Psalm 35

1 Judge thou, O Lord, them that injure me, fight against them that fight against me.

2 Take hold of shield and buckler, and arise for my help.

3 Bring forth a sword, and stop the way against them that persecute me: say to my soul, I am thy salvation.

4 Let them that seek my soul be ashamed and confounded: let them that devise evils against me be turned back and put to shame.

5 Let them be as dust before the wind, and an angel of the Lord afflicting them.

6 Let their way be dark and slippery, and an angel of the Lord persecuting them.

7 For without cause they have hid for me their destructive snare: without a cause they have reproached my soul.

8 Let a snare which they know not come upon them; and the gin which they hid take them; and let them fall into the very same snare.

9 But my soul shall exult in the Lord: it shall delight in his salvation.

10 All my bones shall say, O Lord, who is like to thee? delivering the poor out of the hand of them that are stronger than he, yea, the poor and needy one from them that spoil him.

11 Unjust witnesses arose, and asked me of things I new not.

12 They rewarded me evil for good, and bereavement to my soul.

13 But I, when they troubled me, put on sackcloth, and humbled my soul with fasting: and my prayer shall return to my own bosom.

14 I behaved agreeably towards them as if it had been our neighbour or brother: I humbled myself as one mourning and sad of countenance.

15 Yet they rejoiced against me, and plagues were plentifully brought against me, and I knew it not: they were scattered, but repented not.

16 They tempted me, they sneered at me most contemptuously, they gnashed their teeth upon me.

17 O Lord, when wilt thou look upon me? Deliver my soul from their mischief, mine only-begotten one from the lions.

18 I will give thanks to thee even in a great congregation: in an abundant people I will praise thee.

19 Let not them that are mine enemies without a cause rejoice against me; who hate me for nothing, and wink with their eyes.

20 For to me they spoke peaceably, but imagined deceits in their anger.

21 And they opened wide their mouth upon me; they said Aha, aha, our eyes have seen it.

22 Thou hast seen it, O Lord: keep not silence: O Lord, withdraw not thyself from me.

23 Awake, O Lord, and attend to my judgment, even to my cause, my God and my Lord.

24 Judge me, O Lord, according to thy righteousness, O Lord my God; and let them not rejoice against me.

25 Let them not say in their hearts, Aha, aha, it is pleasing to our soul: neither let them say, We have devoured him.

26 Let them be confounded and ashamed together that rejoice at my afflictions: let them be clothed with shame and confusion that speak great swelling words against me.

27 Let them that rejoice in my righteousness exult and be glad: and let them say continually, The Lord be magnified, who desire the peace of his servant.

28 And my tongue shall meditate on thy righteousness, and on thy praise all the day.

Psalm 35 Commentary

Chapter 35

David prays for safety. (1-10) He complains of his enemies. (11-16) And calls upon God to support him. (17-28)

Verses 1-10 It is no new thing for the most righteous men, and the most righteous cause, to meet with enemies. This is a fruit of the old enmity in the seed of the serpent against the Seed of the woman. David in his afflictions, Christ in his sufferings, the church under persecution, and the Christian in the hour temptation, all beseech the Almighty to appear in their behalf, and to vindicate their cause. We are apt to justify uneasiness at the injuries men do us, by our never having given them cause to use us so ill; but this should make us easy, for then we may the more expect that God will plead our cause. David prayed to God to manifest himself in his trial. Let me have inward comfort under all outward troubles, to support my soul. If God, by his Spirit, witness to our spirits that he is our salvation, we need desire no more to make us happy. If God is our Friend, no matter who is our enemy. By the Spirit of prophecy, David foretells the just judgments of God that would come upon his enemies for their great wickedness. These are predictions, they look forward, and show the doom of the enemies of Christ and his kingdom. We must not desire or pray for the ruin of any enemies, except our lusts and the evil spirits that would compass our destruction. A traveller benighted in a bad road, is an expressive emblem of a sinner walking in the slippery and dangerous ways of temptation. But David having committed his cause to God, did not doubt of his own deliverance. The bones are the strongest parts of the body. The psalmist here proposes to serve and glorify God with all his strength. If such language may be applied to outward salvation, how much more will it apply to heavenly things in Christ Jesus!

Verses 11-16 Call a man ungrateful, and you can call him no worse: this was the character of David's enemies. Herein he was a type of Christ. David shows how tenderly he had behaved towards them in afflictions. We ought to mourn for the sins of those who do not mourn for themselves. We shall not lose by the good offices we do to any, how ungrateful soever they may be. Let us learn to possess our souls in patience and meekness like David, or rather after Christ's example.

Verses 17-28 Though the people of God are, and study to be, quiet, yet it has been common for their enemies to devise deceitful matters against them. David prays, My soul is in danger, Lord, rescue it; it belongs to thee the Father of spirits, therefore claim thine own; it is thine, save it! Lord, be not far from me, as if I were a stranger. He who exalted the once suffering Redeemer, will appear for all his people: the roaring lion shall not destroy their souls, any more than he could that of Christ, their Surety. They trust their souls in his hands, they are one with him by faith, are precious in his sight, and shall be rescued from destruction, that they may give thanks in heaven.

Chapter Summary

INTRODUCTION TO PSALM 35

\\<<[A Psalm] of David>>\\. This psalm seems to have been written by David, when he was persecuted by Saul; and when many false charges were brought against him by his courtiers; and when he was the scorn and derision of the people; the subject of it is pretty much of the same kind with the seventh psalm, and might be written about the same time that was, and on the same occasion; and it may be applied to the church and people of God in like cases. There is a passage in it, Ps 35:19, which our Lord seems to refer to and apply to himself, Joh 15:25; and some interpret the whole of it concerning him. The Arabic version calls it a prophecy of the incarnation; though there does not appear any thing in it applicable to that.