Psalm 140

1 Rescue me, O Lord, from the evil man; deliver me from the unjust man.

2 Who have devised injustice in their hearts; all the day they prepared war.

3 They have sharpened their tongue as the tongue of a serpent; the poison of asps is under their lips. Pause.

4 Keep me, O Lord, from the hand of the sinner; rescue me from unjust men; who have purposed to overthrow my goings.

5 The proud have hid a snare for me, and have stretched out ropes for snares for my feet; they set a stumbling-block for me near the path. Pause.

6 I said to the Lord, Thou art my God; hearken, O Lord, to the voice of my supplication.

7 O Lord God, the strength of my salvation; thou hast screened my head in the day of battle.

8 Deliver me not, O Lord, to the sinner, according to my desire: they have devised mischief against me; forsake me not, lest they should be exalted. Pause.

9 As for the head of them that compass me, the mischief of their lips shall cover them.

10 Coals of fire shall fall upon them on the earth; and thou shalt cast them down in afflictions: they shall not bear up under them.

11 A talkative man shall not prosper on the earth: evils shall hunt the unrighteous man to destruction.

12 I know that the Lord will maintain the cause of the poor, and the right of the needy ones.

13 Surely the righteous shall give thanks to thy name: the upright shall dwell in thy presence.

Psalm 140 Meaning and Commentary

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.