Say to my soul, "I am your salvation." a. and whose comedies, it is likely, were acted at feasts and balls, chose David for their subject, bantered and abused him, while the auditory, in token of their agreement with the plot, hummed, and gnashed upon him with their teeth. David had been a man of sympathy; he had mourned when Saul was in ill health, putting on the weeds of sorrow for him as though he were a near and dear friend. I behaved myself as though he had been my friend or brother: I bowed down heavily, as one that mourns for his mother. 15 But in mine adversity they rejoiced, and gathered themselves together: yea, the abjects gathered themselves together against me, and I knew it not; they did tear me, and ceased not: 16 With hypocritical mockers in feasts, they gnashed upon me with their teeth. This is the view of Ewald and Delitzsch, but seems prosaic. Comments (commentary) and Clippings (technical notes for in-depth study), Chris Haslam, Anglican Diocese of Montreal. Psalm 35:14. David had been a man of sympathy; he had mourned when Saul was in ill health, putting on the weeds of sorrow for him as though he were a near and dear friend. All the hellish arts of malice and falsehood are made use of to render them odious or despicable; their words and actions are misconstrued, even that which they abhor is fathered upon them, laws are made to ensnare them (Dan 6 4, etc. ], 2. XXXV. 18 I will give thee thanks in the great congregation: I will praise thee among much people. Even chaff before the wind may perhaps be stopped, and find a place of rest, and, though the way be dark and slippery, it is possible that a man may keep his footing; but it is here foretold that the angel of the Lord shall chase them (v. 5) so that they shall find no rest, shall persecute them (v. 6) so that they cannot possibly escape the pit of destruction. 1 O Lord, oppose those who oppose me. They tore him, rent his good name without mercy, said all the ill they could of him and fastened upon him all the reproach their cursed wit and malice could reach to. They are the ministers of his justice, as well as of his mercy. But as for me, when they were sick,. Or under any disorder or distress of body or mind, when any misfortune or infirmity attended them; meaning Saul and his courtiers, before David was persecuted by them; my clothing [was] sackcloth; that is, he was grieved, and mourned for them, it being usual to put on sackcloth in time of mourning; see. He thought of the people of God enlarging the LORD in their hearts and minds, and of his continual praise to God (my tongue shall speak of Your righteousness and of Your praise all the day long). We cannot express how great and good God is, and therefore must praise him by acknowledging him to be a non-such. (See introductory notes to Psalms 7:0.). Let them be ashamed and brought to mutual confusion Let me have inward comfort under all outward troubles, to support my soul. with the for warding off the hostile blow and (vid., Psalm 5:13) which covers the body like a . We ought to mourn for the sins of those who do not . And my prayer returned into mine own bosom - DeWette explains this as meaning, "I prayed with my head sunk on my bosom;" that is, with the head bowed down, so that the prayer which went out of Iris lips seemed to return again to his own bosom - that earnest prayer which one offers when the head is bowed with sorrow. He has pleasure in the prosperity both of their temporal and of their spiritual affairs, and delights not in their griefs; for he does not afflict willingly; and we ought therefore to have pleasure in their prosperity, and not to envy it. See how much the honours, estates, liberties, and lives, even of the best men, lie at the mercy of the worst, against whose false oaths innocency itself is no fence; and what reason we have to acknowledge with thankfulness the hold God has of the consciences even of bad men, to which it is owing that there is not more mischief done in that way than is. i. This prayer we may put up against our persecutors, that God would restrain them and stop their way. He hoped that he should have the comfort of it: "My soul shall be joyful, not in my own ease and safety, but in the Lord and in his favour, in his promise and in his salvation according to the promise." This he complains of here as the highest piece of injustice imaginable: False witnesses did rise up, who would swear anything; they laid to my charge things that I knew not, nor ever thought of. 12 They rewarded me evil for good to the spoiling of my soul. It is my soul that is in danger; Lord, rescue it. 2 Take hold of shield and buckler, and stand up for mine help. David mourned for them and sympathized with them in their grief. 118.). He prays that God would stop their way (v. 3), that they might not overtake him when he fled from them. A prayer that God may arise on David's behalf and repay those who have wrongfully attacked him ( Psalms 35:1-10 ). my clothing was sackcloth; that is, he was grieved, and mourned for them, it being usual to put on sackcloth in time of mourning; see Genesis 37:34; I humbled my soul with fasting; on the account of them, giving up himself to prayer for them, as follows: and my prayer returned into mine own bosom; that is, he prayed privately and heartily for them, as for himself; he was constant in it, his heart was in it, and he took delight in it, and he was heard and answered; unless the sense should be, that his prayer was slighted by them, and so returned back to himself, as a present despised is returned; but however it was not without its effect, the good for which he prayed for them was returned by the Lord unto him. 13 But as for me, when they were sick, my clothing was sackcloth: I humbled my soul with fasting; and my prayer returned into mine own bosom. 2. When they were sick - Compare the notes at Job 30:25. He discovered not only the tender affection of a man, but the pious affection of a saint. 13 Yet when they were ill, I put on sackcloth. The pattern also recalls Jesus' feeding of the five thousand (9:16). And my tongue shall speak of Your righteousness He discovered not only the tender affection of a man, but the pious affection of a saint. Proud member Click to enable/disable _ga - Google Analytics Cookie. 2 Take hold of shield and buckler and rise for my help! It seemed that God was too passive, so David cried out for Him to stir up Yourself and to awake on Davids behalf. See Daniel 9:3; Matthew 17:21; Luke 2:37. If a fellow-subject had wronged him, he might have appealed to his prince, as St. Paul did to Csar; but, when his prince wronged him, he appealed to his God, who is prince and Judge of the kings of the earth: Plead my cause, O Lord! It is the character of the godly in the land that they are the quiet in the land, that they live in all dutiful subjection to government and governors, in the Lord, and endeavour, as much as in them lies, to live peaceably with all men, however they may have been misrepresented as enemies to Csar and hurtful to kings and provinces. But as for me, when they were sick, my clothing. Let the LORD be magnified, (2)The far more probable meaning, my . They took a great deal of pains in persecuting him, for they digged a pit (Ps 7 15); and very close and crafty they were in carrying on their designs; the old serpent taught them subtlety: they hid their net from David and his friends; but in vain, for they could not hide it from God. This is the plural for the generic word for God. Who exalt themselves against me. Psalm 35:13, 14. Humbled my soul with fasting. Christian sympathy even for the froward. And let them say continually, Exodus 2:24-25 ). My prayer returned into mine own bosom. Herein he was a type of Christ, to whom this wicked world was very ungrateful. Psalm 35:14 I behaved myself as though he had been my friend or brother: I bowed down heavily, as one that mourneth for his mother. (Comp. Who favor my righteous cause; and willingly to undergo any services or sufferings for him. The verb means to smite; Niph. It is supposed that Saul and his party are the persons he means, for with them he had the greatest struggles. Let their way be dark and slippery: let the angel of the LORD persecute them ( Psalms 35:5-6 ). All rights reserved. Psalm chapter 35. He prays that his enemies might not have cause to rejoice (v. 19): Let them not rejoice over me (and again, v. 24); not so much because it would be a mortification to him to be trampled upon the abjects, as because it would turn to the dishonour of God and the reproach of his confidence in God. 22 This thou hast seen, O Lord: keep not silence: O Lord, be not far from me. Now I don't know what the content was of the "aha, aha," but it was something they hated to hear. It was so to St. Paul. . With his prayers he joined humiliation and self-affliction, both in his diet (he fasted, at least from pleasant bread) and in his dress; he clothed himself with sackcloth, thus expressing his grief, not only for their affliction, but for their sin; for this was the guise and practice of a penitent. They seemed to be hardened in their sins, and to be of the number of those who have sinned unto death and are not to be prayed for, Jer 7 16; 11 14; 14 11; 1 John 5 16. The apostles were made a spectacle to the world. Psalm 34. David lamented the unjustified opposition of his enemies in this psalm and called on God to deliver him. When God in his providence shows his good-will to the prosperity of his servants, and the pleasure he takes in it, we ought to acknowledge it with thankfulness, to his praise, and to say, The Lord be magnified. If our dove find no rest for the sole of her foot among our enemies, it shall fly into our bosoms and bring an olive branch of peace in its mouth. ( Psalms 35:7-10 ). The posture of prayer with the head reclining toward the bosom is common among the Muslims, "Reland" de Religione Mohammetica, p. 87. David prayed to God to manifest himself in his trial. Psalm 35 1. That they might join with him in his praises: Let them say continually, The Lord be magnified, by us and others, who hath pleasure in the prosperity of his servant. Such a posture of devotion is in use both among Jews and Mohammedans. C. Simeon. They will follow him, for they know his voice. Let them not say in their hearts, Ah, so would we have it: let them not say, We have swallowed him up. He does not identify them, but it's likely these were people aligned with either Saul (1 Samuel 19:1-2) or Absalom (2 Samuel 15:13-14). And the she bears came out and ripped them up. A great deal of good service he had done to his king, witness his harp, witness Goliath's sword, witness the foreskins of the Philistines; and yet his king vowed his death, and his country was made too hot for him. 15 But in mine adversity they rejoiced, and gathered themselves together: yea, the abjects gathered themselves together against me, and I knew it not; they did tear me, and ceased not: 16 With hypocritical mockers in feasts, they gnashed upon me with their teeth. aha! This is the view of Ewald and Delitzsch, but seems prosaic. 2. 17 Lord, how long wilt thou look on? (2.) ". (2.) When Saul would have David attainted of treason, in order to his being outlawed, perhaps he did it with the formalities of a legal prosecution, produced witnesses who swore some treasonable words or overt acts against him, and he being not present to clear himself (or, if he was, it was all the same), Saul adjudged him a traitor. If he did not count our Lord to be divine, neither does David here ascribe Deity to Jehovah, for there is no difference except in the order of the words and the tongue in which they were spoken; the meaning is identical. (Spurgeon). (2.) If you do not want that we track your visit to our site you can disable tracking in your browser here: We also use different external services like Google Webfonts, Google Maps, and external Video providers. Ingratitude. It is really a combination of three laments. His fasting also put an edge upon his praying, and was an expression of the fervour of it; he was so intent in his devotions that he had no appetite to meat, nor would allow himself time for eating: "My prayer returned into my own bosom; I had the comfort of having done my duty, and of having approved myself a loving neighbour, though I could not thereby win upon them nor make them my friends." It would harden the hearts of his enemies in their wickedness and confirm them in their enmity to him, and would be a great discouragement to all the pious Jews that were friends to his righteous cause. My God and my Lord: Here David used another word in the Hebrew vocabulary for God, the word Elohim commonly translated as God. Let them be ashamed and brought to confusion together that rejoice at my hurt: let them be clothed with shame and dishonor that magnify themselves against me. We find how patiently he bore Shimei's curses (so let him curse, for the Lord has bidden him); and we cannot suppose that he who was so meek in his conversation would give vent to any intemperate heat or passion in his devotion; but, by the spirit of prophecy, he foretels the just judgments of God that would come upon them for their great wickedness, their malice, cruelty, and perfidiousness, and especially the enmity to the counsels of God, the interests of religion, and that reformation which they knew David, if ever he had power in his hand, would be an instrument of. Thus, therefore, from , like from , may mean smitten, men, i.e., men who are brought low or reduced (Hengstenberg). David was looked upon with ill-will for no other reason than because he was caressed by the people. signifies the colours, outward appearance, and attire of mourning: with dark clothes, with tearful unwashed face, and with neglected beard. , Jeremiah 18:18. But as for me - The psalmist now contrasts their conduct with his own. Genesis 24:67) strikes the deepest wound: like one who mourns (, (Note: According to the old Babylonian reading (belonging to a period when Pathach and Segol were as yet not distinguished from one another), (with the sign of Pathach and the stroke for Raphe below equals ); vid., Pinsker, Zur Geschichte des Karaismus, S. 141, and Einleitung, S. Herein he was a type of Christ. They treated him, who was the greatest blessing of his country, as if he had been the curse and plague of it; they hunted him as a dangerous beast of prey; they digged a pit for him and laid a net in it, that they might have him at their mercy, v. 7. and whose comedies, it is likely, were acted at feasts and balls, chose David for their subject, bantered and abused him, while the auditory, in token of their agreement with the plot, hummed, and gnashed upon him with their teeth. It seems that this psalm also was written during the time of Davids flight from Saul. III. His true sympathy for his foes in their previous sorrow is shamefully returned in the form of evil for good ( Psalms 35:11-18 ). Note, [1.] my prayer came back again and again to my bosom, i.e., but, my prayer returned into mine own bosom , And my prayer returned into mine own bosom, and my prayer returned into mine own bosom, for me, when they were sick, my clothing was sackcloth, Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers, Keil and Delitzsch Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament. For without cause have they hid for me their net in a pit, which they without cause have digged for my soul. Nor was it a sudden passion against him that they harboured, but inveterate malice: They devised his hurt, laid their heads together, and set their wits on work, not only to do him a mischief, but to find out ways and means to ruin him. There remains (1) the literal, and my prayer turned upon my bosom, referring to the posture described in Psalm 35:14. 1. Matthew 5:44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; Leviticus 16:29,31 And this shall be a statute for ever unto you: that in the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, ye shall afflict your souls, and do no work at all, whether it be one of your own country, or a stranger that sojourneth among you: , Matthew 9:14,15 Then came to him the disciples of John, saying, Why do we and the Pharisees fast oft, but thy disciples fast not? The words were, as it were, muttered into his bosom. of He pleads his own innocency, that he never gave them any provocation (ver 7, 19), but, on the contrary, had studied to oblige them, ver 12-14. The Timeless Psalms: Psalm 13, Joan Stott, prayers and meditations based on lectionary Psalms, 2014. He thought God had forgotten him, had forgotten his promises to him, his covenant with him, his former lovingkindness which he had shown him and which he took to be an earnest of further mercy, had forgotten that there was such a man in the world, who needed and expected relief and succour from him. Changes will take effect once you reload the page. This may be taken as a prayer for their repentance, for all penitents are put to shame for their sins and turned back from them. Judge me, O LORD my God, according to thy righteousness; and let them not rejoice over me. 8 Let destruction come upon him at unawares; and let his net that he hath hid catch himself: into that very destruction let him fall. In sadness (Psalm 35:11-12), David reflects on the compassionate treatment he showed his foes before they turned against him. What Every Christian Should Know about the Protestant Reformation. Nederlandstalige Bijbelstudies door Stan Marinussen, Copyright - Enduring Word       |      . Psalm 36. We fully respect if you want to refuse cookies but to avoid asking you again and again kindly allow us to store a cookie for that. I. David's representation of his case to God, setting forth the restless rage and malice of his persecutors. Note, Even the palaces and courts of princes are not exempt from the jurisdiction of death and the visitation of sickness. A posture somewhat similar to this is referred to in the case of Elijah, 1 Kings 18:42 : "And he cast himself down upon the earth, and put his face between his knees." Those that make God their enemy make all the holy angels their enemies. 1. 2. "Whether or not this psalm was written as a companion to Psalms 34, it is well placed next to it, not only because of some verbal affinities and contrasts (notably the angel of the Lord, Psalms 34:7; Psalms 35:5-6, found nowhere else in the Psalter), but because it speaks out of the kind of darkness which has just been dispelled in the former psalm. And what remarkable language we now meet with in Psalm 35:16! They were very barbarous and base, for they trampled upon him when he was down, rejoiced at his hurt, and magnified themselves against him, v. 26. We may request cookies to be set on your device. So, "aha, aha" was a bad thing to say, and as I say, I don't know what the whole connotation of the "aha, aha" might be, but the hypocritical mockers speaking against David. Let them shout for joy and be glad, When thou art appealed to, hear in heaven, and judge, by condemning the wicked and justifying the righteous. He appeals to God against them, the God to whom vengeance belongs, appeals to his knowledge (v. 22): This thou hast seen. We may read it thus: Let my prayer return into my bosom; that is, I wished no worse to them than to myself: let me receive of God such good as I prayed for them. But as for me, when they were sick Or under any disorder or distress of body or mind, when any misfortune or infirmity attended them; meaning Saul and his courtiers, before David was persecuted by them; my clothing [was] sackcloth; that is, he was grieved, and mourned for them, it being usual to put on sackcloth in time of mourning; see ( Genesis 37:34 ) ; I humbled my soul with fasting; on the account of them, giving up himself to prayer for them, as follows: and my prayer returned into mine own bosom; that is, he prayed privately and heartily for them, as for himself; he was constant in it, his heart was in it, and he took delight in it, and he was heard and answered; unless the sense should be, that his prayer was slighted by them, and so returned back to himself, as a present despised is returned; but however it was not without its effect, the good for which he prayed for them was returned by the Lord unto him. David was the fool in the play, and his disappointment all the table-talk of the hypocritical mockers at feasts; it was the song of the drunkards. Many good works have I shown you from my Father; for which of those do you stone me? II. , Job 30:6, to be driven forth with a whip, after which the lxx renders it , Symm. Lord, with regular letters, translates the Hebrew word Adonai the ancient Hebrew word for Lord. II. My God and my Lord: The cry of Thomas when he saw the wounds of Jesus. Psalm 35 New Living Translation Psalm 35 A psalm of David. John 10:32. I. of We don't think of it today saying, "aha, aha" as being such an evil, contemptuous kind of thing, but in those days, man, it was really evil and contemptuous. I humbled my soul with fasting; on the account of them, giving up himself to prayer for them, as follows: and my prayer returned into mine own bosom; that is, he prayed privately and heartily for them, as for himself; he was constant in it, his heart was in it, and he took delight in it, and he was heard and answered; unless the sense should be, that his prayer was slighted by them, and so returned back to himself, as a present despised is returned; but however it was not without its effect, the good for which he prayed for them was returned by the Lord unto him. Against his one mighty enemy (v. 8): Let destruction come upon him. Of the many interpretations that are given of this passage, that appears to me the most probable which derives it from the posture of the worshipper; who standing with his head inclined downward toward his bosom, turned away his attention from all external objects, and uttered his mournful and earnest requests, as if they were directed to his own bosom. Compassion to the sick. Article Images Copyright 2023 Getty Images unless otherwise indicated. This You have seen, O LORD: God has seen the facts of the case, and these include not only Davids innocence, but also that he is being falsely accused and slandered. (Boice), ii. The idea is, that he did all that was understood to be connected with the deepest humiliation before God, and that would fit the mind for earnest prayer in their behalf. No such patron of oppressed innocency, no such punisher of triumphant tyranny. Salem Media Group. In the first section of the psalm, the emphasis is on petition, but in this one it is on lament. Let destruction come upon him at unawares; and let his net that he hath hid catch himself: into that very destruction let him fall. (2.) IV. He will praise God with the whole man, with all that is within him, and with all the strength and vigour of his soul, intimated by his bones, which are within the body and are the strength of it. This is quoted, with application to Christ, and is said to be fulfilled in him. Our relationship with God is clearly seen in how we treat others. David prayed to God to manifest himself in his trial. 5 Let them be as chaff before the wind: and let the angel of the Lord chase them. Such has often been the hard fate of the best of men. He was God's servant, expressly appointed by him to be what he was, followed his guidance, and aimed at his glory in the way of duty, had lived (as St. Paul speaks) in all good conscience before God unto this day; and yet there were those that strove with him, that did their utmost to oppose his advancement, and made all the interest they could against him; they fought against him (v. 1), not only undermined him closely and secretly, but openly avowed their opposition to him and set themselves to do him all the mischief they could. He even fasted, which shows the extent to which he sacrificed so they would recover. hrq, of the crackling of a fire and the grating of a file), which is used according to Ges. PLUS Save 20% for life! It is a vexation of spirit which attends even a right work that for this a man is envied of his neighbour, Eccl 4 4. All rights reserved. And my prayer returned into mine own bosom. Constantly. But as for me, when they were sick, my clothing was sackcloth; I humbled my soul with fasting, And my prayer kept returning to my bosom. He really has the Lord on their tails. He prays to God to protect and deliver him, and appear for him (ver 1, 2), to comfort him (ver 3), to be nigh to him and rescue him (ver 17, 22), to plead his cause (ver 23, 24), to defeat all the designs of his enemies against him (ver 3, 4), to disappoint their expectations of his fall (ver 19, 25, 26), and, lastly, to countenance all his friends, and encourage them (ver 27. the common phrase for thoughts coming upon the heart, Jeremiah 3:16; Jeremiah 7:31, etc.) The spear was a weapon of "attack." The parts of armor referred to in Psalm 35:2 were designed for defense. 131, 4, b, carries its subject in itself. To him: "Say unto my soul, I am thy salvation; let me have inward comfort under all these outward troubles, to support my soul which they strike at. The adjective signifies elsewhere with , one who is smitten in the feet, i.e., one who limps or halts, and with , but also without any addition, in Isaiah 16:7, one smitten in spirit, i.e., one deeply troubled or sorrowful. Psalm 35: God Help Me[or download in RTFformat] Psalm 36: Reach for the Sky[or download in RTFformat] Psalm 37: Waiting for God[or download in RTFformat] Psalm 38: Lord, Remember Me[or download in RTFformat] Psalm 39: No Fixed Address[or download in RTFformat] Psalm 40: Build on a Rock[or download in A great deal of good service he had done to his king, witness his harp, witness Goliath's sword, witness the foreskins of the Philistines; and yet his king vowed his death, and his country was made too hot for him. Heman the Ezrahite wrote one (Psalms 88), and Ethan the Ezrahite composed one (Psalms 89). Mohammedica, quoted by Walford in loc. This he complains of here as the highest piece of injustice imaginable: False witnesses did rise up, who would swear anything; they laid to my charge things that I knew not, nor ever thought of.