Psalms 36:1-10

Human Wickedness and God's Love

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For the choir director. [A psalm] of David, the Lord's servant.

1 An oracle within my heart concerning the transgression of the wicked: There is no dread of God before his eyes,[a]
2 for in his own eyes he flatters himself [too much] to discover and hate his sin.
3 The words of his mouth are malicious and deceptive; he has stopped acting wisely and doing good.
4 Even on his bed he makes malicious plans. He sets himself on a path that is not good and does not reject evil.
5 Lord, Your faithful love [reaches] to heaven, Your faithfulness to the skies.
6 Your righteousness is like the highest mountain; Your judgments, like the deepest sea. Lord, You preserve man and beast.
7 God, Your faithful love is so valuable that people take refuge in the shadow of Your wings.
8 They are filled from the abundance of Your house; You let them drink from Your refreshing stream,
9 for with You is life's fountain. In Your light we will see light.
10 Spread Your faithful love over those who know You, and Your righteousness over the upright in heart.

Psalms 36:1-10 Meaning and Commentary

To the chief Musician, [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.

Footnotes 1

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