Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Psalms 64:8
So they shall make their own tongue to fall upon themselves: all that see them shall flee away.
8. So they shall make their own tongue to fall upon themselves ] An untenable rendering of an obscure sentence. It is best to render, substantially as R.V., And they are made to stumble, their own tongue being against them. Lit. they make him stumble: the plural subject to the verb suggesting, as in Psa 63:10, the idea of mysterious agents in God’s service, and the singular object regarding ‘the enemy’ (as in Psa 64:1 b) collectively as a body. For the sense cp. Psa 140:9; Psa 7:15 f (note that v. 12 f are parallel to v. 7 her e); Psa 57:6. Their tongue, the weapon with which they sought to destroy others, is turned against themselves. Ahithophel’s fate may serve for illustration. Possible, but less satisfactory, is the rendering of R.V. marg.: So shall they against whom their tongue was make them to stumble. The context does not hint that their victims become their executioners.
shall flee away ] For fear of sharing their fate (Num 16:34). But the right rendering certainly is, All that see their desire upon them shall wag the head, in scornful triumph, as Jer 48:27, R.V.; cp. Psa 22:7. See Psa 52:6 ff.; Psa 54:7; Psa 59:10, and for the light in which such expressions of satisfaction are to be regarded see note on Psa 58:11.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
So they shall make their own tongue to fall upon themselves – In Psa 64:3, their tongue is represented as a sword; and here, keeping up the figure, the tongue, as a sword, is represented as falling on them, or as inflicting the wound on themselves which they had intended to inflict on others. This might be rendered, And they have cast him down; upon them is their own tongue; or, Upon them their own tongue has come. That is, someone would cast them down, and they would fall as if smitten by their own tongue like a sword. It is not said who would do this, but the most natural interpretation is that it would be done by God. The idea is, that the instrument which they had employed to injure others would be the means of their own ruin.
All that see them shall flee away – Compare Psa 31:11. That is, they shall flee in consternation from those who are so fearfully overthrown. They shall see that God is just, and that He will punish the wicked; and they will desire to escape from a ruin so dreadful as that which comes upon the ungodly. The idea is, that when God punishes sinners, the effect on others is, and should be, to lead them to wish not to be associated with such people, but to escape from a doom so fearful.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 8. Their own tongue to fall upon them-selves] All the plottings, counsels, and curses, they have formed against me, shall come upon themselves.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
The mischief of their hard speeches, and threats, and crafty counsels against me shall be turned against themselves.
Shall flee away; partly through abhorrency of them, and partly through fear of being involved in their destruction.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
8. their . . . tongue to fall,c.that is, the consequences of their slanders, &c. (comparePsa 10:2 Psa 31:16).
all that see . . . awayTheirpartners in evil shall be terrified.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
So shall they make their own tongue to fall upon themselves,…. The evil things they have wished for, threatened unto, and imprecated on others, shall come upon themselves; the curses they have cursed others with shall come upon themselves; the pit they have dug for others, they fall into. So Haman, to whom some apply the psalm, was hanged on the gallows he made for Mordecai; and the accusers of Daniel, to whom others apply it, were cast into the same den of lions they procured for him; and Babylon, who has been drunk with the blood of the saints, shall have blood given her to drink.
all that see them shall flee away; not being able to help them, nor to bear the horrible sight, and fearing the same judgments should fall on themselves; see Nu 16:34. Or, “they shall move themselves” d; shake their heads in a way of derision, as Jarchi interprets it; or skip for joy, as the word is rendered in Jer 48:27; and then it must be understood of the righteous; who, seeing the vengeance on the wicked, rejoice, as in Ps 52:6; though, as they are afterwards particularly mentioned, others seem to be designed. The word is used for lamenting and bemoaning one’s self, in Jer 31:18; and so may be applied to the friends of the wicked lamenting and bemoaning their ruin, and their being bereaved of them, Re 18:9.
d “amovebunt se”, Montanus; “commovebuntur”, Vatablus.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
8 And they shall make their own tongue to fall upon themselves Pursuing the same subject, he remarks, that the poison concocted in their secret counsels, and which they revealed with their tongues, would prove to have a deadly effect upon themselves. The sentiment is the same with that expressed elsewhere by another figure, when they are said to be caught in their own snares, and to fall into the pit which they have digged themselves, (Psa 57:6.) It is just that Heaven should make the mischiefs which they had devised against innocent and upright men to recoil upon their own heads. The judgment is one which we see repeatedly and daily exemplified before our eyes, and yet we find much difficulty in believing that it can take place. We should feel ourselves bound the more to impress the truth upon our hearts, that God is ever watching, as it were, his opportunity of converting the stratagems of the wicked into means just as completely effective of their destruction, as if they had intentionally employed them for that end. In the close of the verse, to point out the striking severity of their punishment, it is said that all who saw them should flee away The judgments of God are lifted above out of the sight of an ignorant world, and ere it can be roused to fear and dismay, these must be such as to bear signal marks indeed of a divine hand.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
8. Make their own tongue to fall upon themselves The evil which they had proposed to bring upon the righteous by false testimony and vile slander, shall be visited back upon themselves to their ruin. Psa 7:16; Pro 12:13; Pro 18:7. “They were thinking of wounding the upright, but behold they are wounded themselves.” Hengstenberg.
All that see them shall flee As the people fled at the cry of Korah and his company when they saw them swallowed up alive. Num 16:34. But the word translated flee, signifies, radically, to move to and fro, to shake; and hence, also, to wag or shake the head in derisive triumph, as in Jer 18:16; Jer 48:27, in which latter it is translated in our English Bible, “skippedst for joy.” See also Psalm 14:14. So Furst translates the text, “All that look upon them shake [the head].” In this sense the looking upon them signifies, “the gratification of looking upon those who are justly punished, and rendered harmless.” Delitzsch. See Psa 59:10; Psa 92:11
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Psa 64:8. So they shall make their own tongue, &c. And their own tongue shall cause it to fall upon them: all that see, &c.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Psa 64:8 So they shall make their own tongue to fall upon themselves: all that see them shall flee away.
Ver. 8. So they shall make their own tongue, &c. ] According to Pro 12:13 Psa 59:12 . See Trapp on “ Pro 12:13 “ See Trapp on “ Psa 59:12 “
And all that see them shall flee away
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
men. Hebrew. ‘adam. App-14.
shall fear. Some codices, with six early printed editions, read “will see”.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
tongue: Psa 59:12, Psa 140:9, Job 15:6, Pro 12:13, Pro 18:7, Mat 21:41, Luk 19:22
all that: Psa 31:11, Psa 52:6, Num 16:34, 1Sa 31:3-7, Nah 3:7, Rev 18:4, Rev 18:10
Reciprocal: 1Ki 2:23 – spoken Psa 58:7 – General Psa 94:23 – And he Psa 109:27 – General Psa 138:7 – thou shalt stretch Psa 141:10 – the wicked Pro 26:7 – so Ecc 10:12 – but Jer 9:8 – tongue Jer 23:36 – for every Mat 23:31 – witnesses Luk 11:48 – ye bear
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Psa 64:8-9. They shall make their own tongue, &c. The mischief of their hard speeches, and threats, and crafty counsels against me, shall be turned against themselves. All that see them shall flee away Partly through abhorrence of them, and partly through fear of being involved in their destruction. Some think this was fulfilled in the death of Saul, when not only his army was dispersed, but the inhabitants of the neighbouring country were so terrified with his fall, and with that of his three sons, that they quitted their cities and fled, 1Sa 31:7. And all men shall fear A great number of those who shall see this event shall be affected with a holy awe of God upon the consideration of it, and shall fear and tremble because of his judgments; shall fear being found persecutors of Gods people. And shall declare the work of God His admirable work of divine wisdom, power, and faithfulness; they shall speak one to another, and to all about them, of the justice of God in punishing persecutors. For they shall wisely consider of his doing Learning wisdom by the folly and misery of these persecutors, and avoiding those evil courses which brought ruin upon them. There is need of consideration and serious thought, rightly to take up such a matter of fact, and need of wisdom to put a true interpretation upon it. What God does is well worth our considering, Ecc 7:13. But it must be considered wisely, that we do not mistake the design of it, and the instruction it is intended to convey.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
64:8 So they shall make their own tongue to fall upon themselves: all that see them shall {h} flee away.
(h) To see God’s heavy judgments against them, and how he has caught them in their own snares.
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
David identified the reactions of two groups of people to God’s activity of judging his evil assailants. Those who observed the judgment would do two things. They would fear doing the same thing themselves and would declare to others what He did, having considered it themselves. Second, the righteous would also have a double response. They would rejoice in God’s will being done and would renew their trust in the Lord.
The godly should commit their case to God in prayer when they become targets of malicious gossip. They can also rest in the assurance that God will eventually turn the antagonism of the wicked back on them (cf. 1 Samuel 25). He will do so for His own glory and for the welfare of those who trust in Him. [Note: See Chun Leung Ho, "God Will Repay: An Exegetical Exposition of Psalm Sixty-four," Exegesis and Exposition 3:1 (Fall 1988):34-44.]