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Psalm Thirty-six
New King James Version (NKJV)
INTRODUCTION TO Psalm 36
To the chief Musician
cf15I A Psalm of David
the
servant of the Lord. This title
which the psalmist takes to himself
regards
him not only as a creature
every man being the servant of the Lord as such
of
right
though not in fact; but as a king
he being a minister of God for good
to good men
and for evil to evil men; and also may respect him as a renewed
man; and it is here used in opposition to and distinction from the wicked
who
are the servants of sin and Satan
of whom he speaks in this psalm. The Syriac
and Arabic versions in their titles suggest that this psalm was written when
David was persecuted by Saul
and which is the sense of some interpreters; but
R. Obadiah thinks Ahithophel is designed by the wicked man in it; and so it was
penned on account of Absalom's rebellion.
Psalm 36:1 An
oracle within my heart concerning the transgression of the wicked: There is
no fear of God before his eyes.
YLT
1To the Overseer. -- By a
servant of Jehovah
by David. The transgression of the wicked Is affirming
within my heart
`Fear of God is not before his eyes
The transgression of the wicked saith within my heart
.... Which is
represented as a person speaking within him; not that the transgression of the
wicked was really in him; sin was in him
and sin of the same kind and nature
with the wicked man's; but he taking notice of and considering the wicked man's
sinful course of life
and his daring impieties
conceived in his own mind
and
concluded from hence
that there is no fear of God
before his eyes; no reverential affection for him
but enmity to him; no godly
filial fear
but at most only a slavish fear
a fear of punishment; no holy and
humble fear of him
but pride and wickedness; no fiducial and obediential fear
but all the reverse; true worship of him
either internally or externally:
there can be no fear of God in any unregenerate man's
heart
because it is not
of nature
but of grace
and is
what is implanted at first conversion; there
is in some an appearance of it
where it is not really
whose fear is taught by
the precept of men; and in others there may be some awe of the divine Being
and trembling at the thought of a future judgment
arising from the dictates of
nature
the light of revelation
and the enjoyment of a religious education;
but in some there is no fear of God at all
and they are bold and daring enough
to assert it themselves
as the unjust judge did
Luke 18:4. Such as
the atheist
the common swearer
the debauchee and epicure
who give up
themselves to all manner of wickedness
contemn revelation
despise the word of
God
and regard no day nor manner of worship; and this notwithstanding the
majesty of God
at whose presence they tremble not
and notwithstanding the
goodness of God
which should induce them to fear him
and notwithstanding the
judgment of God on others
and even on themselves; see Jeremiah 3:8; and
notwithstanding the future awful judgment
which they put far away or
disbelieve. The Targum is
"transgression saith to the wicked within my
heart"; and Jarchi's note upon the text is this
"this
text is to be transposed thus
it is in my heart
that transgression
which is
the evil imagination
says to the wicked man
that there should be no fear of
God before his eyes; and the phrase
"in the midst of my heart"
is
as if a man should say
so it seems to me.'
The
Septuagint version
and those that follow it
render the words thus
"the
transgressor said
that he might sin in himself
there is no fear of God before
his eyes". GussetiusF2Ebr. Comment. p. 488. interprets
"before his eyes"
before the eyes of God himself
who is so good a
Being
that the sinner fears no punishment from him
but will pardon all his
sins.
Psalm 36:2 2 For he flatters himself in
his own eyes
When he finds out his iniquity and when he hates.
YLT
2For he made [it] smooth to
himself in his eyes
To find his iniquity to be hated.
For he flattereth himself in his own eyes
.... There are
many self-flatterers; some on account of their worldly estate
that they are
out of the reach of God and men
and regard neither; and that as they have much
goods laid up
they shall enjoy them many years
and so never think of dying
nor of another world: others on account of their eternal state
pleasing
themselves with their own purity
goodness
and righteousness: some flatter
themselves either that their sins are not sins
or they are small ones; or they
are no other than what multitudes commit; or they are not seen and known
and
that God himself sees them not
or takes no notice of them; and that they shall
go on with impunity
sentence against them being not speedily executed; and
others that there is no God
will be no judgment
nor future state;
until his iniquity be found to be hateful
or
"to
find his iniquity and to hate"F3So. Pagninus. that which is
good
as the word may be rendered; that is
he flatters himself
or speaks
smooth things to himself
and endeavours to work himself up into the belief of
the above things; that he may find
embrace
and indulge his lusts with a quiet
conscience
and hate God
good men
and everything that is good; the Targum is
"that
he may find sins and hate doctrine'
or
instruction. Jarchi and Aben Ezra interpret the words another way
"that
the holy and blessed God may find out his iniquity to hate him;'
see
Genesis 44:16
which God may be said to do
when he charges the guilt of sin upon the
conscience
and punishes for it; and exposes both the sinner and his sins to
the world; thereby testifying his hatred of him and his sins; and which should
have been hateful to him
as they are to all good men.
Psalm 36:3 3 The words of his mouth are
wickedness and deceit; He has ceased to be wise and to do good.
YLT
3The words of his mouth
[are] iniquity and deceit
He ceased to act prudently -- to do good.
The words of his mouth are iniquity and deceit
.... Not only
sinful
but sin itself; his mouth is full of cursing and bitterness
of filthy
and unchaste words
of corrupt communication
lying
deceit
and flattery; out
of the abundance of the wickedness of his heart his mouth speaketh; and which
shows the badness of it
and proves all that is said before of him;
he hath left off to be wise
and to do good; by which the
psalmist seems to intend one that had been a professor of religion
who
besides the light of nature he had acted contrary to
had had the advantage of
a divine revelation
and had been enlightened into the knowledge of divine
things
and had done many things externally good
particularly acts of
beneficence; but now had dropped his profession of religion
denied the truths
he had been enlightened into
and ceased from doing good; otherwise a natural
man understandeth not; and
though he is wise to do evil
to do good he has no
knowledge.
Psalm 36:4 4 He devises wickedness on
his bed; He sets himself in a way that is not good; He does not abhor
evil.
YLT
4Iniquity he deviseth on his
bed
He stationeth himself on a way not good
Evil he doth not refuse.'
He deviseth mischief upon his bed
.... He casts about in
his mind on his pillow
when at leisure from all employment; and consults and
contrives schemes how to compass his lusts
and to do injury to others
without
doing which he cannot sleep;
he setteth himself in a way that is not good
in an evil
way
which he chooses and delights in
and determines to continue in
he
leaving the paths of righteousness to walk in the ways of darkness:
he abhorreth not evil; which is to be abhorred
both because of its nature and effects; see Romans 12:9; but on
the contrary he loves it
takes pleasure in doing it
and in them that commit
it: thus
by his thoughts
words
and actions
he appears to be devoid of the
fear of God.
Psalm 36:5 5 Your mercy
O Lord
is in
the heavens; Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds.
YLT
5O Jehovah
in the heavens
[is] Thy kindness
Thy faithfulness [is] unto the clouds.
Thy mercy
O Lord
is in the heavens
.... Meaning
either the general mercy of God the earth is full of
and extends to all
creatures; to which it is owing that wicked men before described are not
consumed; and which reaches "up to the heavens"F4בהשמים "usque ad coelos"
Pagninus
Musculus
Muis
Piscator
Gejerus
Michaelis; so Kimchi & Noldius
p. 164. No. 744.
& Ainsworth.
as the words are by some rendered
as their sins do; see Psalm 57:10; or the
special mercy of God
and regards not the objects of it
creatures in heaven;
for there at
none there proper objects of mercy; but the seat of it
the heart
of God
who is in heaven; or the repository of it
the covenant of grace
which
is full of the sure mercies of David; and of mercy there was a most glaring
instance
when the son of God was sent down from heaven
to obtain salvation
for sinful men; or it may denote the original of it
the heaven
being
as Aben
Ezra observes some Jewish interpreters say
the fountain of mercy
and the
spring of truth; or the greatness and abundance of it
it being as high as
heaven
yea
above it; see Psalm 103:11;
and thy faithfulness reacheth
unto the clouds; which lies in the execution of his purposes
whose counsels of
old were faithfulness and truth; and in keeping his covenant and promises; he
never changes his mind
nor forgets his word; he is a God of truth
and cannot
lie; he knows the end from the beginning; no unforeseen event can turn up to
hinder the performance of what he has purposed and promised
and he is able to
perform; nor does ever any of the good things he has spoken of fail: though his
faithfulness sometimes seems to be not only to the clouds
but in them
and out
of sight; providences seem to clash with promises
which make unbelief to say
doth his promise fail for evermore? yet
though we believe not
he abides
faithful
Psalm 77:8
2 Timothy 2:13.
Psalm 36:6 6 Your righteousness is
like the great mountains; Your judgments are a great deep; O Lord
You preserve
man and beast.
YLT
6Thy righteousness [is] as
mountains of God
Thy judgments [are] a great deep. Man and beast Thou savest
O Jehovah.
Thy righteousness is like the great mountains
.... Or
"the mountains of God"; so called for their excellency
as the cedars
of God
Psalm 80:10; or
as
GussetiusF5Ebr. Comment. p. 66. observes
the greatest and highest
mountains
which are here meant
reaching above the clouds and the region of
the air
are the pillars of the palace of God
and a part of it; and therefore
called his mountains with great propriety
to which his righteousness is
compared: that is
either the righteousness of God in the government of the
world
which is sometimes like the high mountains
not to be reached and
accounted for in the present state of things
though always is
and is
immovable as they are; or the righteousness of God
by which he justifies
sinners
which may be said to be as the mountains of God
because of the
dignity of his person
who has wrought it out; and because of the clear
manifestation of it
the Gospel
and so visible
as high mountains; and because
of the immovableness and duration of it;
thy judgments are a great deep; both in a way
of providence
many of them being at present not to be traced
though before
long they will be made manifest; and in a way of grace
such as the choice of
some
and the leaving of others
the rejection of the Jews
and the call of the
Gentiles; see Romans 11:33;
O Lord
thou preservest man and beast; in a
providential way
upholding each in their being
and supplying them with the
necessaries of life: some understand this figuratively
of God's saving Jews
and Gentiles
wise and unwise
and particularly those who
through humility and
modesty
as Jarchi says
compare themselves to beasts
because of their
ignorance and stupidity
Proverbs 30:2.
Psalm 36:7 7 How precious is
Your lovingkindness
O God! Therefore the children of men put their trust under
the shadow of Your wings.
YLT
7How precious [is] Thy
kindness
O God
And the sons of men In the shadow of Thy wings do trust.
How excellent is thy lovingkindness
O God
.... Which has
appeared to men and not angels
to some and not others; to the chief of
sinners
who are by nature children of wrath as others; in choosing
redeeming
and calling them
taking them into his family
and making them heirs of eternal
glory; and all this of his sovereign good will and pleasure
there being nothing
in them that could move him to it; which lovingkindness was in his heart from
everlasting
and will never change in him
nor depart from them; and hence it
must be most excellent and precious:
therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of
thy wings; not all men; for all have not faith
only some
to whom it is
given to believe
and who know the Lord and his lovingkindness; by which they
are induced and encouraged to trust in him
to betake themselves to him for
mercy and protection
which they find in him: the allusion is either to the hen
that gathers her chickens under her wings
and protects them in time of danger
and so it expresses both the paternal affection of God to his people
and the
protection of them; or else to the wings of the cherubim over the mercy seat
between which the Lord sat and communed with his people
and showed mercy and
favour to them
which encouraged them to trust in him.
Psalm 36:8 8 They are abundantly
satisfied with the fullness of Your house
And You give them drink from the
river of Your pleasures.
YLT
8They are filled from the
fatness of Thy house
And the stream of Thy delights Thou dost cause them to
drink.
They shall be abundantly sallied with the fatness of thy house
.... By his
"house" is meant the church of God
of his building
and where he
dwells; by the fatness of it the provisions there
the word and ordinances
and
the blessings of grace which they hold forth; and especially Christ
the fatted
calf
the bread of life
whose flesh is meat indeed
and whose blood is drink
indeed
and which make a feast of fat things; and these they that trust in the
Lord are welcome to eat and drink of abundantly
and to abundant satisfaction;
see Matthew 5:6
Psalm 22:26;
and thou shall make them drink of the river of thy pleasure; the love of
God
whose streams make glad the city of God; or the fulness of grace
which is
in Christ
out of which believers draw with joy
and drink with pleasure; or
eternal glory and happiness
enjoyed in the presence of God
in which is
fulness of joy
and at whose right hand are pleasures for evermore; a never
ceasing torrent of them.
Psalm 36:9 9 For with You is the
fountain of life; In Your light we see light.
YLT
9For with Thee [is] a
fountain of life
In Thy light we see light.
For with thee is the fountain of life
.... Or
"lives"F6מקור חיים "vena vitarum"
Montanus. : God himself is
the fountain of living waters; this is a reason proving the happiness of those
that trust in the Lord
and that they shall enjoy the above things; because
with God the object of their trust is the fountain of life; not only of natural
life
from whom they have it
and by whom it is supported
but of spiritual
life
being quickened by him when dead in sin
by virtue of which they live by
faith on Christ
and also of eternal life; and the phrase denotes
that life is
originally in God as in its fountain
and that both the fulness of it is with
him
and the freeness of it in the communication of it to others
as well as
its continuance and duration;
in thy light shall we see light; God is light itself
the
Father of lights
and the former of it in every sense; in the light of his
countenance
and the discoveries of his love
they that trust in him see light
or enjoy comfort; and in the light of his Son Jesus Christ
the sun of
righteousness and light of the world
they see the face of God
and enjoy his
favour
and behold the glory and excellency of Christ himself; and in the light
of the divine Spirit
who is a spirit of wisdom and revelation
they see their
sins exceeding sinful
their righteousness as nothing
and a preciousness in
the blood
righteousness
and sacrifice of Christ; and in the light of the
divine word they see the truths of the Gospel in their native simplicity and
excellency
and the duties of religion to be performed by them; and in the light
of faith
which is the gift of God
they have at least a glimpse of the unseen
glories of the other world; and when the beatific vision shall take place
they
shall see no more darkly through a glass
but face to face
even God himself
as he is in Christ.
Psalm 36:10 10 Oh
continue Your
lovingkindness to those who know You
And Your righteousness to the upright in
heart.
YLT
10Draw out Thy kindness to
those knowing Thee
And Thy righteousness to the upright of heart.
O continue thy lovingkindness to them that know thee
.... That is
spiritually and experimentally; and such are they that trust in him and love
him: and these are the objects of the love of God; not that their knowledge
faith
or love
are the cause of his love to them; but these things describe
and point at manifestly the objects of it; and this request regards the open
discovery of it unto them: for the love of God itself always continues
though
the manifestations of it are not always the same; and it is for the enlargement
and continuance of them the psalmist here prays: for it may be rendered
"draw out thy lovingkindness"F7משך
"trahe"
Pagninus
Montanus; "extende"
Vatablus
Piscator;
"protrahe"
Cocceius
Gejerus
Michaelis. ; that is
to a greater
length; make a larger and clearer discovery of it
that the height and depth
and length and breadth of it
may be more discerned;
and thy righteousness unto the upright in heart; who are
sincere and without guile; who have new hearts created and right spirits
renewed in them
and have truth in the inward parts; and unto and upon such is
the righteousness of Christ
and where it always continues
for it is an
everlasting one; but here it means a clearer and constant revelation of it from
faith to faith; unless it should rather intend the righteousness of God in
protecting his people from the insults of their enemies
and the continual
exertion of it for that purpose.
Psalm 36:11 11 Let not the foot of pride
come against me
And let not the hand of the wicked drive me away.
YLT
11Let not a foot of pride
meet me
And a hand of the wicked let not move me.
Let not the foot of pride come against me
.... Meaning
some proud enemy
such an one as Ahithophel
of whom R. Obadiah expounds
it
who lifted up his heel against him; and is applicable to any haughty enemy of
Christ and his people
and particularly to antichrist
the man of sin
that
exalts himself above all that is called God;
and let not the hand of the wicked remove me; either from
the house of God; or from his throne
that high station and dignity in which he
was placed.
Psalm 36:12 12 There the workers of
iniquity have fallen; They have been cast down and are not able to rise.
YLT
12There have workers of
iniquity fallen
They have been overthrown
And have not been able to arise!
There are the workers
of iniquity fallen
.... Either in
the pit they dug for others; or into hell
where they shall be turned at last;
See Gill on Psalm 5:5 and See
Gill on Psalm 6:8;
they are cast down
and shall not be able to rise; which will be
the case of Babylon when fallen
Revelation 18:21
and this distinguishes the falls of the wicked from those of the righteous; for
though the righteous fall
whether into sin
or into any calamity
they rise
again; not so the wicked; see Psalm 37:24; and
thus
as the psalm begins with the transgression of the wicked
it ends with
their ruin.
──《John Gill’s
Exposition of the Bible》