John Gill Commentary Psalms 73:21

"For my soul was grieved, And I was pricked in my heart:" — Psalms 73:21 (ASV)

Thus my heart was grieved
Not with his own sins, nor with the sins of the wicked, but at their prosperity; for this is an account of himself, while under the temptation, and before he went into the sanctuary of the Lord; or when he was "leavened" ^F18 , with the old leaven of wickedness, and envy, and indignation; he was in a ferment, so Plautus ^F19 uses the phrase for being in anger and wrath; he swelled, as what is leavened does, against God and his providence: or was "soured" ^F20 ; he was out of humour and angry with God, or was exasperated and provoked at the favours bestowed upon the wicked. Some render it "inflamed" ^F21 , made hot; not with the love of God, and meditation upon it, but with wrath and indignation:

and I was pricked in my reins ;
disturbed and distracted in his thoughts, felt a great deal of pain in his mind, while he was considering the prosperity of the wicked; which was as a sword in his bones, and as an arrow shot into his reins; see (Lamentations 3:13) .

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FOOTNOTES:

• F18: (Umxty) "effervesceret fermenti instar", Tigurine version; "in fermento esset", Cocceius; so Ainsworth.
• F19: Casina, Act. 2. Sc. 5. v. 17.
• F20: Acescet Montanus; "quasi aceto acri perfundebatur", Vatablus.
• F21: "Inflammatum est", V. L.