Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Psalms 92:9
For, lo, thine enemies, O LORD, for, lo, thine enemies shall perish; all the workers of iniquity shall be scattered.
9. For lo ] Pointing apparently to some recent actual example. ‘Anadiplosis’ or rhetorical repetition is a favourite figure in this group of Psalms. Cp. Psa 90:17; Psa 93:1; Psa 93:3; Psa 94:1; Psa 94:3; Psa 94:23; Psa 96:13. The first two lines are a reminiscence of Jdg 5:31.
shall be scattered ] Lit. shall scatter themselves. The seemingly solid phalanx of antagonism breaks up and disperses, disintegrated from within.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
9 15. Further confirmation of the sovereignty of Jehovah: the wicked who are His foes perish, the righteous who are His friends flourish.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
For, lo, thine enemies, O Lord, for, lo, thine enemies shall perish – The repetition of the word lo here – behold! – is emphatic. The attention of the psalmist was fixed on this as an event which would be sure to occur. It was certain that God would be exalted; it followed from this, that all his enemies would be subdued in order that he might be thus exalted.
All the workers of iniquity shall be scattered – More literally, shall scatter or disperse themselves; implying eagerness and activity, as if they were in haste to flee away. The allusion is to an army that is discomfited, disorganized, demoralized, and scattered; or to chaff that is dispersed by the wind. See Job 21:18; Isa 17:13; Isa 29:5; Hos 13:3.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
He represents their destruction as present, and as certain, which the repetition of the words implies.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
9, 10. A further contrast withthe wicked, in the lot of the righteous, safety and triumph.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
For, lo, thine enemies, O Lord,…. The particle “lo”, or “behold”, is not used for the sake of God, but for the sake of men; to excite their attention, and to observe unto them that those who are everlastingly destroyed are the enemies of the Lord; who are enemies in their minds by wicked works, yea, enmity itself against God; and therefore their perdition is just as well as certain; sooner or later these shall be brought forth and slain before him; and for the certainty of it is repeated,
for, lo, thine enemies shall perish; the Targum adds, in the world to come: “all the workers of iniquity shall be scattered”; one from another, and not be able to unite and combine together against the saints, as they have done; or they shall be separated from them at the last day, being placed at Christ’s left hand; and shall not stand in judgment, nor in the congregation of the righteous; and so the Targum,
“and all the workers of iniquity shall be separated from the congregation of the righteous;”
see Ps 1:5.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
9 For, lo! thine enemies, O Jehovah! From what was already said in the verse preceding, the Psalmist concludes it to be impossible that God should not overthrow his enemies. This, as I have already observed, clearly shows that it was his design to establish our faith under the strong temptations to which it is subjected, and, more especially, to remove that offense out of the way, which has disturbed the minds of many, and led them astray; — we refer to the prosperity of the wicked, and its effect in attaching a certain perplexity to the judgments of God. As our faith is never called to a more sharp and arduous trial than upon this point, the Psalmist delivers the truth, which he announces with much force of expression, using both exclamations and repetition. First, he declares the destruction of God’s enemies to be as certain as if it had already taken place, and he had witnessed it with his own eyes; then he repeats his assertion: and from all this we may see how much he had benefited by glancing with the eye of faith beyond this world to the throne of God in the heavens. When staggered in our own faith at any time by the prosperity of the wicked, we should learn by his example to rise in our contemplations to a God in heaven, and the conviction will immediately follow in our minds that his enemies cannot long continue to triumph. The Psalmist tells us who they are that are God’s enemies. God hates none without a cause; nay, so far as men are the workmanship of his hand, he embraces them in his fatherly love. But as nothing is more opposed to his nature than sin, he proclaims irreconcilable war with the wicked. It contributes in no small degree to the comfort of the Lord’s people, to know that the reason why the wicked are destroyed is, their being necessarily the objects of God’s hatred, so that he can no more fail to punish them than deny himself. (595)
The Psalmist, shortly afterwards, shows that he intended this to be a ground of comfort and hope under all cares, griefs, anxieties, and embarrassments. He speaks under the figure of oil of enjoying Divine blessings, and by green or fresh oil is meant, such as has not become corrupted, or unfit for use by age. It is noticeable that he appropriates, and improves for his own individual comfort, that grace of God which is extended to all the Lord’s people without exception; and would teach us by this that mere general doctrine is a cold and unsatisfactory thing, and that each of us should improve it particularly for himself, in the persuasion of our belonging to the number of God’s children. In one word, the Psalmist promises himself the protection of God, under whatever persecutions he should endure from his enemies, whether they were secret, or more open and violent, that he may encourage himself to persevere with indefatigable spirit in the world’s conflict. We may judge from this how absurd is the opinion of the Rabbin, who conjectured that Adam was the author of this psalm (596) — as if it were credible that his posterity should have set themselves up in rebellion against him.
(595) “ Qu’il faut necessairement qu’ils soyent hays de Dieu, lequel ne se peut renoncer soy mesme.”
(596) These Rabbins say that Adam composed it immediately after the creation before the Sabbath. The Chaldee paraphrase entitles the psalm, “A hymn or song which the first man spoke concerning the Sabbath-day.” But had it been a composition of Adam’s, one would think it should have been placed at the head of this collection of psalms. Besides, there were no musical instruments at that time for this psalm to be sung upon, (see verse 3;) for Tubal was the father of them that handle the harp and organ; nor, as Calvin observes, had Adam numerous enemies and wicked men who rose up against him, to which reference is made in verses 7, 9, 11. We may therefore justly regard the Jewish tradition, which ascribes the composition of this psalm to Adam, as fabulous, having no other foundation but the invention and fancy of some of their Rabbins.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
9. For, lo for, lo This repetition of the interjective particle is intensive, as if the speaker was seized with sudden amazement and horror at the spectacle of such an unlooked for destruction of his enemies, who were also God’s enemies. If we apply this, historically, to Sennacherib, compare this vision of his catastrophe with the proud beginnings of the war, when he first marched to Jerusalem by the way of Michmash, (described Isa 10:28-32,) and Isaiah’s prediction of his overthrow, Isa 10:33-34; compare, also, 2Ki 19:35-37.
Scattered Broken to pieces, that is, with violence and without order.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
I beg the Reader to mark the wonderful speaker here introduced. Who but the blessed Jesus could talk of the horn of his exaltation, or of the rich anointings which were poured out upon him without measure? Luk 1:69 ; Joh 3:34 .
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Psa 92:9 For, lo, thine enemies, O LORD, for, lo, thine enemies shall perish; all the workers of iniquity shall be scattered.
Ver. 9. For, lo, thine enemies, &c. ] The psalmist, by this demonstrative particle “lo,” points to it as it were with the finger, as a thing most evident and undoubted.
Shall be scattered
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
For: Psa 21:8, Psa 21:9, Psa 37:20, Psa 68:1, Psa 68:2, Psa 73:27, Psa 89:10, Jdg 5:31, Luk 19:27, 2Th 1:7-9
scattered: Psa 1:4, Psa 59:11, Psa 68:30, Lev 26:33, Num 10:35, Deu 28:64, Isa 17:13, Eze 5:12, Mat 7:23, Luk 21:24
Reciprocal: Gen 11:4 – lest Exo 14:30 – saw 1Sa 2:10 – adversaries Job 22:29 – men Pro 20:8 – General Pro 29:16 – but Isa 1:28 – the destruction Eze 32:27 – but
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Psa 92:9-10. For lo, thine enemies, &c., shall perish He represents their destruction as certain, and as present, which the repetition of the words implies. But my horn shalt thou exalt, &c. But, as for me and other righteous persons, (of whom he says the same thing, Psa 92:12,) we shall be advanced to true and everlasting honour and felicity: I shall be anointed with fresh oil Oil, sweet and uncorrupted; that is, I shall have great cause of rejoicing, and testifying my joy, by anointing myself; as the manner was in feasts, and all joyful solemnities.