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Psalm Five
New King James Version (NKJV)
INTRODUCTION TO PSALM 5
To the chief Musician upon Nehiloth, a Psalm of David. This psalm,
being written by David under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, is inscribed
and sent to him who had the direction and management of the musical instruments
used in religious worship in David's time, and afterwards in the temple
service, called "nehiloth"; as the preceding psalm is inscribed to
him who presided over those called "neginoth", Psalm 4:1; and as they seem to be such
instruments as were played upon with the hand, stringed instruments, so these
seem to be wind instruments, such as were blown with the mouth; as the flute,
cornet, pipe, trumpet, and hautboy; the word being derived from the same root
as "chalil", the pipe, is, and signifies hollow, and so designs such
hollow instruments as above: Rabbenu HaiF24Apud Kimchi & Ben
Melech in loc. So David de Pomis, Lexic. fol. 93. 1. thinks the instrument
intended was so called from the humming of bees, which its sound resembled;
"nechil shel deborim", with the RabbinsF25Maimon. in Misn.
Bava Kama, c. 10. s. 2. , signifying a swarm of bees; and a word from the same
root in the Arabic language is used for a beeF26Alnachal,
"apes", Arab. vers. Deut. i. 44. ; though others have thought it
might be so called from the murmuring noise of a brook or river, to which the
sound of it might be like; because a word from the same root this is thought to
come in the Hebrew language signifies a brook or river. The Septuagint version,
which is followed by the Vulgate Latin and Ethiopic versions, renders it, "for
that which obtained the inheritance"; and the Arabic version,
"concerning the inheritance"; and to this agrees the old MidrashF1Midrash
Tillim apud Viccars. in loc. of the Jews; but what is the meaning is left to
everyone to conjecture; the reason of these versions is because the root from
whence this word is supposed to be derived signifies to "inherit":
the Targum renders the whole inscription thus, "to sing upon the dances a
song of David", as it does the title of the preceding psalm; Aben Ezra
takes the word, as he does "neginoth", to be the first word of some
song, to the tune of which this psalm was to be sung; and Jarchi interprets it
"troops" or "armies", and says it is a prayer on account of
the troops of enemies that came against Israel; and that the singer said this
psalm on the behalf of all Israel. The Syriac interpreter calls it a prayer in
the person of the church, when it went in the morning to the house of the Lord.
The occasion of it seems to be the same with that of the two former: and certain
it is that the psalmist was in distress by reason of wicked men when he wrote
it, as appears from several passages in it; the ancient Jewish doctorsF2Apud
Kimchi & Arama in loc. understood by them Doeg and Ahithophel; some think
it was penned, as the preceding psalm, on account of the rebellion of Sheba, 2 Samuel 20:1.
Psalm 5:1 Give
ear to my words, O Lord,
Consider my meditation.
YLT
1To the Overseer,
`Concerning the Inheritances.' -- A Psalm of David. My sayings hear, O Jehovah,
Consider my meditation.
Give ear to my words, O Lord,.... Meaning not his
words in common conversation, but in prayer; the words which came out of his
mouth, and were audibly expressed by him at the throne of grace, and design
vocal prayer; and so stand distinguished from the meditation of his heart,
sacred ejaculations, or mental prayer; see Psalm 54:2; and words in prayer to God
ought to be few, at least not repeated, Ecclesiastes 5:2; and these should be a
man's own words, as were the psalmist's; not what were suggested by another, or
written in a book before him, but what were of his own composing and putting
together, under the direction of the Spirit of God; who put words into his
mouth, and furnished him both with words and matter, and which he freely
uttered before the Lord: and this is the "parrhesia", boldness,
freedom of speech, which the Scriptures speak of, Hebrews 4:16; and the saints are allowed to
use in prayer before God; when they may pour out their souls unto him, and
freely tell him all their mind, as the psalmist now did; to which he entreats
the Lord to "give ear"; not that God has a corporeal ear as man has,
but he that made the ear has the power of hearing: this is an anthropopathy,
and is spoken after the manner of men; such as are of kind and benevolent
dispositions do not turn away, but stop and hear what a poor miserable object
has to say to them, to whom they listen and return an answer; and so this
phrase is expressive of the kind regard God has to the prayers of the
destitute, which he does not despise but delight in; and of his bowing and
inclining his ear, or of the strict and close attention he gives to them; and of
the full and suitable answer he returns, in his own time and way; and is what
the psalmist most earnestly entreats. He adds,
consider my meditation; the prayer he had
meditated: for meditation is requisite to prayer, and should go before it;
which is necessary in order to pray with the understanding; nor should men
utter anything rashly and hastily before the Lord: it may design mental prayer,
in distinction from vocal prayer, signified by his words before, such as that
of Moses at the Red sea, and of Hannah before Eli, Exodus 14:15, 1 Samuel 1:13. The word also signifies
inward mourning, and groans; the root from whence this is derived to mourn, and
is so rendered in Isaiah 38:14; where Hezekiah compares his
prayers to the chattering of a crane and swallow, and the mourning of a dove;
and are the same with the unutterable groanings with which the Spirit of God
sometimes makes intercession for the saints, Romans 8:26; and which are not hid from
God, Psalm 38:9; but are well known to him: he
understands the language of a sigh or groan; and so the words may be rendered
"understand my moan"F3חניני
"murmur meum", Vatablus, Gejerus; "gemitum meum", Cocceius,
Hammond; "gemitus et suspiria mea", Michaelis. .
Psalm 5:2 2 Give heed to the voice of
my cry, My King and my God, For to You I will pray.
YLT
2Be attentive to the voice
of my cry, My king and my God, For unto Thee I pray habitually.
Hearken unto the voice of my cry,.... Which seems to
intend more than groans or words, even a loud outcry, as of a person in great
distress; such as the strong crying of Christ, in the days of his flesh, when
on the cross, forsaken by God, deserted by his friends, and surrounded by his
enemies, Hebrews 5:7; and such, in some measure, was
the case of David. The arguments used by him, that the Lord would hearken to
him, are as follow: and the first is taken from his interest in the Lord, and
his relation to him,
my King and my God; the Lord was David's King in a civil sense;
though David was a king over others, yet the Lord, who is the King of kings,
was King over him, and he owned him to be so; he was set upon the throne by
him, had his kingdom from him, and was accountable to him: and he was his King
in a natural sense, the kingdom of nature and providence belonging to him, as
he was his Creator, preserver, protector, and defender; and in a spiritual
sense, he being delivered from the dominion of other lords, sin, Satan, and the
world, and brought to a subjection to him by his Spirit and grace; and so to
own him as his King and Lawgiver, as well as his Saviour. And he was his God;
not in a general way, as he is the God of the spirits of all flesh living; nor
merely in the peculiar way in which he was the God of the people of Israel; but
in a most special manner, as being his covenant God and Father in Christ. He
was his God, not only as the God of nature and providence, but as the God of
all grace; who had distinguished him by special and spiritual blessings and
favours; and whom David loved, believed in, and worshipped as his God. And this
his interest in him, and relation to him, he uses with great pertinence and
propriety, as an argument that he might be heard by him; since the Lord was his
King, and he his subject; the Lord was his God, and he one of his people; the
Lord was his father, and he a child of his; and therefore entreats and hopes to
be heard; see Isaiah 63:15. His next argument is taken
from his resolution to pray to him, and to continue to do so:
for unto thee will I pray; and only to thee: not to
the gods of the Heathen, to idols, the works of men's hands, who can neither
hear nor save: and to thee always; suggesting, that he would never leave off
praying till he was heard; he would give him no rest, day nor night, until he
received an answer.
Psalm 5:3 3 My voice You shall hear in
the morning, O Lord;
In the morning I will direct it to You, And I will look up.
YLT
3Jehovah, [at] morning Thou
hearest my voice, [At] morning I set in array for Thee, And I look out.
My voice shall thou hear in the morning, O Lord,.... These
words may be considered either as expressing the confidence of the psalmist,
that the Lord would hear and answer him, and that in the morning, every
morning, as soon and as often as he prayed; or that he would hear him early,
quickly, speedily, seasonably, and at the best time; or else as declaring what
he would do in consequence of his resolution to pray to the Lord in Psalm 5:2; he would pray to him every
morning: the morning is a proper time for prayer, both to return thanks to God
for refreshing sleep and rest, for preservation from dangers by fire, by
thieves and murderers, and for renewed mercies in the morning; as also to pray
to God to keep from evil and dangers the day following; to give daily food, and
to succeed in business and the employments of life; and for a continuation of
every mercy, temporal and spiritual. God should be served and sought in the
first place; and so to do looks as if God was with his people, and they with
him, when they awake in the morning. The Targum and Arabic version consider the
words as a petition, and render them, "HearF4תשמע "audi", Vatablus, Gejerus. in the morning, O
Lord, my voice", or "my petition"; and so bear the same sense as
the other petitions;
in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee; or "set it
in order"F5אערך "disponam",
Montanus, Michaelis; "praeparabo", Pagninus, Musculus;
"ordinabo", Piscator, Gejerus. : not so much respecting the order of
words, the method of prayer, which is sometimes very broken and confused, and
yet regarded by God; but in allusion either to the shewbread, placed in order
on the table, which was typical of Christ's continual intercession for his
people, Exodus 40:4; or to the offering of incense
and other sacrifices, which when offered were put in order upon the altar; and
to which prayer is compared, Psalm 141:2. Or the words may be rendered,
"I will stand before thee in the morning", as the Arabic version; or,
"I will present unto thee", as the Septuagint; that is, myself; see Job 1:6, Romans 12:1; though the supplement,
"my prayer", seems to be a good one; and so the words are supplied by
the Jewish commentatorsF6Jarchi, Aben Ezra, Kimchi, & Ben Melech
in loc. ;
and will look up; or "out"F7אצפה "speculabor", Pagninus, Montanus, Piscator,
Michaelis; "speculatorus", Junius & Tremellius. as out of a watch
tower, Habakkuk 2:1; to see if help is coming, and
for an answer of prayer: the phrase is expressive of hope, expectation, faith,
and confidence, that an answer would be returned; and therefore the psalmist
determines to look upwards to heaven, whither he directed his prayer, and from
whence the answer must come; and to look out from his watch tower, where he was
waiting for it, and to continue patiently expecting it till he had it: and the
ground of his confidence were the nature and perfections of God, particularly
his purity and holiness, as appears from Psalm 5:4.
Psalm 5:4 4 For You are not a
God who takes pleasure in wickedness, Nor shall evil dwell with You.
YLT
4For not a God desiring
wickedness [art] Thou, Evil inhabiteth Thee not.
For thou art not a God that hath pleasure in wickedness,.... Sin,
ungodliness; it is contrary to his nature, who is holy, just, and good; and to
his will revealed in his law, which is the same with his nature; and sin is a
transgression of it. God is so far from taking pleasure in sin, that it is the
abominable thing which his righteous soul hates; though this hinders not his
voluntary permission of sin, or his decree of it; which he has willed, though
he does not delight in it, in order to magnify the riches of his grace and
mercy in the salvation of his people: nor is this contrary to the delight and
pleasure which he takes in the persons of his elect in Christ, though they are
sinners in themselves, and were so when he so loved them as to give his Son for
them, and who died for them while they were yet sinners; and when he sends his
Spirit to regenerate and sanctify them, and are after conversion guilty of many
sins: for, though he delights in their persons, he has no pleasure in their
sins; nor is it consistent with the holiness of his nature to take pleasure in
wickedness, let it be committed by whomsoever;
neither shall evil dwell with thee; that is, the evil man,
who continues in a course of wickedness, and lives and dies in his sins. He has
no communion with God here, nor shall he dwell with him hereafter; but shall be
bid to depart from him, whether he be a profane sinner openly, or secretly a
wicked professor of religion. The sense of the psalmist is, that since they
were evil and wicked men, that were risen up against him, and gave him trouble,
he entertained a strong confidence that God would hear him, for himself and his
friends, whose cause was righteous; and appear against his enemies, who were
wicked and ungodly men; and this he grounded upon the purity and holiness of
God.
Psalm 5:5 5 The boastful shall not
stand in Your sight; You hate all workers of iniquity.
YLT
5The boastful station not
themselves before Thine eyes: Thou hast hated all working iniquity.
The foolish shall not stand in thy sight,.... By the
"foolish" are meant not such who are so in a natural, but in a moral
sense, wicked and ungodly men. The Septuagint render the word,
"transgressors of the law"; and the Vulgate Latin version, "the
unrighteous"; and the Arabic version, "they that contradict thy
precepts". The wordF8הוללים
"jactitantes", Gejerus; "insane gloriosi", Michaelis; so
Ainsworth. used comes from a root which signifies to "praise"; and
may design such as are praisers of themselves, proud boasters; who are elated
with their own excellencies, with their wisdom, strength, honours, riches, and
righteousness, and treat all others with contempt; for though they are
unrighteous, yet they trust in themselves that they are righteous, and despise
others, which betrays their folly; hence the Syriac version renders it,
"the proud"; and the Chaldee paraphrase, "mockers". And
their not standing in the sight of God denotes his abhorrence and detestation
of them; as when one man abhors another he cannot endure to look upon him, or
bear to have him in his presence: and it shows that such shall receive no
favour from him; for though, like proud Haman, they may think themselves his
favourites, and they are the persons the king will delight to honour; yet to
their great mortification they will find, that a poor Mordecai, a mean
despicable believer, will be preferred unto them. Nor shall they stand in
acceptance and confidence before him at the day of judgment: they will not be
able to stand themselves, but will call to the rocks and mountains to cover
them; and they will not be suffered lost and, but will be driven from the
presence of the Lord into everlasting burnings,
thou hatest all workers of iniquity; not all that have sin in
them or do sin, for there are none without it; but such who give themselves up
to work wickedness, who make it the business of their lives, and are slaves
unto it, living in a continued series and course of impiety; and this character
does not only belong to openly profane sinners, but to some professors of
religion; see Matthew 7:22; and these are the objects of
God's hatred. Which does not so much intend any past act of his, the
preterition or passing them by, when he chose others in his eternal purposes;
in which sense the word is used in Romans 9:13, as his continued aversion to
them, denying them his grace and favour, and rejecting them from all nearness
to him and communion with him; and may include the everlasting punishment of
them, by which his displicine and hatred will be made manifest: and he is impartial
in it, without any respect to persons, high or low, rich or poor; indignation
and wrath, tribulation and anguish, will come upon every soul of man that does
evil. God's love to his own people was antecedent to sin, and was placed upon
them in Christ, in whom their persons are always well pleasing to him; and
though they sinned in Adam, and became actual transgressors of his law, yet
such was his love to their persons, that he saves them from their sins by the
blood and righteousness of his son.
Psalm 5:6 6 You shall destroy those
who speak falsehood; The Lord
abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful man.
YLT
6Thou destroyest those
speaking lies, A man of blood and deceit Jehovah doth abominate.
Thou shall destroy them that speak leasing,.... Or
"a lie"F9כזב
"mendacium", V. L. ; whether in matters of religion; as false
doctrines, errors, and heresies, are lies; and so all that deny the deity,
sonship, and Messiahship of Christ, are liars; and the followers of the man of
sin speak lies in hypocrisy: or in common conversation; such are like to Satan,
and are abominable in the sight of God; and he will destroy them, either with a
temporal destruction, with bodily diseases, as Gehazi was smitten with a
leprosy; and with corporeal death, as Ananias and Sapphira; or with eternal
destruction, the destruction of body and soul in hell; for all liars have their
part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone;
the Lord will abhor the bloody and deceitful man; or "the
man of blood and deceit"F11איש דמים ומרמה "vir sanguinum et
doli, vel fraudis", Montanus, Cocceius, Gejerus; so Ainsworth. ; that
thirsts after blood; who sheds innocent blood, as the Targum paraphrases it. He
showed his resentment against Cain, the first of this sort, in a way that was
intolerable to him. He very early established a law, requiring that he who shed
man's blood, by man should his blood be shed; and he will give the whore of
Rome, who has been drunk with the blood of his saints, blood to drink, because
she is worthy. And all such who flatter with their tongue, and speak with a
double heart, and lie in wait to deceive their neighbour, whether in things
temporal or spiritual, are the objects of his abhorrence and indignation; see Psalm 55:23. Now David's enemies being such
sort of persons, foolish wicked men, proud and haughty, workers of iniquity,
liars, bloody and deceitful men, men that God had an abhorrence of, he
therefore hoped and was confident that God would hear his prayers against them,
and for himself.
Psalm 5:7 7 But as for me, I will come
into Your house in the multitude of Your mercy; In fear of You I will worship
toward Your holy temple.
YLT
7And I, in the abundance of
Thy kindness, I enter Thy house, I bow myself toward Thy holy temple in Thy
fear.
But as for me, I will come into thy house,.... The
tabernacle of Moses, sometimes called the house of God, 1 Chronicles 9:23; for as yet the temple
was not built. Here David had been used to go in times past; and though he was
now in a kind of exile from it, he was confident he should again enter into and
determined so to do whenever he had an opportunity, and that in the following
manner:
in the multitude of thy mercy; grace or goodness. God
is rich in mercy, abundant in goodness and truth; there is a multitude of
mercy, love, and grace in his heart, and which is stored up in his covenant,
and displayed in his Son, and in the provision of him as a Saviour of lost
sinners; abundant mercy is shown in regeneration, in adoption, and in the
forgiveness of sins, and in every spiritual blessing, and in the gift of
eternal life. And now, not relying on his own merits, strength, and
righteousness, or leaning to his own understanding, but trusting in the mercy,
grace, and goodness of God in Christ, and in hope of finding more grace and
mercy to help in time of need; with thankfulness for what he had received, he
determines, by divine leave and assistance, to enter, into the house of the
Lord: and whatever other persons did, whom he had before described, it was his
resolution to serve the Lord, under a sense of his mercy and goodness to him;
which laid him under an obligation so to do, and is the true principle from
which all service should proceed;
and in thy fear will I
worship toward thy holy temple; either heaven, the habitation of God's
holiness, towards which, and to God there, the psalmist would lift up his eyes,
his hands, and heart; or the tabernacle, at the door of which the worship of
God was performed, the sacrifices were brought, and God met his people; and
therefore he says he would worship towards the temple or tabernacle, Leviticus 1:3. And it may be that David has
reference to the Messiah, the medium of divine worship; whose human nature was
typified by the tabernacle and temple, in which the fulness of the Godhead
dwells: the psalmist therefore purposes to worship God in Christ, and to
perform all acts of worship, as prayer, praise, hearing the word, offering
sacrifice, &c. in the name and faith of Christ; looking towards him for the
presentation of his services by him, and for the acceptance of them with God
through him: and this he desired to do in the "fear" of God; not with
a slavish fear, but with reverence and godly fear; with a fear influenced by
the multitude of God's mercy, grace, and goodness, in art humble modest manner,
not trusting to, or depending upon, any service done by him.
Psalm 5:8 8 Lead me, O Lord, in Your
righteousness because of my enemies; Make Your way straight before my face.
YLT
8O Jehovah, lead me in Thy
righteousness, Because of those observing me, Make straight before me Thy way,
Lead me, O Lord, in thy righteousness,.... Not in
mine, but thine; in the righteousness of God, which is revealed in the Gospel,
from faith to faith, and is imputed by God, and received by faith; in this
righteousness the psalmist desired to be led into the house of God, and appear
before him; nor is there any other righteousness in which man can stand before
God and worship. Or else the sense is, that God would lead him in the way of
righteousness, in his righteous statutes, judgments, and ordinances; in which
way the Lord does lead his people, Psalm 23:3. Or that he would lead him for
his righteousness' sake; because of his faithfulness to his promises, that he
would direct, uphold, and never leave nor forsake him. David was very sensible
that the way of man is not in himself, and that he could not direct his own
steps; and therefore desired to be guided by the Lord, and to be led by the
right hand of his righteousness, and to be upheld by it in his ways:
because of mine enemies; or, "those that
observe me"F12שוררי
"observatores meos", Junius & Tremellius, Cocceius, Michaelis; so
Aben Ezra, Kimchi, Ben Melech, & Ainsworth. that lie in wait and watch for
my halting, as Jeremiah's enemies did; and would rejoice at my fall, and insult
me, and blaspheme thy name; therefore lead, guide, and uphold me;
make thy way straight before my face; thy way of
providence, thy way of grace, thy way of worship and duty; let it appear plain
and manifest, that I may know in which way I should walk; and let all
obstructions be removed out of the way, that I may walk straight on, without
any difficulty or hinderance. He seems to have respect to his enemies, who lay
in his way, that God would remove them; see Psalm 5:9.
Psalm 5:9 9 For there is no
faithfulness in their mouth; Their inward part is destruction; Their
throat is an open tomb; They flatter with their tongue.
YLT
9For there is no stability
in their mouth. Their heart [is] mischiefs, An open grave [is] their throat,
Their tongue they make smooth.
For there is no faithfulness in their mouth,.... In the
mouth of the ungodly, as the Chaldee paraphrase; in the mouth of every one of
them, as Aben Ezra interprets it: that is, in the mouth of every wicked,
bloody, and deceitful man; of everyone of David's enemies, as Saul, or the
conspirators with Absalom his son. There was no steadfastness in them; nothing
right, sure, or firm said by them; nothing that could be depended upon; there
was "no truth" in them, as the Septuagint, Vulgate Latin, Arabic, and
Ethiopic versions render it. And as this was true of David's, so of Christ's
enemies; of Herod, and of the Herodians, and of the Scribes and Pharisees; see Matthew 2:8; and of the enemies of Christ's
Gospel; of all false teachers, who speak not the word faithfully; tell dreams,
use the hidden things of dishonesty, walk in craftiness, handle the word of God
deceitfully, and speak lies in hypocrisy: there is no certainty in them, nor is
any thing they say to be trusted to. And this is the character of wicked men in
common: they are an assembly of treacherous men; there is none upright among
them; nor is any confidence to be placed in them: the people of God are in danger
of being imposed upon and misled by them to their hurt; and therefore the
psalmist prays, that the Lord would lead him in his righteousness;
their inward part is very wickedness; their heart,
which is desperately wicked, exceeding sinful; not only wicked, and very wicked,
but wickedness itself. This is the root and fountain of all wickedness, and the
reason why there is no faithfulness in their mouth: the wordF13קרבם η καρδια,
Sept. "cor", V. L. i.e. "cogitatio", Muis. is sometimes
rendered, "their inward thought", Psalm 49:11; which is the inmost of man,
the nearest to him; and which, and even the imagination of it, is evil, and
that continually: the wordF14הוות
"aerumuae", Junius & Tremellius, Piscator, Gejerus;
"calamitates", Cocceius; so Ainsworth. translated
"wickedness" signifies woes, calamities, and mischiefs; and such the
wicked hearts of men are full of, and are continually devising against the
people of God, and his righteous cause. And this is the just character of
ungodly men, even though they may profess to know God, have a form of
godliness, and be outwardly righteous before men; as these were David was
concerned with;
their throat is an open sepulchre; or as one, as
the Targum paraphrases it; to which the throat of wicked men may be compared
for its voracity and insatiableness; the grave being one of those three or four
things, which never has enough or is satisfied. And this is true of the throat,
whether it be considered as an instrument of speech, and throws out devouring
words to the prejudice of the characters and reputations of others; or as an
instrument of swallowing meat and drink, and where the pleasure of appetite is;
and so may be expressive of the eager desire of the wicked after sin, who drink
up iniquity like water; and of their delight in it, and their fulness of it,
and yet still greedy, insatiable, and not to be satisfied: and their throat may
be compared to an open grave for the nauseous stench it emits; corrupt
communication, filthiness, and foolish talking, proceeding out of it; and
horrible oaths, curses, imprecations, and blasphemies, being belched out
through it; and for the danger which is by it, since into it men may fall unawares;
and so the evil communications of wicked men corrupt good manners, and do great
mischief to those who fall into company with them;
they flatter with their tongue; or, "make it
smooth"F15חליקון "levigant, seu
emolliunt", Piscator, Gejerus. ; use oily expressions, soft language: or,
"part" or "divide"F16"Divident vel
dispertient", Mariana. their tongue; are double tongued and double
hearted; and so deceive persons, as the apostle interprets it in Romans 3:13. They flatter God himself,
drawing nigh to him in an hypocritical way; they flatter men, their neighbours,
and impose upon them; they flatter princes, and such parasitic people were
about David. And such are false teachers, who prophesy smooth things, and with
good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple; or, which
account there is great reason to pray to be led and directed by the Lord.
Psalm 5:10 10 Pronounce them guilty, O
God! Let them fall by their own counsels; Cast them out in the multitude of
their transgressions, For they have rebelled against You.
YLT
10Declare them guilty, O God,
Let them fall from their own counsels, In the abundance of their transgressions
Drive them away, Because they have rebelled against Thee.
Destroy thou them, O God,.... Or "make them
guilty"F17האשימם "reos fac
istos", Junius & Tremellius; so Piscator, Cocceius, Schmidt,
Michaelis, Kimchi, and Ainsworth. ; that is, make them appear to be guilty,
either to themselves, that they may acknowledge their offences, confess their
guilt, and ask for pardon; or to others, pronounce them guilty, pass the
sentence of condemnation on them: and the Chaldee paraphrase and the Syriac
version render it by חיב, "condemn them",
or hold them guilty; and the Septuagint, Vulgate Latin, Arabic, and Ethiopic
versions, "judge" them; treat them as guilty persons, punish them,
destroy them, soul and body, with an everlasting destruction;
let them fall by their own counsels; into the pit they have
dug for others; as Haman fell by his counsels, and was hanged on the gallows he
prepared for Mordecai. And so sometimes a man's own counsel casts him down, and
is the cause of his ruin, Job 18:7. Or, "because of their own
counsels"F18ממועצותיהם "propter
consilia sua", Piscater; so Tigurine version and Michaelis. ; which they
have taken against the Lord and his Anointed, against his cause and interest,
and against his righteous ones, particularly David; meaning their wicked
counsels, in which they walked; see Hosea 11:6. Or "from their
counsels"F19ממועצותיהם "propter
consilia sua", Piscater; so Tigurine version and Michaelis. ; as the
Targum and most versions render it: that is, let their counsels be turned into
foolishness, become brutish, be carried headlong, and come to nought. Which had
its accomplishment in Ahithophel;
cast them out; either out of their own country, and carry
them into captivity; or from the presence of the Lord, from his tabernacle and
worship; which David's enemies now enjoyed, and gloried in: or into outer
darkness, into a furnace of fire, where there is weeping and wailing, and
gnashing of teeth;
in the multitude of their transgressions: when God
deals with men in a way of grace, he turns away ungodliness from them, or them
from their ungodliness; but when in a way of judgment he suffers them to die in
their sins, and so perish: or "for the multitude of their transgressions"F20ברב "propter multitudinem", Musculus, Pagninus,
Piscator, Gejerus, Michaelis; so Ainsworth. . The sins of transgressors are
many and because of them they are cast out of the sight o God, and will be bid
to depart from him hereafter;
for they have rebelled against thee: all sin is a rebellion
against God; hence sinners are called rebellious ones. The rebellion of David's
subjects against him was a rebellion against God; because it was an attempt to
dethrone him, whom God had made king of Israel. The wordF21מרו "irritaverunt", V. L. see Ainsworth.
signifies to embitter, exasperate, and provoke: and such is the nature of sin,
it is a bitter thing in itself, and it provokes the eyes of God's glory. Now
each of these expressions are to be considered, not so much petitions, as
prophecies; and not as imprecations, but as predictions of what would be the
portion of wicked men.
Psalm 5:11 11 But let all those rejoice
who put their trust in You; Let them ever shout for joy, because You defend
them; Let those also who love Your name Be joyful in You.
YLT
11And rejoice do all trusting
in Thee, To the age they sing, and Thou coverest them over, And those loving
Thy name exult in Thee.
But let all those that put their trust in thee rejoice,.... Who trust
not in themselves, in their own hearts, in their righteousness, or riches, or
strength; but in the name, righteousness, and strength of the Lord: who betake
themselves to him, and put all their confidence in him: let them rejoice in the
salvation of the Lord, and in hope of eternal glory and happiness;
let them even shout for joy: not only rejoice
inwardly, but express their joy externally, with their voices, and in the
loudest manner; and that always, the matter and foundation of a believer's joy
always continues; and so does the grace itself: though it is not always in
exercise, yet it is an everlasting joy; and with it the redeemed of the Lord
will come to Zion, and no man will be able to take away their joy. Which
distinguishes it from the triumphing of the wicked, and the joy of the
hypocrite, which is but for a moment;
because thou defendest them, or "coverest
them"F23ותסך עלימו
"et operies super eos", Vatablus; "operies et proteges
eos", Michaelis. ; with the feathers of divine protection, under the
shadow of his wings, and with the hollow of his hand: so God preserves his
people, keeps them by his power, as the apple of his eye, and is a wall of fire
round about them. Which is a good reason why they should rejoice, and shout for
joy;
let them also that love thy name; as all that put their
trust in the, Lord do; they love the Lord himself, because of the perfections
of his nature, and the works of his hands, and for what he has done for them:
they love all they know of him; they love him in all his persons, Father, Son,
and Spirit; and every name of his, by which he has made himself known. They
love, admire, and adore all his attributes and perfections, as they are
displayed in the works of creation and providence; and especially in redemption
by Jesus Christ, where they all gloriously meet together; and in whom God has
proclaimed his name gracious and merciful. They love his word, his Gospel, by
which he is made known; and they love his people, on whom his name is called,
and who call upon his name. And let such, says the psalmist,
be joyful in thee: not rejoice in their boasting of their
wisdom, strength, riches, and righteousness; all such rejoicing is evil: but in
the Lord, in his grace, righteousness, and salvation. He is the only true
proper object of spiritual joy; and there is good reason for it, from what
follows.
Psalm 5:12 12 For You, O Lord, will bless
the righteous; With favor You will surround him as with a shield.
YLT
12For Thou blessest the
righteous, O Jehovah, As a buckler with favour dost compass him!
For thou, Lord, wilt bless the righteous. As he has
blessed him with a righteousness, even the righteousness of God imputed to him,
by which he is denominated righteous, and with the forgiveness of his sins; so
he will bless him with peace and prosperity, with all spiritual blessings, with
the blessings of grace here, and glory hereafter. Hence he has just reason to
rejoice and be glad;
with favour wilt thou compass him as with a shield: by which is
meant the free favour, love, and grace of God in Christ, which springs from his
sovereign will and pleasure; is his good will to men, and the exceeding riches
of his grace, shown in his kindness towards them in Christ Jesus: and the
compassing or crowning of the righteous with it, as the wordF24תעטרנו εστεφανωσας
ημας, Sept. "coronasti nos", V. L. Arab. Ethiop.
"coronabis cum", Pagninus, Montanus, Cocceius. signifies, is
expressive of the abundance of it, in the application of it to them in
conversion, and in every instance and blessing of grace; for such are crowned
with lovingkindness and tender mercies; the grace of the Lord is exceeding
abundant towards them, it flows and overflows; it surrounds them on all sides,
and covers them all over: it is as a shield unto them from all their enemies, Psalm 40:11; and which being held in the
hand of faith, quenches the fiery darts of Satan; and is the saints security
from every enemy, and from all hurt and danger, here or hereafter; see Zephaniah 3:17; and is a crown of glory
upon them, which makes them glorious, lovely, and amiable. Some interpret this
of Christ the righteous One; so Nebiensis.
──《John Gill’s
Exposition of the Bible》
New King James
Version (NKJV)