Psalms 36:4-12

4 He deviseth mischief upon his bed; he setteth himself in a way that is not good; he abhorreth not evil.

5 Thy mercy, O LORD, is in the heavens, and Thy faithfulness reacheth unto the clouds.

6 Thy righteousness is like the great mountains; Thy judgments are a great deep; O LORD, Thou preservest man and beast.

7 How excellent is Thy lovingkindness, O God! Therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of Thy wings.

8 They shall be abundantly satisfied with the bounty of Thy house, and Thou shalt make them drink of the river of Thy pleasures.

9 For with Thee is the fountain of life; in Thy light shall we see light.

10 O continue Thy lovingkindness unto them that know Thee, and Thy righteousness to the upright in heart.

11 Let not the foot of pride come against me, and let not the hand of the wicked remove me.

12 There the workers of iniquity lie fallen; they are cast down, and shall not be able to rise.

Psalms 36:4-12 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.