John Calvin Commentary Psalms 119:78

"Let the proud be put to shame; For they have overthrown me wrongfully: [But] I will meditate on thy precepts." — Psalms 119:78 (ASV)

Let the proud be put to shame. We have often remarked that, in the Hebrew language, the future tense is frequently used in the sense of the optative mood, as here: They shall be put to shame, for, Let them be put to shame. Still, it would not be unsuitable to explain the meaning this way: As the proud have treated me mischievously and molested me without a cause, the Lord will give them their reward.

But as almost all interpreters agree that this is a prayer, in translating the verse I am unwilling to depart from the commonly accepted explanation, especially since the language is expressly addressed to God Himself. It is important to note the reason why the Psalmist hopes that God will be an enemy to his enemies: namely, because they wickedly and maliciously assaulted him.

The word שקר , sheker, which I have translated as falsely, is translated by some as without a cause. However, they seem to grasp only half of the prophet’s meaning, for this word, in my opinion, refers to the stratagems and artifices by which the wicked endeavored to destroy David.

From this we gather that whenever we are wrongfully persecuted by wicked men, we are invited to turn directly to God for protection. At the same time, we are taught that we have no reason to be dismayed by their insolence. For, whatever power they may claim for themselves, He will crush their pride and bring them down in shame. In this way, being disgraced, they will serve as an example to teach others that nothing is more ridiculous than to celebrate victory before it is won.

The verb אשיח, asiach, in the second clause of the verse, may be translated as I will speak of, as well as I will meditate upon. This implies that when he had obtained the victory, he would proclaim the goodness of God that he had experienced. To speak of God’s statutes is equivalent to declaring from the Law how faithfully He guards His saints, how securely He delivers them, and how righteously He avenges their wrongs.