Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Psalms 63:9
But those [that] seek my soul, to destroy [it], shall go into the lower parts of the earth.
9. But those &c.] They, his enemies, who are seeking his life, are emphatically contrasted with himself (Psa 59:15; Psa 56:6). While his path is upward to God, theirs is downward to the depths of Sheol. It is possible to render (cp. R.V. marg.) But they shall be destroyed that seek my life, They shall go &c.
into the lower parts of the earth ] Into Sheol, swallowed up like Korah and his company of rebels. Cp. for the phrase, Isa 44:23; Eze 26:20; Psa 86:13; Eph 4:9; Deu 32:22: and for the thought, Psa 9:15; Psa 9:17; Psa 55:15; Psa 55:23.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
But those that seek my soul to destroy it – Who seek my life; who endeavor to kill me. This language would well describe the purposes of Absalom and his followers.
Shall go into the lower parts of the earth – Shall descend into the earth; into the deepest graves. He would live; but they would perish.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 9. Lower parts of the earth.] They are appointed, in the just judgment of God, to destruction; they shall be slain and buried in the earth, and shall be seen no more. Some understand the passage as referring to the punishment of hell; which many supposed to be in the centre of the earth. So the old Psalter, – Thai sall entir in till lagher pine of hell. Lahher or laigher, lower, undermost.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
To destroy it, i.e. to take away my life.
Into the lower parts of the earth; either,
1. Into hell. Or rather,
2. Into their grave, as this phrase is used, Eze 31:14,18. But how is this true, when they are supposed to be devoured by foxes, Psa 63:10? Answ. This may be understood, either,
1. Of divers persons. Some of their slain might be buried, and others lie unburied. Or,
2. Of the same persons; they did go into the earth, but not immediately, but were first devoured of foxes, and the remainders of them were buried, as is frequently done in such cases. Or this phrase may note not so much the place as the state of the dead; this being universally said of those that die, whether they are buried or unburied, that they return to the earth or dust, Job 1:21; Ecc 12:7.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
9, 10. those . . . to destroy itorliterally, “to ruin,” or, “for ruin”; that is,such as seek to injure me (are) for ruin, appointed to it(compare Ps 35:8).
shall go . . . earthintothe grave, or, to death; as their bodies are represented as a portionfor
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
But those [that] seek my soul to destroy it,…. Meaning his life; for as for his soul, that was immaterial and immortal, and could never be destroyed by man: but as for his natural life, his enemies laid snares for that, and sought to take it away, and nothing less would satisfy them;
shall go into the lower parts of the earth; not the grave, whither the righteous go as well as the wicked; besides, by their being the portion of foxes, as follows, it seems that they should have no burial; but hell is meant, the bottomless pit. Some take it to be a prayer, as Kimchi and Ben Melech; “may they go”, or “let them go”, &c. see
Ps 55:15. The allusion may be thought to be to the death of Korah and his company.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
The closing strophe turns towards these foes. By he contrasts with his own person, as in Psa 59:16., Psa 56:7., the party of the enemy, before which he has retreated into the desert. It is open to question whether is intended to be referred, according to Psa 35:17, to the persecuted one (to destroy my life), or, with Hupfeld, to the persecutors (to their own destruction, they themselves for destruction). If the former reference to the persecuted be adopted, we ought, in order to give prominence to the evidently designed antithesis to Psa 63:9, to translate: those, however, who…, shall go down into the depths of the earth (Bttcher, and others); a rendering which is hazardous as regards the syntax, after and in connection with this position of the words. Therefore translate: On the other hand, those, to (their own) ruin do they seek my soul. It is true this ought properly to be expressed by , but the absence of the suffix is less hazardous than the above relative rendering of . What follows in Psa 63:10-11 is the expansion of . The futures from onwards are to be taken as predictive, not as imprecatory; the former accords better with the quiet, gentle character of the whole song. It shall be with them as with the company of Korah. is the interior of the earth down into its deepest bottom; this signification also holds good in Psa 139:15; Isa 44:23.
(Note: In this passage in Isaiah are meant the depths of the earth (lxx ), the earth down to its inmost part, with its caverns, abysses, and subterranean passages. The apostle, however, in Eph 4:9 by means exactly the same as what in our passage is called in the lxx : the interior of the earth = the under world, just as it is understood by all the Greek fathers (so far as my knowledge extends); the comparative is used just like .)
The phrase here and in Jer 18:21; Eze 35:5 ( Hiph., not of , to drag, tear away, but , to draw towards, flow), signifies properly to pour upon = into the hands (Job 16:11), i.e., to give over ( ) into the power of the sword; effundent eum is (much the same as in Job 4:19; Job 18:18, and frequently) equivalent to effundetur . The enallage is like Psa 5:10; Psa 7:2., and frequently: the singular refers to each individual of the homogeneous multitude, or to this multitude itself as a concrete persona moralis . The king, however, who is now banished from Jerusalem to the habitation of jackals, will, whilst they become a portion ( = ), i.e., prey, of the jackals (vid., the fulfilment in 2Sa 18:7.), rejoice in Elohim. Every one who sweareth by Him shall boast himself. Theodoret understands this of swearing . Hengstenberg compares the oath , Gen 42:15. Ewald also (217, f) assumes this explanation to be unquestionable. But the Israelite is to swear by the name of Jahve and by no other, Deu 6:13; Isa 65:16, cf. Amo 8:14. If the king were meant, why was it not rather expressed by , he who swears allegiance to him? The syntax does not help us to decide to what the refers. Neinrich Moeller (1573) says of the as referred to the king: peregrinum est et coactum ; and A. H. Franke in his Introductio in Psalterium says of it as referred to Elohim: coactum est . So far as the language is concerned, both references are admissible; but as regards the subject-matter, only the latter. The meaning, as everywhere else, is a searing by God. He who, without allowing himself to turn from it, swore by Elohim, the God of Israel, the God of David His anointed, and therefore acknowledged Him as the Being exalted above all things, shall boast himself or “glory,” inasmuch as it shall be practically seen how well-founded and wise was this recognition. He shall glory, for the mouth of those who speak lies shall be stopped, forcibly closed, viz., those who, together with confidence in the Christ of God, have by falsehood also undermined the reverence which is due to God Himself. Psa 64:1-10 closes very similarly, and hence is placed next in order.
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
9. And they, whilst they seek, etc. Here we find David rising to a more assured confidence, and triumphing as if he had already obtained the victory. And there is every reason to believe, that though he had escaped his difficulties, and was in circumstances of peace and prosperity when he wrote this psalm, yet he only expresses what he actually felt at the critical period when his life was in such imminent danger. He declares his conviction that the enemies who eagerly sought his life would be cut off; that God would cast them headlong into destruction; and that their very bodies should be left without burial. To be the portion of foxes, (437) is the same thing with being left to be torn and devoured by the beasts of the field. It is often denounced as one judgment which should befall the wicked, that they would perish by the sword, and become the prey of wolves and of dogs, without privilege of sepulture. This is a fate which the best of men have met with in the world, — for good as well as bad are exposed to the stroke of temporal evil; — but there is this distinction, that God watches over the scattered dust of his own children, gathers it again, and will suffer nothing of them to perish, whereas, when the wicked are slain, and their bones spread on the field, this is only preparatory to their everlasting destruction.
(437) Under the Hebrew word שועל, shual, here rendered fox, was comprehended, in common language, the jackal, or Vulpes aureus , golden wolf, so called in Latin because its color is a bright yellow; and in this sense שועל, shual, has been generally interpreted here, because the jackal is found in Palestine, and feeds on carrion. Both of these circumstances are, however, also applicable to the fox, and, moreover, Bochart has made it probable that the specific name of the jackal (the θῶς of the Greeks) in Hebrew was אי, aye, the howler, being so called from the howling cry which he makes particularly at night. The term occurs in Isa 13:22; and Jer 50:39; where איים, ayim, is rendered, in our version, “the wild beasts of the islands,” an appellation very vague and indeterminate. At the same time, it is highly probable that shual generally refers to the jackal. Several of the modern oriental names of this animal, as the Turkish chical, and the Persian sciagal, sciachal, or schachal — whence the English jackal — from their resemblance to the Hebrew word shual, favor this supposition; and Dr Shaw, and other travelers, inform us, that while jackals are very numerous in Palestine, the common fox is rarely to be met with. We shall, therefore, be more correct, under these circumstances, in admitting that the jackal of the East is the Hebrew shual These animals never go alone, but always associate in packs of from fifty to two hundred. They are known to prey on dead bodies; and so greedy are they of human carcases, that they dig them out of their graves, and devour them, however putrescent They have been seen waiting near the grave at the time of a funeral eagerly watching their opportunity of digging up the body almost as soon as it was buried. “I have known several instances,” says a traveler quoted by Merrick, “of their attacking and devouring drunken men, whom they have found lying on the road, and have heard that they will do the same to men that are sick and helpless. I have seen many graves that have been opened by the jackals, and parts of the bodies pulled out by them.” They visit the field of battle to prey upon the dying and the dead, and they follow caravans for the same purpose. It is usual with the barbarous nations of the East to leave the bodies of their enemies, killed in battle, in the field, to be devoured by jackals and other animals. When the Psalmist, therefore, says that his enemies would become a portion for foxes, the meaning is, that they would be denied the rites of sepulture, which was deemed a great calamity, — that they should be left unburied, for jackals and other wild beasts to prey upon and devour.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
9. But those He turns from these soul yearnings and sweet thoughts of God to the stern battle of life before him. The strong adversative force of the conjunction, joined to the pronoun, brings out the sharp contrast between him and his enemies.
That seek my soul, to destroy it The order of the Hebrew words is, but they to destruction will seek after my soul, that is, to their own destruction, and so the parallel clause, they shall go, etc., shows that it is not what they intended for him, which is clearly enough implied, but what should overtake them, that he is speaking of. The word here rendered destruction radically denotes a loud noise, crash, and means tempestuous overthrow, ruin with a crash.
Lower parts of the earth Not a periphrasis for grave, as elsewhere and as in Eph 4:9, for in Psa 63:10 he declares they shall be denied burial, and being a threatened punishment of bad men, it must be understood of punishment in sheol, or the future world, taking the phrase as synonymous with our Lord’s words, Joh 8:23: “Ye are ‘ , ( from the beneath,)” using beneath as antithetic to “ , ( the above,)” in the same connexion; and more sharply defined Joh 8:44, “Ye are ‘ , ( from your father the devil.)” And this is further evidence by their condition after death, Joh 8:21, “Whither I go ye cannot come,” a denunciation conditioned on their “dying in their sins,” which shows that he is speaking of the future state. In the same verse (Joh 8:23) our Lord says, “Ye are ‘ , ( from the world,)” but , world, here is to be taken figuratively in the morally bad sense of a state of society at enmity with God, as in Joh 15:8-9 ; 1Jn 2:15-16. Different is Joh 3:31, where , ( of the earth,) is to be understood of humble, imperfect, perishable origin. It is clear, therefore, that both the psalmist and the Saviour, in the words in question, use language Hebraistically of future punishment.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Psa 63:9. But those that seek my soul, &c. Our version connects both parts of the verse. I rather think there are two distinct parts in it, as there are in all the other verses; and that the rendering should be, They shall be for destruction, who seek my life: they shall go into the lowest parts of the earth; i.e. That they themselves should be destroyed and brought down to the grave, who sought his destruction. Chandler.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Though we may allow a view to be taken of David’s own history in those words, for Saul, and the other foes of David, which did perish by the sword, (1Sa 31:4 ) yet we must look farther to behold their full meaning, in the everlasting destruction of the enemies of Jehovah, and of his Christ. The Son of God hath already read the very words which shall be pronounced in the day when he returneth to take possession of his kingdom.: But those mine enemies which would not that I should reign over them, bring hither and slay them before me, Luk 19:27 .
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Psa 63:9 But those [that] seek my soul, to destroy [it], shall go into the lower parts of the earth.
Ver. 9. But those that seek my soul to destroy it ] Heb. Ad pracipitium, to hurl it down headlong, shall themselves be laid low enough, even in the slimy valley where are many already like them, and more (shall come after them), Job 21:31-32 . And this assurance of his enemies’ downfall David had gotten by his meditations on God, Psa 63:6 .
Shall go into the lower parts of the earth
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Psa 63:9-11
9But those who seek my life to destroy it,
Will go into the depths of the earth.
10They will be delivered over to the power of the sword;
They will be a prey for foxes.
11But the king will rejoice in God;
Everyone who swears by Him will glory,
For the mouths of those who speak lies will be stopped.
Psa 63:9-11 As happens often in the Psalms, a strophe is addressed to the psalmist’s enemies. In this one the king is specifically mentioned. This could mean
1. the king is the psalmist
2. the psalmist is addressing problems the king faced and expresses how he knows the king would feel (cf. Psa 63:11 a)
3. it is a literary technique to link individual Psalms to corporate Psalms (cf. Psa 63:11 b)
These are statements about the enemies (i.e., those who seek his life to destroy it and, thereby Israel).
1. they will go into the depths of the earth (i.e., the Pit, Sheol, the grave, see SPECIAL TOPIC: Where Are the Dead? ).
In the OT all humans go to Sheol, as all humans go to Hades in the NT to wait judgment day. It is possible that the lowest part represented the abode of the faithless follower and pagan.
2. they will be poured out to the power of the sword BDB 620, KB 669, Hiphil imperfect
3. they will be prey for foxes (i.e., no proper burial)
4. the mouth of those who speak lies will be stopped BDB 698, KB 55, Niphal imperfect
Because of this
1. the king will rejoice in God BDB 970, KB 1333, Qal imperfect
2. everyone who swears by Him (BDB 989, KB 1396, Niphal participle) will glory BDB 237, KB 248, Hithpael imperfect, cf. Isa 48:1; Isa 65:16
Right and truth and faith will prevail in the end because of the character and purposes of our God!
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
This is a study guide commentary which means that you are responsible for your own interpretation of the Bible. Each of us must walk in the light we have. You, the Bible, and the Holy Spirit are priority in interpretation. You must not relinquish this to a commentator.
These discussion questions are provided to help you think through the major issues of this section of the book. They are meant to be thought provoking, not definitive.
1. How is this Psalm similar to Psalms 42?
2. Was the psalmist in exile? Why or why not?
3. To what does Psa 63:2 b refer?
4. Where do you think Psa 63:3-5 occurs?
5. Who are the enemies of Psa 63:9-10?
6. Is this a royal Psalm? Why or why not?
Fuente: You Can Understand the Bible: Study Guide Commentary Series by Bob Utley
to destroy it. As Ahithophel did (2Sa 17:1-3).
the lower parts: i.e. to Sheol.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Psa 63:9-11
Psa 63:9-11
DAVID PROPHESIES THE END OF THE REVOLT
“But those that seek my soul to destroy it,
Shall go into the lower parts of the earth.
They shall be given over to the power of the sword:
They shall be a portion for the foxes.
But the king shall rejoice in God:
Every one that sweareth by him shall glory;
For the mouth of them that speak lies shall be stopped.”
“Those … shall go into the lower parts of the earth” (Psa 63:9). This is merely an Old Testament manner of speaking of the grave. In Eph 4:9, Paul referred to the grave of Jesus as “the lower parts of the earth.” The meaning here is simply that the enemies of the king shall die.
“They shall be given over to the power of the sword” (Psa 63:10). Twenty thousand of Absalom’s forces were slain by the sword in the battle that ended the rebellion, which was fought in the forest of Ephraim (2Sa 18:7 f). But that was far from all of it. “The forest devoured more people that day than the sword.” Thus, more than twenty-thousand more were numbered among the slain.
“They shall be a portion for the foxes” (Psa 63:10). “The word here should be translated `jackals,’ as that is the meaning of it, as is indicated by the alternative reading in the American Standard Version margin.
What a remarkable fulfilment of David’s prophecy came to pass. With no less than forty-thousand of Absalom’s partisans to be buried, there was no earthly way that such a feat could have been accomplished. Thousands were left where they fell to become the food of beasts. “The jackals are the scavengers of the East. They prey on dead bodies, and assemble in troops on battlefields to feast on the slain.
Kidner noted that, “The jackals are the final scavengers, consuming the remains of the kill rejected by larger beasts. The wicked are, in other words, the very leavings of mankind.
Evaluated by any criteria known, David’s prophecies here are among the most remarkable in the Bible. Never was a rebellion snuffed out as suddenly and thoroughly as was Absalom’s, several facets of which were outlined in the prophecies.
1. The enemies went down to death. Absalom and Ahithophel, the leaders, led the way.
2. Forty-thousand of the rebel army died in the forest of Ephraim.
3. The bodies of the dead provided food for the wild beasts.
4. Many were left unburied, for there was plenty left for the jackals.
5. The king rejoiced in God, throne restored, enemies all dead; back at home.
None of these details are missing from the prophecy.
E.M. Zerr:
Psa 63:9. Soul is used in the same sense as in the preceding verse. Go into the lower parts, etc., is figurative, meaning they will go down in shameful defeat.
Psa 63:10. David’s enemies were to be overthrown in battle. Portion for foxes was said to denote the humiliating destruction awaiting the foes.
Psa 63:11. David was king in Jerusalem when he wrote this psalm. His success over his enemies was to be accomplished through the help of God. Also all others would succeed who had God as the backing for their undertaking.
Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary
seek: Psa 35:4, Psa 35:26, Psa 38:12, Psa 40:14, Psa 70:2, 1Sa 25:29
go: Psa 9:17, Psa 55:15, Psa 55:23, Psa 86:13, Num 16:30-33, 1Sa 28:19, Job 40:13, Isa 14:9, Isa 14:15, Isa 14:19, Isa 14:19, Eze 32:18-32, Act 1:25
Reciprocal: Jos 10:25 – Fear not 2Sa 4:8 – sought 2Sa 18:9 – taken up Psa 139:15 – in the lowest Eze 31:14 – the nether Mat 12:40 – in the heart Eph 4:9 – the lower
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Psa 63:9-10. But those that seek my soul, &c. That seek to take away my life; shall go into the lower parts of the earth Into the grave; and, if they repent not, into hell. God shall cut them off, and send them to their own place. Their enmity to David, and opposition to the counsel of God respecting him, he foresaw would be their death and their damnation, their ruin and their eternal ruin. They shall fall by the sword Shall die in battle, as he foretold 1Sa 26:10, and as was accomplished in Saul and his followers, who were Davids greatest enemies. They shall be a portion for foxes The carcasses of some of them shall lie unburied upon the earth, and thereby shall become a prey to wild and ravenous beasts, and especially to foxes, which abounded in those parts.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
3. David’s confidence in God 63:9-11
Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)
Reflecting on his God bolstered the king’s confidence that the Lord would preserve him in his present situation. David knew God would deliver him because God had elected him and had blessed him for his submission to the Lord’s will.
"Foxes" (Psa 63:10) should probably be "jackals" here, since jackals are the ultimate scavengers and eat the remains of a kill that the larger predators reject. [Note: G. S. Cansdale, Animals of Bible Lands, pp. 124-26.] The same Hebrew word describes both animals.