Psalms 140:1-7

Psalm 140

1

For the music leader. A psalm of David.

1 Rescue me from evil people, LORD! Guard me from violent people
2 who plot evil things in their hearts, who pick fights every single day!
3 They sharpen their tongues like a snake's; spider poison is on their lips. Selah
4 Protect me from the power of the wicked, LORD! Guard me from violent people who plot to trip me up!
5 Arrogant people have laid a trap for me with ropes. They've spread out a net alongside the road. They've set snares for me. Selah
6 I tell the LORD, "You are my God! Listen to my request for mercy, LORD!"
7 My LORD God, my strong saving help— you've protected my head on the day of battle.

Psalms 140:1-7 Meaning and Commentary

To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David. This psalm, A ben Ezra says, was composed by David before he was king; and Kimchi says, it is concerning Doeg and the Ziphites, who calumniated him to Saul; and, according to our English contents, it is a prayer of David to be delivered from Saul and Doeg. The Syriac inscription is, "said by David, when Saul threw a javelin at him to kill him, but it struck the wall; but, spiritually, the words of him that cleaves to God, and contends with his enemies." R. Obadiah says, it was made at the persecution of David by Saul, which was before the kingdom of David; as the persecution (of Gog) is before the coming of the Messiah. It is indeed before his spiritual coming, but not before his coming in the flesh; and David may be very well considered in the psalm as a type of Christ, for he was particularly so in his sufferings, as well as in other things.

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