Consider mine enemies
Or "look" F13 upon them; but with another kind of look; so as he looked through the pillar of fire upon the Egyptians, and troubled them, ( Exodus 14:24 ) ; with a look of wrath and vengeance. The arguments he uses are taken both from the quantity and quality of his enemies, their number and their nature;
for they are many;
the hearts of the people of Israel, in general, being after Absalom, ( 2 Samuel 15:12 2 Samuel 15:13 ) ; and so the spiritual enemies of the Lord's people are many; their sins and corruptions, Satan, and his principalities and powers, and the men of this world;
and they hate me with cruel hatred;
like that of Simeon and Levi, ( Genesis 49:7 ) ; their hatred broke out in a cruel manner, in acts of force and cruelty; and it was the more cruel, inasmuch as it was without cause: and such is the hatred of Satan and his emissaries against the faithful followers of Christ; who breathe out cruelty, thirst after their blood, and make themselves drunk with it; even their tender mercies are cruel, and much more their hatred.