1 Hear my voice, O God, in my prayer: preserve my life from fear of the enemy.
2 Hide me from the secret counsel of the wicked; from the insurrection of the workers of iniquity:
3 Who whet their tongue like a sword, and bend their bows to shoot their arrows, even bitter words:
4 That they may shoot in secret at the perfect: suddenly do they shoot at him, and fear not.
5 They encourage themselves in an evil matter: they commune of laying snares privily; they say, Who shall see them?
6 They search out iniquities; they accomplish a diligent search: both the inward thought of every one of them, and the heart, is deep.
7 But God shall shoot at them with an arrow; suddenly shall they be wounded.
8 So they shall make their own tongue to fall upon themselves: all that see them shall flee away.
9 And all men shall fear, and shall declare the work of God; for they shall wisely consider of his doing.
10 The righteous shall be glad in the LORD, and shall trust in him; and all the upright in heart shall glory.
1 [[To the chief Musician, H5329 A Psalm H4210 of David.]] H1732 Hear H8085 my voice, H6963 O God, H430 in my prayer: H7879 preserve H5341 my life H2416 from fear H6343 of the enemy. H341
2 Hide H5641 me from the secret counsel H5475 of the wicked; H7489 from the insurrection H7285 of the workers H6466 of iniquity: H205
3 Who whet H8150 their tongue H3956 like a sword, H2719 and bend H1869 their bows to shoot their arrows, H2671 even bitter H4751 words: H1697
4 That they may shoot H3384 in secret H4565 at the perfect: H8535 suddenly H6597 do they shoot H3384 at him, and fear H3372 not.
5 They encourage H2388 themselves in an evil H7451 matter: H1697 they commune H5608 of laying H2934 snares H4170 privily; H2934 they say, H559 Who shall see H7200 them?
6 They search out H2664 iniquities; H5766 they accomplish H8552 a diligent H2664 search: H2665 both the inward H7130 thought of every one H376 of them, and the heart, H3820 is deep. H6013
7 But God H430 shall shoot H3384 at them with an arrow; H2671 suddenly H6597 shall they be wounded. H4347
8 So they shall make their own tongue H3956 to fall H3782 upon themselves: all that see H7200 them shall flee away. H5074
9 And all men H120 shall fear, H3372 and shall declare H5046 the work H6467 of God; H430 for they shall wisely consider H7919 of his doing. H4639
10 The righteous H6662 shall be glad H8055 in the LORD, H3068 and shall trust H2620 in him; and all the upright H3477 in heart H3820 shall glory. H1984
1 Hear my voice, O God, in my complaint: Preserve my life from fear of the enemy.
2 Hide me from the secret counsel of evil-doers, From the tumult of the workers of iniquity;
3 Who have whet their tongue like a sword, And have aimed their arrows, even bitter words,
4 That they may shoot in secret places at the perfect: Suddenly do they shoot at him, and fear not.
5 They encourage themselves in an evil purpose; They commune of laying snares privily; They say, Who will see them?
6 They search out iniquities; We have accomplished, `say they', a diligent search: And the inward thought and the heart of every one is deep.
7 But God will shoot at them; With an arrow suddenly shall they be wounded.
8 So they shall be made to stumble, their own tongue being against them: All that see them shall wag the head.
9 And all men shall fear; And they shall declare the work of God, And shall wisely consider of his doing.
10 The righteous shall be glad in Jehovah, and shall take refuge in him; And all the upright in heart shall glory. Psalm 65 For the Chief Musician. A Psalm. A song of David.
1 To the Overseer. -- A Psalm of David. Hear, O God, my voice, in my meditation, From the fear of an enemy Thou keepest my life,
2 Hidest me from the secret counsel of evil doers, From the tumult of workers of iniquity.
3 Who sharpened as a sword their tongue, They directed their arrow -- a bitter word.
4 To shoot in secret places the perfect, Suddenly they shoot him, and fear not.
5 They strengthen for themselves an evil thing, They recount of the hiding of snares, They have said, `Who doth look at it?'
6 They search out perverse things, `We perfected a searching search,' And the inward part of man, and the heart `are' deep.
7 And God doth shoot them `with' an arrow, Sudden have been their wounds,
8 And they cause him to stumble, Against them `is' their own tongue, Every looker on them fleeth away.
9 And all men fear, and declare the work of God, And His deed they have considered wisely.
10 The righteous doth rejoice in Jehovah, And hath trusted in Him, And boast themselves do all the upright of heart!
1 {To the chief Musician. A Psalm of David.} Hear, O God, my voice in my plaint; preserve my life from fear of the enemy:
2 Hide me from the secret counsel of evil-doers, from the tumultuous crowd of the workers of iniquity,
3 Who have sharpened their tongue like a sword, [and] have aimed their arrow, a bitter word;
4 That they may shoot in secret at the perfect: suddenly do they shoot at him, and fear not.
5 They encourage themselves in an evil matter, they concert to hide snares; they say, Who will see them?
6 They devise iniquities: We have it ready, the plan is diligently sought out. And each one's inward [thought] and heart is deep.
7 But God will shoot an arrow at them: suddenly are they wounded;
8 By their own tongue they are made to fall over one another: all that see them shall flee away.
9 And all men shall fear, and shall declare God's doing; and they shall wisely consider his work.
10 The righteous shall rejoice in Jehovah, and trust in him; and all the upright in heart shall glory.
1 > Hear my voice, God, in my complaint. Preserve my life from fear of the enemy.
2 Hide me from the conspiracy of the wicked, From the noisy crowd of the ones doing evil;
3 Who sharpen their tongue like a sword, And aim their arrows, deadly words,
4 To shoot innocent men from ambushes. They shoot at him suddenly and fearlessly.
5 They encourage themselves in evil plans. They talk about laying snares secretly. They say, "Who will see them?"
6 They plot injustice, saying, "We have made a perfect plan!" Surely man's mind and heart are cunning.
7 But God will shoot at them. They will be suddenly struck down with an arrow.
8 Their own tongues shall ruin them. All who see them will shake their heads.
9 All mankind shall be afraid. They shall declare the work of God, And shall wisely ponder what he has done.
10 The righteous shall be glad in Yahweh, And shall take refuge in him. All the upright in heart shall praise him!
1 <To the chief music-maker. A Psalm. Of David.> O God, let the voice of my grief come to your ear: keep my life from the fear of those who are against me.
2 Keep me safe from the secret purpose of wrongdoers; from the band of the workers of evil;
3 Who make their tongues sharp like a sword, and whose arrows are pointed, even bitter words;
4 So that in secret they may let loose their arrows at the upright, suddenly and unseen.
5 They make themselves strong in an evil purpose; they make holes for secret nets; they say, Who will see it,
6 Or make discovery of our secret purpose? The design is framed with care; and the inner thought of a man, and his heart, is deep.
7 But God sends out an arrow against them; suddenly they are wounded.
8 The evil of their tongues is the cause of their fall; all those who see them are shaking their heads at them.
9 And in fear men make public the works of God; and giving thought to his acts they get wisdom.
10 The upright will be glad in the Lord and have hope in him; and all the lovers of righteousness will give him glory.
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Keil & Delitzsch Commentary » Commentary on Psalms 64
Commentary on Psalms 64 Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
invocation of Divine Protection against the Falseness of Men
Even Hilary begins the exposition of this Psalm with the words Psalmi superscriptio historiam non continet , in order at the outset to give up all attempt at setting forth its historical connection. The Midrash observes that it is very applicable to Daniel, who was cast into the lions' den by the satraps by means of a delicately woven plot. This is indeed true; but only because it is wanting in any specially defined features and cannot with any certainty be identified with one or other of the two great periods of suffering in the life of David.
The Psalm opens with an octostich, and closes in the same way. The infinitive noun שׂיח signifies a complaint, expressed not by the tones of pain, but in words. The rendering of the lxx (here and in Psalms 55:3) is too general, ἐν τῷ θέεσθαί με . The “terror” of the enemy is that proceeding from him ( gen. obj . as in Deuteronomy 2:15, and frequently). The generic singular אויב is at once particularized in a more detailed description with the use of the plural. סוד is a club or clique; רגשׁה (Targumic = המון , e.g., Ezekiel 30:10) a noisy crowd. The perfects after אשׁר affirm that which they now do as they have before done; cf. Psalms 140:4 and Psalms 58:8, where, as in this passage, the treading or bending of the bow is transferred to the arrow. דּבר מר is the interpretation added to the figure, as in Psalms 144:7. That which is bitter is called מר , root מר , stringere , from the harsh astringent taste; here it is used tropically of speech that wounds and inflicts pain (after the manner of an arrow or a stiletto), πικροὶ λόγοι . With the Kal לירות (Psalms 11:2) alternates the Hiph . ירהוּ . With פּתאם the description takes a new start. ולא ייראוּ , forming an assonance with the preceding word, means that they do it without any fear whatever, and therefore also without fear of God (Psalms 55:20; Psalms 25:18).
The evil speech is one with the bitter speech in Psalms 64:4, the arrow which they are anxious to let fly. This evil speech, here agreement or convention, they make firm to themselves ( sibi ), by securing, in every possible way, its effective execution. ספּר (frequently used of the cutting language of the ungodly, Psalms 59:13; Psalms 69:27; cf. Talmudic ספּר לשׁון שׁלישׁי , to speak as with three tongues, i.e., slanderously) is here construed with ל of that at which their haughty and insolent utterances aim. In connection therewith they take no heed of God, the all-seeing One: they say (ask), quis conspiciat ipsis . There is no need to take למו as being for לו (Hitzig); nor is it the dative of the object instead of the accusative, but it is an ethical dative: who will see or look to them, i.e., exerting any sort of influence upon them? The form of the question is not the direct (Psalms 59:8), but the indirect, in which מי , seq. fut ., is used in a simply future (Jeremiah 44:28) or potential sense (Job 22:17; 1 Kings 1:20). Concerning עולת , vid., Psalms 58:3. It is doubtful whether תּמּנוּ
(Note: תּמּנוּ in Baer's Psalterium is an error that has been carried over from Heidenheim's.)
is the first person (= תּמּונוּ ) as in Numbers 17:13, Jeremiah 44:18, or the third person as in Lamentations 3:22 (= תּמּוּ , which first of all resolved is תּנמוּ , and then transposed תּמּנוּ , like מעזניה = מענזיה = מעזּיה , Isaiah 23:11). The reading טמנוּ , from which Rashi proceeds, and which Luther follows in his translation, is opposed by the lxx and Targum; it does not suit the governing subject, and is nothing but an involuntary lightening of the difficulty. If we take into consideration, that תּמם signifies not to make ready, but to be ready, and that consequently חפשׂ מחפּשׂ is to be taken by itself, then it must be rendered either: they excogitate knavish tricks or villainies, “we are ready, a clever stroke is concocted, and the inward part of man and the heart is deep!” or, which we prefer, since there is nothing to indicate the introduction of any soliloquy: they excogitate knavish tricks, they are ready - a delicately devised, clever stroke (nominative of the result), and (as the poet ironically adds) the inward part of man and the heart is (verily) deep. There is nothing very surprising in the form תּמּנוּ for תּמּוּ , since the Psalms, whenever they depict the sinful designs and doings of the ungodly, delight in singularities of language. On ולב (not ולב ) = ( אישׁ ) ולב = ולבּו , cf. Psalms 118:14 .
Deep is man's heart and inward part, but not too deep for God, who knoweth the heart (Jeremiah 17:9.). And He will just as suddenly surprise the enemies of His anointed with their death-blow, as they had plotted it for him. The futt. consec . that follow represent that which is future, with all the certainty of an historical fact as a retribution springing from the malicious craftiness of the enemies. According to the accentuation, Psalms 64:8 is to be rendered: “then will Elohim shoot them, a sudden arrow become their wounds.” Thus at length Hupfeld renders it; but how extremely puzzling is the meaning hidden behind this sentence! The Targum and the Jewish expositors have construed it differently: “Then will Elohim shoot them with arrows suddenly;” in this case, however, because Psalms 64:8 then becomes too blunt and bald, פּתאם has to be repeated in thought with this member of the verse, and this is in itself an objection to it. We interpunctuate with Ewald and Hitzig thus: then does Elohim shoot them with an arrow, suddenly arise (become a reality) their wounds (cf. Micah 7:4), namely, of those who had on their part aimed the murderous weapon against the upright for a sudden and sure shot. Psalms 64:9 is still more difficult. Kimchi's interpretation, which accords with the accents: et corruere facient eam super se, linguam suam , is intolerable; the proleptic suffix, having reference to לשׁונם (Exodus 3:6; Job 33:20), ought to have been feminine (vid., on Psalms 22:16), and “to make their own tongue fall upon themselves” is an odd fancy. The objective suffix will therefore refer per enallagen to the enemy. But not thus (as Hitzig, who now seeks to get out of the difficulty by an alteration of the text, formerly rendered it): “and they cause those to fall whom they have slandered [ lit. upon whom their tongue came].” This form of retribution does not accord with the context; and moreover the gravely earnest עלימו , like the הוּ -, refers more probably to the enemies than to the objects of their hostility. The interpretation of Ewald and Hengstenberg is better: “and one overthrows him, inasmuch as their tongue, i.e., the sin of their tongue with which they sought to destroy others, comes upon themselves.” The subject to ויּכשׁילהוּ , as in Psalms 63:11; Job 4:19; Job 7:3; Luke 12:20, is the powers which are at the service of God, and which are not mentioned at all; and the thought עלימו לשׁונם (a circumstantial clause) is like Psalms 140:10, where in a similar connection the very same singularly rugged lapidary, or terse, style is found. In Psalms 64:9 we must proceed on the assumption that ראה ב in such a connection signifies the gratification of looking upon those who are justly punished and rendered harmless. But he who tarries to look upon such a scene is certainly not the person to flee from it; התנודד does not here mean “to betake one's self to flight” (Ewald, Hitzig), but to shake one's self, as in Jeremiah 48:27, viz., to shake the head (Psalms 44:15; Jeremiah 18:16) - the recognised (vid., Psalms 22:8) gesture of malignant, mocking astonishment. The approbation is awarded, according to Psalms 64:10, to God, the just One. And with the joy at His righteous interposition, - viz. of Him who has been called upon to interpose, - is combined a fear of the like punishment. The divine act of judicial retribution now set forth becomes a blessing to mankind. From mouth to mouth it is passed on, and becomes an admonitory nota bene. To the righteous in particular it becomes a consolatory and joyous strengthening of his faith. The judgment of Jahve is the redemption of the righteous. Thus, then, does he rejoice in his God, who by thus judging and redeeming makes history into the history of redemption, and hide himself the more confidingly in Him; and all the upright boast themselves, viz., in God, who looks into the heart and practically acknowledges them whose heart is directed unswervingly towards Him, and conformed entirely to Him. In place of the futt. consec ., which have a prophetic reference, simple futt . come in here, and between these a perf. consec . as expressive of that which will then happen when that which is prophetically certain has taken place.