Psalms 50:18-23

18 "When you see a thief, you 1are pleased with him, And you 2associate with adulterers.
19 "You 3let your mouth loose in evil And your 4tongue frames deceit.
20 "You sit and 5speak against your brother; You slander * your own mother's son.
21 "These things you have done and 6I kept silence; You thought that I was just like you; I will 7reprove you and state the case in order before your eyes.
22 "Now consider this, you who 8forget God, Or I will 9tear you in pieces, and there will be none to deliver.
23 "He who 10offers a sacrifice of thanksgiving honors Me; And to him who 11orders his way aright I shall 12show the salvation of God."

Psalms 50:18-23 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO PSALM 50

\\<>\\. This psalm is called a psalm of Asaph; either because it was composed by him under divine inspiration, since he was a prophet and a seer, 1Ch 25:2, 2Ch 29:30; or because it was delivered to him to be sung in public service, he being a chief musician; see 1Ch 16:7; and so it may be rendered, "a psalm for Asaph"; or "unto Asaph" {o}; which was directed, sent, and delivered to him, and might be written by David; and, as Junius thinks, after the angel had appeared to him, and he was directed where he should build an altar to the Lord, 1Ch 21:18. The Targum, Kimchi, and R. Obadiah Gaon, interpret this psalm of the day of judgment; and Jarchi takes it to be a prophecy of the future redemption by their expected Messiah; and indeed it does refer to the times of the Gospel dispensation; for it treats of the calling of the Gentiles, of the abrogation of legal sacrifices, and of the controversy the Lord would have with the Jews for retaining them, and rejecting pure, spiritual, and evangelical worship. {o} Poal "ipsi Asaph", Tigurine version, Vatablus; "Asapho", Junius & Tremellius, Piscator; so Ainsworth.

Cross References 12

  • 1. Romans 1:32
  • 2. 1 Timothy 5:22
  • 3. Psalms 10:7
  • 4. Psalms 36:3; Psalms 52:2
  • 5. Job 19:18; Matthew 10:21
  • 6. Ecclesiastes 8:11; Isaiah 42:14; Isaiah 57:11
  • 7. Psalms 90:8
  • 8. Job 8:13; Psalms 9:17
  • 9. Psalms 7:2
  • 10. Psalms 50:14
  • 11. Psalms 85:13
  • 12. Psalms 91:16

Footnotes 4

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