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Psalm Fifty-two
New King James Version (NKJV)
YLT
To the Overseer. -- An instruction
by David
in the coming in of
Doeg the Edomite
and he declareth to Saul
and saith to him
`David came in
unto the house of Ahimelech.'
INTRODUCTION TO PSALM 52
To the chief Musician
Maschil
cf15I A Psalm of David
when
Doeg the Edomite came and told Saul
and said unto him
David is come to the
house of Ahimelech. Of the title "Maschil"
See Gill on Psalm 32:1
title.
The occasion of this psalm is here related
the history of which is in 1 Samuel 21:7. The
sum of it is this; David having fled from Saul
came to Ahimelech the priest at
Nob
and desired bread and a sword of him
which were given him
Doeg the
Edomite being present at the same time. Sulpicius SeverusF19Sacr.
Hist. l. 1. p. 43. calls him a Syrian
following the Greek version of 1 Samuel 21:7; and
so does JosephusF20Antiqu. l. 6. c. 12. s. 1. 4.
through a mistake
of the letter ד for ר
an
Aramite instead of an Edomite; See Gill on 1 Samuel 21:7 and
See Gill on 1 Samuel 22:9; this
man observed what was done for David by the priest; and when Saul complained to
his captains that they all conspired against him
and no man was sorry for him
or showed him the intrigue between David and his son; Doeg stood up and related
what
and more than what he had heard and seen pass between David and
Ahimelech; upon which Saul sent for the priest
and all his father's house with
him
and charged him with treasonable practices; and though he solemnly
protested his innocency
Saul would not believe him
but ordered his footmen to
fall upon him
and upon all the priests with him; but they refusing
he
commanded Doeg to do it
who accordingly did
and slew eighty five priests
and
destroyed all in the city of Nob
men
women
children
and sucklings
oxen
asses
and sheep; only Abiathar
the son of Ahimelech
escaped
who fled to
David
and reported the whole affair; upon which he penned this psalm: in which
he has respect not only to the then present case
but to future times
Doeg
being a type of antichrist
the man of sin; in his name
which signifies
"anxious [and] solicitous"F21A rad. דאג
"solicitus
anxius fuit"
Buxtorf.
as he was to gain the king's
favour
and obtain wealth and honour; so is antichrist to grasp all power
civil and ecclesiastical
and to get worldly honour and riches: in the country
he was of
being an Edomite; and it is easy to observe
that Edom is the name
which the Jews commonly give to the Roman empire
in which antichrist has his
seat and power: in his religion
being a proselyte of the Jews
and was at an
act of devotion
detained before the Lord
when he saw and heard what passed
between David and Ahimelech; so antichrist appeared with the mask of religion
rose up out of the church
and sat in the temple of God
showing himself as
though he was God: in his office
the chiefest of the herdmen
or mightiest among
the shepherds of Saul; so antichrist calls himself "princeps
pastorum"
that is
"the chief of pastors"; assuming to himself
the title which belongs to Christ
the chief Shepherd and Bishop of souls: and
lastly
in his cruelty in slaying the priests of the Lord. Antichrist is
notorious for shedding and drinking the blood of the saints
the faithful
confessors and witnesses of Jesus Christ. In this psalm David upbraids him with
his glorying in his wickedness
and checks it by observing that the grace and
goodness of God to his people ever endures
Psalm 52:4; charges
him with devising mischief
and loving it
Psalm 52:2; and
foretells his everlasting ruin and destruction
Psalm 52:5; which
will be seen by the righteous with pleasure
who will have just reason to
insult over him
Psalm 52:6; and the
psalm is concluded with an account of the happy condition and comfortable frame
of soul the psalmist was in
in a view of all his troubles and enemies; he was
flourishing in the church of God
trusted in the mercy of God for ever
and
determined always to praise him and wait upon him
which is good for the saints
to do
Psalm 52:8.
Psalm 52:1 Why
do you boast in evil
O mighty man? The goodness of God endures
continually.
YLT
1What
boasteth thou in
evil
O mighty one? The kindness of God [is] all the day.
Why boastest thou thyself in mischief?.... Or
"in evil"F23ברעה "in
malo"
Vatablus
Junius & Tremellius
Gejerus. ; in that which is
sinful; to glory in riches
wisdom
and strength
which are not in themselves
evil
is wrong; and to rejoice in such boastings
all such rejoicing is evil;
to be a doer of mischief
or sin
is bad; to make a sport of it
worse; but to
glory in it
and boast of it when done
is worse still: to be boasters of evil
things
is the character of antichrist and his followers
2 Timothy 3:2; who
not only boast of their merit
their good works
and works of supererogation
and of their riches
and honour
and grandeur
saying
"I sit as a
queen"
Revelation 18:7;
but of their wickedness in shedding the blood of the saints
thinking thereby
they do God good service
and merit heaven
and eternal happiness; as Doeg
boasted of his slaughter of the priests
and of his gaining the king's favour
by it;
O mighty man! referring either to his office
being the
chief of Saul's herdmen
and set over his servants
1 Samuel 21:7; or
ironically
to the mighty deed he had done
in slaying the unarmed priests
and
putting to death the very sucklings at the breast
and even the innocent sheep
oxen
and asses; or to his great wickedness and power to commit it; though man
has no power and free will to that which is good
yet he has to that which is
evil; so the Septuagint
Vulgate Latin
and the eastern versions render it
"O thou! mighty in wickedness"; and to the same purpose the Targum
paraphrases it
"mighty to shed innocent blood"; and the note of Aben
Ezra is
"mighty to do evil". A learned writerF24Delaney's
Life of King David
vol. 1. p. 119. thinks this relates to Saul
and describes
him as a man of power and dignity. The character well agrees with the little
horn and Romish beast
Daniel 7:20;
the goodness of God endureth continually: that is
the
love
grace
and mercy of God; this is observed as what is the matter of the saints'
boasting
in opposition to the wicked boasting of Doeg; they glory in the love
of God
and in that they know him who exerciseth lovingkindness
which is the
source of all the blessings of grace and goodness; and in Christ
through whom
all are communicated to them; and in him
as made every blessing to them
wisdom
righteousness
sanctification
and redemption: they ascribe the whole
of their salvation
and all they have
to the grace of God
and glory in
nothing as of themselves
and as though not received of the Lord. Moreover
the
psalmist may take notice of this
as what was his support under all the
persecutions he endured from men; that he had an interest in the grace and
goodness of God
which is immutable and everlasting
invariably the same in all
states and conditions; and that he was encompassed about with the favour of God
as with a shield; and that it was not in the power of his most implacable
enemies to separate him from the love of God; and therefore it was egregious
folly in Doeg to boast himself in mischief; for
be he as mighty as he might
he could not prevent his sharing in the divine goodness
which always
continues.
Psalm 52:2 2 Your tongue devises
destruction
Like a sharp razor
working deceitfully.
YLT
2Mischiefs doth thy tongue
devise
Like a sharp razor
working deceit.
Thy tongue deviseth mischiefs
.... Abundance of
mischiefs
in a variety of ways
against many persons
even all good men. What
properly belongs to the heart is here ascribed to the tongue; because
as Aben
Ezra observes
it is the interpreter and discoverer of the thoughts of the
heart: out of the abundance of that the tongue speaks and declares the mischief
it has devised. Doeg intended mischief to David
when he spoke to Saul
1 Samuel 22:9; so
antichrist devises mischiefs against the saints of the most High
to wear them
out
and thinks to change times and laws
Daniel 7:25;
like a sharp razor
working deceitfully; that is
his
tongue was like a razor; the razor is but a small instrument
and the tongue is
but a little member: the razor is a sharp and cutting one
and so is the
tongue; and therefore compared to a sharp sword
Psalm 57:4; see Jeremiah 18:18; the
razor takes off the beard cleanly and wholly; Doeg's tongue was the cause of
the utter ruin of Ahimelech's family and the city of Nob; and as a razor may be
said to "work deceitfully"
when it turns aside in the hand of him that
useth it
and with the hair takes off more than it should
even skin and flesh
or cuts the man's throat; so in a deceitful and insidious manner did Doeg work
the destruction of Ahimelech and the priests of the Lord.
Psalm 52:3 3 You love evil more than
good
Lying rather than speaking righteousness. Selah
YLT
3Thou hast loved evil rather
than good
Lying
than speaking righteousness. Selah.
Thou lovest evil more than good
.... Indeed not good at
all; such comparatives being strong negatives; see Psalm 118:8; a
wicked man loves evil
and nothing else; his carnal mind being enmity to all
that is good
and lying rather than to
speak righteousness; as appears by his affirming that Ahimelech inquired of the Lord
for David
when he did not
1 Samuel 22:10; and
by suffering some things to pass for truths which were falsehoods
when it lay
in his power to have disproved them: and such a lover of lies is antichrist;
see 1 Timothy 4:2.
Selah; on this word; see Gill on Psalm 3:2. The
Targum renders the word "Selah" here "for ever"
as in Psalm 52:5.
Psalm 52:4 4 You love all devouring
words
You deceitful tongue.
YLT
4Thou hast loved all
devouring words
O thou deceitful tongue.
Thou lovest all devouring words
.... Or "words of
swallowing up"F25דברי בלע "verba absorptionis"
Vatablus
Gejerus
Schmidt. ; such as lies
calumnies
and detractions are
which devour the
characters and reputations of men
and are the cause sometimes of their utter
ruin and destruction; of the devouring and blasphemous words of antichrist see Revelation 13:5;
O thou deceitful tongue; See Gill on Psalm 52:2.
Psalm 52:5 5 God shall likewise destroy
you forever; He shall take you away
and pluck you out of your dwelling
place
And uproot you from the land of the living. Selah
YLT
5Also -- God doth break thee
down for ever
Taketh thee
and pulleth thee out of the tent
And He hath
uprooted thee Out of the land of the living. Selah.
God shall likewise destroy thee for ever
.... As a just
retaliation for the mischief done to others; or
"therefore God shall
destroy"F26גם δια τουτο
Sept. "propterea"
V. L. "idcirco etiam"
Piscator; "ideo etiam"
Michaelis.
&c. even body and soul in
hell
with an everlasting destruction
which will be the case of every wicked
man
and particularly of the antichristian party
Revelation 14:10;
the word is used of breaking down the house in which the leprosy was
Leviticus 14:45;
and denotes the utter extinction of Doeg's family
and the irrecoverable ruin
of antichrist
Revelation 18:21;
he shall take thee away; as fire from the hearth
Isaiah 30:14; or as
burning coals from the altar: a word from the root here used signifies a
censer: and the meaning is
that as his tongue was a fire
and set on fire of
hell
and he was as a burning coal
he was fit for nothing but to be cast into
everlasting burnings;
and pluck thee out of thy dwelling place;
"tent"
or "tabernacle"F1מאהל
"de tabernaculo"
V. L. Pagninus
Montanus
Musculus; "e
tentorio"
Junius & Tremellius
Piscator
Cocceius. ; referring to the
tents of shepherds
he being the chief of Saul's shepherds
or to some stately
palace he had built for himself to dwell in
upon his advancement at court; or
rather to the tabernacle of the Lord
where he had been an hypocritical
worshipper; but now should be cut off from the church of God
as a rotten
member
and cast out of the tabernacle of Jacob
Malachi 2:12; while
David flourished as an olive tree in the house of the Lord
Psalm 52:8;
and root thee out of the land of the living. In retaliation
for his rooting out Ahimelech's family
and the inhabitants of Nob; so in like
manner he and his should be destroyed root and branch
and not see the goodness
of the Lord in the land of the living
nor enjoy eternal life in the world to
come.
Selah; on this word; see Gill on Psalm 3:2. The
Targum renders the word "Selah" here "for ever"
as in Psalm 52:3.
Psalm 52:6 6 The righteous also shall
see and fear
And shall laugh at him
saying
YLT
6And the righteous see
And
fear
and laugh at him.
The righteous also shall see
.... The Targum adds
"the punishment of the wicked"; particularly what is before predicted
of Doeg. The judgments of God upon the ungodly
as they are certain
so they
will be visible
either in this world
or in that to come
Revelation 15:4;
and fear; the Targum adds
"from before the Lord"; not with a
slavish fear
with a dread of the same punishment
from which they are free
through the righteousness of Christ imputed to them
by which they are
denominated righteous ones; though the judgments of God on others strike them
with solemn awe and reverence
Psalm 119:120
but
with a filial godly fear; with a fear of God for his goodness to them
in
delivering them out of the hands of wicked men
which engages them more and
more to fear the Lord
and to serve and worship him; see Revelation 15:4;
and shall laugh at him; at Doeg; and so at any
other wicked man
when they see the vengeance of God upon him
Psalm 58:10; not
that they rejoice at that
barely considered in itself
or as it is an evil and
mischief to wicked men; for that does not become them
Proverbs 24:17; but
as it is expressive of the care of God over them
and love to them
in avenging
their enemies; and more especially as the glory of divine justice is displayed
therein; see Revelation 18:20;
for all this will be eminently fulfilled in the destruction of antichrist.
Psalm 52:7 7 “Here is the man who
did not make God his strength
But trusted in the abundance of his riches
And
strengthened himself in his wickedness.”
YLT
7`Lo
the man who maketh not
God his strong place
And trusteth in the abundance of his riches
He is strong
in his mischiefs.'
Lo
this is the man that made not God his strength
.... The
Targum renders it
"that made not the Word of the Lord his strength".
These are the words the righteous would say
when they should see the
destruction of Doeg: see the man
the mighty man
and his end; what all his ill
gotten honour and riches are come to; and what his wickedness
deceit
and
cruelty
have brought upon him. The righteous make the Lord their strength
put
their trust in him
in whom is everlasting strength; do all they do in his
strength; fly to him as their "strong hold"
as the wordF2מעוזו "arcem suam"
Cocceius; "presidium
munimemtum"
Michaelis. may be rendered; thither they run
and are safe:
but the rich man's wealth is his strong city
Proverbs 18:10;
there he thinks himself safe
and places his confidence in it
as follows:
but trusted in the abundance of his riches; See Gill on Psalm 49:6; so the
antichristian whore is represented as boasting of her riches and honour
and
trusting in them
that they would always continue
Revelation 18:7;
like the fool in Luke 12:19;
and strengthened himself in
his wickedness; encouraged and hardened himself in sin
gave up himself to it;
and
by art obstinate continuance in it
strengthened the vicious habits
contracted; stretched out his hand against God
and strengthened himself
against the Almighty; went on in a daring manner
promising himself impunity;
and as if his wickedness was his strength
his safeguard and protection: or in
his mammon
his wealth and substance; as the Targum interprets it; and so R.
Saadiah GaonF3Apud Kimchi in loc.
and with which the Syriac
version agrees; and then the sense is the same with the other clause. But
alas! what are all such forces of strength
when wrath comes forth from the
Lord of hosts? Job 36:18.
Psalm 52:8 8 But I am like a
green olive tree in the house of God; I trust in the mercy of God forever and
ever.
YLT
8And I
as a green olive in the
house of God
I have trusted in the kindness of God
To the age and for ever
But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God
.... Or rather
it should be supplied
"I shall be"F4"Ero"
Piscator
Cocceius
Gejerus. ; since David was at this time an exile from the
house of God: and this expresses his faith and confidence
that
notwithstanding his present troubles
he should be restored again
and be in a
very flourishing condition
in the church of God; which is here meant by
"the house of God": it being of his building
and where he dwells
and where to have a place is the great privilege of the saints; they are
planted there by the Lord himself
and shall never be rooted up; they are fixed
there
and shall never go out; which was David's confidence
Psalm 23:6; and
where he believed he should be as "a green olive tree"; which is a
very choice and fruitful tree
has fatness in it
produces an excellent oil; is
beautiful to look at; delights in hot climates and sunny places; is found on
mountains
we read of the mount of Olives; is ever green and durable
and its
leaves and branches are symbols of peace: all which is applicable to truly
righteous persons and believers in Christ; who are the excellent of the earth
are filled with the fruits of righteousness; are fat and flourishing; have the
oil of grace
the anointing which teacheth all things; are a perfection of
beauty
made perfectly comely through Christ's comeliness; thrive under him
the sun of righteousness; grow in the mountain of the Lord's house
the church:
their grace is incorruptible
their leaf withers not; they are rooted in
Christ
and ever continue; they are the sons of peace
and their last end will
be eternal peace. Now as such David was assured he should be
when his enemy
would be rooted up out of the land of the living
and cast like a dry and
worthless branch into everlasting burnings; the ground of which confidence
follows:
I trust in the mercy of God for ever and ever; the mercy of
God is not only an encouragement to trust
but the object of it; not the
absolute mercy of God
but the grace and goodness of God in Christ Jesus
which
endures continually
Psalm 52:1; and so
does hope in it
which never makes ashamed
but abides to the end. The psalmist
seems to have respect to the mercy promised him
that he should sit upon the
throne. This he believed
and therefore was assured he should be in the
flourishing circumstances in the house of God before mentioned.
Psalm 52:9 9 I will praise You forever
Because You have done it; And in the presence of Your saints I will wait
on Your name
for it is good.
YLT
9I thank Thee to the age
because Thou hast done [it]
And I wait [on] Thy name for [it is] good before
Thy saints!
I will praise thee for ever
.... Both in this world
as long as he lived
and had a being in it; and in the world to come
to all
eternity. This is a resolution respecting what he would do
when he should be
in the happy condition he was confident of;
because thou hast done it; the Targum interprets
it
"the revenge of my judgment"; meaning the vengeance of God on
Doeg; and to the same sense Aben Ezra and Kimchi: though it may refer to the
comfortable and happy condition he should be in
Psalm 52:8; and
which he wholly ascribes to the grace and goodness of God
and not to any
merits of his own
and therefore determines to praise him for it;
and I will wait on thy name; on the Lord himself
in
his house and ordinances
for his presence and fresh supplies of grace and
strength
when he should be restored. Or the sense is
that in the mean while
he would wait patiently on the Lord
until he had accomplished what he had
promised
and David believed;
for it is good before thy saints; the sense is
either that it is good to wait upon the Lord and for him; which appears to be
so to all the saints
by the comfortable experience they have had of it
Isaiah 40:31; or
the name of the Lord is good unto them
pleasant
delightful
and comfortable
as proclaimed
Exodus 34:6; see Song of Solomon 1:3;
and also Revelation 15:4.
──《John Gill’s
Exposition of the Bible》
New King James
Version (NKJV)