Psalms 41:5-8

5 My enemies say of me in malice, "When will he die, and his name perish?"
6 And when one comes to see me, 1he utters empty words, while his heart gathers iniquity; when he goes out, he tells it abroad.
7 All who hate me whisper together about me; they imagine the worst for me.[a]
8 They say, "A deadly thing is poured out[b] on him; he will not rise again from where he lies."

Psalms 41:5-8 Meaning and Commentary

To the chief Musician, a Psalm of David. In this psalm is a prophecy concerning Christ, and concerning Judas Iscariot, as runs part of the title in the Syriac version; and in the Arabic version it is called a prophecy concerning the incarnation, and the salutation of Judas; and certain it is that Psalm 41:9 is to be understood of him, and of his betraying Christ into the hands of his enemies, since it is cited and applied to him by our Lord himself, John 13:18; so that having such a sure rule of interpretation, we may safely venture to explain the whole psalm of Christ, which treats both of his humiliation and exaltation; for it neither agrees with David wholly, nor with Hezekiah, to whom some ascribe it, as Theodoret remarks.

Cross References 1

  • 1. Psalms 12:2; Psalms 144:8

Footnotes 2

The English Standard Version is published with the permission of Good News Publishers.