Psalms 35:1-9

1 To David. [The psalm of David.] Lord, deem thou them, that annoy me; overcome thou them, that fight against me. (The song of David. Lord, judge thou them, who harm me; overcome thou them, who fight against me.)

2 Take thou armours and shield; and rise up into help to me. (Take thou up arms, or weapons, and shield; and rise up to help me.)

3 Shed out the sword/Hold out the sword, and close (al)together (the way) against them that pursue me; say thou to my soul, I am thine health. (Draw out the sword, and close up the way against those who persecute me; say thou to me, I am thy salvation, or thy deliverance.)

4 They that seek my life; be shamed, and ashamed. They that think evils to me; be turned away backward, and be they shamed. (Let those who seek my life; be shamed, and ashamed. Let those who plot evil against me; be turned back, and be shamed.)

5 Be they made as dust before the face of the wind; and the angel of the Lord make them strait. (Let them be made like the dust in the wind; and let the angel of the Lord pursue them.)

6 Their way be made darkness, and sliderness; and the angel of the Lord pursue them. (Let their way be made dark, and slippery; and may the angel of the Lord strike them down.)

7 For without cause they hid to me the death of their snare; in vain they despised my soul. (For no reason, they hid their deadly snare for me/they hid their snare for me in a pit; for no reason, they despised me.)

8 The snare which he knoweth not come to him, and the taking which he hid take him; and fall he into the snare in that thing. (But let the snare catch him unawares, or by surprise, yea, let the trap which he himself hid, catch him; and let him fall to his own destruction in that thing.)

9 But my soul shall fully have joy in the Lord; and shall delight on his health. (But my soul shall have full out joy, or shall rejoice, in the Lord; and it shall delight in his salvation, or in his deliverance.)

Psalms 35:1-9 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO PSALM 35

\\<<[A Psalm] of David>>\\. This psalm seems to have been written by David, when he was persecuted by Saul; and when many false charges were brought against him by his courtiers; and when he was the scorn and derision of the people; the subject of it is pretty much of the same kind with the seventh psalm, and might be written about the same time that was, and on the same occasion; and it may be applied to the church and people of God in like cases. There is a passage in it, Ps 35:19, which our Lord seems to refer to and apply to himself, Joh 15:25; and some interpret the whole of it concerning him. The Arabic version calls it a prophecy of the incarnation; though there does not appear any thing in it applicable to that.