John Calvin Commentary Psalms 73:19

"How are they become a desolation in a moment! They are utterly consumed with terrors." — Psalms 73:19 (ASV)

How have they been destroyed, as it were in a moment! The language of wonder in which the Psalmist exclaims greatly confirms the sentiment of the preceding verse. As considering the prosperity of the ungodly induces lethargy in our minds, indeed, even makes them dull, so their destruction, being sudden and unexpected, is more effective in awakening us, compelling each person to ask how such an event happened, which everyone thought could never occur.

The prophet, therefore, poses it as a question, as if it were something incredible. Yet, at the same time, he in this way teaches us that God is daily working in such a way that, if we would only open our eyes, ample cause for our astonishment would be presented to us.

Or rather, if by faith we were to look from a distance at God's judgments daily approaching nearer and nearer, nothing would happen that we would consider strange or hard to believe. For the surprise we feel stems from the slowness and carelessness with which we pursue the knowledge of divine truth.

When it is said, They are consumed with terrors, this can be understood in two ways. It either means that God thunders against them in such an unusual manner that its very strangeness strikes them with dismay; or that God, although He may not lay His hand on His enemies, nevertheless throws them into consternation and brings them to nothing, solely by the terror of His breath, at the very time when they are recklessly despising all dangers, as if they were perfectly safe and had made a covenant with death.

Thus, we have previously seen David portraying them as encouraging themselves in their audacity with this boasting language, Who is lord over us? (Psalms 12:4). I am more inclined to adopt the first interpretation. The reason for this is that when God perceives we are so slow to consider His judgments, He inflicts very severe judgments upon the ungodly and pursues them with unusual signs of His wrath, as if He would make the earth tremble, in order to correct our slowness to understand.