Psalm 140:1-5

1 O LORD, rescue me from evil people. Protect me from those who are violent,

2 those who plot evil in their hearts and stir up trouble all day long.

3 Their tongues sting like a snake; the venom of a viper drips from their lips. Interlude

4 O LORD, keep me out of the hands of the wicked. Protect me from those who are violent, for they are plotting against me.

5 The proud have set a trap to catch me; they have stretched out a net; they have placed traps all along the way. Interlude

Psalm 140:1-5 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.