Psalms Thirty-one Commentary
Contents
I. Introduction. 1
II. Palms Thirty-one Commentary Verses. 1
31:1-8- Into Thine Hand I Commit My Spirit Great Jehovah God. 1
31:9-18- My Times Are in Thy Hand Great Jehovah God. 1
31:19-24- Hope in Jehovah. 1
III. Illustrations and Tables. 1
Figure 1. Make thy Face to Shine upon Us O Jehovah. 1
Works Cited and References. 1
Notes. 1
The occasion of this Psalm of David is not stated in the text, but it is probable that the events surrounding David saving the city of Keilah from the hand of Philistines and Saul thinking he had David hemmed in there are in view as related by 1Samuel 23:1ff.
It is a Psalm of pleading amidst fears and hoping despite tears. A Psalm of God’s mercies and grace to those who hold fast to Him. It shows God to be the only true friend one has down here in the land of sin and sorrow. And in no small way, this Psalm is a window to the sorrows and heaviness of heart our Savior Jesus experienced at the hands of His enemies and…at the hands of His friends and neighbors so-called, in His day.
We will follow this format:
Verse of Scripture utilizing the KJV text followed by an NKJV mouse over of that verse. Key words in the KJV text will be footnoted with a link to a word study based on the Hebrew text, and/or a general discussion relative to the given word (we are not biblical Greek or Hebrew scholars, please consider our grammatical constructions with a critical eye).
Commentary We shall always be commenting on this passage keeping before us the crucial fact that every jot and every tittle comprising these verses came forth under the inspiration of the blessed Holy Spirit. We pray that He, by His grace, helps us along the way.
31:1-8- Into Thine Hand I Commit My Spirit Great Jehovah God
1 [[To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David.]] In thee, O LORD, do I put my trust; let me never be ashamed: deliver me in thy righteousness. 2 Bow down thine ear to me; deliver me speedily: be thou my strong rock, for an house of defence to save me. 3 For thou [art] my rock and my fortress; therefore for thy name's sake lead me, and guide me. 4 Pull me out of the net that they have laid privily for me: for thou [art] my strength. 5 Into thine hand I commit my spirit: thou hast redeemed me, O LORD God of truth. 6 I have hated them that regard lying vanities: but I trust in the LORD. 7 I will be glad and rejoice in thy mercy: for thou hast considered my trouble; thou hast known my soul in adversities; 8 And hast not shut me up into the hand of the enemy: thou hast set my feet in a large room. (Psalm 31:1-8 KJV, Psalm 31:1-8, NLT)
COMMENTARY: Here is a Psalm of David to the chief Musician, even the Great Conductor. The Great Conductor, whose sweeping baton, like a mighty whirlwind, lays low the high places and makes high the low places. The low places. David is in such a place here, pursued, hounded, desired to be driven lower yet by a hopelessly haughty high one, his enemy, an enemy not by David’s choosing. Desired to be driven down low, lower, unto very loss of life and name; low, lower, lowest, into the grave and ruin and shame.
A hopelessly haughty high one in a high place—here is Saul, even king Saul, out of his mind high. Out of his mind high with delusions of grandeur to be secured, secured at the expense of a lovable, lowly, low one in a low place. But this low one in a low place has God’s up high ear. Thus does David cry for deliverance yet again, as oft before, to his Deliverer.
In thee, O LORD, do I put my trust; let me never be ashamed: deliver me in thy righteousness. (cf. 2Timothy 1:12).
Notice what he says, how he puts it: In thee, O LORD. He means Jehovah alone. ‘…In thee, O Lord, I trust for my very life, for my soul; in thy righteousness great Jehovah God, deliver me. In thy righteousness, in thy rightness, do that which is right in thine eyes…’. Here is a confident plea, foremost in God’s incontestable righteousness, a righteousness before which David hangs in the balance his deliverance.
David is before God as a low one, a low one before the Highest One; he must needs straightaway verbalize to God that it is a condescension on His part to hear what he David as to say.
Bow down thine ear to me…
It is entirely necessary that he assumes, that is, owns his lowliness before Almighty God before petitioning Him. And he petitions God via a series of imperatives that bespeak the urgency of the petitions.
deliver me speedily: be thou my strong rock, for an house of defence to save me. For thou [art] my rock and my fortress; therefore for thy name's sake lead me, and guide me. Pull me out of the net that they have laid privily for me: for thou [art] my strength…
Deliver me. Speedily. ‘…Deliver me speedily—with urgency great God—it is urgent as I perceive it great God. The enemy presumes to hem me in and is at the doorstep…’. What is revealing about David right here is that he asks for defense, not offense; he says not, they kill me, then You kill them, or, lay them waste before they get to me, he says rather, ‘…be thou my House of Defense inside these walls by which they hem me in, thou of a surety canst pull me out of here. Yea, be thou my Strong Rock, immovable, my Fortress, protect me from them great Jehovah God…’. He seeks protection, he is not head hunting (despite the murder plots, calumny, life turned upside-down, and whatnot; note 1Samuel 24:4—here Saul is at David’s mercy, and allowed to live). As one of His, in a spirit of humility, and no bloodlust in the mix, let us ask God to move speedily on our behalf when like David here we perceive an urgent need for God’s protection or His strong helping hand per se. ‘…My Lord, I have this matter that is choking the life out of me, deliver me speedily with thy Righteous Right Arm for thy Glory and may it be for thee a Name this Salvation I seek from thee. I ask in Jesus’ worthy Name, not by my worthless merit, amen…’.
We are confronted next with what are probably the most amazing and important words in this blessed Messianic Psalm of David (it is not counted as a Messianic Psalm by some). In his prayer to the Almighty, to the LORD, to Yud-He-Waw-He, he says,
into thine hand I commit my spirit…
Spoken some ten centuries later, those were our Savior’s dying words on the Cross as He brought in quintessential Salvation for a hunted humankind beset by a bloodthirsty, haughty enemy. Beset by an enemy, a killer enemy, hemmed in all around, in the flesh, in the spirit, in urgent need of a greater Salvation than David could ever have dreamed possible in the context of his urgent plea for mundane salvation. (Luke 23:46. Every Christian’s dying words.)
9 Have mercy upon me, O LORD, for I am in trouble: mine eye is consumed with grief, [yea], my soul and my belly. 10 For my life is spent with grief, and my years with sighing: my strength faileth because of mine iniquity, and my bones are consumed. 11 I was a reproach among all mine enemies, but especially among my neighbours, and a fear to mine acquaintance: they that did see me without fled from me. 12 I am forgotten as a dead man out of mind: I am like a broken vessel. 13 For I have heard the slander of many: fear [was] on every side: while they took counsel together against me, they devised to take away my life. 14 But I trusted in thee, O LORD: I said, Thou [art] my God. 15 My times [are] in thy hand: deliver me from the hand of mine enemies, and from them that persecute me. 16 Make thy face to shine upon thy servant: save me for thy mercies' sake. 17 Let me not be ashamed, O LORD; for I have called upon thee: let the wicked be ashamed, [and] let them be silent in the grave. 18 Let the lying lips be put to silence; which speak grievous things proudly and contemptuously against the righteous. (Psalm 31:9-18 KJV, Psalm 31:9-18, NLT)
COMMENTARY: In the previous verse set we find David appealing to Jehovah’s righteousness, here he turns and appeals no less to His righteousness, but to His mercy as well, with great emphasis on that blessed mercy.
Have mercy upon me, O LORD, for I am in trouble.
Mercy. Have mercy upon me, O LORD, thus spoken by a low one, an appeal consistent with a low one’s spirit, one who understands he needs mercy, even, especially, God’s mercy. Such a one, a low one, cries out for mercy, for self, cries not for the blood of wrongdoers, because such a one, before righteous God, in appeal to His righteousness, His rightness, has no case before righteous God, though he be wronged as the petitioner David here is certainly wronged. Before righteous God, David appeals to both His righteousness, and His mercy, lest he rightly be condemned in step with his wrongdoer/s. (Let us not forget the murder of Uriah later in David’s life, an act schemed and carried out before the same righteous God of Appeals David now petitions.) It is wise, nay, necessary, that we fallen mortals make our appeals to the God of Righteousness, of Rightness, by way of an appeal to His mercy, in lowliness.)
Mercy. We all need it. How good it is when others are merciful to us; even more so when Jehovah God extends His mercy to us, which He does in and through our Mercy Seat, even Jesus Christ (“A Letter of Invitation”).
I am in trouble, says David in this context. Straits, deep water, going under is David.
Have mercy upon me, O LORD, for I am in trouble...
It is as though he senses impending doom. It is how one puts it when suddenly one realizes one has crossed the danger threshold, gone beyond it, with no discernible, material/physical means of return to safety. ‘…O dear Lord, I’m in trouble…’. It is how one puts it when that flash of reality lights up the common sensibility and one realizes that one has well-nigh come to one’s end, that close, very close. When that persists, that gut-wrenching flash that starches the entire nervous system, it takes its toll on body, soul, and spirit. Thus is David a wreck right here.
mine eye is consumed with grief, [yea], my soul and my belly. For my life is spent with grief, and my years with sighing: my strength faileth because of mine iniquity, and my bones are consumed.
Tears, he is “sick to his stomach,” and his soul is broken, to the bone as it were, his strength is sapped. And then, as coming out of left field, he puts his iniquity as the cause! Here is lowliness before God, brokenness per offending Him. David must needs appeal to righteous God’s mercy, he full well knows it. (His iniquity here confessed, is privy to him and God, and one should leave it there.) Is he in a manner of speaking at ease now? As in the eye of a hurricane, having confessed his iniquity, that heavy burden, having appealed to God’s mercy, he is somewhat at ease we think, though the storm still rages all about, threatening his physical life, but no more than that. There is a measure of peace between he and his God Jehovah. Confession, and Trust. It is the salvation pattern God lays down here, and it is the Salvation pattern He utilizes Since the Cross, and going forward. Confession of one’s sins, and faith in Jesus Christ, this pattern, is Salvation, for broken souls, sick stomachs, and tears. It is Salvation for whosoever wills it. It is consummate Peace, lasting Peace, forever Peace, and its attendant Rest.
Though there may be peace inside, in the heart, with God, the storm still rages outside. That too is a pattern, but not laid down by God. Storms. Please notice.
I was a reproach among all mine enemies, but especially among my neighbours, and a fear to mine acquaintance: they that did see me without fled from me. I am forgotten as a dead man out of mind: I am like a broken vessel. For I have heard the slander of many: fear [was] on every side: while they took counsel together against me, they devised to take away my life.
Here confessed iniquity meets, well, iniquity. It is a true saying that iniquity tasted is iniquity understood, and is it not telling that murder pervades these verses. Murder of person, of personhood, of remembrance. David is not king yet, but one day he would look back on these words he wrote. He would remember his appeal for righteous adjudication, and probably most painfully, his appeal for mercy. (Jehovah our God is not mocked.) “…they devised to take away my life…”.
Beyond David, this verse set is a sad window to the treatment that our Lord Jesus would receive at the hands of His enemies, neighbors, and acquaintances. In view are the Jews of Jesus’ day (Psalms 2:1-2—more heads up—Matthew 26:4, 27:1, Luke 23:2, Acts 4:25-26, et al.).
A reproach among all mine enemies, but especially among my neighbours, and a fear to mine acquaintance: they that did see me without fled from me. I am forgotten as a dead man out of mind: I am like a broken vessel. For I have heard the slander of many: fear [was] on every side: while they took counsel together against me, they devised to take away my life.
There is nowhere to turn, nowhere, in desperate circumstances like that, but to God, who shows Himself faithful to His lowly ones—His People. Thus does David, girded up by God’s Spirit in the confidence of Peace that comes from confession of sins and Trust in God, straightaway turn his desperate face toward God’s sheltering, shining face. He places all into the hands that attend that blessed face.
But I trusted in thee, O LORD: I said, Thou [art] my God. My times [are] in thy hand...
‘…My times, my all, are in thy strong hand great Jehovah God…’ (John 10:27-30).
‘…O Jehovah deliver me; but make thy face to shine upon thy servant and all is well...’. David reiterates merciful deliverance-petitions from the present storm that rages to lay him waste and verbalizes the same by asking---so lowly and lovely it is—for God’s approval and attendant blessing (the face metaphor, Fig. 1). He seals the humility in his petition by referring to himself as God’s servant.
Deliver me from the hand of mine enemies, and from them that persecute me. Make thy face to shine upon thy servant…
Again, he asks for deliverance not based on even a whit of self-merit or some sort of special deserving privilege, but based on God’s goodness, from which flows His mercy, which itself attends trusting Him. God’s goodness is for Him a Name, even His Glory. Importantly, he reiterates his complete trust in God by way of a beggarly call upon God for deliverance.
Save me for thy mercies' sake. Let me not be ashamed, O LORD; for I have called upon thee…
When he asks God that He not let him be ashamed—humiliated further by the foul mouths and wicked schemes of his persecutors—he is confessing out loud that only God has the power to prevent this—and will (cf. Jesus, Matthew 27:43, vindicated by Jesus’ resurrection; as to David, God did indeed rescue him; he lived on and became king of Israel, and inspired author of this text and many others). He says not—Lord, if you do not act, it will be a slur on you and look bad for you—he says, Lord, if you do not act, it will be a further slur on me for I have openly called on you, and I shall look all the worse for it, yea, I be undone (physically speaking).
A change, a turn now; no more defense-petitioning forthcoming—David’s soul is confident in God’s saving Arm and has peace with God (else the former would not hold). He turns, he says, ‘…let the wicked (the ones in this context, in general Godless blasphemers and arrogant, propagandist deniers of Jehovah God, proud persecutors of His people dealing contemptuously and despicably with them), yea the wicked, let them eat the humble pie so to speak; let them eat the humble pie, let them take their lying filth to the grave to rot along with them, their calumny, slander, God-bashing, with their arrogant, anti-God mouths shut up forever…’. This is a noticeable turn from defense to offense, inspired by God for the record for the ages hence.
let the wicked be ashamed, [and] let them be silent in the grave. Let the lying lips be put to silence; which speak grievous things proudly and contemptuously against the righteous…
19 [Oh] how great [is] thy goodness, which thou hast laid up for them that fear thee; [which] thou hast wrought for them that trust in thee before the sons of men! 20 Thou shalt hide them in the secret of thy presence from the pride of man: thou shalt keep them secretly in a pavilion from the strife of tongues. 21 Blessed [be] the LORD: for he hath shewed me his marvellous kindness in a strong city. 22 For I said in my haste, I am cut off from before thine eyes: nevertheless thou heardest the voice of my supplications when I cried unto thee. 23 O love the LORD, all ye his saints: [for] the LORD preserveth the faithful, and plentifully rewardeth the proud doer. 24 Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the LORD. (Psalm 31:19-24 KJV, Psalm 31:19-24, NLT)
COMMENTARY: David probably wrote down his prayers—the former verses—before the matter was settled, and wrote down the rest of the prayer—the following verses—when the matter was settled. Prayer phase 1—beggarly before God, trusting all to Him and trusting fully in Him, whilst under great emotional, physical, and spiritual duress. That’s prayer phase 1. And then, when he saw God’s mighty hand pull him safely out of the storm, with the matter completely settled per his petitions, he bursts forth with arms uplifted in heartfelt thanksgiving and praise, and praise, and praise. He starts out by acknowledging Jehovah’s goodness, to which he had basically appealed throughout, His goodness by way of His terrific, His blessed mercy. David knew he, a sinner, had been shown mercy. And that is how he starts his thanksgiving and praising of God—by acknowledging Jehovah’s goodness, yea, His Name.
[Oh] how great [is] thy goodness, which thou hast laid up for them that fear thee…
Note, for them that fear God; laid up for them that fear God; storehouses of goodness laid up, even pressed down, shaken together, and running over measures of goodness from thee great God, for them that fear thee great Jehovah God. Yea, for them that trust in thee before the watching world thou sayest great God. For them that swim against the tide, the Godly, the brave folk, brave for thee, loving thy Name, trusting in thee. Trusting in thee whilst the gainsayers look on and mock, and ridicule, and hold high their plastic science and tech gods in which they trust exceedingly, and if not the former, then this god, and that god, all alike blessings stolen from thee, hijacked and claimed, as though these stemmed from their little minds and puny hands; and worshiped, yea, straightaway worshiped to their shame and ultimate befuddlement. Thy elegant handiwork shows them to be fools like their daddy.
[which] thou hast wrought for them that trust in thee before the sons of men…
As David can full well attest per his answered prayers, God’s goodness accrues to His faithful ones, who are secure in God’s bosom, thus hidden, protected from the gainsayers, the fat-eyed talking mouths, secure, in a pavilion no less, out of reach, out of harm’s way. He is simply relating what he knows from first-hand experience to be true. Thus the Spirit of God inspired David to write for the encouragement of the persecuted faithful down through the ages.
Thou shalt hide them in the secret of thy presence from the pride of man: thou shalt keep them secretly in a pavilion from the strife of tongues…
And more praise, focused on our God’s kindness, even marvelous kindness. Here is friendship—friends are kind to each other; indeed, it bespeaks friendliness, it bespeaks generosity, it bespeaks being especially considerate, which is going to be the proper application of this kindness as we shall see shortly. And he puts a superlative on it…marvelous kindness…. It can hardly be otherwise that Jehovah God did all these things for his servant David who is beside himself in praising God for it. (It is unclear whether the “strong city” is Keilah as posited above, or maybe Jehovah Himself as a Refuge, or something else.)
Blessed] [be] the LORD: for he hath shewed me his marvellous kindness in a strong city…
David now qualifies Jehovah’s kindness by specifically relating it to He being considerate of David being in the pressure cooker when David had a momentary faith lapse. David thought for sure he was undone, even whilst he was praying for deliverance; there must have been this underlying current of doubt given the seeming hopelessness of it all. How good it is to realize that Jehovah takes our circumstances into consideration when He assesses our trust in Him. It cannot be overstated that trusting in Jehovah God is an essential aspect of our relationship with Him—He cherishes it for sure, but more than cherish it even, He requires it. Let’s face it, trusting is doable, it is not a lot to ask of us is the point, anybody can do it if they want to. And based on that trust, and confession of one’s sins, the floodgates of His blessings, protection, Salvation, swing wide open. As said before, it is confession of one’s sins, and faith in Jesus Christ that brings Salvation in our day (“A Letter of Invitation”).
For I said in my haste, I am cut off from before thine eyes: nevertheless thou heardest the voice of my supplications when I cried unto thee.
Notice: …thou heardest the voice of my supplications when I cried unto thee…
As he dwells on that marvelous kindness shown him, David’s heart swells with love for His God Jehovah. It is wonderful how he wants his brethren to love Him too—that says a lot about how much David loved his God—and he wants his brethren to experience the same kindness and goodness that he just experienced, kindness and goodness in the dress of preservation and vindication of proud assaults.
O love the LORD, all ye his saints: [for] the LORD preserveth the faithful, and plentifully rewardeth the proud doer.
And upon closing prayer phase 2, he reaches back to his frightful experience and the unfolding of his deliverance at the hand of God and stresses the need for courage—courage from God, and for God—and the fruit of that courage as he experienced it, namely strength—strength from God, and for God—with the underlying, critical assumption that hope, hope in Jehovah God, that seemingly feeble intangible, moves Him to do great things for His faithful ones.
Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the LORD.
Praised be thy Name great Jehovah God, thou Faithful. Amen.
Figure 1. Make thy Face to Shine upon Us O Jehovah (Psalms 4:6-8).
.
Works Cited and References
“A Letter of Invitation-2.”
Jesus, Amen.
< https://development.jesusamen.org/a-letter-of-invitation-2/ >
Henry, Matthew.
Commentary on Psalms Thirty-one.
< http://blb.sc/003TEu >
“Hope in Jehovah.”
Jesus, Amen.
< https://development.jesusamen.org/hope-in-jehovah/ >
“Jesus—I Have Called You Friends.”
Jesus, Amen.
< https://development.jesusamen.org/jesus-i-have-called-you-friends/ >
“Not the High Way, the Low Way.”
Jesus, Amen.
< https://development.jesusamen.org/not-the-high-way-the-low-way-scenario-47/ >
“Peaceful Depths.”
Jesus, Amen.
< https://jesusamen.org/peacefuldepths.html >
“Psalms Four Commentary.
Jesus, Amen.
< https://jesusamen.org/commentarypsa4.html >
“Saints.”
Jesus, Amen.
< https://jesusamen.org/saints.html >
“The Great Conductor.”
Jesus, Amen.
< https://jesusamen.org/thegreatconductor.html >
“Transferring All Trust to Jehovah God.”
Jesus, Amen.
< https://development.jesusamen.org/transferring-all-trust-to-jehovah-god/ >
Notes (words under study are highlighted and the immediate context is bracketed [])
[To the chief] Musician-H5329 [A Psalm of David.] None other than the Sweet Music Man amen and amen.’…though I am beset left and right, forward and aft, I shall commune with thee Sweet Music Man in thine preferred melody, in tune with thee, thus help me to engage my trials, you and I, ever you and I, and all is well…
[To the chief Musician, A] Psalm-H4210 [of David.] A praise, a prayer, a song, a supplication, a righteous complaint, a crying, yea a praising. Please see also.
[To the chief Musician, A Psalm of] David-H1732. The sweet psalmist of Israel (2Samuel 23:1), with a heart like unto God’s, a lover of Jehovah God extraordinaire. Please see also.
[In thee, O] LORD-H3068, [do I put my trust; let me never be ashamed: deliver me in thy righteousness.] JeHoVaH, with vowel letters interposed. JEHOVAH, precisely, the LORD in modern renderings. It is the most precious consonantal tetragrammaton (so the Greeks) .We have these four Hebrew consonants:
The Yud (“yoot”)+ the He (“hey”)+ the Waw (“waw”)+ again the He (“hey”). It translates “I AM.” Say it sort of fast: yoot-hey-waw-hey; I love you dearest yoot-hey-waw-hey; my times are in your hand Papa yoot-hey-waw-hey…
The multifunctional Waw is “W” in classical Hebrew (=“Language of Canaan,” supplanted by Aramaic dialects c. third-century BC), and it is V” in modern Hebrew. It is the familiar “ YaHWeH with the classical Waw and vowel letters. There are differing views, but we believe it is not the vowel letters that are important, it is the consonantal form, which is constant, unchanging, eternal, precisely Yud+He+Waw+He—that’s what matters, the rest—vowels, or W | V—is window dressing and introduces conflict, a satanic ploy on the divine Name. (Modern humans like to have vowels in the spoken word, but again, that is entirely superficial when it comes to the divine Name—reverently interpose whatever vowels you like and use a “W” or a “V” if you like, just recognize that our Father’s eternal, sacred Name is precisely Yud-He-Waw-He—that is the I Am’s Name ad infinitum.
Jehovah, Jehovah, mine, mine, yea all the time,
tis my LORD, my LORD,
a blessed festal chord, chord.
Blessed Name, I AM, so fine, fine, finest, fine,
blessed Name, sublime, even Thine, Thine, forever Thine Papa YHWH. (Note Exodus 3:13-15.) See also.
[In thee, O LORD do I put my] trust-H2620 [let me never be ashamed.] Verbal usage is Qal (simple verb, i.e., unnuanced, no prefix/suffix modifiers that would connote other actions of the verb), perfect—consummate, complete trust.
[In thee, O LORD do I put my trust, let me never] be ashamed-H954. Be put to shame fits the context. Verbal usage is Qal, cohortative (indirect command in the first person [imperatives are in the second person, jussives in the third person]—David is pleading for himself, very telling this cohortative right here). “…in thee O LORD, do I put my trust…”à ‘…do it LORD..’ is the indirect command financed by David’s trust so to speak. That is, ‘…let not my hound dog enemy (enemies) put me to shame great Savior God…’. (A “whipping” shames, abut Sin shames exceedingly more.)
Deliver-H6403 [me in thy righteousness.] ‘…Great God straightaway snatch me on out of here…’. Here we have the imperative in the second person—verbal usage is Piel (emphatic), imperative. This is a really intense prayer for deliverance—one must appreciate that intensity here. Maybe like hanging over a jagged precipice by the fingernails kind of prayerful intensity. If we have the setting correct, David is inside a walled city, hunted by Saul who thinks he has David trapped, and probably has plenty of loyalists in there who can find out where David is hiding, so David is in a really tight spot, he may be double-crossed in there or outright killed by one of Saul’s loyalists, and getting out of the city would maybe be doable, say at night somehow, but once outside, Saul and his troops are there watching intently for him and waiting it out. Perhaps this is somewhat the background that explains what David is dealing with.
[Deliver me in thy] righteousness-H6666. Please see this excellent breakdown of a righteousness that is indescribable. (It is summed up perfectly in Jesus Christ.)
Bow down thine ear to me [deliver me speedily.] David is asking God to condescend (bow down the ear—assumes and thus communicates Jehovah’s loftiness), is asking Him to condescend indeed and champion his case. The “bow down” is a Hiphil (causative action), “fingernail-hanging” imperative. ‘…Cause Thyself to hear and draw near Great Savior God…’. It is not, ‘…when you have some time, or are inclined to do so..’. Rather, it is urgent causation that is reverently, prayerfully, pleaded. ‘…if only thou causest thyself to hear, then thou, even thou O righteous Jehovah shalt draw near in thy righteous indignation on my behalf…’. Thus David trusted in Jehovah’s adjudicating righteousness, in His righteous right Arm.
[Bow down thine ear to me; deliver me] speedily-H4120. With excessive speed, urgency.
[be thou my strong] rock-H6697 [for an house of defense to save me.] Please see also.
[be thou my strong rock, for an house of defense to] save-H3467 [me.] A range of salvific meaning is possible, but in context, Refuge is probably best. (Cf. Psalms 7:1, 16:1, 17:8, 18:2, 27:5, 31:19, 32:6-7, 34:8, 57:1-3, 59:16, 62:7, 90:1ff, 91:4, 118:8-9, 144:2 ; Pro 30:5 ; Nah 1:7.)
[for thy] name’s [sake lead me, and guide me.] Yea, precisely for that Name’s sake…
[for thy name’s sake] lead-H5148 [me, and guide me.] Lead is good. However the Potter wishes to shape this clay is my delight; wheresoever He goes, there I shall go (with His help and by His grace, for I am unable otherwise…). Lead me onto paths of righteousness by thy Spirit my Captain and my Lord. (Lead me great God, for I am a wanderer, ever prone to get lost, amen.) Verbal usage is Hiphil (causative action—let it be so, that I be led by you great God, let me not muddle it up, thou please lead), imperfect! The imperfect bespeaks ongoing action. Ever lead me great God, ever keep me tethered to your lead, ever cause it to be so amen and amen.
[for thy name’s sake lead me, and] guide-H5095 [me.] Guide, steer, show the way. (Thy Eternal Word is the Way amen.) Verbal usage switches to the Piel! The aspect (how a verb’s action extends over time) is still imperfect (ever ongoing). Ever thou lead, lead me, and ever GUIDE! Why the Piel switch? Is getting (God’s) guidance more important somehow than being led by Him? It is probably more than a grammatical necessity. In this context, David is looking for solutions to his fingernail-hanging dilemma, that is likely why he switches to the Piel—it is purely contextual. Being led by God is just as important as being guided by Him, in fact, where does one distinguish between the two in the first place? He puts a causative nuance on one of the verbs and an emphatic nuance on the other because he wishes for both nuances to hold—clearly, he needs two verbs to do that to express both of the desired actions—causation married to emphasis. Prayerful pleading in the dress of causation married to emphasis.
Pull-H3318 [me out of the net that they have laid privily for me: for thou([art) my strength.] Verbal usage is Hiphil, imperfect. Pull and keep pulling amen. ‘…O Lord I am clinging on by my fingernails and am afraid to stretch out my hand lest I fall, pull thou me into thy bosom…’. With His outstretched, pierced hands He pulls into His bosom secure does my Lord amen. See how David wants to get out of that city (if we have the correct setting). He is in danger in there and wants desperately to get out somehow. See also how our Lord has put him in this cauldron for multiple reasons, faith-example, prophetic, disciplinary, teaching, faith-building, and more only God knows.
[Pull me out of the net that they] have laid privily-H2934 [for me: for thou (art) my strength.] Like a mine in a mine field, concealed, hidden, waiting for its victim to make that fatal step. The net is surely betrayal—who to trust in there? None but God alone. What a faith lesson the hard way. Verbal usage is Qal, perfect (thorough-going betrayal; a trap entirely ready and waiting).
[Pull me out of the net that they have laid privily for me: for thou (art) my] strength-H4581.
Mine enemies are low, so, so, low, very low,
they lie in wait, waiting, wheresoever I go.
To do me harm day and night, day, and night,
is their exceeding delight, filthy, filthy, delight.
A snare and a trap, thus they cast their filthy net,
but hey, by God’s grace, they have not gotten me yet.
Nay, I say nay, nor shall they, days hence, nay, days hence,
kept at arm’s length, Jehovah’s Arm, strong, exceeding strength (Isaiah 51:9-13).
So befuddled yea be thou devil fool, mine enemy, overweening proud, killer fool,
perceive, understand, own it, Jehovah God, He doth, ever shall, take you to school. Ha.
[Into thine hand I] commit-H6485 [my spirit: thou hast redeemed me, O LORD God of truth.] Give consummate charge of. Verbal usage is Hiphil, imperfect. The imperfect bespeaks ongoing action. For example, ‘…O LORD into your blessed hands I commit my spirit just now and going forward…’. (The Hiphil is causative, this is a deliberate act.)
[Into thine hand I commit my] spirit-H7307 [thou hast redeemed me, O LORD God of truth.] See also.
[Into thine hand I commit my spirit: thou] hast redeemed-H6299 [me, O LORD God of truth.] Verbal usage is Qal, perfect. See also.
[Into thine hand I commit my spirit: thou hast redeemed me, O LORD God of] truth-H571. Truth is quintessential reality, which is God’s Reality. See also.
[I have hated them that] regard-H8104 [lying vanities: but I trust in the LORD.] Verbal usage is Qal, active participle. A verbal noun with the sense of engaging and/or embracing; the further context suggests “trust.” The participle smacks of ongoing action in its own right, as in chronic here.
[I have hated them that regard] lying vanities-H7723+H1892: [but I trust in the LORD.] We have here falsehood married to ”hot air,” as in the false gods touted and fawned over in sundry religions and certainly not least the false gods of idolatry that hoodwink their worshipers into believing that these idols will bring fame, fortune, health, power, salvation of sorts, you name it. Falsehood married to a lot of hot air. But as for me and my household, we shall worship (trust, amen) none other than Jehovah God (Joshua 24:15). A lot of hot air in Keilah.
[I have hated them that regard lying vanities: but I] trust-H982 [in the LORD.] Verbal usage is Qal, perfect as in note five—here is consummate trust. Could it be any other way given David’s circumstances? Yes it could, for hot air frauds and phones, but not for this real man of God David.
[I will be glad and rejoice in thy] mercy-H2617 [for thou hast considered my trouble.] Peace, even God’s peace, is the fruit of His mercy, and that Peace, O how good it is, it refreshes the soul and makes glad the heart unto exceeding rejoicing praised be our great God Jehovah amen. See also. (“Peaceful Depths.”)
[I will be glad and rejoice in thy mercy: for thou] hast considered-H7200 [my trouble.] The verbal usage shines quite a lot of light on the highlighted text—it is Qal, perfect. God took notice of, was aware of David’s troubles. When God’s Spirit utilizes the perfect like this, He is telling us that He is completely attuned to David’s troubles, as touching David’s anxiety, emotions, fear, vulnerabilities, weaknesses and strengths, and the solution/s.
[I will be glad and rejoice in thy mercy: for thou hast considered my] trouble—H6040. Afflictions, pains, terrors, straits, all alike robbing one’s calm and peace.
[thou] hast known-H3045 [my soul in adversities.] Observed and not least identified with. Verbal usage is again Qal, perfect—note the perfect.
[thou hast known my soul in] adversities-H6869. Physical, emotional, spiritual difficulties to the point of distress, vexation of the body and the soul.
[And] hast not shut me up- H5462 [into the hand of the enemy: thou hast set my feet in a large room.] Not delivered up (to the enemy). Keilah was a double-walled city (1Samuel 23:7) and as said before Saul hoped to trap/shut David up therein and lay him waste from the inside whilst his troops surrounded the city looking for a kill from the outside should David get out somehow, so it is possible that David here praises God for his escape if that is the proper setting. Verbal usage is Hiphil (to thus cause), perfect (consummate preservation praise God).
[And hast not shut me up into the hand of the enemy: thou] hast set-H5975 [my feet in a large room.] Planted to endure. Verbal usage is Hiphil, perfect. Note the causation<>perfect tandem here utilized yet again. Legitimate trust in God births this tandem in believers’ lives. What is legitimate trust in God? It is confident trust in God in the face of adversity, difficulty, and trouble. This trust does not come naturally; God cultivates trust in Himself through trials, and David was well-cultivated therein and reached back to those sweet salvations to gird up his faith and trust in God his Savior (James 1:2-4).
[And hast not shut me up into the hand of the enemy: thou hast set my feet in a] large room-H4800. It is a metaphor for freedom. (Contrast being ‘shut up’ in the hand of the enemy, i.e., in the city with back-stabbers and traitor opportunists hoping to make the kill for Saul and be handsomely rewarded for it.)
Thus Saul would presume to secure his throne.
Low ones in low places have God’s ear.
[Have mercy upon me, O LORD, for I am in trouble] mine eye is consumed with grief, (yea), my soul and my belly]-H3708 [For my life is spent with grief, and my years with sighing: my strength faileth because of mine iniquity, and my bones are consumed.] Vexation of soul, tears and crying. It is a very sad picture of unmitigated, severe distress, mind, body, and soul, that is taking its toll on David.
[For my life is spent with grief, and my years with sighing: my strength faileth because] of mine iniquity-H5771. A noun+pronoun construction, the noun has the (first person, possessive, i.e., no dodgeball here by David) pronominal suffix; the whole thing is in a Hebrew construct state. (Aside, pronominal suffixes are suffixed pronouns, prepositions, or a direct object marker, and can be possessive or objective.) David was no phony, he knew that he was in dire straits because of his iniquity before God. Iniquity is Sin. It is not right to assume another’s sin/s, and we shan’t. It is unclear to us exactly where we are in David’s life here, but it appears he is not king yet (1Samuel 23:16-18), so maybe the iniquity he speaks of is distrusting God, which fits the “trusting God” theme among themes the Holy Spirit is bringing to our attention in this psalm (e.g., 1Samuel 27:1; here David takes counsel with himself and not a whit with God, very tempting to do that when in the pressure-cooker, but no good). Only God knows for sure about the iniquity at this point in David’s life, and we shall leave it there. This man of God David knew that though there were human factors that had him in straits, he intimates here that down deep he knew that his iniquity in fact had put him there. He is beset by emotional (anxiety, fear) and spiritual (iniquity before Jehovah God) distress. The Spirit of God is working with David right here. (Ouch for the moment; but David knows what’s up, and with God’s help will right the ship with the sort of faith and trust in God that He seeks from David.)
[I was a] reproach-H2781 [among all mine enemies, but especially among my neighbours, and a fear to mine acquaintance: they that did see me without fled from me.] Probably in the sense of disgust, maybe scorn, even rebuke, they stiff-arming David to please Saul, to deflect any possibility of Saul’s ire in the matter off of themselves.
[I was a reproach among all mine enemies, but] especially-H3966 [among my neighbours, and a fear to mine acquaintance: they that did see me without fled from me.] One can handle being treated despitefully by an enemy, but what are we to say when all alike enemies and neighbors and acquaintances treat one despitefully—that really hurts to say the least. Nobody wanted to appear as though they buddied up with David, he being the focus of Saul’s ire lest the same come their way. Thus little men and women identify themselves (tawny, even teeny, especially tiny, two-faced punks).
[I was a reproach among all mine enemies, but especially among my] neighbours-H7934 [and a fear to mine acquaintance: they that did see me without fled from me.] Low-plane literal: someone situated nearby. High-plane lovely: A Good Samaritan (Luke 10:29ff). These folks were not Good Samaritans. They were opportunists that buddied-up with David when the going was good (.e.g.,when he was their savior at Keilah, 1Samuel 23:5), but they would fast hang a knife in his back to preserve self and/or please Saul (neighbor punks).
[I was a reproach among all mine enemies, but especially among my neighbours, and a] fear-H6343 [to mine acquaintance: they that did see me without fled from me.] Fear, dreadful fear. Anything but giving the impression that they are on his (David’s) side lest it fold back on them in the negative via Saul and his back-slapping loyalist cronies who are all over the place. (No iniquity in Jesus’ life, no Sin, but the point is that what we are getting from the Holy Spirit via this text is heads-up regarding Jesus’ treatment by His neighbors and acquaintances [the Jews] some ten centuries hence, but we are getting ahead of ourselves.)
[I was a reproach among all mine enemies, but especially among my neighbours, and a fear to mine] acquaintance-H3045 [they that did see me without fled from me.] Those that knew him is meant, which was probably a large part of the nation and everybody at Keilah—how could anyone not have known him in that day and at that time, especially in Keilah? And please notice God’s heads up to David concerning those louses in Keilah 1Samuel 23:11-12, cf. Jesus, Matthew 26:49-50).
[I was a reproach among all mine enemies, but especially among my neighbours, and a fear to mine acquaintance: they that did see me without] fled-H5074 [from me.] Skedaddled, Verbal usage is Qal, perfect—why the perfect aspect? It is conveying the instant nature of the action, in Greek it would be rendered as an Aorist, and indeed the Septuagint has EFUGON—Aorist, active, indicative. It is like so: ‘…they that did see me out and about straightaway (instantly) about-faced and fled…’. What pain and heaviness of heart that brings when people do that to another person, especially as in this context, where David and his men laid their lives on the line to preserve their way of life and nasty hides to boot. Thus Satan’s henchmen operate.
[I] am forgotten-H7911 [as a dead man out of mind: I am like a broken vessel.] To fail to remember. David was so to speak a walking dead man whilst hemmed in at Keilah, and everybody knew it. That’s tough. He had no where to go—he was in grave peril inside the city with a hostile mobish type crowd in there looking for opportunities to shine and elevate by handing Saul his head basically, and would have been worse off yet outside the city. Verbal usage is Niphal (Qal, passive voice—subject/speaker receives the action), perfect (entirely, completely forgotten).
[I am forgotten as a dead man out of mind: I am like a] broken-H6 [vessel.] Broken vessels are destroyed vessels. The sense conveyed is destroyed, perished. Of what use is a destroyed vessel? Who keeps destroyed vessels on their shelves? Destroyed vessels are put in the trash. David’s assessment of himself here is very sad—things are starting to “get to him" as the saying goes. ‘Betrayed, forgotten, like a dead man out of mind, destroyed vessel, useless, unappreciated for all the good he had done his fraud-friends…’.
[For I] have heard-H8085 [the slander of many: fear (was) on every side: while they took counsel together against me, they devised to take away my life.] David heard with his ears and perceived with a heavy, sorrowful heart the slander, nay, the calumny shot at him like fiery darts. It must have hurt him deeply not to mention their machinations to kill him. What’s the message when slander is followed up by attempted murder plots?
[For I have heard the] slander-H1681 [of many: fear (was) on every side: while they took counsel together against me, they devised to take away my life.] We like calumny here (false/lying/concocted stuff intended to defame, ruin a reputation).
[For I have heard the slander of many] fear-H4032 [(was) on every side: while they took counsel together against me, they devised to take away my life.] David hears second and third hand the trash talk focused on defamation sure, but even on killing him and he is hands down scared (so we read it). It sounds like a mob scene brewing behind the scenes, and everyone knows how out of hand ugly that can get. And what is really tough, he is hemmed inside that miserable place and can’t really get out. These are the sort of difficult situations that only a divine deliverance can remediate. Imagine being the target of a killing mob whilst sort of being hemmed in, not able to find a hiding place and there is frankly no one to trust, and every move one makes is maybe the last; if not today, maybe they will catch up with you tomorrow and nail you then…
[For I have heard the slander of many: fear (was) on every side: while they took counsel together against me, they] devised-H2161 [to take away my life.] draft, plot, scheme. Verbal usage is Qal, perfect (no eventualities left unconsidered).
[But I] trusted-H982 [in thee, O LORD: I said, Thou (art) my God. My times (are) in thy hand: deliver me from the hand of mine enemies, and from them that persecute me.] It is what it is—Trust. Verbal usage is Qal, perfect (consummate trust). ) Please see also.
[But I trusted in thee, O LORD: I said, Thou (art) my God. My] times-H6256 [(are) in thy hand: deliver me from the hand of mine enemies, and from them that persecute me.] In one sense it is temporal: looking back, and going forward, David’s times are (ever) in his God’s hand; in another sense it is practical: be they good times, or bad times.
[But I trusted in thee, O LORD: I said, Thou (art) my God. My times (are) in thy hand: deliver me from the hand of mine enemies, and from them that] persecute-H7291 [me.] This persecution is relentless by way of the participle—verbal usage is Qal, participle.
Make-H214 [thy face to shine upon thy servant: save me for thy mercies' sake. Let me not be ashamed, O LORD; for I have called upon thee: let the wicked be ashamed, (and) let them be silent in the grave.] The verbal usage “says” it all, it is Hiphil (causation), imperative (direct address command). It is the former bookend of the ‘…make thy face to shine…’ construction. David is obviously not commanding God to do anything, the imperative stresses the urgency of David’s prayer (plea).
[Make thy] face-H6440 [to shine upon thy servant: save me for thy mercies' sake. Let me not be ashamed, O LORD; for I have called upon thee: let the wicked be ashamed, (and) let them be silent in the grave.] Presence, God’s presence. David needs a real Friend to come alongside. ‘…O Lord come alongside just now, tarry not…’. Please see also.
[Make thy face] to shine [upon thy servant: save me for thy mercies' sake. Let me not be ashamed, O LORD; for I have called upon thee: let the wicked be ashamed, (and) let them be silent in the grave.] It is the other bookend of the …make to shine… construction, all alike Hiphil, imperative. In a a special sense David seeks Jehovah’s approval, which will come by way of His mercy and grace. Sunshine. Sonshine. David’s life, tough though it was, was suffused with Sonshine (hardly any other figure in Scripture outside of Isaiah portrayed Messiah Jesus and His sufferings and exaltation like David; he was in a very special sense God’s mouthpiece, not least setting the stage for Jesus’ identification in His day among other things).
[Make thy face to shine upon thy] servant-H5650 [save me for thy mercies' sake. Let me not be ashamed, O LORD; for I have called upon thee: let the wicked be ashamed, (and) let them be silent in the grave.] David’s heart is most like unto God’s when he walks before Him as a servant and outright acknowledges his status before God and embraces it (walks the talk). See also.
[Make thy face to shine upon thy servant]: save-H3467 [me for thy mercies' sake. Let me not be ashamed, O LORD; for I have called upon thee: let the wicked be ashamed, (and) let them be silent in the grave.] Verbal usage is again Hiphil, imperative. David knows from personal experience who is unequaled in the saving business and knows what motivates Him, and resorts to Him and His motivation again and again when he is in straits. Smart guy this David.
[Make thy face to shine upon thy servant: save me for thy] mercies'-H2617 [sake. Let me not be ashamed, O LORD; for I have called upon thee: let the wicked be ashamed, (and) let them be silent in the grave.] God, Yud-He-Waw-He, is love, it motivates His mercy, which motivates His Salvation. ‘…for they mercies’ sake great Savior God, not for anything that I bring to the table, for thy mercies’ sake, it is after all for thee a Name great God, amen…’.
[Make thy face to shine upon thy servant: save me for thy mercies' sake. Let me not] be ashamed-H954 [O LORD; for I have called upon thee: let the wicked be ashamed, (and) let them be silent in the grave.] Feel or be humiliated because of conscious wrongdoing and/or foolishness. David’s faith may have glitched in the furnace for a moment, but he has done no wrong, certainly not acted foolishly. In fact, he has called upon God and trusted in Him, just the opposite of the foolish wicked, who disdain God (Life) and deny Him, mock Him—let them be ashamed for it and visit the eternal grave for it with their anti-God-and-His- people waling nasty mouths ever shut up. Verbal usage is Qal cohortative (command in the first person). David is making a strong request for himself. It again conveys his agony of spirit attending an urgent plea/s. David is more than wrestling with God here, he has God in a “headlock” if you will and will not let Him go until He blesses David in accordance with His (oft tasted) righteous mercy.
[Make thy face to shine upon thy servant: save me for thy mercies' sake. Let me not be ashamed, O LORD; for I] have called-H7121 [upon thee: let the wicked be ashamed, (and) let them be silent in the grave.] Called just now. Called as a naked beggar. Called with as much sincerity as I know how. Called with as much natural passion as could motivate this (or any) mortal before Thee hanging on for dear life by an overstretched thread.
[Make thy face to shine upon thy servant: save me for thy mercies' sake. Let me not be ashamed, O LORD; for I have called upon thee: let the] wicked-H7563 [be ashamed, (and) let them be silent in the grave.] The Godless, hands down. Please see also.
[Make thy face to shine upon thy servant: save me for thy mercies' sake. Let me not be ashamed, O LORD; for I have called upon thee: let the wicked be ashamed, (and) let them] be silent-H1826 [in the grave.] The tense is Qal, the aspect is imperfect (they be keepin’ them no account flappin’ lips shut bigtime continually, yea forever amen praised be righteous Jehovah God and amen).
[Let the] lying-H8267 [lips be put to silence; which speak grievous things proudly and contemptuously against the righteous.] Lying lips, like their fool killer daddy got ‘em flappin constantly too (John 8:44). A lie is a deliberate, known to be false assertion for the purpose of deceit, misleading another (about something or someone).
[Let the lying lips be put to silence; which speak] grievous-H6277 things proudly and contemptuously against the righteous.] deplorable; shockingly deplorable things spoken about something or someone, in contempt and arrogance in context (David is in view, but he folds in the persecuted righteous). Fat-eyed folk here talking grievous stuff, their mouths and throat like an open sepulcher, thus grievous (cf. Matthew 23:27-28, Romans 3:13 per Psalms 5:9).
[Let the lying lips be put to silence; which speak grievous things] proudly-H1346 [and contemptuously against the righteous.] Fat-eyed, “better-than-Thou” fat-eyed strutters, Godless fools who know not if they draw breath on the morrow.
[Let the lying lips be put to silence; which speak grievous things proudly and] contemptuously-H937 [against the righteous.] Disdainful, disrespectful, “down-talking” lip-flapping.
[Let the lying lips be put to silence; which speak grievous things proudly and contemptuously] against-H5921 [the righteous.] KATA TOU DIKAIOU so the Septuagint. Almost all of the translations have it as “against,” but that is somewhat open ended. Is it against as in opposition to, against as in to toward (which would be dative, so we can rule that out), is it against as in talk down (KATA) to, is it something else? The “proud,” “contemptuous” context seems to bode well for talk down to. David had spoken earlier of how the wicked had abused him, his reputation, and whatnot (slander, calumny), that too seems to bode well for “talk down to” (or talk about, as in smearing), not only as per David, but the righteous per se as his own experiences with the wicked here surely informed his Spirit-guided thoughts.
[Let the lying lips be put to silence; which speak grievous things proudly and contemptuously against the] righteous-H6662. Say what the wicked will, these here righteous are the Winners and the former are the Losers. The Righteous, blessed righteous, are God’s handiwork, His special crown, are His People amen praised be He for it and amen.
Winners, winners, are the Godly righteous yea,
Losers, losers, are the Godless wicked devil prey.
Winners forever the Godly righteous, heaven-bound, forever and a day, and a day, and a day…,
Losers forever the Godless wicked, hell-bound, forever and a day, and a day, and a day....
[Oh how great (is) thy] goodness-H2898 [which thou hast laid up for them that fear thee; (which) thou hast wrought for them that trust in thee before the sons of men! Thou shalt hide them in the secret of thy presence from the pride of man: thou shalt keep them secretly in a pavilion from the strife of tongues.] God’s Goodness is His Glory (Exodus 33:17-23). Jehovah God is love (1John 4:8), which is decidedly good. It follows that God is inherently good. Goodness is an essential characteristic of God. (Psalms 34:8; see also as to God’s manifest goodness).
[Oh how great (is) thy goodness, which thou] hast laid up-H6845 [for them that fear thee; (which) thou hast wrought for them that trust in thee before the sons of men! Thou shalt hide them in the secret of thy presence from the pride of man: thou shalt keep them secretly in a pavilion from the strife of tongues.] Stored up as in storing up treasure (Thus is the Goodness of God usward nothing less than Treasure Matthew 13:45-46.). Verbal usage is Qal, perfect (not a whit of that treasure is missing, it is ALL stored up).
[Oh how great (is) thy goodness, which thou hast laid up for them that] fear-H3373 [thee; (which) thou hast wrought for them that trust in thee before the sons of men! Thou shalt hide them in the secret of thy presence from the pride of man: thou shalt keep them secretly in a pavilion from the strife of tongues.] Appreciation, awe, respect, reverence, and not least an ”on your face” fear of Jehovah’s omnipotence, omniscience, (sobering) omnipresence. Pease see also.
[Oh how great (is) thy goodness, which thou hast laid up for them that fear thee; (which) thou] hast wrought-H6466 [for them that trust in thee before the sons of men! Thou shalt hide them in the secret of thy presence from the pride of man: thou shalt keep them secretly in a pavilion from the strife of tongues.] Heaped upon, showered with, lavish. Verbal usage is again Qal, perfect—notice the Great Grammarian’s perfect here!
[Oh how great (is) thy goodness, which thou hast laid up for them that fear thee; (which) thou hast wrought] for them that trust in thee before the sons of men! [Thou shalt hide them in the secret of thy presence from the pride of man: thou shalt keep them secretly in a pavilion from the strife of tongues.] We wanted to point out the “before the sons of men” phrase in in this long highlight. God showers His goodness upon His loving faithful in the face if you will of a watching, largely unbelieving world, which means He is doing it now, not just later in Glory praised be His great Name. It is not just an “in the face of,” it is a beckoning for the watching world to come on board and be similarly blessed. (The price for admission is faith in Jesus Christ, confession of Sin, thence following Him. Is that too expensive for the reader?)
[Oh how great (is) thy goodness, which thou hast laid up for them that fear thee; (which) thou hast wrought for them that trust in thee before the sons of men! Thou] shalt hide-H5641 [them in the secret of thy presence from the pride of man: thou shalt keep them secretly in a pavilion from the strife of tongues.] Hide, conceal, put out of sight. Verbal usage is Hiphil, perfect (aint nothin’ stickin’ out nary nowheres that onery fat-eyed folk can see and git at—Jehovah done got them thar faithful ones a His covered, yup, yup). It is entirely consistent with a Keilah setting that David praise God for hiding him (and saints per se)—finding a safe hiding place in that viper’s nest that he was stuck in must have been a moment-by-moment challenge and pain to say the least. Straightaway when looking back on the matter David emphasizes how that God was in fact his Refuge—he really focuses on that and praises God for it. Sometimes it is necessary to be in the furnace for a while to appreciate just how much of a Refuge our God is in our lives every single day, and we thank and praise Him for it.
[Oh how great (is) thy goodness, which thou hast laid up for them that fear thee; (which) thou hast wrought for them that trust in thee before the sons of men! Thou shalt hide them] in the secret of thy presence [from the pride of man: thou shalt keep them secretly in a pavilion from the strife of tongues.] God Himself is our (His people’s) secret hiding place. Dearest reader, where exactly, literally, is Jehovah at this moment? Can you pin Him down and locate Him? Is He presently in the northern hemisphere, or southern, doing this and that and whatnot? Where is He going in the next split second? God’s people know where He is at every instant, because He is in them and they in Him (John 14:15-19; notice that God had promised this long before Jesus actually came, precisely here through the inspired pen of David).
[Oh how great (is) thy goodness, which thou hast laid up for them that fear thee; (which) thou hast wrought for them that trust in thee before the sons of men! Thou shalt hide them in the secret of thy presence from the pride of man: thou] shalt keep-H6845 [them secretly in a pavilion from the strife of tongues.] We had this before but here it is now with an imperfect aspect (continuity, ongoing action here). Please catch the Great Grammarian’s imperfect.
[Oh how great (is) thy goodness, which thou hast laid up for them that fear thee; (which) thou hast wrought for them that trust in thee before the sons of men! Thou shalt hide them in the secret of thy presence from the pride of man: thou shalt keep them secretly in a] pavilion-H5521 [from the strife of tongues.] Pavilions are found in gardens or can be part of a house. They are usually decorated real nice and serve as a shelter. In this context we opt for tabernacle, nay Tabernacle, which is our Rock of Refuge Christ Jesus Himself (Psalms 18:2, 27:5, 61:2-5 et al.; the link is to the Cyber Hymnal, “Rock of Ages”).
[Oh how great (is) thy goodness, which thou hast laid up for them that fear thee; (which) thou hast wrought for them that trust in thee before the sons of men! Thou shalt hide them in the secret of thy presence from the pride of man: thou shalt keep them secretly in a pavilion from the] strife-H7379 [of tongues.] Getting an earful from lip-flapping, tongue-wagging, hot air blowing types. (Hot air, especially the unholy sort, can blister and burn to various degrees of severity.)
Blessed-H1288 [(be) the LORD: for he hath shewed me his marvellous kindness in a strong city.] Praise, praised be the LORD. See also.
[Blessed (be) the LORD: for he] hath shewed-H6213 [me his marvellous kindness in a strong city.] Extended to, poured out upon. Verbal usage is Hiphil, perfect. Note the perfect.
[Blessed (be) the LORD: for he hath shewed me his] marvellous-H6381 [kindness in a strong city.] Exceedingly wonderful, surpassing kindness. How good, exceedingly good, it is to receive very God’s marvellous kindness, available to whosoever wills it, through our blessed Savior Jesus Christ.
[Blessed (be) the LORD: for he hath shewed me his marvellous] kindness-H2617 [in a strong city.] Considerate of David’s/our shortcomings, extending His friendship, His generosity, His Goodness, His Salvation (especially apt right here).
[Blessed (be) the LORD: for he hath shewed me his marvellous kindness] in a strong city. Just not sure if David means the LORD God our Refuge, or if he means Keilah, or something else. Generally, Impregnable, habitable refuge, shelter. Thus graciously, loving kindly, protected there. No more fears and tears in such a place, nor worries and trembling; in a secret place, a strong city, very bosom of the Savior and His mighty, saving, holy, bared, right Arm.
[For I said in my] haste-H2648, [I am cut off from before thine eyes: nevertheless thou heardest the voice of my supplications when I cried unto thee.] Athletes get “sped up” sometimes when the pressure is on and get off the game plan a bit, something that they normally would not do when all is calmer. Probably the same thing here in this (certainly not a game) context. David got “sped up” (by the enemy).
[For I said in my haste, I] am cut off-H1629 [from before thine eyes: nevertheless thou heardest the voice of my supplications when I cried unto thee.] Verbal usage is Niphal, perfect. Here is a (faith) lapse, ouch; it happens; it happens under pressure. David is “off his game” for a moment. (“…Cut off from before thine eyes….”). Even David here, a man after God’s own heart according to God’s own testimony (1Samuel 13:14, Psalms 89:20-21, et al.). Faith lapses. Thus are we, even brother David in his day, being transformed into the image of Christ from one degree of glory to another by the Spirit of God (2Corinthians 3:18).
[For I said in my haste, I am cut off from before thine eyes] nevertheless-H403 [thou heardest the voice of my supplications when I cried unto thee.] How great is that word in this context! A really noticeable turn (cf. Romans 7:24-25). Our gracious God is a God of “neverthelesses.” Nevertheless, but. ‘…I despaired of hope even in you, but you read my heart in my supplications (to none other than you) and pulled me through…’.
[For I said in my haste, I am cut off from before thine eyes: nevertheless thou] heardest-H8085 [the voice of my supplications when I cried unto thee.] Prayer heard by God is tantamount to answered prayer (He heareth not the unbelieving sinner’s prayer John 9:31). Verbal usage is Qal, perfect. See also.
[For I said in my haste, I am cut off from before thine eyes: nevertheless thou heardest the voice of my] supplications-H8469 [when I cried unto thee.] Petition, expression of need. See also.
“Nothing in my hand I bring,
Simply to the cross I cling;
Naked, come to Thee for dress;
Helpless look to Thee for grace;
Foul, I to the fountain fly;
Wash me, Savior, or I die.” Author: Augustus M. Toplady
[For I said in my haste, I am cut off from before thine eyes: nevertheless thou heardest the voice of my supplications] when I cried-H7768 [unto thee.] Those are the crucial words (“…when I cried unto thee…”). Verbal usage is Piel (bespeaks great intensity, intentionality), infinitive. ”…LORD HELP ME I’M GOING UNDER…”. Faith, and trust, in Jehovah God are perfected in the furnace and hardly anywhere else down here in the land of the living.
[O] love-H157 [the LORD, all ye his saints: (for) the LORD preserveth the faithful, and plentifully rewardeth the proud doer. Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the LORD.] Loving the LORD has a heart component (self-explanatory) and a head component (obedience to His commands, His Law, His Statutes, e.g., John 14:15, 21-23, et al.). Verbal usage is Qal, Imperative—note the Great Grammarian’s imperative ye Beloved Faithful of God.
[O love the LORD, all ye his] saints-H623 [(for) the LORD preserveth the faithful, and plentifully rewardeth the proud doer. Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the LORD.] The Redeemed, Saved. Holy by way of the cleansing blood of Jesus Christ, indeed, adorned with His Righteousness, thus adorned from the instant of Salvation throughout eternity praised be His great saving Name amen. “Saints.” See also
[O love the LORD, all ye his saints: (for) the LORD] preserveth-H5341 [the faithful, and plentifully rewardeth the proud doer. Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the LORD.] Keep. keep saved, keep alive, keep in His bosom unto the Day of His Return, yea, thus keep forever, keep in His Providences, keep in the Palm of His Hand, keep under His outspread wing/pinions, keep…
[O love the LORD, all ye his saints: (for) the LORD preserveth the] faithful-H539 [and plentifully rewardeth the proud doer. Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the LORD.] Believers, Saints are inferred (cf. Ephesians 1:1). More specifically, those of trustful and trustworthy temper with respect to God: obedience, stewardship, walk, talk; acquiescence, agreement, ascendancy, avowal. In contrast, the opposite of a faithful one (to God) would be an apostate. Eleven of Jesus’ apostles were faithful to Jesus to the end (of His ministry, of their lives), one was an apostate for example.
[O love the LORD, all ye his saints: (for) the LORD preserveth the faithful and] plentifully-H3499 [rewardeth the proud doer. Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the LORD.] It literally means “to overfilling” (ouch).
[O love the LORD, all ye his saints: (for) the LORD preserveth the faithful, and plentifully] rewardeth-H7999 [the proud doer. Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the LORD.] Recompense (plentiful).Verbal usage is Piel, (active) Participle. The Piel conveys great intentionality.
[O love the LORD, all ye his saints: (for) the LORD preserveth the faithful, and plentifully rewardeth the] proud-H1346 [doer. Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the LORD.] Proud, arrogant, haughty. (Usually goes hand-in-hand with “I Will” thus and so however it suits me; ruthlessness, selfishness etc. It is the seat of many sins.) Satan is an arrogant fool to be plentifully rewarded thus, for example.
[O love the LORD, all ye his saints: (for) the LORD preserveth the faithful, and plentifully rewardeth the proud] doer-H6213. [Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the LORD.] The one engaging in said wickedness activities toward God’s Elect (calumny, contemptuousness, outright assault, physical, emotional). In our day, doers of wicked activities directed at our Lord’s Church. David has in view his enemies’ activities (the murder schemes, the calumny, arrogant mocking and down-talk).
[O love the LORD, all ye his saints: (for) the LORD preserveth the faithful, and plentifully rewardeth the proud doer. Be of good] courage-H2388, [and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the LORD.] To do that which frightens oneself (within the bounds of common sense). Christian soldiers are courageous (non-violent) warriors for Jehovah God. Christian soldiers step into the savage mix for God, they step into the gap where the (spiritual) fighting rages, to bring Salvation to the battle front despite all the fiery darts launched at them by the enemy. The Christian soldier is courageous in their armor, wielding the Sword of the Spirit, willing to lay down their life, reputation, health and happiness to do battle with the enemy, that unclean thing, an arrogant liar and murderer from the beginning. See also.
[O love the LORD, all ye his saints: (for) the LORD preserveth the faithful, and plentifully rewardeth the proud doer. Be of good courage, and he] shall strengthen-H553 [your heart, all ye that hope in the LORD.] Do not step in front of a Mack Truck, you know, use common sense, but spiritually, do that which frightens you, and our God will strengthen your/our heart to do great things for His Cause, the greatest Cause, things you and I would never have dreamed possible. Verbal usage is Hiphil (He will cause it to be so), imperfect—He will strengthen us to do bold things for Him for as long as it takes to get the job done.
[O love the LORD, all ye his saints: (for) the LORD preserveth the faithful, and plentifully rewardeth the proud doer. Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your] heart-H3824, [all ye that hope in the LORD.] That which we are resides in our “heart.” Out of the heart proceeds that which we truly are presently, cowardly, or courageous, for Jehovah our God. (Some other not so nice things proceed from the heart as well, Matthew 15:19. It, the “heart,” is the seat of who/what we are before God.) Please see also.
[O love the LORD, all ye his saints: (for) the LORD preserveth the faithful, and plentifully rewardeth the proud doer. Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye that] hope-H3176 [in the LORD.] Verbal usage is Piel (intensity, intentionality), participle (verbal noun, but participles per se have a ring of continuation too, surely applies here—keep on hoping in Jehovah for this and that and everything all ye Beloved Saints …). Aspiration, desire, expectation.
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