Psalms · Chapter 52

V. 1. Continually-God is continually doing good: thou art continually doing mischief. O mighty-He speaks ironically. O valiant captain! To kill a few weak and unarmed persons.

Verse 1. Why boastest thou thyself] It is thought that Doeg boasted of his loyalty to Saul in making the above discovery; but the information was aggravated by circumstances of falsehood that tended greatly to inflame and irritate the mind of Saul. Exaggeration and lying are common to all informers.

O mighty man?] This character scarcely comports with Doeg, who was only chief of the herdsmen of Saul, 1 Samuel 21:7; but I grant this is not decisive evidence that the Psalm may not have Doeg in view, for the chief herdsman may have been a man of credit and authority.

Verse 1. Why boastest thou thyself &c. — As if thou hadst done a great exploit, which none else durst undertake; and thereby established the crown upon Saul’s head, and thyself in his favour; and frustrated all David’s designs, by striking a terror into all his friends, by this sad example; O mighty man? — He speaks ironically. O valiant captain! O glorious action! To kill a few weak and unarmed persons in the king’s presence, and under the protection of his guards. Surely thy name will be famous to all ages for such heroical courage! It seems probable that Doeg, after he had massacred the priests, boasted of his loyalty to Saul, and of having prevented the treasonable schemes which, he artfully insinuated, had been concerted by David and the priests; and that he had been liberally rewarded by Saul on account of it; and that this is the reason why the Psalm begins in thus expressing a kind of contempt of Doeg. See Dodd. The goodness of God endureth continually — Know, vain man, that I am out of the reach of thy malice. That goodness of God, which thou reproachest me for trusting in, is my sure protection, and will follow me day by day; and, surely, that same goodness, together with his forbearance and long-suffering, is wonderfully displayed in sparing thee, amidst thy complicated crimes, who art continually doing evil; while he is continually doing good.

Verse 1. Why boastest thou, oh Doeg, of thy superior loyalty to Saul, at the expense of a thousand innocent lives slaughtered in Nob. He arrayed his perfidy in the garb of virtuous patriotism.—Oh mighty man, captain of Saul’s shepherds, a captain in the army of Saul. If Doeg had thought it his duty to tell Saul of David’s calling at Nob, and no man with him, why had he not done it sooner? Why did he do it at so ill a time, and not tell the story as it was? Why did he now on the spot slay eighty five priests, when an officer of higher rank durst not do it?

1. Why boastest thou—This must be understood as an address to Doeg, not to Saul, to whom David ever observed a respectful and loyal deference. “It is bad enough to behave wickedly, but bad in the extreme to boast of it as a heroic act.”—Delitzsch. He that boasts of success in evil doing boasts of evil doing. O mighty man—Hebrew, O hero! A hero in crime. He had gained the title by slaying eighty-five priests of Nob and betraying David. This had brought him into favour with Saul as a supple tool for the accomplishment of his purposes. He was also chief of Saul’s servants. 1 Samuel 22:9. Goodness of God endureth continually—Therefore trusting in it, I shall triumph at last.

V. 2. Deviseth-Expresses what thy wicked mind had devised. Deceitfully-Doeg pretended only to vindicate himself from disloyalty, 1 Samuel 22:8, but he really intended to expose the priests, to the king’s fury.

Verse 2. Deviseth mischiefs] Lies and slanders proceeding from the tongue argue the desperate wickedness of the heart.

Like a sharp razor, working deceitfully.] Which instead of taking off the beard, cuts and wounds the flesh; or as the operator who, when pretending to trim the beard, cuts the throat.

Verse 2. Thy tongue deviseth mischief — That is, expresses what thy wicked mind had devised. Thus skilfulness is ascribed to those hands which are governed by a skilful man, Psalm 78:72. Like a sharp razor, working deceitfully — Wherewith a person, pretending only to shave off the hair, doth suddenly and unexpectedly cut a man’s throat. So Doeg, pretending only to vindicate himself from the imputation of disloyalty, 1 Samuel 22:8, really intended to expose the priests, who were friends to David, to the king’s fury and cruelty.

Verse 3. Thou lovest evil] This was a finished character. Let us note the particulars: 1. He boasted in the power to do evil. 2. His tongue devised, studied, planned, and spoke mischiefs. 3. He was a deceitful worker. 4. He loved evil and not good. 5. He loved lying; his delight was in falsity. 6. Every word that tended to the destruction of others he loved. 7. His tongue was deceitful; he pretended friendship while his heart was full of enmity, Psalm 52:1-4. Now behold the punishment:—

3. Evil more than good—The sense is, evil and not good, falsehood and not speaking “righteousness.” The good and the true were not loved at all.

Verses 4, 5. Thou lovest all devouring words — Hebrew, [lb yrbd, dibree balang, all the words of devouring, or destruction; that is, such calumnies as are the most pernicious in their nature, and as may most effectually involve others in utter destruction: such as might swallow up and destroy a whole family at once. God shall likewise destroy thee for ever — That is, totally and unavoidably, as thou didst destroy the priests. He shall pluck thee — Violently, irresistibly, and suddenly remove thee, as the word Ëjsy, jissachacha, signifies; out of thy dwelling-place — From thy house and lands, and all the wages of thy unrighteousness. Or, out of his, that is, the Lord’s tabernacle, from which thou didst cut off the Lord’s priests. Therefore God shall excommunicate thee from his presence, and from the society of the faithful. And though thou seemest to have taken very deep root, and to be more firmly settled in this barbarous cruelty; yet God shall root thee out of the land of the living, out of this world; shall pluck thee up by the very roots, and destroy thee, both root and branch. Which must have been very terrible to him who had his whole portion in this life.

4. All devouring words—Literally, all words that gulp down. Words which swallow a man, as a voracious animal gulps his food without mastication. All such words of falsehood this “hero” in crime and perfidy loved, and none others. It is evident that Doeg was a man of marked ability, and of artful, insinuating address.

V. 5. Pluck thee-Violently and suddenly as the Hebrew word signifies, from thy house and lands, and all the wages of thy righteousness. Root-Though thou seemest to have taken deep root, yet God shall pluck thee up by the very roots, and destroy thee both root and branch.

Verse 5. God shall likewise destroy thee] 1. God shall set himself to destroy thee; Ëxty yittotscha, “he will pull down thy building;” he shall unroof it, dilapidate, and dig up thy foundation. 2. He shall bruise or break thee to pieces for ever; thou shalt have neither strength, consistence, nor support. 3. He will mow thee down, and sweep thee away like dust or chaff, or light hay in a whirlwind, so that thou shalt be scattered to all the winds of heaven. Thou shalt have no residence, no tabernacle: that shall be entirely destroyed. Thou shalt be rooted out for ever from the land of the living. The bad fruit which it has borne shall bring God’s curse upon the tree; it shall not merely wither, or die, but it shall be plucked up from the roots, intimating that such a sinner shall die a violent death. Selah. So it shall be, and so it ought to be.

Verses 4, 5. Thou lovest all devouring words — Hebrew, [lb yrbd, dibree balang, all the words of devouring, or destruction; that is, such calumnies as are the most pernicious in their nature, and as may most effectually involve others in utter destruction: such as might swallow up and destroy a whole family at once. God shall likewise destroy thee for ever — That is, totally and unavoidably, as thou didst destroy the priests. He shall pluck thee — Violently, irresistibly, and suddenly remove thee, as the word Ëjsy, jissachacha, signifies; out of thy dwelling-place — From thy house and lands, and all the wages of thy unrighteousness. Or, out of his, that is, the Lord’s tabernacle, from which thou didst cut off the Lord’s priests. Therefore God shall excommunicate thee from his presence, and from the society of the faithful. And though thou seemest to have taken very deep root, and to be more firmly settled in this barbarous cruelty; yet God shall root thee out of the land of the living, out of this world; shall pluck thee up by the very roots, and destroy thee, both root and branch. Which must have been very terrible to him who had his whole portion in this life.

Ver. 5. God shall likewise destroy thee for ever. This curse must be regarded as a just sentence of heaven, that this wicked man should lose his rank, his riches, his lands, and his house be desecrated for ever.

5-7. These verses describe the downfall of this wicked man. God shall… destroy thee—Literally, God shall break thee down: cause thee to fall with a crash. Sudden and irretrievable ruin would end his boastful career of crime. For ever—The fall of the wicked is without relief or hope. Pluck thee out of thy dwellingplace… root thee out of the land—Descriptions of the utter extirpation of his plans and social standing.

V. 6. Fear-Reverence God’s just judgment.

Verse 6. The righteous also shall see, and fear] The thing shall be done in the sight of the saints; they shall see God’s judgments on the workers of iniquity; and they shall fear a God so holy and just, and feel the necessity of being doubly on their guard lest they fall into the same condemnation. But instead of waryyw veyirau, “and they shall fear,” three of Kennicott’s and Deuteronomy Rossi’s MSS., with the Syriac, have wjmcyw veyismachu, “and shall rejoice;” and, from the following words, “and shall laugh at him,” this appears to be the true reading, for laughing may be either the consequence or accompaniment of rejoicing.

Verses 6, 7. The righteous also shall see — Namely, thy remarkable downfall, and, consequently, shall survive thee, in spite of all thy malice and violence against them; and fear — Shall reverence God’s just judgment upon thee, and be afraid of provoking him. And shall laugh at him — Not taking pleasure in his ruin, considered in itself, but only in the glory of God’s justice vindicated thereby, (Revelation 18:20,) and deriding his vain and carnal confidence in his wicked courses. “The peculiar judgments of God, executed upon exemplary offenders, who have been guilty of treachery, rapine, and murder, good men will carefully observe; and observe, though with awe, yet thankfulness; not that they rejoice to see the punishments and miseries of mankind, separately considered; no person of humanity taking pleasure in the execution of criminals as such; but as the administration of justice is always a right, and, so far, a pleasant thing; as instances of God’s vengeance are sometimes necessary to keep men in tolerable order; and as the cutting off such kind of incorrigible offenders prevents them from doing further mischiefs, and is so far a public and common blessing to mankind. It was therefore impossible that any good man, who had seen the crimes of this treacherous and bloody Edomite retaliated on him by Divine Providence, should do otherwise than approve so righteous a retribution, and when he observed it, forbear to say, as in verse 7, Lo, this is the man, &c.” — The great and famous man, that made not God his strength — That trusted in and feared Saul more than God, and was willing to purchase Saul’s favour with God’s displeasure; but trusted in the abundance of his riches — Thought himself secure in his great and growing wealth without God’s protection or blessing. “Observe the fate of this haughty slanderer and murderer! Where now are all his boasted riches and prosperity?” He and they are separated for ever! See Dodd and Chandler.

6. The righteous… shall see, and fear—They shall be filled with awe and reverence at the signal judgments of God, whereby the turpitude of sin and the holiness and justice of God are made manifest. To deter men from sin, and to inspire confidence in the rewarding government of God towards the righteous, are the chief exemplary ends of moral punishment. See Deuteronomy 13:11; 17:3; 19:20; Revelation 15:4. And shall laugh at him—Not as a vanquished enemy, which the Old Testament morality forbade, (Job 31:29, 30; Proverbs 17:5; 24:14,) but at the impotence of his futile schemes as against the rule of God. See on Psalm 2:4; 58:10, 11.

Verse 7. Made not God his strength] Did not make God his portion. In the abundance of his riches] Literally, in the multiplication of his riches. He had got much, he hoped to get more, and expected that his happiness would multiply as his riches multiplied. And this is the case with most rich men.

Strengthened himself in his wickedness.] Loved money instead of God; and thus his depravity, being increased, was strengthened. Crescit amor nummi, quantum ipsa pecunia crescit.

“In proportion to the increase of wealth, so is the love of it.” Where is the religious man, in whose hands money has multiplied, who has not lost the spirit of piety in the same ratio? To prevent this, and the perdition to which it leads, there is no way but opening both hands to the poor.

Verses 6, 7. The righteous also shall see — Namely, thy remarkable downfall, and, consequently, shall survive thee, in spite of all thy malice and violence against them; and fear — Shall reverence God’s just judgment upon thee, and be afraid of provoking him. And shall laugh at him — Not taking pleasure in his ruin, considered in itself, but only in the glory of God’s justice vindicated thereby, (Revelation 18:20,) and deriding his vain and carnal confidence in his wicked courses. “The peculiar judgments of God, executed upon exemplary offenders, who have been guilty of treachery, rapine, and murder, good men will carefully observe; and observe, though with awe, yet thankfulness; not that they rejoice to see the punishments and miseries of mankind, separately considered; no person of humanity taking pleasure in the execution of criminals as such; but as the administration of justice is always a right, and, so far, a pleasant thing; as instances of God’s vengeance are sometimes necessary to keep men in tolerable order; and as the cutting off such kind of incorrigible offenders prevents them from doing further mischiefs, and is so far a public and common blessing to mankind. It was therefore impossible that any good man, who had seen the crimes of this treacherous and bloody Edomite retaliated on him by Divine Providence, should do otherwise than approve so righteous a retribution, and when he observed it, forbear to say, as in verse 7, Lo, this is the man, &c.” — The great and famous man, that made not God his strength — That trusted in and feared Saul more than God, and was willing to purchase Saul’s favour with God’s displeasure; but trusted in the abundance of his riches — Thought himself secure in his great and growing wealth without God’s protection or blessing. “Observe the fate of this haughty slanderer and murderer! Where now are all his boasted riches and prosperity?” He and they are separated for ever! See Dodd and Chandler.

7. The righteous now speak. Lo, this is the man—Literally, Behold the strong man, or the hero. The same word is rendered, in verse 1, “mighty man.” The moral points in the history of this fallen man are, He made not God his strength; he trusted in the abundance of his riches, for acquiring which his office and rank gave great opportunity, 1 Samuel 21:7; 22:9; and he strengthened himself in his wickedness; that is, in the success of his wicked devices. Worldly men might ascribe his downfall to political causes, as the death of Saul and the transfer of the kingdom to David, but faith discerns in it the avenging hand of God.

V. 8. The house-In God’s church, or among his people.

Verse 8. But I am like a green olive-tree in the house of God] I shall be in the house of God, full of spiritual vigour, bringing forth evergreen leaves and annual fruit, as the olive does when planted in a proper soil and good situation. It does not mean that there were olive-trees planted in God’s house; but he was in God’s house, as the olive was in its proper place and soil.

I trust in the mercy of God] The wicked man trusts in his riches: I trust in my God. He, like a bad tree, bringing forth poisonous fruit, shall be cursed, and pulled up from the roots; I, like a healthy olive in a good soil, shall, under the influence of God’s mercy, bring forth fruit to his glory. As the olive is ever green, so shall I flourish in the mercy of God for ever and ever.

Verse 8. I am like a green olive-tree — When Doeg and his brethren shall wither and perish, I, who have made God my refuge; I, whom he despised and persecuted, and thought to be in a desperate condition, shall be established and flourish; in the house of God — In God’s church, and among his people; or, in God’s tabernacle, from which Doeg shall be plucked away; but to which, I doubt not, I shall be restored. “One principal part of the happiness David promised himself was, that he should have a constant admission to the house of God, and the solemnities of his worship there; notwithstanding he was now driven from it by the malice of his enemies.” As “the olive-tree is an evergreen, and therefore of long duration,” and as it also “propagates itself by fresh shoots, being thus far, as it were, immortal; hence the psalmist compares himself to it, to denote the stability and perpetuity of his prosperity, and that of his family; adding, I trust in the mercy of God for ever and ever — His promises shall never fail; nor shall those who hate me rejoice over me in my destruction.”

Ver. 8. I am like a green olive tree, a fruit-tree bearing olives, and verdant all the year, while the roots of Doeg wither, and are not found.—For reflections on this sad case, see 1 Samuel 21. 22. They teach the righteous to fear God’s justice, and expect the punishment of the wicked. The fall of the priests was soon followed by the fall of Doeg and his house.

8. But I am like a green olive tree—The contrast now appears between the psalmist and his enemies. These had been uprooted, (verse 5,) he had taken deeper root and had sent out a more fruitful branch. The olive was the emblem of peace, riches, prosperity and beauty, Genesis 8:11; Habakkuk 3:17; Hosea 14:6. In the house of God—The idea of the “olive tree in the house of God,” Stanley suggests, is borrowed from the choice trees, (among which was “the venerable olive,”) planted of old in the sacred enclosure of the temple, and then, as now in the same place, (the Harem es-Sherif, or noble Sanctuary of the Moslems,) proverbial for their beauty and sanctity. David knew no piety that was not rooted in God, and fed by the ordinances of his house. Though now exiled and persecuted, he was in union and fellowship with all lovers of the true Church.

V. 9. Thou hast-Destroyed mine and thine implacable enemies, and established me in the throne, of which I am no less assured, than if it were already done. I will continue in thy way, placing my whole confidence in thy power and goodness, and faithfulness. Before-In the presence of thy saints.

Verse 9. I will praise thee for ever] Because I know that all my good comes from thee; therefore, will I ever praise thee for that good. I will wait on thy name] I will expect all my blessings from the all-sufficient Jehovah, who is eternal and unchangeable. It is good before thy saints.] It is right that I should expect a continuation of thy blessings by uniting with thy saints in using thy ordinances. Thus I shall wait.

Verse 9. I will praise thee because thou hast done it — Destroyed mine and thine implacable enemies, and established me in the throne, and in thy house, of which I am no less assured than if it were already done. And I will wait on thy name — I will continue in thy way, placing my whole trust and confidence in thy power, goodness, and faithfulness, all which are called God’s name; and I will not turn aside to any crooked path for my deliverance, as others do. For it is good before thy saints — That is, in the eyes of thy saints. They whose judgments only are to be valued approve of this practice of trusting in God, and keeping his way, as the wisest and safest course, and have ever found it so to be by their own experience.

9. Because thou hast done it—Because thou hast done what I had hoped for, namely, overthrown the wicked and vindicated and upheld the righteous. This was cause of praise and rejoicing, as it is in all ages with all lovers of God and the well-being of society. I will wait on thy name— Parallel to, I trust in the mercy of God, verse 8. The “name” of God is often used for God himself; to “wait on” his “name,” is to wait for him, for the manifestation of his glory. It is good before thy saints—That is, that men should “trust” and hope in God, and “wait” the unfolding of his plans and the rewards of his righteousness.