15 But they took pleasure in my trouble, and came together, yes, low persons came together against me without my knowledge; they never came to an end of wounding me.
For my haters are waiting secretly for me; and those who are watching for my soul are banded together in their evil designs, Saying, God has given him up; go after him and take him, for he has no helper.
And those who went by said bitter words to him, shaking their heads and saying, You who would give the Temple to destruction and put it up again in three days, get yourself free: if you are the Son of God, come down from the cross. In the same way, the chief priests, making sport of him, with the scribes and those in authority, said, A saviour of others, he has no salvation for himself. If he is the King of Israel, let him now come down from the cross, and we will have faith in him. He put his faith in God; let God be his saviour now, if he will have him; for he said, I am the Son of God. And the thieves who were on the crosses said evil words to him.
Then the ruler's armed men took Jesus into the open square, and got all their band together. And they took off his clothing, and put on him a red robe. And they made a crown of thorns and put it on his head, and put a rod in his right hand, and they went down on their knees before him, and made sport of him, saying, Long life to the King of the Jews. And they put shame on him, and gave him blows on the head with the rod.
Do not be glad at the fall of your hater, and let not your heart have joy at his downfall: For fear that the Lord may see it, and it may be evil in his eyes, and his wrath may be turned away from him.
Let them not say in their hearts, So we will have it: let them not say, We have put an end to him. Let all those who take pleasure in my troubles be shamed and come to nothing: let those who are lifted up against me be covered with shame and have no honour.
But now those who are younger than I make sport of me; those whose fathers I would not have put with the dogs of my flocks. Of what use is the strength of their hands to me? all force is gone from them. They are wasted for need of food, biting the dry earth; their only hope of life is in the waste land. They are pulling off the salt leaves from the brushwood, and making a meal of roots. They are sent out from among their townsmen, men are crying after them as thieves They have to get a resting-place in the hollows of the valleys, in holes of the earth and rocks. They make noises like asses among the brushwood; they get together under the thorns. They are sons of shame, and of men without a name, who have been forced out of the land. And now I have become their song, and I am a word of shame to them. I am disgusting to them; they keep away from me, and put marks of shame on me. For he has made loose the cord of my bow, and put me to shame; he has sent down my flag to the earth before me. The lines of his men of war put themselves in order, and make high their ways of destruction against me:
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible » Commentary on Psalms 35
Commentary on Psalms 35 Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
PSALM 35
Ps 35:1-28. The Psalmist invokes God's aid, contrasting the hypocrisy, cunning, and malice of his enemies with his integrity and generosity. The imprecations of the first part including a brief notice of their conduct, the fuller exposition of their hypocrisy and malice in the second, and the earnest prayer for deliverance from their scornful triumph in the last, are each closed (Ps 35:9, 10, 18, 27, 28) with promises of praise for the desired relief, in which his friends will unite. The historical occasion is probably 1Sa 24:1-22.
1-3. God is invoked in the character of a warrior (Ex 15:3; De 32:41).
3. fight against—literally, "devour my devourers."
stop the way against—literally, "shut up" (the way), to meet or oppose, &c.
I … thy salvation—who saves thee.
4. (Compare Ps 9:17).
devise my hurt—purpose for evil to me.
5, 6. (Compare Ps 1:4)—a terrible fate; driven by wind on a slippery path in darkness, and hotly pursued by supernatural violence (2Sa 24:16; Ac 12:23).
7, 8. net in a pit—or, "pit of their net"—or, "net-pit," as "holy hill" for "hill of holiness" (Ps 2:6); a figure from hunting (Ps 7:15). Their imprecations on impenitent rebels against God need no vindication; His justice and wrath are for such; His mercy for penitents. Compare Ps 7:16; 11:5, on the peculiar fate of the wicked here noticed.
10. All my bones—every part.
him that spoileth him—(Compare Ps 10:2).
11. False witnesses—literally, "Witnesses of injustice and cruelty" (compare Ps 11:5; 25:19).
12-14. Though they rendered evil for good, he showed a tender sympathy in their affliction.
spoiling—literally, "bereavement." The usual modes of showing grief are made, as figures, to express his sorrow.
13. prayer … bosom—may denote either the posture—the head bowed—(compare 1Ki 18:42)—or, that the prayer was in secret. Some think there is a reference to the result—the prayer would benefit him if not them.
14. behaved—literally, "went on"—denoting his habit.
heavily—or, "squalidly," his sorrowing occasioning neglect of his person. Altogether, his grief was that of one for a dearly loved relative.
15, 16. On the contrary, they rejoiced in his affliction. Halting, or, "lameness," as in Ps 38:17 for any distress.
abjects—either as cripples (compare 2Sa 4:4), contemptible; or, degraded persons, such as had been beaten (compare Job 30:1-8).
I knew it not—either the persons, or, reasons of such conduct.
tear me, and ceased not—literally, "were not silent"—showing that the tearing meant slandering.
16. mockers—who were hired to make sport at feasts (Pr 28:21).
17. darling—(Compare Ps 22:20, 21).
18. (Compare Ps 22:22).
19. enemies wrongfully—by false and slanderous imputations.
wink with the eye—an insulting gesture (Pr 6:13).
without a cause—manifests more malice than having a wrong cause.
20. deceitful matters—or, "words of deceit."
quiet in the land—the pious lovers of peace.
21. On the gesture compare Ps 22:7; and on the expressions of malicious triumph, compare Ps 10:13; 28:3.
23, 24. (Compare Ps 7:6; 26:1; 2Th 1:6). God's righteous government is the hope of the pious and terror of the wicked.
25. swallowed him up—utterly destroyed him (Ps 21:9; La 2:16).
26. clothed—covered wholly (Job 8:22).
27. favour … cause—delight in it, as vindicated by Thee.
Let the Lord, &c.—Let Him be greatly praised for His care of the just.
28. In this praise of God's equitable government (Ps 5:8) the writer promises ever to engage.