 50 ; Psa 73 ; Psa 83 ).
4. The Korahite Psalms (Psa 42 ; Psa 43 ; Psa 84 ).
5. The psalms of Solomon (Psa 72 ; Psa 127 ).
6. The psalms of the era of Hezekiah and Isaiah (Psa 46 ; Psa 47 ; Psa 48 )
7. The psalms of the Exile (Psa 74 ; Psa 79 ; Psa 137 ; Psa 102 )
8. The psalms of the Restoration (Psa 85 ; Psa 126 ; Psa 118 ; 146-150)
III. By groups
1. The Jehovistic and Elohistic Psalms:
(1) Psalms 1-41 are Jehovistic;
(2) Psalms 42-83 are Elohistic Psalms;
(3) Psalms 84-150 are Jehovistic.
2. The Penitential Psalms (Psa 6 ; Psa 32 ; Psa 38 ; Psa 51 ; Psa 102 ; Psa 130 ; Psa 143 )
3. The Pilgrim Psalms (Psalms 120-134)
4. The Alphabetical Psalms (Psa 9 ; Psa 10 ; Psa 25 ; Psa 34 ; Psa 37 ; 111:112; Psa 119 ; Psa 145 )
5. The Hallelujah Psalms (Psalms 11-113; 115-117; 146-150; to which may be added Psa 135 ) Psalms 113-118 are called “the Egyptian Hallel”
IV. Doctrines of the Psalms
1. The throne of grace and how to approach it by sacrifice, prayer, and praise.
2. The covenant, the basis of worship.
3. The paradoxical assertions of both innocence & guilt.
4. The pardon of sin and justification.
5. The Messiah.
6. The future life, pro and con.
7. The imprecations.
8. Other doctrines.
V. The New Testament use of the Psalms
1. Direct references and quotations in the New Testament.
2. The allusions to the psalms in the New Testament. Certain experiences of David’s life made very deep impressions on his heart, such as: (1) his peaceful early life; (2) his persecution by Saul; (3) his being crowned king of the people; (4) the bringing up of the ark; (5) his first great sin; (6) Absalom’s rebellion; (7) his second great sin; (8) the great promise made to him in 2Sa 7 ; (9) the feelings of his old age.
We may classify the Davidic Psalms according to these experiences following the order of time, thus:
1. His peaceful early life (Psa 8 ; Psa 19 ; Psa 29 ; Psa 23 )
2. His persecution by Saul (Psa 59 ; Psa 56 ; Psa 34 ; Psa 7 ; Psa 52 ; Psa 120 ; Psa 140 ; Psa 54 ; Psa 57 ; Psa 142 ; Psa 17 ; Psa 18 )
3. Making David King (Psa 27 ; Psa 133 ; Psa 101 )
4. Bringing up the ark (Psa 68 ; Psa 24 ; Psa 132 ; Psa 15 ; Psa 78 ; Psa 96 )
5. His first great sin (Psa 51 ; Psa 32 )
6. Absalom’s rebellion (Psa 41 ; Psa 6 ; Psa 55 ; Psa 109 ; Psa 38 ; Psa 39 ; Psa 3 ; Psa 4 ; Psa 63 ; Psa 42 ; Psa 43 ; Psa 5 ; Psa 62 ; Psa 61 ; Psa 27 )
7. His second great sin (Psa 69 ; Psa 71 ; Psa 102 ; Psa 103 )
8. The great promise made to him in 2Sa 7 (Psa 2 )
9. Feelings of old age (Psa 37 )
The great doctrines of the psalms may be noted as follows: (1) the being and attributes of God; (3) sin, both original and individual; (3) both covenants; (4) the doctrine of justification; (5) concerning the Messiah.
There is a striking analogy between the Pentateuch and the Psalms. The Pentateuch contains five books of law; the Psalms contain five books of heart responses to the law.
It is interesting to note the historic controversies concerning the singing of psalms. These were controversies about singing uninspired songs, in the Middle Ages. The church would not allow anything to be used but psalms.
The history in Samuel, 1 and 2 Kings, and 1 and 2 Chronicles, and in Ezra and Nehemiah is very valuable toward a proper interpretation of the psalms. These books furnish the historical setting for a great many of the psalms which is very indispensable to their proper interpretation.
Professor James Robertson, in the Poetry and Religion of the Psalms constructs a broad and strong argument in favor of the Davidic Psalms, as follows:
1. The age of David furnished promising soil for the growth of poetry.
2. David’s qualifications for composing the psalms make it highly probable that David is the author of the psalms ascribed to him.
3. The arguments against the possibility of ascribing to David any of the hymns in the Hebrew Psalter rests upon assumptions that are thoroughly antibiblical.
The New Testament makes large use of the psalms and we learn much as to their importance in teaching. There are seventy direct quotations in the New Testament from this book, from which we learn that the Scriptures were used extensively in accord with 2Ti 3:16-17 . There are also eleven references to the psalms in the New Testament from which we learn that the New Testament writers were thoroughly imbued with the spirit and teaching of the psalms. Then there are eight allusions ‘to this book in the New Testament from which we gather that the Psalms was one of the divisions of the Old Testament and that they were used in the early church.
QUESTIONS
1. Give a list of the items of information gathered from the titles of the psalms.
2. What is the longest title to any of the psalms and what the items of this title?
3. What parts of these superscriptions most concern us now?
4. What is the historic value, or trustworthiness of these titles?
5. State the argument showing David’s relation to the psalms.
6. What have you to say of the attempt of the destructive critics to rob David of his glory in relation to the Psalter by assigning the Maccabean era as the date of composition?
7. What the obvious aim of this criticism and the necessary result, if it be just?
8. What other authors are named in the titles?
9. Were all the psalms ascribed to Asaph composed by one person?
10. Give the five general outlines of the whole collection, as follows: I. The outline by books II. The outline according to date and authorship III. The outline by groups IV. The outline of doctrines V. The outline by New Testament quotations or allusions.
11. What experiences of David’s life made very deep impressions on his heart?
12. Classify the Davidic Psalms according to these experiences following the order of time.
13. What the great doctrines of the psalms?
14. What analogy between the Pentateuch and the Psalms?
15. What historic controversies concerning the singing of psalms?
16. Of what value is the history in Samuel, 1 Kings and 2 Chronicles, and in Ezra and Nehemiah toward a proper interpretation of the psalms?
17. Give Professor James Robertson’s argument in favor of the Davidic authorship of the psalms.
18. What can you say of the New Testament use of the psalms and what do we learn as to their importance in teaching?
19. What can you say of the New Testament references to the psalms, and from the New Testament references what the impression on the New Testament writers?
20. What can you say of the allusions to the psalms in the New Testament?
XVII
THE MESSIAH IN THE PSALMS
A fine text for this chapter is as follows: “All things must be fulfilled which were written in the Psalms concerning me,” Luk 24:44 . I know of no better way to close my brief treatise on the Psalms than to discuss the subject of the Messiah as revealed in this book.
Attention has been called to the threefold division of the Old Testament cited by our Lord, namely, the Law, the Prophets, and the Psalms (Luk 24:44 ), in all of which were the prophecies relating to himself that “must be fulfilled.” It has been shown just what Old Testament books belong to each of these several divisions. The division called the Psalms included many books, styled Holy Writings, and because the Psalms proper was the first book of the division it gave the name to the whole division.
The object of this discussion is to sketch the psalmist’s outline of the Messiah, or rather, to show how nearly a complete picture of our Lord is foredrawn in this one book. Let us understand however with Paul, that all prophecy is but in part (1Co 13:9 ), and that when we fill in on one canvas all the prophecies concerning the Messiah of all the Old Testament divisions, we are far from having a perfect portrait of our Lord. The present purpose is limited to three things:
1. What the book of the Psalms teaches concerning the Messiah.
2. That the New Testament shall authoritatively specify and expound this teaching.
3. That the many messianic predictions scattered over the book and the specifications thereof over the New Testament may be grouped into an orderly analysis, so that by the adjustment of the scattered parts we may have before us a picture of our Lord as foreseen by the psalmists.
In allowing the New Testament to authoritatively specify and expound the predictive features of the book, I am not unmindful of what the so-called “higher critics” urge against the New Testament quotations from the Old Testament and the use made of them. In this discussion, however, these objections are not considered, for sufficient reasons. There is not space for it. Even at the risk of being misjudged I must just now summarily pass all these objections, dismissing them with a single statement upon which the reader may place his own estimate of value. That statement is that in the days of my own infidelity, before this old method of criticism had its new name, I was quite familiar with the most and certainly the strongest of the objections now classified as higher criticism, and have since patiently re-examined them in their widely conflicting restatements under their modern name, and find my faith in the New Testament method of dealing with the Old Testament in no way shattered, but in every way confirmed. God is his own interpreter. The Old Testament as we now have it was in the hands of our Lord. I understand his apostle to declare, substantially, that “every one of these sacred scriptures is God-inspired and is profitable for teaching us what is right to believe and to do, for convincing us what is wrong in faith or practice, for rectifying the wrong when done, that we may be ready at every point, furnished completely, to do every good work, at the right time, in the right manner, and from the proper motive” (2Ti 3:16-17 ).
This New Testament declares that David was a prophet (Act 2:30 ), that he spake by the Holy Spirit (Act 1:16 ), that when the book speaks the Holy Spirit speaks (Heb 3:7 ), and that all its predictive utterances, as sacred Scripture, “must be fulfilled” (Joh 13:18 ; Act 1:16 ). It is not claimed that David wrote all the psalms, but that all are inspired, and that as he was the chief author, the book goes by his name.
It would be a fine thing to make out two lists, as follows:
1. All of the 150 psalms in order from which the New Testament quotes with messianic application.
2. The New Testament quotations, book by book, i.e., Matthew so many, and then the other books in their order.
We would find in neither of these any order as to time, that is, Psa 1 which forecasts an incident in the coming Messiah’s life does not forecast the first incident of his life. And even the New Testament citations are not in exact order as to time and incident of his life. To get the messianic picture before us, therefore, we must put the scattered parts together in their due relation and order, and so construct our own analysis. That is the prime object of this discussion. It is not claimed that the analysis now presented is perfect. It is too much the result of hasty, offhand work by an exceedingly busy man. It will serve, however, as a temporary working model, which any one may subsequently improve. We come at once to the psalmist’s outline of the Messiah.
1. The necessity for a Saviour. This foreseen necessity is a background of the psalmists’ portrait of the Messiah. The necessity consists in (1) man’s sinfulness; (2) his sin; (3) his inability of wisdom and power to recover himself; (4) the insufficiency of legal, typical sacrifices in securing atonement.
The predicate of Paul’s great argument on justification by faith is the universal depravity and guilt of man. He is everywhere corrupt in nature; everywhere an actual transgressor; everywhere under condemnation. But the scriptural proofs of this depravity and sin the apostle draws mainly from the book of the Psalms. In one paragraph of the letter to the Romans (Rom 3:4-18 ), he cites and groups six passages from six divisions of the Psalms (Psa 5:9 ; Psa 10:7 ; Psa 14:1-3 ; Psa 36:1 ; Psa 51:4-6 ; Psa 140:3 ). These passages abundantly prove man’s sinfulness, or natural depravity, and his universal practice of sin.
The predicate also of the same apostle’s great argument for revelation and salvation by a Redeemer is man’s inability of wisdom and power to re-establish communion with God. In one of his letters to the Corinthians he thus commences his argument: “For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent. Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this world? Hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? -For after that in the wisdom of God, the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preach-ing to save them that believe.” He closes this discussion with the broad proposition: “The wisdom of this world is foolishness with God,” and proves it by a citation from Psa 94:11 : “The Lord knoweth the thoughts of the wise, that they are vain.”
In like manner our Lord himself pours scorn on human wisdom and strength by twice citing Psa 8 : “At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent and hast revealed them unto babes. Even so, Father: for so it seemed good in thy sight” (Mat 11:25-26 ). “And when the chief priests and scribes saw the wonderful things that he did, and the children that were crying in the temple and saying, Hosanna to the Son of David; they were sore displeased, and said unto him, Hearest thou what these say? And Jesus saith unto them, Yea; have ye never read, Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings thou hast perfected praise?” (Mat 21:15-16 ).
But the necessity for a Saviour as foreseen by the psalmist did not stop at man’s depravity, sin, and helplessness. The Jews were trusting in the sacrifices of their law offered on the smoking altar. The inherent weakness of these offerings, their lack of intrinsic merit, their ultimate abolition, their complete fulfilment and supercession by a glorious antitype were foreseen and foreshown in this wonderful prophetic book: I will not reprove thee for thy sacrifices; And thy burnt offerings are continually before me. I will take no bullock out of thy house, Nor he-goat out of thy folds. For every beast of the forest is mine, And the cattle upon a thousand hills. I know all of the birds of the mountains; And the wild beasts of the field are mine. If I were hungry, I would not tell thee; For the world is mine, and the fulness thereof. Will I eat the flesh of bulls, Or drink the blood of goats? Psa 50:8-13 .
Yet again it speaks in that more striking passage cited in the letter to the Hebrews: “For the law having a shadow of good things to come, not the very image of the things, can never with the same sacrifices year by year, which they offer continually, make the comers thereunto perfect. For then would they not have ceased to be offered? because that the worshipers, once purged should have no more consciousness of sins. But in those sacrifices there is a remembrance made of sins year by year. For it is impossible that the blood of bulls and goats should take away sins. Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldst not, But a body didst thou prepare for me; In whole burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hadst no pleasure: Then said I, Lo, I am come (In the roll of the book it is written of me) To do thy will, O God. Saying above, Sacrifice and offering and whole burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou wouldst not, neither hadst pleasure therein, (the which are offered according to the law), then hath he said, Lo, I am come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second” (Heb 10:1-9 ).
This keen foresight of the temporary character and intrinsic worthlessness of animal sacrifices anticipated similar utterances by the later prophets (Isa 1:10-17 ; Jer 6:20 ; Jer 7:21-23 ; Hos 6:6 ; Amo 5:21 ; Mic 6:6-8 ). Indeed, I may as well state in passing that when the apostle declares, “It is impossible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins,” he lays down a broad principle, just as applicable to baptism and the Lord’s Supper. With reverence I state the principle: Not even God himself by mere appointment can vest in any ordinance, itself lacking intrinsic merit, the power to take away sin. There can be, therefore, in the nature of the case, no sacramental salvation. This would destroy the justice of God in order to exalt his mercy. Clearly the psalmist foresaw that “truth and mercy must meet together” before “righteousness and peace could kiss each other” (Psa 85:10 ). Thus we find as the dark background of the psalmists’ luminous portrait of the Messiah, the necessity for a Saviour.
2. The nature, extent, and blessedness of the salvation to be wrought by the coming Messiah. In no other prophetic book are the nature, fullness, and blessedness of salvation so clearly seen and so vividly portrayed. Besides others not now enumerated, certainly the psalmists clearly forecast four great elements of salvation:
(1) An atoning sacrifice of intrinsic merit offered once for all (Psa 40:6-8 ; Heb 10:4-10 ).
(2) Regeneration itself consisting of cleansing, renewal, and justification. We hear his impassioned statement of the necessity of regeneration: “Behold, I was shapen in iniquity and in sin did my mother conceive me. Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts,” followed by his earnest prayer: “Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me,” and his equally fervent petition: “Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity and cleanse me from my sin. Purge me with hyssop and I shall be clean; wash me and I shall be whiter than snow” (Psa 51 ). And we hear him again as Paul describes the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputes righteousness without works, saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, And whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not reckon sin Psa 32:1 ; Rom 4:6-8 .
(3) Introduction into the heavenly rest (Psa 95:7-11 ; Heb 3:7-19 ; Heb 4:1-11 ). Here is the antitypical Joshua leading spiritual Israel across the Jordan of death into the heavenly Canaan, the eternal rest that remaineth for the people of God. Here we find creation’s original sabbath eclipsed by redemption’s greater sabbath when the Redeemer “entered his rest, ceasing from his own works as God did from his.”
(4) The recovery of all the universal dominion lost by the first Adam and the securement of all possible dominion which the first Adam never attained (Psa 8:5-6 ; Eph 1:20-22 ; Heb 2:7-9 ; 1Co 15:24-28 ).
What vast extent then and what blessedness in the salvation foreseen by the psalmists, and to be wrought by the Messiah. Atoning sacrifice of intrinsic merit; regeneration by the Holy Spirit; heavenly rest as an eternal inheritance; and universal dominion shared with Christ!
3. The wondrous person of the Messiah in his dual nature, divine and human.
(1) His divinity,
(a) as God: “Thy throne, O God, is forever and ever” (Psa 45:6 and Heb 1:8 ) ;
(b) as creator of the heavens and earth, immutable and eternal: Of old didst thou lay the foundation of the earth; And the heavens are the work of thy hands. They shall perish, but thou shalt endure; Yea, all of them shall wax old like a garment; As a vesture shalt thou change them, and they shall be changed. But thou art the same, And thy years shall have no end Psa 102:25-27 quoted with slight changes in Heb 1:10-12 .
(c) As owner of the earth: The earth is the Lord’s and the fulness thereof; The world, and they that dwell therein, Psa 24:1 quoted in 1Co 10:26 .
(d) As the Son of God: “Thou art my Son; This day have I begotten thee” Psa 2:7 ; Heb 1:5 .
(e) As David’s Lord: The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, Until I make thine enemies thy footstool, Psa 110:1 ; Mat 22:41-46 .
(f) As the object of angelic worship: “And let all the angels of God worship him” Psa 97:7 ; Heb 1:6 .
(g) As the Bread of life: And he rained down manna upon them to eat, And gave them food from heaven Psa 78:24 ; interpreted in Joh 6:31-58 . These are but samples which ascribe deity to the Messiah of the psalmists.
(2) His humanity, (a) As the Son of man, or Son of Adam: Psa 8:4-6 , cited in 1Co 15:24-28 ; Eph 1:20-22 ; Heb 2:7-9 . Compare Luke’s genealogy, Luk 3:23-38 . This is the ideal man, or Second Adam, who regains Paradise Lost, who recovers race dominion, in whose image all his spiritual lineage is begotten. 1Co 15:45-49 . (b) As the Son of David: Psa 18:50 ; Psa 89:4 ; Psa 89:29 ; Psa 89:36 ; Psa 132:11 , cited in Luk 1:32 ; Act 13:22-23 ; Rom 1:3 ; 2Ti 2:8 . Perhaps a better statement of the psalmists’ vision of the wonderful person of the Messiah would be: He saw the uncreated Son, the second person of the trinity, in counsel and compact with the Father, arranging in eternity for the salvation of men: Psa 40:6-8 ; Heb 10:5-7 . Then he saw this Holy One stoop to be the Son of man: Psa 8:4-6 ; Heb 2:7-9 . Then he was the son of David, and then he saw him rise again to be the Son of God: Psa 2:7 ; Rom 1:3-4 .
4. His offices.
(1) As the one atoning sacrifice (Psa 40:6-8 ; Heb 10:5-7 ).
(2) As the great Prophet, or Preacher (Psa 40:9-10 ; Psa 22:22 ; Heb 2:12 ). Even the method of his teaching by parable was foreseen (Psa 78:2 ; Mat 13:35 ). Equally also the grace, wisdom, and power of his teaching. When the psalmist declares that “Grace is poured into thy lips” (Psa 45:2 ), we need not be startled when we read that all the doctors in the Temple who heard him when only a boy “were astonished at his understanding and answers” (Luk 2:47 ); nor that his home people at Nazareth “all bear him witness, and wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth” (Luk 4:22 ); nor that those of his own country were astonished, and said, “Whence hath this man this wisdom?” (Mat 13:54 ); nor that the Jews in the Temple marveled, saying, “How knoweth this man letters, having never learned?” (Joh 7:15 ) ; nor that the stern officers of the law found their justification in failure to arrest him in the declaration, “Never man spake like this man” (Joh 7:46 ).
(3) As the king (Psa 2:6 ; Psa 24:7-10 ; Psa 45:1-17 ; Psa 110:1 ; Mat 22:42-46 ; Act 2:33-36 ; 1Co 15:25 ; Eph 1:20 ; Heb 1:13 ).
(4) As the priest (Psa 110:4 ; Heb 5:5-10 ; Heb 7:1-21 ; Heb 10:12-14 ).
(5) As the final judge. The very sentence of expulsion pronounced upon the finally impenitent by the great judge (Mat 25:41 ) is borrowed from the psalmist’s prophetic words (Psa 6:8 ).
5. Incidents of life. The psalmists not only foresaw the necessity for a Saviour; the nature, extent, and blessedness of the salvation; the wonderful human-divine person of the Saviour; the offices to be filled by him in the work of salvation, but also many thrilling details of his work in life, death, resurrection, and exaltation. It is not assumed to cite all these details, but some of the most important are enumerated in order, thus:
(1) The visit, adoration, and gifts of the Magi recorded in Mat 2 are but partial fulfilment of Psa 72:9-10 .
(2) The scripture employed by Satan in the temptation of our Lord (Luk 4:10-11 ) was cited from Psa 91:11-12 and its pertinency not denied.
(3) In accounting for his intense earnestness and the apparently extreme measures adopted by our Lord in his first purification of the Temple (Joh 2:17 ), he cites the messianic zeal predicted in Psa 69:9 .
(4) Alienation from his own family was one of the saddest trials of our Lord’s earthly life. They are slow to understand his mission and to enter into sympathy with him. His self-abnegation and exhaustive toil were regarded by them as evidences of mental aberration, and it seems at one time they were ready to resort to forcible restraint of his freedom) virtually what in our time would be called arrest under a writ of lunacy. While at the last his half-brothers became distinguished preachers of his gospel, for a long while they do not believe on him. And the evidence forces us to the conclusion that his own mother shared with her other sons, in kind though not in degree, the misunderstanding of the supremacy of his mission over family relations. The New Testament record speaks for itself:
Son, why hast thou thus dealt with us? behold, thy father and I sought thee sorrowing. And he said unto them. How is it that ye sought me? Knew ye not that I must be in my Father’s house? And they understood not the saying which he spake unto them Luk 2:48-51 (R.V.).
And when the wine failed, the mother of Jesus saith unto him, They have no wine. And Jesus saith unto her, Woman, what have I to do with thee? Mine hour is not yet come. Joh 2:3-5 (R.V.).
And there come his mother and his brethren; and standing without; they sent unto him, calling him. And a multitude was sitting about him; and they say unto him. Behold, thy mother and thy brethren without seek for thee. And he answereth them, and saith, Who is my mother and my brethren? And looking round on them that sat round about him, he saith, Behold, my mother and my brethren) For whosoever shall do the will of God, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother Mar 3:31-35 (R.V.).
Now the feast of the Jews, the feast of tabernacles, was at hand. His brethren therefore said unto him, Depart hence, and go into Judea, that thy disciples also may behold thy works which thou doest. For no man doeth anything in secret, and himself seeketh to be known openly. If thou doest these things, manifest thyself to the world. For even his brethren did not believe on him. Jesus therefore saith unto them, My time is not yet come; but your time is always ready. The world cannot hate you; but me it hateth, because I testify of it, that its works are evil. Go ye up unto the feast: I go not up yet unto this feast; because my time is not fulfilled. Joh 7:2-9 (R.V.).
These citations from the Revised Version tell their own story. But all that sad story is foreshown in the prophetic psalms. For example: I am become a stranger unto my brethren, And an alien unto my mother’s children. Psa 69:8 .
(5) The triumphal entry into Jerusalem was welcomed by a joyous people shouting a benediction from Psa 118:26 : “Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord” (Mat 21:9 ); and the Lord’s lamentation over Jerusalem predicts continued desolation and banishment from his sight until the Jews are ready to repeat that benediction (Mat 23:39 ).
(6) The children’s hosanna in the Temple after its second purgation is declared by our Lord to be a fulfilment of that perfect praise forecast in Psa 8:2 .
(7) The final rejection of our Lord by his own people was also clear in the psalmist’s vision (Psa 118:22 ; Mat 21:42-44 ).
(8) Gethsemane’s baptism of suffering, with its strong crying and tears and prayers was as clear to the psalmist’s prophetic vision as to the evangelist and apostle after it became history (Psa 69:1-4 ; Psa 69:13-20 ; and Mat 26:36-44 ; Heb 5:7 ).
(9) In life-size also before the psalmist was the betrayer of Christ and his doom (Psa 41:9 ; Psa 69:25 ; Psa 109:6-8 ; Joh 13:18 ; Act 1:20 ).
(10) The rage of the people, Jew and Gentile, and the conspiracy of Pilate and Herod are clearly outlined (Psa 2:1-3 ; Act 4:25-27 ).
(11) All the farce of his trial the false accusation, his own marvelous silence; and the inhuman maltreatment to which he was subjected, is foreshown in the prophecy as dramatically as in the history (Mat 26:57-68 ; Mat 27:26-31 ; Psa 27:12 ; Psa 35:15-16 ; Psa 38:3 ; Psa 69:19 ).
The circumstances of his death, many and clear, are distinctly foreseen. He died in the prime of life (Psa 89:45 ; Psa 102:23-24 ). He died by crucifixion (Psa 22:14-17 ; Luk 23 ; 33; Joh 19:23-37 ; Joh 20:27 ). But yet not a bone of his body was broken (Psa 34:20 ; Joh 19:36 ).
The persecution, hatred without a cause, the mockery and insults, are all vividly and dramatically foretold (Psa 22:6-13 ; Psa 35:7 ; Psa 35:12 ; Psa 35:15 ; Psa 35:21 ; Psa 109:25 ).
The parting of his garments and the gambling for his vesture (Psa 22:18 ; Mat 27:35 ).
His intense thirst and the gall and vinegar offered for his drink (Psa 69:21 ; Mat 27:34 ).
In the psalms, too, we hear his prayers for his enemies so remarkably fulfilled in fact (Psa 109:4 ; Luk 23:34 ).
His spiritual death was also before the eye of the psalmist, and the very words which expressed it the psalmist heard. Separation from the Father is spiritual death. The sinner’s substitute must die the sinner’s death, death physical, i.e., separation of soul from body; death spiritual, i.e., separation of the soul from God. The latter is the real death and must precede the former. This death the substitute died when he cried out: “My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me.” (Psa 22:1 ; Mat 27:46 ).
Emerging from the darkness of that death, which was the hour of the prince of darkness, the psalmist heard him commend his spirit to the Father (Psa_31:35; Luk 23:46 ) showing that while he died the spiritual death, his soul was not permanently abandoned unto hell (Psa 16:8-10 ; Act 2:25 ) so that while he “tasted death” for every man it was not permanent death (Heb 2:9 ).
With equal clearness the psalmist foresaw his resurrection, his triumph over death and hell, his glorious ascension into heaven, and his exaltation at the right hand of God as King of kings and Lord of lords, as a high Driest forever, as invested with universal sovereignty (Psa 16:8-11 ; Psa 24:7-10 ; Psa 68:18 ; Psa 2:6 ; Psa 111:1-4 ; Psa 8:4-6 ; Act 2:25-36 ; Eph 1:19-23 ; Eph 4:8-10 ).
We see, therefore, brethren, when the scattered parts are put together and adjusted, how nearly complete a portrait of our Lord is put upon the prophetic canvas by this inspired limner, the sweet singer of Israel.
QUESTIONS
1. What is a good text for this chapter?
2. What is the threefold division of the Old Testament as cited by our Lord?
3. What is the last division called and why?
4. What is the object of the discussion in this chapter?
5. To what three things is the purpose limited?
6. What especially qualifies the author to meet the objections of the higher critics to allowing the New Testament usage of the Old Testament to determine its meaning and application?
7. What is the author’s conviction relative to the Scriptures?
8. What is the New Testament testimony on the question of inspiration?
9. What is the author’s suggested plan of approach to the study of the Messiah in the Psalms?
10. What the background of the Psalmist’s portrait of the Messiah and of what does it consist?
11. Give the substance of Paul’s discussion of man’s sinfulness.
12. What is the teaching of Jesus on this point?
13. What is the teaching relative to sacrifices?
14. What the nature, extent, and blessedness of the salvation to be wrought by the coming Messiah and what the four great elements of it as forecast by the psalmist?
15. What is the teaching of the psalms relative to the wondrous person of the Messiah? Discuss.
16. What are the offices of the Messiah according to psalms? Discuss each.
17. Cite the more important events of the Messiah’s life according to the vision of the psalmist.
18. What the circumstances of the Messiah’s death and resurrection as foreseen by the psalmist?
Fuente: B.H. Carroll’s An Interpretation of the English Bible
Psa 58:1 To the chief Musician, Altaschith, Michtam of David. Do ye indeed speak righteousness, O congregation? do ye judge uprightly, O ye sons of men?
Ver. 1. Do ye indeed speak righteousness, O congregation? ] Or, O council; you that are gathered together on a knot, under a pretence of doing justice, and promoting the public good by giving faithful advice to the king. Una ligati, ut Gen 37:7 , vel ab Mutus quia congregatio ante oratorem est quasi mutus (Aben Ezra). Colloquitur Abnero et reliquis, saith Kimchi, David here talketh to Abner and the rest, who, to please Saul, pronounced David a rebel, and condemned him absent for an enemy to the state. And forasmuch as there is no greater injury than that which passeth under the name of right, he sharply debateth the matter with them whom he knew of old to be very corrupt; painting them out in their colours, and denouncing God’s heavy judgments against them for their unjust dealings with him. The word rendered congregation is not found elsewhere in that sense. It signifieth dumbness; and is by the Spanish translators rendered, O audientia by antiphrasis, ut lucus, quia non lucet.
Do ye judge uprightly, O ye sons of men?
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
This likewise is “To the chief musician, Al-tascheth, of David, Michtam.”
Here we have the solemn warning of the righteous, and the call of God to execute that judgment on the living wicked which will deliver the godly Jew of the future and clear the earth for the reign of Him Who is alike Son of David and Son of man, and with divine complacency as He is Son of God, yea the true God and eternal life. It is inconceivable that any unprejudiced mind could fall to see that the psalm, the due sequel of those before it, expresses not in the least the sentiments proper to those that now confess the Divine Saviour and are therefore the sharers of His long-suffering grace toward the evil and injurious, but the desire for long-slumbering and righteous vengeance of God on the iniquity that will then rise to a prouder lawlessness than ever. The time for patience will then be past; and most holy will it be for those who then fear God and are in the secret of His ways to pray for His judgment on His and their enemies (who are in truth the same). And the time is at hand; but the Spirit gives them to anticipate it, whilst preserving them from carnal measures. Even a tear of the eye God puts into His bottle, as the figure is, and His vows are on them – they are consciously devoted to Him. They look for His exaltation above the heavens, for His glory above all the earth; but this not as Christians do by being gathered together to Christ on high, but here below by His crushing destruction of the wicked, who would have swallowed them up. Lions they may be, and with the poison of serpents; yet they melt as snails when He appears in His glory, and the sword that proceeds from His mouth prepares the scene for the throne of His glory over the earth. Israel will be the vessel of God’s earthly righteousness in that day; as we ought to express the grace and glory of Christ in heaven now. Hence the godly Jew rightly utters his satisfaction at the terrible things in righteousness with which the God of their salvation will answer their prayer.
The next two psalms are part of the group which began with Psa 55 , itself closely following in spirit those that precede. In these we do well to trace the varying shades of iniquity in their enemies which by the Spirit of Christ had a blessed counterpoise in God’s ways toward them, as we see historically in David with his adversaries within and without. All things work together for good to those that love God, though we by grace learn in light what the godly Jews spell out in the dark. God is the defence, “the God of my mercy.” Evil never improves but grows worse till divine judgment. Thus God is right in our defeat, for evil is then in us even if unperceived: else He would uphold the banner He has given us. He cannot sustain pride in His people but dependence only. Even so faith looks to God and will surely receive His deliverance.
Fuente: William Kelly Major Works (New Testament)
NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Psa 58:1-5
1Do you indeed speak righteousness, O gods?
Do you judge uprightly, O sons of men?
2No, in heart you work unrighteousness;
On earth you weigh out the violence of your hands.
3The wicked are estranged from the womb;
These who speak lies go astray from birth.
4They have venom like the venom of a serpent;
Like a deaf cobra that stops up its ear,
5So that it does not hear the voice of charmers,
Or a skillful caster of spells.
Psa 58:1 There is some question about how to translate the first line. It is obviously in a synonymous parallel relationship with line two.
NASBO gods
NKJVyou silent ones
NRSVyou gods
NJBdivine as you are
JPSOAO mighty ones
REByou rulers
The UBS Text Project (p. 268) gives the term silently a B rating (some doubt) and suggests a translation like, Is it really a silence of righteousness you speak?, i.e., do you really speak in order to conceal by silence the righteousness?
The MT has , which could relate to BDB 48 (silence) or BDB 18 III (mighty lords). Whichever it is, it must parallel the sons of men in line two. So it cannot refer to gods, but civic leaders (i.e., judges, cf. Psalms 82; Exo 22:8-9; Deu 1:17; 2Ch 19:6) from the root ram (BDB 17, cf. Exo 15:15; 2Ki 24:15; Eze 17:13; Eze 31:11; Eze 32:21; Eze 34:17).
The LXX, Peshitta, and Vulgate change the vowels to form an adversative, Do you then truly speak righteousness?
Psa 58:2-5 These verses reveal the true nature of these leaders.
1. work unrighteousness in your heart, Psa 58:2
2. weigh out the violence of your own hands
3. estranged from the womb (see full note at Psa 51:5; this is eastern hyperbolic imagery, not theology)
4. speak lies all their lives
5. have the venom of a serpent
6. refuse to be charmed (lit. whisper) BDB 538, KB 527, here used of snake charmers. The people of the ANE thought the sound of a flute (or voice) quieted a snake but today we know it was the rhythmic movement of the flute itself, not the sound).
The theological thrust is that they wilfully refuse to listen to God or those they adjudicate.
I do not think charmed should be equaled with sorcery here but cultural snake acts for public entertainment.
Psa 58:2 on earth In this context this refers to the land of Israel, not the earth. See SPECIAL TOPIC: LAND, COUNTRY, EARTH . Remember only context can determine word meaning!
Fuente: You Can Understand the Bible: Study Guide Commentary Series by Bob Utley
Title. Michtam. See App-65.
Do ye indeed . . . ? Figure of Speech. Erotesis. App-6. Render:
“Are ye indeed silent [when] ye should speak righteousness?
When ye should judge with equity, O ye sons of men?”
O congregation: or, O faction. Hebrew. ‘elem. Occurs only here and in the subscription of Psalm 55 = silent. So human judges are dumb when they ought to speak, and deaf when they ought to hear (Psa 58:4).
men. Hebrew. ‘adam. App-14.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Psa 58:1-11
Psa 58:1-11 is a prayer of David. I would not want to be one of David’s enemies because of his prayers.
Do you indeed speak righteousness, O congregation? do you judge uprightly, O you sons of men? Yes, in heart you work wickedness; you weigh the violence of your hands in the earth. The wicked are estranged from the womb: they go astray as soon as they be born, speaking lies ( Psa 58:1-3 ).
Now David is talking about the nature, the sinful nature of man. Now, I don’t think there were any of you that had to teach your children to tell a lie. You had to teach them to tell the truth. You don’t say, “Well now, if you get in trouble just lie about it and get out of it.” They seem to just do that naturally. So you have to teach them you’ve got to tell the truth at all times. David said, “They went forth from the womb, speaking lies. They were estranged from the womb. As soon as they are born, speaking lies.”
Their poison is like the poison of a serpent: they are like the deaf adder that stoppeth her ear; Which will not hearken to the voice of charmers, charming ever so wisely. Break their teeth, O God, in their mouth ( Psa 58:4-6 ):
David didn’t mess around.
break out the great teeth of the young lions, O LORD. Let them melt away as waters which run continually: when he bends his bow to shoot his arrows, let them be cut in pieces. As a snail which melteth, let every one of them pass away ( Psa 58:6-8 ):
Have you ever poured salt on a snail and watch it melt?
like the untimely birth of a woman, that may not see the sun. Before your pots can feel the thorns, he shall take them away as the whirlwind, both living, and in his wrath. The righteous shall rejoice when he sees the vengeance: he shall wash his feet in the blood of the wicked. So that a man shall say, Verily there is a reward for the righteous: verily he is a God that judges in the eaRuth ( Psa 58:8-11 ).
Now, coming as we do from our Christian ethic, from the New Testament, we have difficulty in David’s prayers. Because Jesus told us that we are to love those who hate us; we are to do good to those who despitefully use us. Bless those that curse you. And the ethic that we have learned from Christ in the New Testament is much different.
Now, I find David’s ethic pretty satisfying with me. I like vengeance. I like to see the bad guys get beat and the good guys win. And I like to see the wicked really taken care of for good. I must confess that I rejoice in such things. But I must also confess that such rejoicing is wrong according to the New Testament ethic, the Christian ethic. And yet, there is just something about my own nature that is similar to David’s, in that when someone has really done something that is truly evil, I like to see vengeance come upon them.
Now, where I have to be careful is that I so often want to bring vengeance on them myself, and that is where I can really get in trouble. God said, “Vengeance is mine. I will repay, saith the Lord.” Now notice, David isn’t really seeking to bring vengeance himself; he is asking God to knock the teeth out of their mouths. Asking God to take vengeance on them. I don’t know that it is much better, but we must be careful about trying to take personal vengeance upon people who we feel have wronged us, or who have wronged us. We must learn to commit ourselves and our ways unto the Lord, and let the Lord take care of them. It is not mine to become Captain Avenger and go out and right all of the evils of the world.
But David does pray in these psalms, but as I say, it is not in keeping with the New Testament ethic. And I have to pray, not as David prayed, but I have to pray, “Lord, keep my heart from devising vengeance, and keep me, Lord, from wanting to take vengeance. And oh God, help me to have a forgiving attitude and spirit towards those that I feel this, I would like to take vengeance on.” “
Fuente: Through the Bible Commentary
Psa 58:1-2
PRAYER FOR THE PUNISHMENT OF THE WICKED
SUPERSCRIPTION: FOR THE CHIEF MUSICIAN; SET TO ALTASHETH.
A PSALM OF DAVID. MICHTAM.
The title selected here is that which appears in the American Standard Version. Again we find no convincing evidence capable of denying that the psalm is truly one of those written by David.
This is another of the so-called imprecatory psalms. It expresses a seven-fold curse upon evil men and mentions the rejoicing of the righteous that such a judgment will actually fall upon the wicked. It is only a very foolish, naive, and immature type of `righteous person’ who is unable to find in his soul an element of rejoicing and thanksgiving at the Biblical prospect of the final utter overthrow of wickedness.
What that overthrow means, of course, is the punishment and destruction of Satan himself, who fully deserves his appointment in the lake of fire (which we consider metaphorical). Should God allow Satan to continue his career of deception, murder, rape, arson, cruelty, hatred, oppression, etc. in a degree that runs beyond all vocabularies to describe it, and in an intensity that spares no one whomsoever, young, old, innocent, or helpless? Repeat, should God allow that Evil Being unlimited freedom to continue his evil assault upon mankind indefinitely; or should God put the hook in his nose and drag him to the death and destruction that he deserves? This is the great question. God has already told us how it will be answered.
The punishment of the wicked is an incidental thing altogether to the overthrow of Satan. Hell, with all of its implications of terror, described in the Bible under many metaphors, was never designed for evil men, but only for Satan and the fallen angels who supported him. Christ died on Calvary to prevent any man from ever suffering the fate of Satan.
However, until that time when Satan is destroyed, the horrible wretchedness of humanity shall continue to be achieved by Satan’s depredations against men. It is the rejoicing in that final victory over Satan that is always meant when the Bible speaks of the righteous rejoicing over the judgment against evil.
Pitiful indeed as the fate of wicked men will be, it must ever be remembered that such was `their choice’; and that no one compelled them to become servants of Satan. Of course, Our Lord taught us to pray for wicked men; and that is fulfilled in every prayer for their conversion.
As for the authorship of this psalm and the occasion when it was written, it appears to us that Delitzsch has a correct understanding of it.
“This Psalm belongs to the times of Absalom; and the language here does not warrant our denying it to David. That it is indeed David who speaks here is to a certain extent guaranteed by Psalms 64 and Psalms 111. The same David who wrote one of them wrote all three.
The paragraphing suggested by Kidner is adequate.
I. Tyrants Addressed (Psa 58:1-2).
II. Tyrants Described (Psa 58:3-5).
III. Tyrants Prayed Against (Psa 58:6-9).
IV. Tyrants Rejoiced Over (Psa 58:10-11).
TYRANTS ADDRESSED
Psa 58:1-2
“Do ye indeed in silence speak righteousness?
Do ye indeed judge uprightly, O ye sons of men?
Nay, in heart ye work wickedness;
Ye weigh out the violence of your hands in the earth.”
The first thing the serious Bible student will be concerned about here is the false translation of this place in the RSV, which gives us this for Psa 58:1, “Do you indeed decree what is right, you gods? Do you judge the sons of men uprightly?” The RSV translators did indeed give us an alternative reading which is a thousand times better than their translation, `mighty lords,’ instead of `gods’ in the first clause.
The error in this translation is seen in the postulations of many commentators who accept `gods’ here as a council of pagan deities whom God allowed to rule the nations. The persons addressed in these first two verses are not divine persons at all, despite the assertions of some writers.
The error of this translation is not that the Hebrew word of two consonants (L-M) cannot be so translated; but that such a translation is ridiculous on the face of it. The word can also mean, “rams,” “leaders,” “mighty lords,” “judges,” etc. Why should the translators have chosen a word capable of such perverted implications?
The Biblical word “gods” is frequently applied to human authorities, leaders or judges, as in Exo 21:6; Exo 22:8; Deu 19:17; and Psa 82:1; Psa 82:6. to name only a few. The words of Christ have a special application here. When the Pharisees threatened to stone him for saying that he was the Son of God, Jesus replied to them by quoting Psa 82:6, of which he said, “If he called them gods unto whom the Word of God came (and the Scriptures cannot be broken), how can you say of Him whom the Father sent into the world, `Thou blasphemest,’ because I said I am the Son of God?” (Joh 10:34-35).
We are indeed thankful for those writers who discern what is truly meant here.
These verses are addressed to those who discharge the god-like offices of judges and rulers. “O ye gods,” means `mighty ones’ in the sense of judges.
The title `gods’ is given in flattery and irony.
Despite the various translations which the Hebrew here allows, these persons addressed here are human rulers.
“O ye gods,” is an expression of sarcasm directed against unjust judges.
That the unjust persons addressed here are indeed human beings and not “gods” is proved by the parallelism which is such a distinctive feature of Hebrew poetry.
“Do ye judge rightly, O ye sons of men” (Psa 58:1). This is the second clause of verse one; and the parallelism inherent in the poetry here shows that whoever is addressed in the first clause, it must be someone who is also identified by the phrase “ye sons of men.” The RSV translators, of course, changed this also in order to support their error in the first clause. As someone has said, “One poor translation always leads to another.”
Now, just “Who were these `mighty lords,’ anyway? They were, in all probability the authorities, deputy rulers, and judges of the court of Israel’s King David during the days leading up to the rebellion of his son Absalom. However, there are overtones here of the judgment of God against all wicked men.
“Yea, in heart ye work wickedness” (Psa 58:2). The reign of crooked judges and other evil authorities in high office was confined to no particular period of Israel’s history. We might almost say that it was the accepted “modus operandi” of the vast majority of Israel’s rulers that reached some kind of a wicked climax during the personal ministry of Christ. Jeremiah designated the whole nation as “a corrupt vine”; Isaiah announced their judicial hardening; and Ezekiel solemnly declared that Israel became worse than Sodom and Gomorrah (Ezekiel 16).
E.M Zerr:
Psa 58:1. The pronoun ye refers to the people who had shown so much unrighteousness. The question form of language here is really a criticism of their pretense to being good when their conduct did not agree with it.
Psa 58:2. Weigh means they would deal out their violence as a merchant would weigh out his goods to the people.
Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary
This is a fine setting forth of the certainty of the judgment of God against wickedness. The psalmist declares its reason (verses Psa 58:1-5), its process (verses Psa 58:6-9), and its effect (verses to, Psa 58:11).
The whole psalm will be misunderstood save as we carefully note its opening questions. The reason of the judgment is not personal wrong. It is rather the failure of the rulers to administer justice. They are silent when they should speak. Their judgments are not upright. Evil in heart, they lie in word, and poison like serpents, and no charming wins them.
The process of judgment is described in the form of prayer, which shows the sympathy of the singer with the God who is forever against the oppressor. The terms are fierce and terrible, but not more so than are the wrath and stroke of God against such evil men. The effect of the divine judgment is to be the rejoicing of the righteous, the destruction of the wicked, and His vindication among men. It is a sickly sentimentality and a wicked weakness that have more sympathy with the corrupt oppressors than with the anger of God.
Fuente: An Exposition on the Whole Bible
There Is a God That Judgeth
Psa 58:1-11
This psalm is launched against wicked rulers. It may have been occasioned by the attitude of Abner and others of Sauls party, who accounted David as a rebel and outlaw and urged vindictive measures against him.
Their sin, Psa 58:1-6
Poison is literally burning heat. Such is the effect of venomous words, into which the malice of the great serpent is infused. Evil men, capable of such speech, resemble the snake tribe, which will respond only to the shrillest notes. Hot speech to man and deaf ears to God go together.
Their doom, Psa 58:6-9
For let them read they shall, Psa 58:7. The imperative and predictive future are in Hebrew expressed by similar words. Note the remarkable comparisons-the lions broken jaw-tooth, the ebbing tide, the snail scorched by intense heat, the untimely birth, the quickly-expiring fire, the cyclone! Sin inevitably brings penalty, and herein is Gods moral government vindicated.
The contrast, Psa 58:10-11
As the weary traveler is refreshed when his feet are washed, so the saints are glad to see Gods vindication of the righteous. There is a wide difference between the gratification of personal vengeance, and a consuming zeal to uphold Gods character.
Fuente: F.B. Meyer’s Through the Bible Commentary
Psa 58:1
In the Prayer-book version this text stands, “Are your minds set upon righteousness, O ye congregation?” This includes the other, and goes deeper. We shall not speak of that upon which our minds are not first set.
I. Take these words in their large and general signification, and what do they mean? Are you in earnest? Are you in earnest about your own spiritual concerns? Are your affections “set on things above, not on things on the earth”? Have you concentrated your minds upon religion as upon a focus?
II. But the words have evidently a further distinctiveness. The word “righteous” in the Bible-at least, in the New Testament application of it-generally refers to that perfect righteousness which Jesus has both made and purchased for His people. The inquiry therefore in its true force runs thus: Are your minds set on finding pardon and justification through that Saviour who shed His very blood for us, that we, poor, banished, but not expelled, ones, might come back and find a home in our heavenly Father’s love?
III. He who is, or wishes to be, righteous in his Saviour’s righteousness is always the man who is also the most righteous in the discharge of all the duties of this present life. The question therefore takes another easy and necessary transit: In this very place, at this very moment, are you honest-honest to God and to your own souls in the work in which you are engaged? You have received the stewardship of many talents; where is the capital, and where is the interest ready to be given back to the Proprietor when He comes? “Are your minds set upon righteousness, O ye congregation?”
J. Vaughan, Fifty Sermons, 1874, p. 123.
Psa 58:4
Deaf adders may seem very stupid creatures to be teaching lessons to human beings, but they are certainly able to do it. There is quite a variety of deaf adders in the world.
I. Lazy schoolboys and girls are like deaf adders.
II. Hard-headed people are like deaf adders.
III. Hard-hearted people are like deaf adders.
IV. Ungodly people are like deaf adders.
J. N. Norton, The King’s Ferry Boat, p. 126.
Reference: Psalm 58-J. Hammond, Expositor, 1st series, vol. iv., p. 212.
Fuente: The Sermon Bible
Psalm 58
A Judgment Psalm
1. Why God must judge (Psa 58:1-5)
2. The judgment executed (Psa 58:6-11)
Do ye of a truth in silence speak righteousness? (literal rendering of the first verse). Righteousness is not heard on earth. Wickedness and violence are on the earth, therefore God must arise and deal with these conditions in judgment. It will overtake the wicked and the imprecatory prayers will be answered. Then the righteous will be glad when he seeth the vengeance and it will be said, Verily there is a reward for the righteous; verily He is a God who judgeth the earth.
Fuente: Gaebelein’s Annotated Bible (Commentary)
Do: Psa 72:1-4, Deu 16:18, Deu 16:19, 2Sa 23:3, 2Ch 19:6, 2Ch 19:7, Isa 11:3-5, Isa 32:1, Jer 23:5, Jer 23:6
O congregation: Psa 82:1, Psa 82:2, Num 11:16, Deu 1:15, Deu 1:16, 2Sa 5:3, Mat 26:3, Mat 27:1, Luk 23:50, Luk 23:51, Act 5:21
O ye: Psa 82:6, Psa 82:7
Reciprocal: Deu 25:1 – General Psa 4:2 – O Psa 56:1 – Michtam Psa 119:85 – which Pro 31:9 – General Ecc 3:16 – General Isa 32:6 – and his heart Isa 59:8 – judgment Mic 3:9 – that Hab 1:4 – for Joh 7:24 – General Joh 8:15 – judge Joh 19:13 – and sat Act 4:19 – judge Act 16:37 – They have Act 23:3 – for Act 24:25 – righteousness Gal 2:14 – walked Jam 2:4 – judges
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
FAITH IN RIGHTEOUSNESS
I.The throne of iniquity (Psa 58:1-5).
II.The throne of God (Psa 58:6-9).
III.The spectacle of justice (Psa 58:10-11).
Illustrations
(1) Not only does the Psalmist, inspired by the vision of the eternal throne, foresee the issue, but he earnestly pleads for it; and he does so on two groundsthat the righteous may obtain the reward of their righteousness, and that all men may see that there is a God that judgeth in the earth. The triumph of injustice can only be temporary. There is a day coming when all the unjust judgments both of corrupt tribunals and of unrighteous society will be reversed. But justice does not altogether linger till the judgment day. Even now God asserts Himself and vindicates His own; and, when He does so, the instincts of every honest heart must rise up to welcome Him.
(2) This psalm is against wicked rulers. The word rendered congregation (1) means also mighty ones, or rulers. It has been suggested that it was written on account of Abner and the rest of Sauls princes, who judged David as a rebel and outlaw, and urged Saul to pursue him. It is the fourth of the Golden Psalms. For superscription, see also 57. The word Michtam signifies inscription, and some have conjectured that the six psalms thus described, and which were written during the days when David was a fugitive, were inscribed on the sides of the caves in which he took refuge.
(SECOND OUTLINE)
SET ON BEING RIGHTEOUS
Do ye indeed speak righteousness, O congregation?
Psa 58:1
In the Prayer Book Version this text stands, Are your minds set upon righteousness, O ye congregation? This includes the other, and goes deeper. We shall not speak of that upon which our minds are not first set.
I. Take these words in their large and general signification, and what do they mean?Are you in earnest? Are you in earnest about your own spiritual concerns? Are your affections set on things above, not on things on the earth? Have you concentrated your minds upon religion as upon a focus?
II. But the words have evidently a further distinctiveness.The word righteous in the Bibleat least, in the New Testament application of itgenerally refers to that perfect righteousness which Jesus has both made and purchased for His people. The inquiry therefore in its true force runs thus: Are your minds set on finding pardon and justification through that Saviour who shed His very blood for us, that we, poor, banished, but not expelled, ones, might come back and find a home in our heavenly Fathers love?
III. He who is, or wishes to be, righteous in His Saviours righteousness is always the man who is also the most righteous in the discharge of all the duties of this present life.The question therefore takes another easy and necessary transit: In this very place, at this very moment, are you honesthonest to God and to your own souls in the work in which you are engaged? You have received the stewardship of many talents; where is the capital, and where is the interest ready to be given back to the Proprietor when He comes? Are your minds set upon righteousness, O ye congregation?
Rev. James Vaughan.
Illustration
In the opening verses we have the picture of an evil time. Iniquity is enthroned in high places; especially the judgment seat is corrupted. Perhaps the opening words ought to be as they are given in the margin of the Revised Version, Is the righteousness ye should speak dumb? The Psalmist is accusing the administrators of justice of bribery. In the second verse, he describes them as weighing out violence in the scales in which justice ought to be weighed. That is, they observed all the solemn forms of justice, but had no regard for the interests of those who could not pay for their verdicts. In the East this has always been, and is at the present day, one of the leading features of an evil time. Justice cannot be procured; the well-doing man is harassed by his wicked neighbours, and has no redress.
Fuente: Church Pulpit Commentary
Psa 58:1-11. God manifested in judgment.
To the chief musician, Al-tashcheth: Michtam of David.
{Verse 1: Or else, “Do ye indeed speak the silence of righteousness?” or “in silence speak righteousness?” Some, to escape the difficulty, alter the pointing of one word, and say: “Do ye indeed speak righteousness, ye gods!” i.e., “judges.” I follow the London Translation of the Old Testament, on the basis of the French and German of J. N. Darby.
Verse 7 ‘blunted’, literally, “cut off.”}
We have now the manifestation of God in judgment, judgment in man’s hand having altogether failed. One would say that this had regard in the first place to the mass in Israel, where especially righteousness should have been found; but there does not seem any reason for confining it to these, except what may be derived from the fact of the next psalm plainly contemplating the judgment of the nations. The present one, like the last, is of very simple character, and therefore cannot receive any extended examination.
1. The first two verses show us the cause of this manifestation. Righteousness is silent upon earth; and that where men profess it most, in judgments given to maintain it. God must thus Himself arise for judgment. Deceit has taken the place of uprightness in the heart; and violence is carefully weighed out, as if it were justice.
2. Then the inveterate hostility of the wicked to what is good is shown. Evil is innate in them. They are aliens from God from birth, the falsehood in which they live being wholly in opposition to His truth. The old serpent was “a liar from the beginning, and a murderer”; and with these also there is poison, serpent-like; and they harden themselves in malignity, as the adder which is reputed to stop the ear and render itself inaccessible to the charmer’s voice, whatever might be his skill.
3. The judgment of God is then denounced on them. He is prayed to break out the teeth of the lions and make them powerless. And at once the psalmist foresees and predicts the judgment for which he has prayed. The hostile army melts away like waters running off; they have fought their lost battle but with headless arrows. True, a defeated army may recover itself and regain its ground; but this is like the melting of a slug, which is its irremediable dissolution; or like the untimely birth of a woman, which disappoints all the hopes that have been raised by it, and has no future. Nay, they are like thorns which have scarcely warmed the pots under which they are placed, before the sudden violence of a tempest scatters them abroad. The result is that for the righteous recompense is found at last; and men learn that there is fruit for such, and a God who in judgment can put down the rampant evil.
Fuente: Grant’s Numerical Bible Notes and Commentary
Psa 58:1. Do ye indeed speak righteousness? No: you are far from it. You censure me freely without any regard to truth or justice; O congregation The word , eelem, thus rendered, signifies a band, or company of men; and seems to point at Sauls judges and counsellors, who met together to consult what they should do against David; and probably passed a sentence upon him as guilty of treason and rebellion. O ye sons of men So he calls them, to remind them that they also were men, and must give an account to God for all their hard speeches and unrighteous decrees against him.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Psa 58:4. The deaf adder, which stops her ears by putting one ear to the ground, and forcing her tail into the other. Very many of the ancient Greek and Latin writers mention the practice of certain singers and musicians who could so charm a serpent as to draw him from his retreat. Plin. 8:16. They could also drive him away with affright. They could stop him in his flight, compose his fury, and stupify him to slumber. Tibullus, Elag. 9. They boasted of a power so to expel the poison, that the bite of the serpent should not hurt. Isiodor. Originum Psa 9:2.Vide Synop. Poli. I have read in a paper of the United States, that a man by his violin so charmed a rattlesnake before a company of people, as to draw from it signs of delight in the music. Virgil states that the serpent frozen in the field could be thus roused by the arts of the charmer.
Frigidus in pratis cantando rumpitur anguis. ECLOG. 8:71.
Psa 58:8. As the snail which melteth. The LXX read, as the wax melteth, so let every one of them melt away.
Psa 58:10. Wash his feet in blood. This alludes to horrible scenes on the field of battle when the contest has been severe, and the slain lie in heaps.God has generally, and always in the issue, showed favour to princes who sought him with true and unfeigned repentance.
REFLECTIONS.
The psalmist laments here the great wickedness of the court, the judges and rulers of the land. They weighed; that is, they premeditated the violence of their hands and decisions in the earth; they pleaded one wicked precedent to justify another. When magistrates indulge in malpractices, the floodgates of vice are thrown open to the people, David, as in Psa 51:5, traces up these corruptions to their source of original sin; the wicked are estranged from the womb; and by consequence there is no remedy but a new heart and a right spirit. Their malicious, their bold and daring speeches infuse a mortal poison deep into the heart, like the serpents venom from the hollow of his fangs. They become obdurate and scornful; they will not hear the voice of the charmer. Ezekiel, a man of incomparable eloquence, was to the elders as one that sung a pleasant song; but they would not obey. Our Saviour spake as never man spake, yet the rulers shut their eyes, and stopped their ears. Stephens face shone like an angels, yet the rulers murdered him. St. Paul made Felix tremble, yet the deep roots of covetousness remained in his heart. Oh what shall the issues be!
The issues shall be in ages to come as in ages past. The thorns shall burn them, the whirlwind shall carry them away, the fields of battle shall swim with their gore, and hell shall receive its prey. Then shall men say, verily there is a reward for the righteous.
Fuente: Sutcliffe’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
LVIII. A Prayer for Vengeance on Unrighteous Judges.This Ps. is closely allied to Psalms 82. The reproaches in Psa 58:3, where the enemies of the Psalmist are said to have gone astray from the womb, and Psa 58:4, where they are compared with deaf adders, point to Jewish tyranny, such, e.g., as that of the Sadducean priests, rather than to a foreign power. Nobody would have expected heathen to hear the voice of Jewish religion.
Psa 58:1. We ought certainly to read, Do ye indeed speak righteousness, O ye gods? (mg.). The title was given in flattery (cf. 2Sa 17:14-20, where see mg.), or with rhetorical exaggeration as in Zec 12:8. Here it is ironical. [But heathen deities may be intended. They were regarded as the unseen rulers of the heathen nations, responsible for the hostility they showed to Israel (see Isa 24:21 f.*, Dan 10:13*, Dan 10:20 f.A. S. P.]
Psa 58:2 b. i.e. when people come, hoping that justice will be weighed out to them, it is violence which is really put into the scale.
Psa 58:7 b. Read, like tender grass let them be cut off.
Psa 58:8 b. Translate, unseen by the sun.
Psa 58:9. Hopelessly corrupt. We may perhaps translate with moderate emendation, Or ever your pots have felt (i.e. have been heated by) the thorns, whether they be briars or thistles he (i.e. Yahweh) shall sweep them away. The pots are the means by which the enemies of the Psalmist mature their plans. Fuel for the flame lies about in abundance, but Yahweh sweeps it away with the tempest.
Fuente: Peake’s Commentary on the Bible
PSALM 58
The believing remnant of the Jewish nation look to God to establish His government over the earth by the judgment of the wicked.
(vv. 1-5) The first portion of the psalm describes the condition of the world immediately preceding the judgment of the living nations. It will be evident that the government of the earth in man’s hands has entirely failed. The sons of men no longer speak nor act righteously (JND).
As in the days that preceded the judgment of the flood, men were corrupt, and filled with violence in their ways (Gen 6:11); so, before the judgment falls upon the present world it will again be manifest that their hearts are utterly corrupt, and their hands filled with violence. It will be seen that not only are men estranged from God by nature, but by their habitual practice – speaking lies, and spreading the poison of error. Moreover they are deaf to every appeal of grace, however attractively and wisely that grace is presented. Thus the sons of men seal their doom and prove themselves ripe for judgment.
(vv. 6-8) The psalmist, using a series of figures, appeals to God to execute judgment. Let the wicked be like young lions with teeth broken, and thus bereft of power; like water that runs to waste; like one that shoots with blunted arrows that can do no harm. Let them be as a snail that leaves only a trail of slime, or like a untimely birth, that has no future; or like burning thorns that have scarcely warmed the pot before they are whirled away (JND).
(vv. 10-11) The psalm closes by expressing the joy of the righteous as they behold the judgment of the wicked. The righteous will wash their footsteps in the blood of the wicked. They reach their blessing through the judgment of their enemies. It will then become manifest that the righteous have their reward, and that there is a God that judgeth in the earth.
The Christian, blessed with all spiritual blessing in the heavenlies, looks for deliverance from suffering and evil, by being taken out of the scene of evil to be with the Lord, therefore, he does not look for the judgment of his enemies. The godly Jew, whose blessing is on earth, is divinely instructed that the time of blessing for the earth can only be reached through the judgment of evil, therefore he rightly looks for the judgment of his enemies.
Fuente: Smith’s Writings on 24 Books of the Bible
58:1 [To the chief Musician, Altaschith, Michtam of David.] Do ye indeed speak righteousness, O {a} congregation? do ye judge uprightly, O ye sons of men?
(a) You counsellors of Saul, who under pretence of consulting for the common wealth, conspire my death being an innocent.
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
Psalms 58
In this prophetic lament psalm, David called on God to judge corrupt judges so the righteous would continue to trust in the Lord. [Note: See Day, pp. 169-73.] This is also an imprecatory psalm.
Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)
1. The marks of crooked judges 58:1-5
Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)
The psalmist introduced his condemnation of certain unjust judges with two questions. He questioned the integrity of these men.
The Hebrew word elohim (lit. strong ones) sometimes refers to rulers in the Old Testament. Of course, it usually refers to God, the strongest of all beings. Sometimes it refers to false gods, i.e., idols. Here, as elsewhere, powerful human beings are in view (cf. Psa 82:1; Psa 82:6). The context suggests that they were judges in Israel.
Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)
Psa 58:1-11
THIS psalmists fiery indignation against unjust judges and evil-doers generally is not kindled by personal wrongs. The psalm comes hot from a heart lacerated by the sight of widespread corruption, and constrained to seek for patience in the thought of the swift sweeping away of evil men before their plans are effected. Stern triumph in the punitive manifestations of Gods rule, and keen sense of the need of such, are its keynotes. Vehement emotion stirs the poets imagination to heap together strong and, in part, obscure metaphors. Here emphatically “Indignatio facit versus.” The psalm is Dantesque in its wealth of sombre imagination, which produces the most solemn effects with the homeliest metaphors, and in its awed and yet satisfied contemplation of the fate of evil-doers. It parts itself into three portions, -a dark picture of abounding evil (Psa 58:1-5); its punishment prayed for (Psa 58:6-9); and the consequent joy of the righteous and widespread recognition of the rule of a just God (Psa 58:10-11).
The abrupt question of Psa 58:1 speaks of long pent-up indignation, excited by protracted experience of injustice, and anticipates the necessary negative answer which follows. The word rendered by the A.V. and R.V. “in silence” or “dumb” can scarcely be twisted into intelligibility, and the small alteration of reading required for the rendering “gods” is recommended by the similar expressions in the kindred Psa 82:1-8. Taken thus, the question is hurled at the appointed depositaries of judicial power and supreme authority. There is no need to suppose, with Hupfeld and others, whom Cheyne follows, that these “gods” are supernatural beings intrusted with the government of the world. The explanation of the name lies in the conception of such power as bestowed by God, and in some sense a delegation of His attribute; or, as our Lord explained the similar name in Psa 82:1-8, as given because “to them the word of God came.” It sets in sinister light the flagrant contradiction between the spirit in which these men exercised their office and the source from which they derived it, and thus sharpens the reproach of the question. The answer is introduced by a particle conveying a strong opposition to the previous supposition couched in the question. “Heart” and “hands” are so obviously antithetical, that the alteration of “in heart” to “ye all” is not acceptable, though it removes the incongruity of plans being wrought in the heart, the seat of devices, not of actions. “Work” may be here used anomalously, as we say “work out,” implying the careful preparation of a plan, and there may even be a hint that the true acts are the undone acts of the heart. The unaccomplished purpose is a deed, though never clothed in outward fact. Evil determined is, in a profound sense, done before it is done; and, in another equally solemn, not done when “tis done,” as Macbeth has taught us. The “act,” as men call it, follows: “In the earth”-not only in the heart-“ye weigh out the violence of your hands.” The scales of justice are untrue. Instead of dispensing equity, as they were bound to do, they clash into the balance the weight of their own violence.
It is to be noted that the psalm says no more about the sins of unjust authorities, but passes on to describe the “wicked” generally. The transition may suggest that under unjust rulers all wrong doers find impunity, and so multiply and worsen; or it may simply be that these former are now merged in the class to which they belong. The type of “wickedness” gibbeted is the familiar one of malicious calumniators and persecutors. From birth onwards they have continuously been doers of evil. The psalmist is not laying down theological propositions about heredity, but describing the inveterate habit of sin which has become a second nature, and makes amendment hopeless. The reference to “lies” naturally suggests the image of the serpents poison. An envenomed tongue is worse than any snakes bite. And the mention of the serpent stimulates the poets imagination to yet another figure, which puts most graphically that disregard ox warnings, entreaties, and every voice, human or Divine, that marks long-practised, customary sinfulness. There can be no more striking symbol of determined disregard to the calls of patient Love and the threats of outraged Justice than that of the snake lying coiled, with its head in the centre of its motionless folds, as if its ears were stopped by its own bulk, while the enchanter plays his softest notes and speaks his strongest spells in vain. There are such men, thinks this psalmist. There are none whom the mightiest spell, that of Gods love in Christ, could not conquer and free from their poison; but there are such as will close their ears to its plaintive sweetness. This is the condemnation that light is come and men love darkness, and had rather lie coiled in their holes than have their fangs extracted.
The general drift of the second part (Psa 58:6-9) is to call down Divine retribution on these obstinate, irreclaimable evil-doers. Figure is heaped on figure in a fashion suggestive of intense emotion. The transiency of insolent evil, the completeness of its destruction, are the thoughts common to them all. There are difficulties in translation, and, in Psa 58:9, probable textual corruption: but these should not hide the tremendous power of gloomy imagination, which can lay hold of vulgar and in part loathsome things, and, by sheer force of its own solemn insight, can free them from all low or grotesque associations, and turn them into awful symbols. The intense desire for the sweeping away of evil-doers has met us in many previous psalms, and it is needless to repeat former observations on it. But it is nowhere expressed with such a wealth of metaphor as here. The first of these, that of crushing the jaws and breaking the teeth of a beast of prey, occurs also in Psa 3:7. It is less terrible than the subsequent imprecations, since it only contemplates the wickeds deprivation of power to do harm. In Psa 58:7 a their destruction is sought, while, in the second clause of the same verse, the defeat of their attempts is desired. Psa 58:8 then expands the former wish, and Psa 58:9 the latter. This plain symmetrical arrangement makes the proposals to resort to transposition unnecessary. Mountain torrents quickly run themselves dry; and the more furious their rush, the swifter their exhaustion. They leave a chaos of whitened stones, that lie bleaching in the fierce sun when the wild spate is past. So stormy and so short will be the career of evil-doers. So could a good man of old wish it to be; and so may we be sure of and desire the cessation of oppression and mans inhumanity to man. Psa 58:7 b is obscure. All these figures are struck out with such parsimony of words that they are difficult. They remind one of some of the stern, unfinished work of Michael Angelo, where a blow or two of his chisel, or a dash or two of his brush, has indicated rather than expressed his purpose, and left a riddle, fascinating in its incompleteness, for smaller men to spell out. In Psa 58:7 b it may be asked, Who is the archer? If God, then the whole is a presentation as if of an occurrence taking place before our eyes. God shoots His arrow, and at once it lodges in the heart of the enemies, and they are as though cut off. But it is better to take the wicked as the subject of both verbs, the change from singular to plural being by no means unusual in successive clauses with the same subject. If so, this clause recurs to the thought of Psa 58:6, and prays for the neutralising of the wicked mans attempts. He fits his arrows, aims, and draws the bow. May they fall harmless, as if barbless! An emendation has been proposed by which the clause is made parallel with Psa 37:2, “As grass let them be quickly cut off,” thus securing a complete parallel with a, -and avoiding the difficulty in the word rendered by us “pointless.” But the existing text gives a vigorous metaphor, the peculiarity of which makes it preferable to the feebler image of withering grass.
The prayer for destruction is caught up again in Psa 58:8, in two daring figures which tremble on the verge of lowering the key of the whole; but by escaping that peril, produce the contrary effect, and heighten it. A slug leaves a shining track of slime as it creeps, which exudes from its soft body, and thus it seems to disintegrate itself by its own motion. It is the same thought of the suicidal character of bad mens efforts which was expressed by the stream foaming itself away in the nullah. It is the eternal truth that opposition to Gods will destroys itself by its own activity. The unfulfilled life of a premature birth, with eyes which never opened to the light for which they were made and possibilities which never unfolded, and which is huddled away into a nameless grave, still more impressively symbolises futility and transiency.
In Psa 58:9 the figure has given much trouble to commentators. Its broad meaning is, however, undoubted. It is, as Psa 58:6 and Psa 58:7 b, symbolic of the Divine intervention which wrecks wicked mens plans before they are wrought out. The picture before the psalmist seems to be that of a company of travellers round their camp fire, preparing their meal. They heap brush wood under the pot, and expect to satisfy their hunger; but before the pot is warmed through, not to say before the water boils or the meat is cooked, down comes a whirlwind, which sweeps away fire, pot, and all. Every word of the clause is doubtful, and with the existing text, the best that can be done is not wholly satisfactory. If emendation is resorted to, the suggestion of Bickell, adopted by Cheyne, gives a good sense: “[And] while your [flesh] is yet raw, the hot wrath [of Jehovah] shall sweep it away.” Baethgen makes a slighter alteration, and renders, “While it is still raw, He sweeps it away in wrath.” Retaining the existing text (which is witnessed by the LXX and other old versions), probably the best rendering is, “Whether [it be] green or burning, He shall whirl it away.” This general understanding of the words is shared by commentators who differ as to what is represented as swept away-some making it the thorn fire, the twigs of which may be either full of sap or well alight; while others take the reference to be to the meat in the pot, which may be either “living,” i.e. raw, or well on the way to being cooked. Neither application is quite free from difficulty, especially in view of the fact that some pressure has to be put on the word rendered “burning,” which is not an adjective, but a noun, and is usually employed to designate the fiery wrath of God, as it is rendered in the amended text just mentioned. After all attempts at clearing up the verse, one must be content to put a mark of interrogation at any rendering. But the scope of the figure seems discoverable through the obscurity: It is a homely and therefore vigorous picture of half-accomplished plans suddenly reduced to utter failure, and leaving their concocters hungry for the satisfaction which seemed so near. The cookery may go on merrily and the thorns crackle cheerily, but the simoom comes, topples over the tripod on which the pot swung, and blows the fire away in a hundred directions. Peters gibbet was ready, and the morning of his execution was near; but when day dawned, “there was no small stir what was become of him.” The wind had blown him away from the expectation of the people of the Jews into safe quarters; and the fire was dispersed.
The closing part (Psa 58:10-11) breathes a stern spirit of joy over the destruction of the wicked. That is a terrible picture of the righteous bathing his feet in the blood of the wicked. {Psa 68:23} It expresses not only the dreadful abundance of blood, but also the satisfaction of the “righteous” at its being shed. There is an ignoble and there is a noble and Christian satisfaction in even the destructive providences of God. It is not only permissible but imperative on those who would live in sympathy with His righteous dealings and with Himself, that they should see in these the manifestation of eternal justice, and should consider that they roll away burdens from earth and bring hope and rest to the victims of oppression. It is no unworthy shout of personal vengeance, nor of unfeeling triumph, that is lifted up from a relieved world when Babylon falls. If it is right in God to destroy, it cannot be wrong in His servants to rejoice that He does. Only they have to take heed that their emotion is untarnished by selfish gratulation, and is not untinged with solemn pity for those who were indeed doers of evil, but were themselves the greatest sufferers from their evil. It is hard, but not impossible, to take all that is expressed in the psalm, and to soften it by some effluence from the spirit of Him who wept over Jerusalem, and yet pronounced its doom.
The last issue of Gods judgments contemplated by the psalm warrants the joy of the righteous; for in these there is a demonstration to the world that there is “fruit” to the righteous, and that notwithstanding all bewilderments from the sight of prosperous wickedness and oppressed righteousness “there is a God who judges in the earth.” The word “judging” is here in the plural, corresponding with “God” (Elohim), which is also plural in form. Possibly the construction is to be explained on the ground that the words describe the thoughts of surrounding, polytheistic nations, who behold the exhibition of Gods righteousness. But more probably the plural is, here used for the sake of the contrast with the gods of Psa 58:1. Over these unworthy representatives of Divine justice sits the true judge, in the manifoldness of His attributes, exercising His righteous though slow-footed judgments.