2 For the mouth of the sinner is open against me in deceit: his tongue has said false things against me.
And Absalom would say to him, See, your cause is true and right; but no man has been named by the king to give you a hearing. And more than this, Absalom said, If only I was made judge in the land, so that every man who has any cause or question might come to me, and I would give a right decision for him! And if any man came near to give him honour, he took him by the hand and gave him a kiss. And this Absalom did to everyone in Israel who came to the king to have his cause judged: so Absalom, like a thief, took away the hearts of the men of Israel. Now at the end of four years, Absalom said to the king, Let me go to Hebron and give effect to the oath which I made to the Lord: For while I was living in Geshur in Aram, your servant made an oath, saying, If ever the Lord lets me come back to Jerusalem, I will give him worship in Hebron.
False statements against me have come to my ears; fear was on every side: they were talking together against me, designing to take away my life.
Let the false lips be shut, which say evil against the upright, looking down on him in their pride.
O Lord, be the saviour of my soul from false lips, and from the tongue of deceit. What punishment will he give you? what more will he do to you, you false tongue?
Their tongues are sharp like the tongue of a snake; the poison of snakes is under their lips. (Selah.)
True lips are certain for ever, but a false tongue is only for a minute.
The heart of the upright gives thought to his answer; but from the mouth of the evil-doer comes a stream of evil things.
Everyone will make sport of his neighbour with deceit, not saying what is true: their tongues have been trained to say false words; they are twisted, hating to come back.
Now the chief priests and all the Sanhedrin were looking for false witness against Jesus, so that they might put him to death; And they were not able to get it, though a number of false witnesses came. But later there came two who said, This man said, I am able to give the Temple of God to destruction, and to put it up again in three days. And the high priest got up and said to him, Have you no answer? what is it which these say against you?
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible » Commentary on Psalms 109
Commentary on Psalms 109 Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
PSALM 109
Ps 109:1-31. The writer complains of his virulent enemies, on whom he imprecates God's righteous punishment, and to a prayer for a divine interposition in his behalf appends the expression of his confidence and a promise of his praises. This Psalm is remarkable for the number and severity of its imprecations. Its evident typical character (compare Ps 109:8) justifies the explanation of these already given, that as the language of David respecting his own enemies, or those of Christ, it has respect not to the penitent, but to the impenitent and implacable foes of good men, and of God and His cause, whose inevitable fate is thus indicated by inspired authority.
1. God of my praise—its object, thus recognizing God as a certain helper. Be not silent (compare Ps 17:13; 28:1).
2. For the mouth … opened—or, "They have opened a wicked mouth"
against me—literally, "with me," that is, Their intercourse is lying, or, they slander me to my face (Mt 26:59).
3. (Compare Ps 35:7; 69:4).
4, 5. They return evil for good (compare Ps 27:12; Pr 17:13).
I give myself unto prayer—or literally, "I (am) prayer," or, "as for me, prayer," that is, it is my resource for comfort in distress.
6. over him—one of his enemies prominent in malignity (Ps 55:12).
let Satan stand—as an accuser, whose place was the right hand of the accused (Zec 3:1, 2).
7. The condemnation is aggravated when prayer for relief is treated as a sin.
8. The opposite blessing is long life (Ps 91:16; Pr 3:2). The last clause is quoted as to Judas by Peter (Ac 1:20).
office—literally, "charge," Septuagint, and Peter, "oversight" [1Pe 5:2].
9, 10. Let his family share the punishment, his children be as wandering beggars to prowl in their desolate homes, a greedy and relentless creditor grasp his substance, his labor, or the fruit of it, enure to strangers and not his heirs, and his unprotected, fatherless children fall in want, so that his posterity shall utterly fail.
13. posterity—literally, "end," as in Ps 37:38, or, what comes after; that is, reward, or success, or its expectation, of which posterity was to a Jew a prominent part.
14, 15. Let the iniquity of his fathers be remembered, &c.—Added to the terrible overthrow following his own sin, let there be the imputation of his parents' guilt, that it may now come before God, for His meting out its full consequences, in cutting off the memory of them (that is, the parents) from the earth (Ps 34:16).
16. Let God remember guilt, because he (the wicked) did not remember mercy.
poor and needy … broken in heart—that is, pious sufferer (Ps 34:18; 35:10; 40:17).
17-19. Let his loved sin, cursing, come upon him in punishment (Ps 35:8), thoroughly fill him as water and oil, permeating to every part of his system (compare Nu 5:22-27), and become a garment and a girdle for a perpetual dress.
20. Let this … reward—or, "wages," pay for labor, the fruit of the enemy's wickedness.
from the Lord—as His judicial act.
21, 22. do … for me—that is, kindness.
wounded—literally, "pierced" (Ps 69:16, 29).
23. like the shadow—(Compare Ps 102:11).
tossed up and down—or, "driven" (Ex 10:19).
24, 25. Taunts and reproaches aggravate his afflicted and feeble state (Ps 22:6, 7).
26, 27. Let my deliverance glorify Thee (compare Ps 59:13).
28-31. In confidence that God's blessing would come on him, and confusion and shame on his enemies (Ps 73:13), he ceases to regard their curses, and anticipates a season of joyful and public thanksgiving; for God is near to protect (Ps 16:8; 34:6) the poor from all unrighteous judges who may condemn him.