Psalms 55:23

23 But thou, God, shalt lead them forth; into the pit of death. Men-quellers and beguilers shall not have half their days; but, Lord, I shall hope in thee. (But murderers and deceivers shall not have half their days; for thou, God, shalt lead them forth, into the pit of death. But, O Lord, I shall put my trust in thee.)

Psalms 55:23 Meaning and Commentary

Psalms 55:23

But thou, O God, shall bring them down
Ahithophel and his accomplices in the conspiracy against David, Judas and the wicked Jews concerned in Christ's death; and did not believe in him;

into the pit of destruction,
or "corruption" F9; either the grave, where bodies being put corrupt and putrefy; or hell, where the wicked are punished with everlasting destruction; see ( Psalms 55:15 ) ;

bloody and deceitful men shall not live out half their days;
such as Ahithophel and Absalom, Judas, and the murderers of our Lord: or, "do not halve their days" F11; do not come up to the half of the ordinary term of man's life, which is threescore years and ten. The Jews say {l}, that all the years of Doeg were but thirty four, and of Ahithophel thirty three; and probably Judas might be about the same age. Or the sense is, that, generally speaking, such sort of men die in the prime of their days, and do not live half the time that, according to the course of nature, they might live; and which they promise themselves they should, and their friends hoped and expected they would:

but I will trust in thee;
the Lord, that he would hear and save him, support him under his burden, supply him with his grace, and every thing needful, and not suffer him to be moved; and that he should live to fill up the measure of his days, do the will and work of God, and then be received to glory.


FOOTNOTES:

F9 (txv) "corruptionis", Vatablus, Musculus, Junius & Tremellius, Piscator; so Ainsworth; approved by Gussetius, p. 850.
F11 (wuxy) "dividiabunt", V. L. Pagninus, Montanus
F12 T. Bab. Sanhedrin, fol. 69. 2. & 106. 2. & Gloss. in Pirke Abot, c. 5. s. 19.

Psalms 55:23 In-Context

21 the cheers thereof were parted from ire; and his heart nighed. The words thereof were softer than oil; and they be darts. (their words were smoother than butter; but battle was in their hearts. Their words were softer than oil; but they were as sharp as darts.)
22 Cast thy care, or thought, [(or) busyness,] on the Lord, and he shall fully nourish thee; and he shall not give [into] without end fluttering to a just man. (Cast thy burdens upon the Lord, and he shall nourish and protect thee; yea, he shall not allow the righteous to be moved, or shaken.)
23 But thou, God, shalt lead them forth; into the pit of death. Men-quellers and beguilers shall not have half their days; but, Lord, I shall hope in thee. (But murderers and deceivers shall not have half their days; for thou, God, shalt lead them forth, into the pit of death. But, O Lord, I shall put my trust in thee.)
Copyright © 2001 by Terence P. Noble. For personal use only.