Psalm 27:2

2 When evil-doers drew nigh against me to eat up my flesh, my persecutors and mine enemies, they fainted and fell.

Psalm 27:2 Meaning and Commentary

Psalms 27:2

When the wicked, [even] mine enemies and my foes, came upon
me
They are wicked men, men of malignant spirits, and evildoers, who are the enemies and foes of the people of God, and who hate them with an implacable hatred, and do everything they can to distress and afflict them; and such enemies David had, who were many and mighty; and these "came upon" him, or "approached against" him ^F3, they drew near to him to make war with him, as the word signifies ^F4; they attacked him in an hostile manner; and their view was, as he says,

to eat up my flesh,
as they eat bread, ( Psalms 14:4 ) ; to devour him at once, to make but one morsel of him, to destroy his life, to strip him of his substance, to take away his wives and children, as the Amalekites at Ziklag, ( 1 Samuel 30:1-6 ) ;

they stumbled and fell;
the Lord put stumbling blocks in their way, and retarded their march, and hindered them from executing their designs; and they fell into the hands of David, and were subdued under him, or fell by death; and these past instances of divine goodness the psalmist calls to mind, to keep up his heart and courage, and animate and strengthen him against the fears of men, of death and hell.

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FOOTNOTES:

F3 (yle brqb) "cum appropinquaverint adversum me", Pagninus; so Gejerus.
F4 "Belligerantibus contra me", Junius & Tremellius; so Piscator & Ainsworth.

Psalm 27:2 In-Context

1 The Lord is my light and my Saviour; whom shall I fear? the Lord is the defender of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?

2 When evil-doers drew nigh against me to eat up my flesh, my persecutors and mine enemies, they fainted and fell.

3 Though an army should set itself in array against me, my heart shall not be afraid: though war should rise up against me, in this am I confident.

4 One thing have I asked of the Lord, this will I earnestly seek: that I should dwell in the house of the Lord, all the days of my life, that I should behold the fair beauty of the Lord, and survey his temple.

5 For in the day of mine afflictions he hid me in his tabernacle: he sheltered me in the secret of his tabernacle; he set me up on a rock.

6 And now, behold, he has lifted up mine head over mine enemies: I went round and offered in his tabernacle the sacrifice of joy; I will sing even sing psalms to the Lord.

7 Hear, O Lord, my voice which I have uttered aloud: pity me, and hearken to me.

8 My heart said to thee, I have diligently sought thy face: thy face, O Lord, I will seek.

9 Turn not thy face away from me, turn not thou away from thy servant in anger: be thou my helper, forsake me not; and, O God my Saviour, overlook me not.

10 For my father and my mother have forsaken me, but the Lord has taken me to himself.

11 Teach me, O Lord, in thy way, and guide me in a right path, because of mine enemies.

12 Deliver me not over to the desire of them that afflict me; for unjust witnesses have risen up against me, and injustice has lied within herself.

13 I believe that I shall see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.

14 Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and let thy heart be strengthened: yea wait on the Lord.