Psalmen 140

1 Een psalm van David, voor den opperzangmeester.

2 Red mij, HEERE! van den kwaden mens; behoed mij voor den man alles gewelds;

3 Die veel kwaads in het hart denken, allen dag samenkomen om te oorlogen.

4 Zij scherpen hun tong, als een slang; heet addervergift is onder hun lippen. Sela.

5 Bewaar mij, HEERE! van de handen des goddelozen; behoed mij van den man alles gewelds; van hen, die mijn voeten denken weg te stoten.

6 De hovaardigen hebben mij een strik verborgen, en koorden; zij hebben een net uitgespreid aan de zijde des wegs; valstrikken hebben zij mij gezet. Sela.

7 Ik heb tot den HEERE gezegd: Gij zijt mijn God; neem ter ore, o HEERE! de stem mijner smekingen.

8 HEERE, Heere, Sterkte mijns heils! Gij hebt mijn hoofd bedekt ten dage der wapening.

9 Geef, HEERE! de begeerten des goddelozen niet; bevorder zijn kwaad voornemen niet; zij zouden zich verheffen. Sela.

10 Aangaande het hoofd dergenen, die mij omringen, de overlast hunner lippen overdekke hen.

11 Vurige kolen moeten op hen geschud worden; Hij doe hen vallen in het vuur, in diepe kuilen, dat zij niet weder opstaan.

12 Een man van kwade tong zal op de aarde niet bevestigd worden; een boos man des gewelds, dien zal men jagen, totdat hij geheel verdreven is.

13 Ik weet, dat de HEERE de rechtzaak des ellendigen, en het recht der nooddruftigen zal uitvoeren. [ (Psalms 140:14) Gewisselijk, de rechtvaardigen zullen Uw Naam loven; de oprechten zullen voor Uw aangezicht blijven. ]

Psalmen 140 Commentary

Chapter 140

David encourages himself in God. (1-7) He prays for, and prophesies the destruction of, his persecutors. (8-13)

Verses 1-7 The more danger appears, the more earnest we should be in prayer to God. All are safe whom the Lord protects. If he be for us, who can be against us? We should especially watch and pray, that the Lord would hold up our goings in his ways, that our footsteps slip not. God is as able to keep his people from secret fraud as from open force; and the experience we have had of his power and care, in dangers of one kind, may encourage us to depend upon him in other dangers.

Verses 8-13 Believers may pray that God would not grant the desires of the wicked, nor further their evil devices. False accusers will bring mischief upon themselves, even the burning coals of Divine vengeance. And surely the righteous shall dwell in God's presence, and give him thanks for evermore. This is true thanksgiving, even thanks-living: this use we should make of all our deliverances, we should serve God the more closely and cheerfully. Those who, though evil spoken of and ill-used by men, are righteous in the sight of God, being justified by the righteousness of Christ, which is imputed to them, and received by faith, as the effect of which, they live soberly and righteously; these give thanks to the Lord, for the righteousness whereby they are made righteous, and for every blessing of grace, and mercy of life.

Chapter Summary

To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David. This psalm, A ben Ezra says, was composed by David before he was king; and Kimchi says, it is concerning Doeg and the Ziphites, who calumniated him to Saul; and, according to our English contents, it is a prayer of David to be delivered from Saul and Doeg. The Syriac inscription is, "said by David, when Saul threw a javelin at him to kill him, but it struck the wall; but, spiritually, the words of him that cleaves to God, and contends with his enemies." R. Obadiah says, it was made at the persecution of David by Saul, which was before the kingdom of David; as the persecution (of Gog) is before the coming of the Messiah. It is indeed before his spiritual coming, but not before his coming in the flesh; and David may be very well considered in the psalm as a type of Christ, for he was particularly so in his sufferings, as well as in other things.