1 [[To the chief Musician, H5329 A Psalm of David.]] H1732 In the LORD H3068 put I my trust: H2620 how say H559 ye to my soul, H5315 Flee H5110 as a bird H6833 to your mountain? H2022
In God H430 have I put my trust: H982 I will not be afraid H3372 what man H120 can do H6213 unto me.
The same G1722 G846 day G2250 there came G4334 certain G5100 of the Pharisees, G5330 saying G3004 unto him, G846 Get thee out, G1831 and G2532 depart G4198 hence: G1782 for G3754 Herod G2264 will G2309 kill G615 thee. G4571
And I said, H559 Oh that H5414 I had wings H83 like a dove! H3123 for then would I fly away, H5774 and be at rest. H7931 Lo, then would I wander H5074 far off, H7368 and remain H3885 in the wilderness. H4057 Selah. H5542
But I trusted H982 in thee, O LORD: H3068 I said, H559 Thou art my God. H430
Saul H7586 also sent H7971 messengers H4397 unto David's H1732 house, H1004 to watch H8104 him, and to slay H4191 him in the morning: H1242 and Michal H4324 David's H1732 wife H802 told H5046 him, saying, H559 If thou save H4422 not thy life H5315 to night, H3915 to morrow H4279 thou shalt be slain. H4191
And they that know H3045 thy name H8034 will put their trust H982 in thee: for thou, LORD, H3068 hast not forsaken H5800 them that seek H1875 thee.
Were not the Ethiopians H3569 and the Lubims H3864 a huge H7230 host, H2428 with very H3966 many H7235 chariots H7393 and horsemen? H6571 yet, because thou didst rely H8172 on the LORD, H3068 he delivered H5414 them into thine hand. H3027
And Asa H609 cried H7121 unto the LORD H3068 his God, H430 and said, H559 LORD, H3068 it is nothing with thee to help, H5826 whether H996 with many, H7227 or with them that have no power: H3581 help H5826 us, O LORD H3068 our God; H430 for we rest H8172 on thee, and in thy name H8034 we go H935 against this multitude. H1995 O LORD, H3068 thou art our God; H430 let not man H582 prevail H6113 against thee.
And David H1732 said H559 in his heart, H3820 I shall now perish H5595 one H259 day H3117 by the hand H3027 of Saul: H7586 there is nothing better H2896 for me than that H3588 I should speedily H4422 escape H4422 into the land H776 of the Philistines; H6430 and Saul H7586 shall despair H2976 of me, to seek H1245 me any more in any coast H1366 of Israel: H3478 so shall I escape H4422 out of his hand. H3027
And David H1732 went H3212 thence to Mizpeh H4708 of Moab: H4124 and he said H559 unto the king H4428 of Moab, H4124 Let my father H1 and my mother, H517 I pray thee, come forth, H3318 and be with you, till I know H3045 what God H430 will do H6213 for me.
And David H1732 arose, H6965 and fled H1272 that day H3117 for fear H6440 of Saul, H7586 and went H935 to Achish H397 the king H4428 of Gath. H1661 And the servants H5650 of Achish H397 said H559 unto him, Is not this David H1732 the king H4428 of the land? H776 did they not sing H6030 one to another of him H2088 in dances, H4246 saying, H559 Saul H7586 hath slain H5221 his thousands, H505 and David H1732 his ten thousands? H7233 And David H1732 laid up H7760 these words H1697 in his heart, H3824 and was sore H3966 afraid H3372 of H6440 Achish H397 the king H4428 of Gath. H1661
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Keil & Delitzsch Commentary » Commentary on Psalms 11
Commentary on Psalms 11 Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
Refusal to Flee When in a Perilous Situation.
Psalms 11:1-7, which likewise confidently sets the all-seeing eye of Jahve before the ungodly who carry out their murderous designs under cover of the darkness, is placed after Ps 10. The life of David (to whom even Hitzig and Ewald ascribe this Psalm) is threatened, the pillars of the state are shaken, they counsel the king to flee to the mountains. These are indications of the time when the rebellion of Absolom was secretly preparing, but still clearly discernible. Although hurrying on with a swift measure and clear in the principal thoughts, still this Psalm is not free from difficult points, just as it is with all the Psalms which contain similar dark passages from the internal condition of Israel. The gloomy condition of the nation seems to be reflected in the very language. The strophic plan is not easily discernible; nevertheless we cannot go far wrong in dividing the Psalm into two seven line strophes with a two line epiphonema .
David rejects the advice of his friends to save his life by flight. Hidden in Jahve (Psalms 16:1; Psalms 36:8) he needs no other refuge. However well-meant and well-grounded the advice, he considers it too full of fear and is himself too confident in God, to follow it. David also introduces his friends as speaking in other passages in the Psalms belonging to the period of the Absolom persecution, Psalms 3:3; Psalms 4:7. Their want of courage, which he afterwards had to reprove and endeavour to restore, showed itself even before the storm had burst, as we see here. With the words “how can you say” he rejects their proposal as unreasonable, and turns it as a reproach against them. If the Chethמb , נוּדוּ , is adopted, then those who are well-disposed, say to David, including with him his nearest subjects who are faithful to him: retreat to your mountain, (ye) birds ( צפּור collective as in Psalms 8:9; Psalms 148:10); or, since this address sounds too derisive to be appropriate to the lips of those who are supposed to be speaking here: like birds ( comparatio decurtata as in Psalms 22:14; Psalms 58:9; Psalms 24:5; Psalms 21:8). הרכס which seems more natural in connection with the vocative rendering of צפור (cf. Isaiah 18:6 with Ezekiel 39:4) may also be explained, with the comparative rendering, without any need for the conjecture הר כמו צפור (cf. Deuteronomy 33:19), as a retrospective glance at the time of the persecution under Saul: to the mountains, which formerly so effectually protected you (cf. 1 Samuel 26:20; 1 Samuel 23:14). But the Kerî , which is followed by the ancient versions, exchanges נודו for גוּדי , cf שׁחי Isaiah 51:23. Even reading it thus we should not take צפור , which certainly is epicoene, as vocative: flee to your mountain, O bird (Hitz.); and for this reason, that this form of address is not appropriate to the idea of those who profer their counsel. But we should take it as an equation instead of a comparison: fly to your mountain (which gave you shelter formerly), a bird, i.e., after the manner of a bird that flies away to its mountain home when it is chased in the plain. But this Kerî appears to be a needless correction, which removes the difficulty of נודו coming after לנפשׁי , by putting another in the place of this synallage numeri .
(Note: According to the above rendering: “Flee ye to your mountain, a bird” it would require to be accented נודו הרכם צפוז (as a transformation from נודו הרכם צפור vid., Baer's Accentssystem XVIII. 2). The interpunction as we have it, נודו הרכם צפור , harmonises with the interpretation of Varenius as of Löb Spira ( Pentateuch-Comm. 1815): Fugite (o socii Davidis), mons vester (h. e. praesidium vestrum, Psalms 30:8, cui innitimini) est avis errans.)