Psalm 57:4

Verse 4. (first clause). Mudge translates literally, I lie with my soul amidst lionesses. This agrees with the opinion of Bochart, who thinks that the animals here intended are lionesses, properly, when giving suck to their young, a time when they are peculiarly fierce and dangerous, "nor need we wonder," he observes, "that the lioness is reckoned among the fiercest lions; for the lioness equals, or even exceeds, the lion in strength and fierceness;" and this he proves from the testimonies of ancient writers. James Anderson's Note to Calvin in loc, 1846.

Verse 4. And I lie even among them that are set on fire. The whole pith lies in the word hbkfa, I will recline, which denotes a tranquil and secure condition of body and mind, like a man reclining and sleeping, as Psalms 3:5 ; I laid me down and slept, I awaked; and lived composedly; Psalms 4:9 ; I will both lay me down in peace, etc. Hermann Venema.

Verse 4. The horrors of a lion's den, the burning of a fiery furnace, and the cruel onset of war, are the striking images by which David here describes the peril and wretchedness of his present condition. John Morison.

HINTS FOR PASTORS AND LAYPERSONS

Verse 1,4,6-7. Note the varying condition of the same heart, at the same time. My soul trusteth in thee... My soul is among lions... My soul is bowed down... My heart is fixed.

Verse 4. My soul is among lions. How came I there? If for God's sake, then I may remember --