Charles Ellicott Commentary Psalms 64
Charles Ellicott Commentary
Psalms 64
Charles Ellicott Commentary
Psalms 64
"Hear my voice, O God, in my complaint: Preserve my life from fear of the enemy." — Psalms 64:1 (ASV)
My prayer. —Rather, my cry, complaint, as in Psalms 55:2.
"Hide me from the secret counsel of evil-doers, From the tumult of the workers of iniquity;" — Psalms 64:2 (ASV)
Secret counsel ... insurrection —Better, secret league (sôd) ... noisy gathering (rigshah). For sôd see Psalms 25:14, and for rigshah see Note to Psalms 2:2.
"Who have whet their tongue like a sword, And have aimed their arrows, even bitter words," — Psalms 64:3 (ASV)
For the figure in this and the following verse, see Psalms 10:7; Psalms 11:2; Psalms 52:2; Psalms 57:4; Psalms 59:7.
“It is slander.
Whose edge is sharper than the sword.”
SHAKESPEARE.
For the ellipse in “they bend (literally, tread) their arrows,” see Psalms 58:7.
"That they may shoot in secret places at the perfect: Suddenly do they shoot at him, and fear not." — Psalms 64:4 (ASV)
And fear not. —These are utterly unscrupulous, fearing neither God nor man.
"They encourage themselves in an evil purpose; They commune of laying snares privily; They say, Who will see them?" — Psalms 64:5 (ASV)
They encourage themselves. — Literally, they strengthen for themselves an evil thing (or “word,” margin, Septuagint, and Vulgate), which evidently means that they take their measures carefully and are prepared to carry them out resolutely.
They commune ... — Better, they calculate how they may lay snares privily. The conspirators carefully and in secret go over every detail of their plot.
Who shall see them? — Literally, who shall look to them? This seems at first glance to mean, “who will see the snares?” but this is weak. It may be equivalent to, “who is likely to see us?” the question being put indirectly. But in 1 Samuel 16:7, the expression, “looketh on,” implies “regard for,” which may possibly be the meaning here, “who cares for them?”
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