Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Psalms 58:5
Which will not hearken to the voice of charmers, charming never so wisely.
Which will not hearken to the voice of charmers – The word rendered charmers – lachash – means properly whisperers, mutterers, and it refers here to those who made use of spells or incantations – sorcerers or magicians. See the notes at Isa 8:19. These incantations were accompanied usually with a low, muttering sound, or with a gentle whisper, as if for the purpose of calming and controlling the object of the incantation. Such charmers of serpents (or pretended charmers) abounded among the ancients, and still abound in India. The art is carried in India to great perfection; and there are multitudes of persons who obtain a livelihood by this pretended or real power over venomous serpents. Their living is obtained either by exhibiting their power over serpents which they carry with them in their peregrinations, or by drawing them by their incantations from the walls of gardens, houses, and hedges, where they had taken up their abode. Multitudes of facts, referred to by those who have resided in India, seem to confirm the opinion that this power is real.
Charming never so wisely – Margin, Be the charmer never so cunning. The word rendered here charming – chober – means properly to bind; to bind together. The literal meaning of the original Hebrew is, binding spells that are wise, or, that are cunning; in other words, making use of the most cunning or skillful of their incantations and charms. The meaning is, that the utmost skill of enchantment will be unsuccessful. They are beyond the reach of any such arts. So with the people referred to by David. They were malignant and venomous; and nothing would disarm them of their malignity, and destroy their venom. What is here affirmed of these men is true in a certain sense of all people. The depravity of the human heart is such that nothing that man can employ will subdue it. No eloquence, no persuasion, no commands, no remonstrances, no influence that man can exert, will subdue it.
It cannot be charmed down; it cannot be removed by any skill or power of man, however great. The following remarks from Dr. Thomson, who has spent twenty years in Palestine (land and the Book, vol. i. pp. 221-223), will illustrate this passage: I have seen many serpent-charmers who do really exercise some extraordinary power over these reptiles. They carry enormous snakes, generally black, about them, allow them to crawl all over their persons and into their bosoms; always, however, with certain precautions, either necessary, or pretended to be so. They repeatedly breathe strongly into the face of the serpent, and occasionally blow spittle, or some medicated composition upon them. It is needless to describe the mountebank tricks which they perform. That which I am least able to account for is the power of detecting the presence of serpents in a house, and of enticing or charming them out of it. The thing is far too common to be made a matter of scepticism. The following account, by Mr. Lane, is a fair statement of this matter: The charmer professes to discover, without ocular perception (but perhaps he does so by a unique smell), whether there be any serpents in the house, and if there be, to attract them to him, as the fowler, by the fascination of his voice, allures the bird into his net.
As the serpent seeks the darkest place in which to hide himself, the charmer has, in most eases, to exercise his skill in an obscure chamber, where he might easily take a serpent from his bosom, bring it to the people without the door, and affirm that he had found it in the apartment, for no one would venture to enter with him, after having been assured of the presence of one of these reptiles within. But he is often required to perform in the full light of day, surrounded by spectators; and incredulous persons have searched him beforehand, and even stripped him naked, yet his success has been complete. 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 most 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 from the ceiling of the room.
I have heard it asserted that a serpent-charmer, before he enters a house in which he is to try his skill, always employs a servant of that house to introduce one or more serpents; but I have known instances in which this could not be the case, and am inclined to believe that the dervishes above mentioned are generally acquainted with some physical means of discovering the presence of serpents without seeing them, and of attracting them from their lurking-places. What these physical means may be is yet a secret, as also the means by which persons can handle live scorpions, and can put them into their bosom without fear or injury. I have seen this done again and again, even by small boys. This has always excited my curiosity and astonishment, for scorpions are the most malignant and irascible of all insects. The Hindoos, and after them the Egyptians, are the most famous snake-charmers, scorpion-eaters, etc., etc., although gipsies, Arabs, and others are occasionally found, who gain a vagabond livelihood by strolling round the country, and confounding the ignorant with these feats.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 5. Which will not hearken to the voice of charmers] The old Psalter translates and paraphrases these two verses curiously: –
Vulg. Furor illis secundum similitudinem serpentis; sicut aspidis surdae et obturantis aures suas: Quae non exaudiet vocem incantantium et venefici in cantantis sapienter.
Trans. Wodes (madness) til thaim aftir the liking of the neddir, as of the snake doumb and stoppand her eres.
Paraph. Right calles he tham wod, (mad,) for that hafe na witte to se whider that ga: for that louke thair eghen, and rennys till the are thaire wodness til clumsthed that wil noght be turned as of the snake that festis (fastens) the ta ere til the erth, and the tother ere stoppis with hir taile: Sua do thai that thai here not Godis word; that stope thair eris with luf of erthli thing that thai delite thaim in; and with thair taile, that es with all synnes, that that will noght amend.
Trans. The whitk salle noght here the voyce of charmand, and of the venim in akare of charmand wisli.
Paraph. This snake stopis hir eres that she be noght broth to light; for if she herd it, she come forth sone, he charmes swa wysli in his craft. Swa the wikkid men wit noght here the voyce of Crist and his lufers that are wys charmes; for thi wild (would) bring them till light of heven. Wyt ye well (know) that he (i.e., Christ) lufes noght charmars and venim makers but be (by) vices of bestes, he takes lickening of vices of men.
It seems as if there were a species of snake or adder that is nearly deaf; and as their instinct informs them that if they listen to the sounds which charmers use they shall become a prey; therefore they stop their ears to prevent the little hearing they have from being the means of their destruction. To this the Old Psalter refers. We have also an account of a species of snake, which, if it cast its eye on the charmer, feels itself obliged to come out of its hole; it therefore keeps close, and takes care neither to see nor be seen. To this also the Old Psalter alludes; and of this fact, if it be one, he makes a good use.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
This similitude doth neither justify the practice of charming, which, in the very word here used, is condemned, Deu 18:11, no more than those which are drawn from the unjust steward, Luk 16:1, &c.; Luk 18:2, &c., and from a thief, Rev 16:15; nor yet affirm the truth of what is reported concerning the asps or adders, which are said to lay one ear close to the ground, and to cover the other with their tail, that so they may avoid the danger of enchantment; but only was taken from the common opinion, which he poetically mentions to this purpose: As they commonly say of the asps or adders, &c., such really are these men; deaf to all my counsels, and to the dictates of their own consciences, and to the voice of Gods law. And yet of the
charming or enchanting of serpents, mention is made both in other places of Scripture, as Ecc 10:11; Jer 8:17, and in all sorts of authors, ancient and modern, Hebrew, and Arabic, and Greek, and Latin of which see my Latin Synopsis. And particularly the Arabic writers (to whom these creatures were best known) name some sorts of serpents, among which the adder is one, which they call deaf, not because they are dull of hearing, but, as one of them expressly saith, because they will not be charmed.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
3-5. describe the wickedgenerally, who sin naturally, easily, malignantly, and stubbornly.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
Which will not hearken to the voice of charmers,…. Or “that use enchantments”, to enchant serpents, by muttering certain words, or by magical songs; by which means it is said that they have been drawn out of their holes, or caused to fly, or have become stupefied, and have lost their poison, and even burst asunder; as Bochart b relates from Pliny, Aelianus, Lucan, Isidore, Virgil, Ovid, Horace, and others: but an “asp” is unmoved by enchantments, and they are of no avail against its bites and poison c. Nor do these words suppose that the psalmist approved of enchantments, or affirms the virtue of them to be real, but rather suggests the contrary; he only takes his similitude from the seeming deafness and disregard of serpents to enchantments, to set forth the obstinacy of wicked men: and their resolution to continue in their wicked ways; like the serpent that disregards men:
charming never so wisely; being “wise, skilful” d, or made wise in enchanting enchantments; one very learned and expert in the art; or in “associating associations, skilful” e: who makes a consort of magical words to obtain his point, as some think; or because by his enchantments he associates and gathers many serpents together, and tames them; or because he does this by society and fellowship with the devil; methods no ways approved of by the psalmist, only alluded to. It may perhaps better be rendered, “which will not hearken to the voice of the eloquent, putting things together ever so wisely”: the word is used for an eloquent orator, Isa 3:3. Such Gospel ministers are, who are mighty in the Scriptures. The voice of the Gospel is a charming voice; it publishes good news and glad tidings; it is a voice of love, grace, and mercy, of peace, pardon, righteousness, and salvation by Christ; and is wisely charmed when it gives no uncertain sound, is all of a piece, and is faithfully preached, as it was by the apostles of Christ; who, as wise men, laid him as the foundation of eternal life and salvation; and especially as it was preached by Christ himself, who spake as never man did: and yet, such were the hardness and obstinacy of the wicked Jews, that they stopped their ears to his ministry, nor would they suffer others to attend upon it; and so it is now: which shows the insufficiency of the best means of themselves, and the necessity of powerful and efficacious grace, to work upon the hearts of men.
b Hierozoic. par. 2. l. 2. c. 6. col. 390. c Aelian. de Animal. l. 1. c. 54. d “incantantis incantationem periti”, Vatablus; “vel incantationes exercitati ac peritissimi”, Michaelis; “of him that is made wise”, Ainsworth. e “Jungentis conjunctiones docti”, Montanus; “consociantis societates serpentum”, Michaelis.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
(5) Charmers.Heb., melachashm, a word undoubtedly formed from the sound made by the charmer in imitating the snake, in order to entice it from its hole. Lane, in Modern Egyptians, describing a snake charmer at his task, says: He assumes an air of mystery, strikes the walls with a short palm stick, whistles, makes a clacking noise with his tongue. The art of serpent charming, and the magic connected with it, was of great antiquity in Egypt, and passed thence to surrounding countries.
Charming never so wisely.Literally, one tying knots wisely, i.e., a most skilful charmer.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
5. Charmers From which it appears that the art of serpent charming was known in David’s day. The object was to render them tractable and harmless. See Ecc 10:11; Jer 8:17. The art is still practised in Egypt and the East as a profession, for amusement, and for dislodging serpents from houses.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Psa 58:5 Which will not hearken to the voice of charmers, charming never so wisely.
Ver. 5. Which will not hearken to the voice of charmers ] Such there are, the devil’s spellmen, Ecc 10:8 , that can enchant some kind of serpents, and some they cannot, as Jer 8:17 . That the serpent here spoken of, when she beginneth to feel the charmer, clappeth one of her ears close to the ground, and stoppeth the other with her tail, is affirmed by Jerome, Austin, and Cassiodorus. Vide Plin. lib. 2, c. 7; l. 8, c. 3. Quum coeperit incantatorem suum pati, allidit unam aurem terrae et cauda obturat alteram (Aug. in loc.; Horat. Epist. 2). And that she doth this, although by hearkening to the charmer, provoking her to spit out her poison, she might renew her age, is affirmed by others; semblably, perverse people will not be persuaded to live happily, reign everlastingly.
– At Paris ut vivat regnetque beatus,
Cogi posse negat.
Which: That serpents might be charmed or rendered harmless was well known to the ancients. Virgil, and many others state the fact – Frigidus in pratis cantando, rumpitur anguis. “In the meadows the cold snake is burst by incantation.”
charming never so wisely: or, be the charmer never so cunning, Deu 18:11, Isa 19:3
Reciprocal: Ecc 10:11 – the serpent Jer 8:17 – which Jer 25:30 – his holy Zec 7:11 – stopped Luk 3:7 – O generation
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge