Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Psalms 73:8

They are corrupt, and speak wickedly [concerning] oppression: they speak loftily.

8. The rhythm seems to require a different division of the verse from that given by the Massoretic accentuation, thus;

They scoff, and talk of evil:

Of oppression do they talk from on high.

Not the commandments of God (Deu 6:7; Deu 11:19) but their own nefarious designs are the subject of their conversation: they talk “as if they were gods and their words oracles.” Cp. Isa 14:13. P.B.V. “their talking is against the most High” (Great Bible from Mnster) is untenable.

Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

They are corrupt – literally, they mock. The word rendered they are corrupt never has this signification. It is the very word – muq – from which our word mock is derived, and means the same thing. The idea is that they deride religion, or mock at all that pertains to God, and to the retributions of the future world.

And speak wickedly concerning oppression … – literally, they speak in wickedness; oppression they speak from on high. That is, they use arrogant language; they speak in a proud manner, as if they were above others; they use harsh and violent language, not regarding the feelings or the rights of others.

Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible

Verse 8. They are corrupt] yamiku, they mock, act dissolutely.

And speak wickedly concerning oppression] They vindicate excessive acts of government: they push justice to its rigour. They neither show equity, lenity, nor mercy; they are cruel, and they vindicate their proceedings.

Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible

They are corrupt; or, dissolved in pleasure. Or, they corrupt themselves.

Speak wickedly concerning oppression; wickedly boasting of their oppressions; either of what they have done, or of what they intend to do, in that kind.

They speak loftily; arrogantly presuming upon their own strength, and despising both God and men.

Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole

8. They are corruptor,literally, “they deride,” they speak maliciously andarrogantly and invade even heaven with blasphemy (Re13:6), and cover earth with slanders (Job21:7-14).

Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible

They are corrupt,…. In themselves, in their principles, and in their practices, being shapen and conceived in sin, and born of the flesh; and are corrupters, or “corrupt” themselves, and their ways, and also others by their corrupt speech, evil communications, and bad examples: or “they consume away”; like smoke, or into it, as Ps 37:20 or as wax melteth at the fire, Ps 68:2, where the same word is used as here: or “they cause to consume away” o; “they melt or dissolve others”; they consume them, and waste their estates by their oppression and violence; they make their hearts to melt with their threatening and terrifying words; or they make them dissolute in their lives by keeping them company:

and speak wickedly concerning oppression; they speak oppression and revolt, threaten with it, Isa 59:13, and speak in vindication of it, and in a boasting glorying manner; so Arama; which is speaking wickedly concerning it:

they speak loftily: proudly, arrogantly, in a haughty and imperious manner: or “from on high” p; as if they were in heaven, and above all creatures, and even God himself; and as if what they said were oracles, and to be received as such, without any scruple and hesitation. Thus Pharaoh, Sennacherib, and Nebuchadnezzar spake, Ex 5:2 and the little horn, or antichrist, Da 7:20.

o “dissolutos reddunt”, Vatablus; “reddent se dissolutos”, Montanus; “faciunt tabescere”, Cocceius, Gejerus, Michaelis. p “a sublimi”, Musculus, Tigurine version, Junius Tremellius, Piscator “ex alto”, Cocceius, Gejerus, Michaelis.

Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible

8. They become insolent, and wickedly talk of extortion. Some take the verb ימיקו, yamicu, in an active transitive sense, and explain it as meaning, that the wicked soften, that is to say, render others pusillanimous, or frighten and intimidate them. (170) But as the idiom of the language admits also of its being understood in the neuter sense, I have adopted the interpretation which agreed best with the scope of the passage, namely, that the wicked, forgetting themselves to be men, and by their unbounded audacity trampling under foot all shame and honesty, dissemble not their wickedness, but, on the contrary, loudly boast of their extortion. And, indeed, we see that wicked men, after having for some time got every thing to prosper according to their desires, cast off all sham and are at no pains to conceal themselves when about to commit iniquity, but loudly proclaim their own turpitude. “What!” they will say, “is it not in my power to deprive you of all that you possess, and even to cut your throat?” Robbers, it is true, can do the same thing; but then they hide themselves for fear. These giants, or rather inhuman monsters, of whom David speaks, on the contrary not only imagine that they are exempted from subjection to any law, but, unmindful of their own weakness, foam furiously, as if there were no distinction between good and evil, between right and wrong. If, however, the other interpretation should be preferred, That the wicked intimidate the simple and peaceable by boasting of the great oppressions and outrages which they can perpetrate upon them, I do not object to it. When the poor and the afflicted find themselves at the mercy of these wicked men, they cannot but tremble, and, so to speak, melt and dissolve upon seeing them in possession of so much power. With respect to the expression, They speak from on high, (171) implies, that they pour forth their insolent and abusive speech upon the heads of all others. As proud men, who disdain to look directly at any body, are said, in the Latin tongue, despicere, and in the Greek, Katablepein, that is, to look down; (172) so David introduces them as speaking from on high, because it seems to them that they have nothing in common with other men, but think themselves a distinct class of beings, and, as it were, little gods. (173)

(170) “ Exposans que les meschans amolissent, c’est a dire, rendent lasches les autres, c’est a dire, les espouantent et intimident.” — Fr ימיקו, yamicu, is rendered by Vatablus, Cocceius, Gejer, and Michaelis, “They cause to consume or melt away.” “They melt or dissolve others,” says Dr Gill, “they consume them, and waste their estates by their oppression and violence; they make their hearts to melt with their threatening and terrifying words; or they make them dissolute in their lives by keeping them company.” Mudge reads, “They behave corruptly;” and Horsley, “They are in the last stage of degeneracy.”

(171) The original word, ממרום, memmarom, for from on high, is translated by our English version loftily But Musculus, Junius, Tremellius, Piscator, Mudge, Horsley, and others read with Calvin, from on high They speak from on high, “as if they were in heaven and above all creatures, and even God himself; and as if what they said were oracles, and to be received as such without any scruple and hesitation. Thus Pharaoh, Sennacherib, and Nebuchadnezzar spake, Exo 5:2; Isa 36:20; Dan 3:15.” — Dr Gill

(172) “ Car comme les Latins et aussi les Grecs, quand ils descrivent la contenance des gens enyvrez d’orgueil, ont des verbes qui signifient Regarder en bas, d’autant que telles gens ne daignent pas regarder droit les personnes.” — Fr. “As the Romans, and also the Greeks, when they describe the countenance of persons intoxicated with pride, have words which mean to look down, because such persons deign not to look directly at other people.”

(173) “ Pource qu’il ne leur semble point avis qu’ils ayent rien de commun avec les autres hommes, mais pensent estre quelque chose a part, et comme des petis dieux.” — Fr.

Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary

(8) They are corrupt . . .This, which is the Rabbinical rendering, is now universally abandoned in favour of another derivation of the verb. The Masoretic arrangement of the clauses may be also improved on:

They scoff and speak of wickedness,

Of violence from their eminence they speak,

where the first clause means, they speak mockingly of wickedness, or make a jest of sin.

Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)

8. They are corrupt They are mockers. They treat serious subjects lightly and with derision.

They speak wickedly concerning oppression In reference to their plans of deceit and violence to rob the poor and exalt themselves, they scorn alike the restraints of law and the rights of men.

They speak loftily Literally, They speak from on high, haughtily. See on Psa 73:6

Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

Psa 73:8. They are corrupt, &c. They mock, and speak maliciously of oppression: they speak from on high. From on high, signifies, from the superior station to which they are advanced: or, from the bench of justice. See Psa 94:10.

Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke

Psa 73:8 They are corrupt, and speak wickedly [concerning] oppression: they speak loftily.

Ver. 8. They are corrupt, and speak wickedly ] Their pride, before taxed, Psa 73:6 , buddeth, and budgeth, Eze 7:10 ; like a foul swelling in the body, it breaketh out into sores of all sorts, odious words and deeds, abominable to God and man. Diffiuuut et loquuntur in malitia rapinata, they melt and are spilt in sensual delights and dissolute practices. Or, they let loose themselves, and keep not within compass. Or, they secretly corrupt and make to stink the good names of others, sc. while they speak evil of them, and reproach them. Tabifici sunt, so Tremellius rendereth it.

They speak loftily ] De celsitudine, from aloft; lapides loquuntur, they threaten thunderbolts, throw daggers, fastuosa voce omnes territant.

Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)