THIS is an alphabetical psalm, and, like others of the same kind (see above, on Ps. 25), consists of variations on the theme propounded in the two first verses, namely, the idea, that the sinner is a self-destroyer, and therefore not an object of envy or revenge to the righteous, who may safely leave the punishment of his enemies, and the vindication of his own cause, in the hands of God. The whole psalm seems to have reference to David’s own experience in the case of Saul, Nabal, Absalom, Ahithophel, and others. See especially 1 Sam. 25:39. The psalm, from its aphoristic form, bears a very strong resemblance to the book of Proverbs, and may have been the model on which it was constructed. The alphabetical arrangement, as in other cases of the same kind, is not perfect. Most of the letters have two verses each, but one has three, three have only one, and the letter ע is omitted.
1. Fret not thyself at evil-doers; be not envious at workers of iniquity. The first Hebrew verb is a reflexive form, and strictly means to heat one’s self with anger. It occurs only here and in Prov. 24:19, where there is obvious allusion to this verse, as there is also in ver. 1 of the same chapter, and in chap. 3:31, 23:17 of the same book.—Be not envious at, do not envy, the original verb being almost always construed with a preposition. Evil-doers in the Hebrew is a participle, and literally means those making evil, i.e. making their own conduct so. Workers, or more simply, doers of iniquity. The last noun, according to its etymology, denotes perversion, depravation, or depravity.
2. For like the grass (in) haste shall they be mown, and like the green herb shall they fade (or wither). This verse assigns the reason of the exhortation in the one before it. Why should we vex ourselves or indulge an envious feeling towards that which is so soon to perish, and is therefore rather an object of compassion? These two verses contain the theme, of which the rest is a protracted variation.—In haste, soon, quickly. The preposition is expressed before the same noun in Eccles. 4:12, but suppressed as here, in many other places, e.g. Num. 17:11, (16:46), Deut. 11:17.—The green herb, literally greenness of herbage, the second noun denoting the young tender grass, or the first growth of other plants. See above, on Ps. 23:2. The verb at the end of the sentence is the same with that in Ps. 1:3.
3. Trust in Jehovah and do good; inhabit the land and feed (on) truth. The leading verb of each clause suggests the idea of security, the first sometimes meaning to be safe (Prov. 11:15), and the second to repose (Deut. 33:20, Ps. 55:7). Trust securely, dwell at ease or in safety. To do good is not merely to perform acts of kindness and promote the happiness of others, but in a wider sense, to do what is morally good or right. See above, on Ps. 36:4 (3). The land is the land of promise, a secure abode in which is often used as a comprehensive expression for all the covenanted blessings of the chosen people. See Prov. 2:21, 10:30. The verb feed, in Hebrew as in English, is used both transitively, and intransitively, to denote the act of the shepherd and his flock respectively. Here it means to feed upon anything with delight, as in Hosea 12:2 (1), Isa. 44:20. The truth thus fed upon is God’s truth and faithfulness in the performance of his promise. See above, on Ps. 36:6 (5). This last clause has the force, though not the form, of a promise, and is so paraphrased in many versions. A less excusable departure from the form of the original is the explanation of אֱמוּנָה as an adverb (verily), thus depriving the verb of its object and the clause of its chief emphasis, which lies in representing the veracity of God, or the certain fulfilment of his promise, as the very food by which the believer is sustained and his hope nourished.
4. And delight thyself in Jehovah, and he will give thee the requests of thy heart. Here too the command implies a promise, which is afterwards expressed. Delight thyself seek and find thy happiness, in Jehovah, literally upon him, the form of expression suggesting the idea of dependence and reliance, as well as that of union and communion. Requests, not mere desires, but askings, prayers. Compare Ps. 20:6 (5), 21:3 (2).
5. Roll upon Jehovah thy way, and trust upon him, and he will do (it). This last expression shews that the way is something to be done, and accordingly we find in Prov. 16:3, the explanatory variation, roll to (or on) the Lord thy works, i.e. what thou hast to do but canst not do it, metaphorically represented as a burden too heavy for the person bearing it, and therefore rolled upon the shoulders of another. See above, on Ps. 22:9 (8), and below, on Ps. 55:23 (22), and compare 1 Peter 5:7.—Trust upon him, a phrase more suggestive of dependence than trust in him. See above, on ver. 4.—He will do what thou canst not do, or whatever must be done. See above, on Ps. 22:32 (31).
6. And (will) bring out thy right like the light, and thy cause like the noon. He will espouse thy cause, and make it triumph in the sight of all men. The figure of light suggests the double idea of relief from suffering and clear revelation after long concealment. Compare Job 11:17, Isa. 58:8, Mic. 7:9.—The Hebrew word for noon is of the dual form, and properly denotes twofold or double light, i.e. the brightest, the most intense.
7. Be silent to Jehovah, await in silence what he is about to do, without impatient clamor or presumptuous interference. Compare Exod. 14:13, 2 Chron. 20:17. And wait for him, allow him time to act, instead of attempting to act for him. Fret not thyself, as in ver. 1, heat not thyself with anger, at (one) prospering his way, making his way prosperous, i.e. succeeding in his course of life. See above, on Ps. 1:1, 3. At a man doing, i.e. practicing or executing, plans or plots, as the Hebrew word has constantly a bad sense. Let no success or prosperity of sinners tempt thee to anticipate God’s righteous judgments.
8. Cease from anger, and forsake wrath; fret not thyself only to do evil. Do not indulge a passion which can only make thee a partaker in the guilt of those who are its objects.
9. For evil-doers shall be cut off. This is a twofold reason for obeying the injunction of the preceding verse: first, because the certain destruction of the wicked made such anger unnecessary as well as uncharitable; secondly, because the same destruction would befall the servant of the Lord, if he indulged an anger tending only to evil. And (those) waiting for Jehovah, patiently expecting the fulfilment of his promises and threatenings. As for them, they, with emphasis on the pronoun, shall inherit the land, the land of promise, the common formula for covenanted blessings. See above, on ver. 3, and on Ps. 25:13.
10. And yet a little, i.e. ere long, soon—bear and forbear a little longer—and the wicked is not, or there is no wicked, there is no such person as the wicked man who seemed so prosperous—and thou shalt gaze, or look attentively, upon his place, the place which he now occupies, and it is not, his very place has disappeared—or referring the pronoun to the person, he is not, he is no more. Why then be discomposed, and even tempted into sin, by the sight of what is so soon to vanish?
11. And the humble, or, as we should say in our idiom, but the humble, on the other hand, on their part, as contrasted both with the presumptuous sinner and the impatient querulous believer. The humble, here put for the whole class of submissive waiters upon God. For the true meaning of the Hebrew word, see above, on Ps. 9:13 (12).—Shall inherit the land, possess it by a filial right, be heirs to all the blessings of the covenant. See above, on ver. 3, 9.—And delight themselves, enjoy themselves, be happy, as in ver. 4, above.—In abundance, or increase, the infinitive of a verb which means to be increased or multiplied, and which occurs above, in Ps. 3:2 (1).—Of peace, in the wide sense of prosperity, well-being, as opposed to want and suffering, and not merely of repose or quiet, as opposed to strife and perturbation.
12. Plotting, habitually meditating evil, (is the) wicked (man), as to (or against) the righteous, and gnashing at him (or upon him) with his teeth, gnashing his teeth at him, as a natural token of bestial malignity. This is a kind of concession, that the wicked man deserves no forbearance on the part of the righteous, who is not, however, therefore at liberty to anticipate God’s judgments, for the reason given in the next verse.
13. The Lord, the sovereign of the universe, as well as the protector of his people, laughs, or will laugh, at him, with derisive pity. See above, on Ps. 2:4.—For, because, he sees, he has already seen, as something fixed and certain, that his day, his own appointed day of vengeance, or more probably, the sinner’s day of punishment, will come, is coming. However long it may be put off, God knows that it will come at last, a fearful intimation of the certainty of future retribution. Compare Eccles. 8:11, 2 Pet. 3:4, Heb. 10:37.
14. The sword, put for all offensive weapons, and indeed for all destructive agents. See above, on Ps. 22:21 (20).—They have opened, i.e. loosened or uncovered, drawn.—The wicked, the whole class of evil-doers, whose destruction he had just foretold.—And have trodden, i.e. bent by treading on it. See above, on Ps. 7:13 (12).—Their bow, often coupled with the sword, both in prose, as being literally the other most familiar implement of ancient warfare, and in poetry, as a parallel figure for destructive hostility.—To make fall, cast down, overthrow, the sufferer, the afflicted. See above, on Ps. 9:13 (12).—And the poor, the destitute or needy one, a more specific term, often added to the generic one, which here precedes it. In all such cases, it is implied that the sufferers are the suffering righteous, the afflicted people of Jehovah.—To slay, or slaughter. The original expression is a very strong one, being properly applied to the slaughtering of cattle. See Exod. 21:37, 22:1, 1 Sam. 25:11. So in English a sanguinary battle is described as a great slaughter.—The straight, straightforward, upright, or sincere, (in) way, a common figure for the course of life or the habitual conduct. See above, on Ps. 1:1. The mention of this moral quality confirms the explanation just given of the suffering and needy, not as such considered, but as sufferers in the cause of truth and righteousness, as suffering for God and from the malice of his enemies.
15. Their sword, the sword of these malignant foes, shall go into their heart, their own heart. They shall be destroyed by the very means which they prepared for the destruction of their betters. This idea of a providential lex talionis is one repeatedly expressed under various figurative forms. See above, Ps. 7:16, 17 (15, 16), 9:16, 17 (15, 16), and below, Ps. 57:7 (6), and compare the imitation in Prov. 26:27, and the historical example afforded by the case of Haman, Esther 7:10.—And their bows, the parallel expression, as in ver. 14, for their implements of warfare and destruction, shall be broken, rendered useless. The substitution of the plural for the singular, and of a single verb for the expected repetition of the first clause, adds greatly to the force and beauty of the passage.
16. Good is a little to the righteous, which, in our idiom, means, better is a little that the righteous has. This clause exemplifies two remarkable deficiencies of the Hebrew language, the want of a distinct form for the comparative degree, which can only be suggested by construction or the context, and the want of the verb have, which is common to the whole Semitic family of languages.—Than the noise, tumult, turmoil, which attends the acquisition and the care of great possessions. That the Hebrew word (המוןִ) denotes this incident of wealth rather than wealth itself, may be inferred, not only from its etymology and its use in 1 Sam. 4:14, 14:19, 1 Kings 18:41, &c., but from the analogy of Ps. 39:7 (6), and Prov. 15:16.—Of many wicked, whose noisy and vexatious wealth is here contrasted with the quiet enjoyment of one righteous man, not only with respect to present ease of mind, but also to their future destiny, as stated in the next verse.
17. For the arms of the wicked shall be broken. The ambiguity of our word arms has nothing corresponding to it in the Hebrew, where the only possible sense is that of arms as members of the body. Not only their weapons, but their arms, not only their implements of death, but the strength with which they wielded them, is broken, weakened, rendered useless.—And, or, as our idiom requires an adversative in such connections, but sustaining the righteous, their habitual supporter, (is) Jehovah, the divine name being placed emphatically at the close, a feature copied in the ancient versions, but obliterated in most modern ones.
18. Knowing, habitually, always knowing, (is) Jehovah, i.e. Jehovah knows.—The days, the life, including both duration and events. Compare Ps. 31:16 (15).—Of perfect (men), those free from essential defect or obliquity of character. See above, on Ps. 18:24 (23). The epithet is evidently used as an equivalent to the righteous in ver. 17. God knows their days, how long they are to live, and what is to befall them, with an implication that he knows they will be numerous and good days. See above, on Ps. 1:6. The same idea is then stated more distinctly in the last clause. And their heritage, their portion, their condition, as God’s heirs, to eternity shall be, or shall continue. While this expression would perhaps suggest to a contemporary reader nothing more than an undisturbed possession, on the part of the righteous, as contrasted with the short-lived prosperity of sinners, it necessarily conveys to our minds the idea of a literally everlasting, indefeasible inheritance. See 1 Pet. 1:4.
19. They shall not be ashamed, disappointed, or deceived in their expectations. See above, on Ps. 6:11 (10), 22:6 (5).—In an evil time, or, in a time of evil, i.e. of calamity or danger. See above, on Ps. 9:10 (9), 10:1. At such a time, their expectation of deliverance and safety shall not be frustrated.—And in days of famine, a specification of the general description, evil time, or time of evil, not unlike that of the general term, suffering or afflicted, by the specific one, poor or needy, in ver 14 above.—They shall be satisfied, or filled, but only in a good sense, without any implication of satiety or surfeit. Compare Mat. 5:6, Luke 6:21. The promise of this clause is not only specific but positive, whereas that of the first is both generic and negative. Compare Ps. 33:19.
20. This verse shews how the truth of the foregoing promises can be consistent with the actual prosperity of wicked men. Do not doubt the truth of these assurances because the wicked now seem happy, or because they now prevent your being so, by their oppressions and hostilities. For all this is soon to cease. The wicked shall perish, are to perish, and the enemies of Jehovah, another description of the same class, shewing that these judgments awaited them, not merely as the foes of the Psalmist, or of righteous men in general, but of God himself. See above, on Ps. 5:5 (4).—Like the precious (part) of lambs, i.e. the sacrificial fat, which was burnt upon the altar, they have consumed; in smoke, or into smoke, they have consumed (or vanished). The preterite form of the verb represents the predicted consummation as already past in the perceptions of the writer. Some understand by יְקַר בָּרִים the delight of lambs, i.e. their pasture, and suppose an allusion to the short-lived verdure of the fields, a common figure for the brevity of human life, which occurs near the beginning of this very psalm (ver. 2). Others obtain the same sense by explaining כָּרִים itself to mean pastures, as it seems to do in Isa. 30:23, and perhaps in Ps. 65:14 (13). It is best, however, to retain the usual and certain sense of lambs, whether the reference be to their pasture or their fat, which last is recommended by the mention of smoke in the same connection. This may indeed be an independent figure, but it is much more natural to connect it with the lambs, and understand it to denote the smoke ascending from the altar upon which they were consumed in sacrifice. In either case, however, and on any exegetical hypothesis whatever, the essential meaning of the figures is the same, to wit, that the prosperity of sinners is but short-lived, and that they themselves will vanish speedily and wholly, and are therefore in the mean time not a proper object of envious dissatisfaction or a legitimate occasion of sceptical misgiving to the righteous.
21. Borrowing, a habitual borrower, (is) the wicked, and he will not pay, i.e. he cannot, because he is reduced to poverty, whereas the righteous, under the divine blessing on his outward condition, is continually shewing mercy, doing acts of kindness, and particularly giving, supplying the necessities of others. This description of the difference between the two conditions is derived from the promise in the Law to the true Israel. “For the Lord thy God hath blessed thee as he said to thee, and thou shalt lend to many nations and thou shalt not borrow, and thou shalt rule over many nations, and over thee they shall not rule.” Deut. 15:6, 28:12, 44. Compare Prov. 22:7. This proverbial use of borrowing and lending as a sign of poverty and wealth, shews that the verse before us does not relate to willingness but to ability to lend or give. It is not the moral but the material difference of the two men, or the classes which they represent, that is here brought directly into view, although the one is really dependent on the other, as appears from the next verse.
22. For his blessed ones, those blessed by him, i.e. by God, shall inherit the land, in the same sense as before, and so be able not only to lend but to give away, and, on the other hand, or but, his cursed ones, those cursed by him, shall not only be unable to do either and dependent on the charity of others, but shall be cut off, destroyed, exterminated, with allusion no doubt to the use of the same Hebrew verb in reference to excision from the communion and the privileges of the chosen people. See Gen. 17:14, Exod. 12:15, Lev. 7:20, 21; Num. 15:30, &c., but especially Lev. 17:14, 20:17, where the verb is absolutely used in this sense as in the case before us. Thus understood, the verse assigns the blessing and the curse of God as a reason for the difference of condition mentioned in the verse preceding, whereas no such reason could be given for the difference of moral character, and the for in that case would be either out of place or unmeaning.
23. From Jehovah, by him, or by a power proceeding from him, the steps of a man, his course of life, all that befalls him, have been settled, fixed, or ordered, and in his way, a parallel expression to his steps, will he delight, i.e. he will delight to execute the plan thus formed. Although this is in form a general proposition, it is obviously meant to be applied specifically to the righteous as the objects of God’s favour, and to account for their superior prosperity, if not at present, yet hereafter.
24. For he will fall; in this life fluctuations and reverses are to be expected, and it forms no part of the divine plan to prevent them. (But) he shall not be thrown down, prostrated wholly or for ever. The contrast of a mere fall and a permanent prostration is intended to express that between occasional misfortunes and utter ruin. This clause may also be translated, when (or if) he falls he shall not be thrown down; but the construction is lees simple, and the sense given to the particle more doubtful and unusual. And although the essential meaning of the sentence is the same in either case, it is weakened by losing the concession, that even the righteous must expect to suffer, but not to perish like the wicked. For Jehovah (is) holding up his hand, or holding him up by his hand. See below, on Ps. 73:23. The participle, as usual, denotes continued action. God not only sustains him in particular emergencies, but is his habitual upholder. See above, on ver. 12, 18, 21.
25. A boy, a child, or more indefinitely, young have I been; I have also been old, am now become old; and yet, throughout this long life, I have not seen a righteous (man) forsaken (of God), i.e. finally and utterly, and his seed, his children or his more remote descendants, begging bread, subsisting on the charity of others. This is not to be absolutely understood, but as a general proposition, and with due regard to the peculiar state of things under the law of Moses, which made ample provision for the temporal comfort of every individual who acknowledged its authority and obeyed its precepts, so that entire destitution might more justly be regarded as a token of divine displeasure than it can be among us.
26. On the contrary, he has enough, not only for himself, but for his poorer neighbors. All the day (long), i.e. continually, as a habitual employment, (he is) shewing mercy, doing acts of kindness, and lending, as an act of charity, not as a commercial operation, which was unknown among the ancient Hebrews. See above, on Ps. 15:5.—And his seed (is) for a blessing, i.e. happy themselves and a source of happiness to others. The form of expression seems to be borrowed from the promise to Abraham in Gen. 12:2.
27. Depart from evil, and do good, and dwell for evermore. This is the practical application of the foregoing lessons. Evil and good are correlative and coextensive terms. As evil includes all that is morally wrong, good includes all that is morally right, and to do good is to do well or act rightly. See above, on ver. 3.—Dwell, i.e. dwell securely, as in ver. 3, where as here the exhortation or command involves a promise. For ever, literally to eternity or perpetuity. As to the idea which these expressions would convey to Jewish and to Christian readers, see above, on ver. 18.
28. For Jehovah (is) loving, he habitually loves, judgment, i.e. justice actually exercised, the doing of justice. The for assigns a reason for the strong assurance at the close of the preceding verse. No one need fear to lay hold of the promise in its widest sense; for it is not an arbitrary one, but a spontaneous expression of God’s natural essential love of moral rectitude. And, as a necessary consequence of this, he will not forsake his gracious ones, the objects of his grace or favour. For the true sense of the Hebrew word, see above, on Ps. 4:4 (3), 12:2 (1), 18:26 (25), 30:5 (4), 31:24 (23). Those whom he once favours he will not forsake. For ever, to eternity, they are kept, kept safe, preserved. The past tense of the verb is peculiarly appropriate to describe their preservation as already secured. So certain is it, that he seems to look back upon the future as already past, and says, they have been kept for ever. Here again, although a Jewish reader might have been inclined to put a lower sense upon for ever, as denoting nothing more than permanency in contrast with the fluctuations of secular prosperity, it is neither right nor possible for us to give it any but its strongest and its most extensive application. (See above, on ver. 18, and compare 1 Peter 1:5.—Equally certain is the fate of the ungodly. And the seed of wicked men (is) cut off, has already been cut off, in the divine prescience and purpose, from all participation in the blessings of the righteous. See above, on ver. 22.
29. The righteous shall inherit the land, possess the land of promise by a filial right, and dwell, securely and in peace, for ever, to eternity, upon it. See the same expressions used and explained above, on ver. 3, 9, 18, 22.
30. The mouth of the righteous will utter wisdom. Lest the foregoing promises should be appropriated by the wicked, he lays down a test of character by which the righteous man may be distinguished. He is one whose mouth utters wisdom, in the high religious sense. For the meaning of the verb, see above, on Ps. 35:28.—And his tongue will speak judgment, i.e. justice, rectitude, here used as an equivalent to wisdom, both denoting true religion, in its intellectual and moral aspects, with particular reference to its effects upon the speech or conversation of its subjects.
31. The Law of his God is in his heart, not merely on his lips, and may therefore be expected to keep him in the right way. His steps shall not swerve from the straight path, or waver in it. See above, on Ps. 37:17 (16).
32. Watching, ever watching, (is) the wicked for the righteous, for means and opportunities of injury, and seeking to kill him. The enemies of God, as all the wicked are, must needs be the enemies of his people also.
33. Jehovah will not leave him in his hand, will not abandon the righteous to the power of the wicked, and will not make him guilty, a forensic term of the Mosaic Law, meaning to regard or treat as guilty, to condemn (Exod. 22:8, 9, Deut. 25:1), in his being judged, when he is tried. The image here presented may be that of a judicial process between the righteous and the wicked at the bar of God, who will not and cannot condemn the innocent.
34. Wait thou for Jehovah, for the manifestation of his presence and his will, as in ver. 7 above. And keep his way, adhere to the path which he has marked out for thee. And he will raise thee, lift thee up, exalt thee, from thy present low condition to inherit the land, to enjoy the benefits and blessings of his covenant. See above on ver. 3, 9, 11, 30. In the excision of the wicked, when the wicked are cut off from all connection with God’s people and participation in their privileges, thou shalt see (it). Or as the verb to see, when construed with this preposition (ב), often means to see with pleasure, this clause may be translated, at the excision of the wicked thou shalt gaze, as a pleased and wondering spectator.
35. I saw a wicked (man). The issue just predicted is now made the subject of a picture, as if present to the senses. The Hebrew word which follows (עָיִיץ) means terrible, especially from one’s extraordinary strength or power, with an implication sometimes of its violent exertion. I saw (such) a wicked man, a terrible one, and spreading himself like a native (tree) i.e. one which has never been transplanted, green and flourishing. The word translated native is always elsewhere used of human subjects, but is here applied, by a bold personification, to a vigorous tree, rooted in its native soil, and seemingly immoveable.
36. And he passed (away), and lo! an expression always implying something unexpected, he was not, he was no more, there was no longer such a person. See above, on ver. 10. And I sought him. I looked round as if to see what was become of him, and he was not found, or as we might say, to be found. This verse may be referred to the tree, it passed away, I looked for it, and it could not be found. But as the tree is only introduced in the preceding verse as a comparison, it is better to regard the wicked man as the subject of both sentences.
37. Mark the perfect (man), observe him closely, and behold the upright, or straightforward. He appeals to general experience and calls upon his hearers or readers to judge for themselves. For an end, a future state, and by implication a happy one, (is) to the man of peace, who instead of undertaking to avenge himself, patiently waits for the divine interposition. The common version (for the end of that man is peace) is forbidden not only by the accents, but by the impossibility of making לְאִישׁ mean of that man, without a violation of all usage and analogy.
38. And the rebels against God, those who revolt from his authority, and cast off their allegiance to their rightful sovereign, a common scriptural description of the wicked, are destroyed together, or at once. See the use of the same adverb in Ps. 4:9 (8). This certain issue is referred to, as already past or present. See above, on ver. 28. The end, futurity, or hope, of the wicked is cut off. The futurity meant is one of happiness, as in ver. 37, the true sense of which is thus determined. The contrast presented is, that one has an end or a futurity, the other none.
39. And the salvation of the righteous, far from being wrought out by themselves, (is) from Jehovah, comes from him as its author and source. See above, on Ps. 3:9 (8). (He is) their strength, or stronghold, fortress, place of refuge and defence, as in Ps. 27:1, 28:8, 31:3, 5 (2, 4). In time of trouble, or distress. See above, on Ps. 9:10 (9), 10:1.
40. And Jehovah has helped them. It is not in name or in profession merely that he is their stronghold and protector. Jehovah has helped them and delivered them. And what he has done he will still do. He will deliver them from the wicked. The mention of this specific evil brings us back to the point from which we started, the temptation to repine at the prosperity of sinners and resent their evil treatment. But the true wisdom of the righteous is to wait, to wait for God. He will deliver them from the wicked, and will save them from all evil, as this verb when absolutely used imports, not because of any merit upon their part, but because they have trusted, taken refuge, sought for shelter, in him, not only under his protection, but in intimate union and communion with him. See above, on Ps. 2:12, 5:12 (11), 7:2 (1), 25:20, 31:2 (1).
Alexander, J. A. (1864). The Psalms Translated and Explained (pp. 159–167). Andrew Elliot; James Thin. (Public Domain)
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