Psalm 56:5

5 Every day they wrest my words; all their thoughts are against me for evil.

Psalm 56:5 Meaning and Commentary

Psalms 56:5

Every day they wrest my words
Form, fashion, and shape them at their pleasure; construe them, and put what sense upon them they think fit. The word ^F21 is used of the formation of the human body, in ( Job 10:8 ) ; They put his words upon the rack, and made them speak what he never intended; as some men wrest the Scriptures to their own destruction, ( 2 Peter 3:16 ) ; and as the Jews wrested the words of Christ, ( John 2:19 ) ( Matthew 26:60 Matthew 26:61 ) . The word has also the sense of causing vexation and grief, ( Isaiah 63:10 ) ; and so it may be rendered here, "my words cause grief" ^F23; to his enemies; because he had said, in the preceding verses, that he would trust in the Lord, and praise his word, and not be afraid of men; just as the Sadducees were grieved at the apostles preaching, through Jesus, the resurrection of the dead, ( Acts 4:1 Acts 4:2 ) . Or they caused grief to himself; for because of these his enemies reproached him, cursed him, and distressed him. The Septuagint and Vulgate Latin render it, "they cursed my words"; or despised them, as the Ethiopic and Arabic versions:

all their thoughts [are] against me for evil;
their counsels, schemes, and contrivances, were all formed to do him all the hurt and mischief they could.

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FOOTNOTES:

F21 (wbuey) "fingunt mea verba", Cocceius, Gusset. p. 628. "They painfully form and frame my words", Ainsworth.
F23 "Dolore afficient", Montanus, Gejerus, Vatablus.

Psalm 56:5 In-Context

3 In the time I am afraid, I will trust in Thee.

4 In God I will praise His word, in God I have put my trust; I will not fear what flesh can do unto me.

5 Every day they wrest my words; all their thoughts are against me for evil.

6 They gather themselves together, they hide themselves, they mark my steps as they lie in wait for my soul.

7 Shall they escape by iniquity? In Thine anger cast down the people, O God.