John Gill Commentary Psalms 119:150

John Gill Commentary

Psalms 119:150

1697–1771
Reformed Baptist
John Gill
John Gill

John Gill Commentary

Psalms 119:150

1697–1771
Reformed Baptist
SCRIPTURE

"They draw nigh that follow after wickedness; They are far from thy law." — Psalms 119:150 (ASV)

They draw nigh that follow after mischief
Or "evil" {c}; that which is sinful in itself, and injurious to others. Some cannot sleep unless they do mischief; they are bent upon it, and proceed from evil to evil: they are eager in their pursuit of it, as the huntsman after his sport, to which the allusion is; though it is to their ruin, even to their death, (Proverbs 11:19); These the psalmist says "draw nigh"; not to God, unless feignedly and with their mouths only; but to him they drew nigh, to David, in an hostile way they pursued after him, in order to take away his life, and they had very nearly overtaken him, and were just ready to seize him; his life drew nigh to those destroyers, and those destroyers drew nigh to that, so that he was in great danger; and the more as these were abandoned creatures, that neither feared God nor regarded man, as follows:

they are far from your law ;
from the knowledge of it, of its equity and purity; and especially of its spirituality, and of its power and influence upon their minds; and so far from subjection and obedience to it; so far from it, that they treat it with the utmost contempt, cast it away from them and despise it, (Romans 8:7) (Isaiah 5:24) .


FOOTNOTES:

  • F3: (hmz) "iniquitati", V. L. "scelus", Tigurine version; so Junius & Tremellius, Piscator, Michaelis.