If the foundations be destroyed
Or, "for the foundations are destroyed" F19; all
things are out of order and course both in church and state; the
laws, which are the foundations of government, are despised and
disregarded; judgment is perverted, and justice stands afar off;
the doctrines and principles of religion are derided and
subverted; so that there is no standing, either in a political or
religious sense. Jarchi interprets this of the priests of the
Lord, the righteous, who are the foundations of the world,
particularly the priests of Nob, slain by Doeg. Other Jewish
writers, as Aben Ezra, Kimchi, and Ben Melech, understand it of
the purposes and counsels, nets and snares, laid by the wicked
for the righteous, which are broken and destroyed; not by them,
for what can they do? but by the Lord, who is in his holy temple.
So it
what can the righteous do?
or "what does the righteous one do" F20? that is, the righteous
Lord, he sits in the heavens, he beholds all the actions of the
wicked, he distinguishes the righteous from them, and rains a
violent storm of wrath upon them, as in the following verses; or
"what has the righteous man done" F21? what has David done,
that the priests of Nob should be slain? nothing that was
criminal; nor shall he bear the sin, but they, according to
Jarchi's sense; or rather, what has he done that the wicked
should bend their bow, prepare their arrow, and attempt to shoot
privily at him, and to overturn the foundations of justice and
equity? nothing that deserves such treatment: or if the
fundamental doctrines of true religion and everlasting salvation
be subverted, what can the righteous do? he can do nothing to
obtain salvation, nor do any good works of himself; the Chaldee
paraphrase is, "wherefore does he do good?" he can have no
principle, motive, or end to do good, if fundamental truths are
destroyed: or "what should he do" {w}? something the righteous
ones may do, and should do, when men are attempting to undermine
and sap the foundation articles of religion; they should go to
the throne of grace, to God in his holy temple, who knows what is
doing, and plead with him to put a stop to the designs and
attempts of such subverters of foundations; and they should
endeavour to build one another up on their most holy faith, and
constantly affirm it while others deny it; and should contend
earnestly for it, and stand fast in it.