Albert Barnes Commentary Psalms 7

O Lord my God, in you do I put my trust—The psalm opens with an expression of strong confidence in God. The psalmist addresses Yahweh as his God and says that in him he trusts or confides. The word rendered trust—חסה châsâh—means “to flee;” to flee to a place; to take shelter; and is applied to taking shelter under the shadow or protection of someone (Judges 9:15; Isaiah 30:2; Psalms 57:1; Psalms 61:4). The idea here is that in his troubles he fled to God as a refuge and felt safe under his protection.

Save me from all those who persecute me—That is, protect my life; rescue me from their power. The word “persecute” here refers to those who sought his life, who endeavored to deprive him of his rights. The language would apply to many occasions in the life of David—to the persecutions he endured from Saul, Absalom, etc. In this particular case, the language was suggested by the opposition of Cush the Benjamite, and this was what David had specifically in mind.

It is probable, however, that whoever Cush was, he was not alone, but that others were associated with him in his opposition to David. In such circumstances, it was also natural for David to remember his other persecutors and pray that he might be delivered from them all.

The prayer, therefore, has a general form, and the desire expressed is one that we all naturally have: that we may be delivered from all that troubles us.

And deliver me—Rescue me. It would seem from this expression, and from the following verse, that there was more to be feared in this case than mere reproachful words, and that his life was actually in danger.

Lest he—Lest “Cush” should do this. See the title and the introduction to the psalm, Section 2.

Tear my soul like a lion—This means to tear or rend my “life”—that is, “me”—like a lion. The word rendered “soul” here—נפשׁ (nephesh)—refers, as it properly does elsewhere, to the “life,” and not to the soul as we use the term, denoting the thinking, immortal part.

The simple idea is that David was apprehensive of his “life,” and to indicate his great peril, he uses language derived from the fierceness of the lion. Such imagery would be well understood in a country where lions abounded. Nothing could more strikingly denote the danger David was in, or the fierceness of the enemy's wrath that he dreaded.

Rending it in pieces—This means rending me in pieces.

Or rather, perhaps, it means breaking or crushing the bones. For the word used—פרק (pâraq) (from our English word “break”)—means “to break” or “to crush.” This meaning would apply to the act of the lion crushing or breaking the bones of his victim as he devoured it.

While there is none to deliver—This denotes the complete destruction that he feared would come upon him. The figure is that of a solitary man seized by a powerful lion, with no one at hand to rescue him. So David felt that if God did not interfere, he would fall into the hands of this fierce and wrathful enemy.

O Lord my God - A solemn appeal to God as to the sincerity and truth of what he was about to say.

If I have done this - This refers to the accusation made against him, for it is evident that "Cush," whoever he was, had accused David of some wrongdoing—some wicked action. What that was can only be learned from what follows, and even this is not very specific.

As far as it appears, however, the accusation seems to be that David brought evil in some way upon someone who was at peace with him. This means he was accused of wantonly and without provocation wronging this person and, as a result of this wrongdoing, had the gains from it in his own possession—some spoil, plunder, or property that he had taken from him.

The charge, it seems, was that he had made a wanton and unprovoked attack on someone who had not injured him, and that he had taken, and still had in his possession, something of value that properly belonged to another.

It is not clear from the psalm whether the accuser (Cush) in this referred to himself or to some other person. However, since Cush was filled with rage and David’s life was endangered by him, it seems most probable that the reference was to Cush himself, and that he felt he had been personally wronged.

David’s purpose in the passage before us is to deny this charge completely. He does this in the most explicit manner, stating that the accusation was so far from being true that he had, on the contrary, delivered the life of the one who was his enemy. He adds that if the charge were true, he would be willing for the injured man to persecute and oppose him, and even trample his life down to the earth.

If there be iniquity in my hands - This means, if the iniquity he refers to is present; or, in other words, if he had in his possession what had been wrongfully taken from another—namely, as it appears, from this "Cush" who now accused him.

The word "iniquity" here denotes an "unjust possession"—property that had been unjustly taken from another. As remarked above, the slanderous charge seems to have been that he had taken that property from someone who was at peace with him and that he retained it contrary to justice.

David means to deny this charge peremptorily.

If I have rewarded evil unto him that was at peace with me - If I have done evil, or if I have repaid him who was friendly with some unjust and evil conduct. If I have come upon him maliciously and unprovoked, and have done him wrong. This seems to have been the substance of the accusation; and, as remarked above, it is most probable that the accuser (Cush) referred to himself.

Yea, I have delivered him that without cause is mine enemy - So far is this from being true, that the very reverse is true. So far from taking advantage of another who was at peace with me, and depriving him of his just rights by fraud or force, it is a fact that I have rescued from impending danger the man who was at war with me, and who was an avowed enemy.

It would seem probable that in this he refers to this very Cush, and means to say that there was some occasion when Cush, who had long been hostile to David, was entirely in David's power, and when David not only declined to take advantage of Cush but actually intervened to rescue him from danger.

An instance of this kind actually occurred in the life of David, in his treatment of Saul (1 Samuel 24:10–11); and it is possible that David referred to that case, and meant to say that that was an indication of his character, and of his manner of treating others.

Those who suppose that the whole psalm refers to Saul (see the introduction, Section 2), of course regard this as the specific case referred to. There may have been other instances of the same kind in the life of David, and there is no improbability in supposing that on some occasion he had treated this very man, “Cush,” in this way, and that he refers here to that fact.

Let the enemy persecute my soul — Persecute my “life,” because the word translated “soul” — נפשׁ nephesh — is clearly used this way here. He was willing, if he had been guilty of the accusation, for the enemy mentioned here to “pursue” or persecute him until his life was destroyed. Compare this with Paul's statement in Acts 25:11.

The meaning here is simply that if he were guilty as accused, he would be willing to be treated accordingly. He did not wish to shield himself from any just treatment; if he had been guilty, he would not complain even if he were cut off from the land of the living.

And take it — Take my life; put me to death.

Yes, let him tread down my life upon the earth — The allusion here is to the way the vanquished were often treated in battle, when they were ridden over by horses or trampled by men into the dust. David’s idea is that if he were guilty, he would be willing for his enemy to triumph over him, subdue him, and treat him with the utmost indignity and scorn.

And lay my honor in the dust — All the tokens or marks of my honor or distinction in life. That is, I am willing to be utterly degraded and humbled if I have been guilty of this conduct toward my enemy.

The idea in all this is that David did not wish to shield himself from the treatment he deserved if he had done wrong. His own principles were such that he would have felt the treatment mentioned here would have been right and proper as a recompense for such base conduct. He would not have had a word to say against it. Therefore, his desire for God’s intervention arose solely from his feeling that, in these respects, he was entirely innocent, and that his enemy's conduct was unjust and cruel.

Selah — A musical pause, not affecting the meaning, but introduced here, perhaps, because the meaning of the psalm now demanded a change in the style of the music. See the notes at Psalms 3:2.