Psalms 41:6

6 Those who come to see me are not sincere; they gather bad news about me and then go out and tell it everywhere.

Psalms 41:6 Meaning and Commentary

Psalms 41:6

And if he come to see [me]
Meaning anyone of his enemies, when they came, as pretended, to pay him a friendly visit. A late learned writer F24 interprets this of Absalom, who visited his father when he had the smallpox, which he thinks, after mentioned, of which his enemies expected he would die, when Absalom pretended great concern for his life; though he, with others, were plotting against him, should he live, to destroy him;

he speaketh vanity;
lies and falsehoods, in an hypocritical manner, with a double heart; his mouth and his heart not agreeing together; see ( Matthew 22:16 ) ;

his heart gathereth iniquity to itself;
amasses to itself greater treasures of wickedness still, thought that itself is desperately wicked, and very wickedness: this is to be understood of the enemies of Christ observing his words and actions, and laying them up, with a wicked intention, against a proper time;

[when] he goeth abroad, he telleth [it];
as in the instances concerning giving tribute to Caesar, destroying the temple, and saying he was the son of God, ( Matthew 22:17 Matthew 22:18 ) ; compared with ( Luke 23:2 ) ( John 2:19 John 2:21 ) ; compared with ( Matthew 26:60 Matthew 26:61 ) ( John 5:17 John 5:18 ) , compared with ( John 19:5 ) .


FOOTNOTES:

F24 Delaney's Life of King David, vol. 2. p. 157, 158.

Psalms 41:6 In-Context

4 I said, "I have sinned against you, Lord; be merciful to me and heal me."
5 My enemies say cruel things about me. They want me to die and be forgotten.
6 Those who come to see me are not sincere; they gather bad news about me and then go out and tell it everywhere.
7 All who hate me whisper to each other about me, they imagine the worst about me.
8 They say, "He is fatally ill; he will never leave his bed again."
Scripture taken from the Good News Translation - Second Edition, Copyright 1992 by American Bible Society. Used by Permission.