John Calvin Commentary Psalms 27:12

"Deliver me not over unto the will of mine adversaries: For false witnesses are risen up against me, And such as breathe out cruelty." — Psalms 27:12 (ASV)

Do not give me up to the desire of my oppressors. The Hebrew noun נפש, nephesh, signifies lust, will, or desire; and David's language implies this: "Do not deliver me up to the pleasure or lust of my enemies." So he intimates that they greedily craved his destruction.

God delivers His people in two ways; either by appeasing the cruelty of the wicked and rendering them meek, or, if He permits them to burn with fury, by restraining their power and violence, so that they desire and endeavor in vain to do harm.

The Psalmist afterwards adds that he is persecuted with both slanders and false accusations, and also by open violence. For when he says that they bring forth violence, he means that they speak of nothing but war and slaughter. So we see that the holy man was miserably oppressed on every side. Even his integrity, which we know to have been exceptional, could not free him from bitter and deadly slanders, and he was at the same time overwhelmed by the violence and force of his enemies.

Therefore, if the ungodly should at any time rise against us, employing not only threats and cruel violence but also, to give their enmity the appearance of justice, slandering us with lies, let us remember the example of David, who was assaulted in both these ways. Indeed, let us recall that Christ the Son of God suffered no less injury from lying tongues than from violence.

Moreover, this prayer was given for our comfort, to show that God can uphold our innocence and set His shield of protection against the cruelty of our enemies.