Psalms 36:1-11

1 To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David the servant of the Lord. An oracle within my heart concerning the transgression of the wicked: There is no fear of God before his eyes.
2 For he flatters himself in his own eyes, When he finds out his iniquity and when he hates.
3 The words of his mouth are wickedness and deceit; He has ceased to be wise and to do good.
4 He devises wickedness on his bed; He sets himself in a way that is not good; He does not abhor evil.
5 Your mercy, O Lord, is in the heavens; Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds.
6 Your righteousness is like the great mountains; Your judgments are a great deep; O Lord, You preserve man and beast.
7 How precious is Your lovingkindness, O God! Therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of Your wings.
8 They are abundantly satisfied with the fullness of Your house, And You give them drink from the river of Your pleasures.
9 For with You is the fountain of life; In Your light we see light.
10 Oh, continue Your lovingkindness to those who know You, And Your righteousness to the upright in heart.
11 Let not the foot of pride come against me, And let not the hand of the wicked drive me away.

Psalms 36:1-11 Meaning and Commentary

To the chief Musician, [a Psalm] of David, the servant of the Lord. This title, which the psalmist takes to himself, regards him not only as a creature, every man being the servant of the Lord as such, of right, though not in fact; but as a king, he being a minister of God for good to good men, and for evil to evil men; and also may respect him as a renewed man; and it is here used in opposition to and distinction from the wicked, who are the servants of sin and Satan, of whom he speaks in this psalm. The Syriac and Arabic versions in their titles suggest that this psalm was written when David was persecuted by Saul, and which is the sense of some interpreters; but R. Obadiah thinks Ahithophel is designed by the wicked man in it; and so it was penned on account of Absalom's rebellion.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.