The last issue of God's judgments contemplated by the psalm warrants the joy of the righteous; for in these there is a demonstration to the world that there is "fruit" to the righteous, and that notwithstanding all bewilderments from the sight of prosperous wickedness and oppressed righteousness "there is a God who judges in the earth." The word "judging" is here in the plural, corresponding with "God" (Elohim), which is also plural in form. Possibly the construction is to be explained on the ground that the words describe the thoughts of surrounding, polytheistic nations, who behold the exhibition of God's righteousness. But more probably the plural is here used for the sake of the contrast with the "gods" of ver. 1. Over these unworthy representatives of Divine justice sits the true judge, in the manifoldness of His attributes, exercising His righteous though slow-footed judgments.
1 Deliver me from my enemies, O my God: Out of the reach of those who arise against me set me on high. 2 Deliver me from workers of iniquity, And from men of blood save me. 3 For, see, they have lain in wait for my soul, The violent gather together against me: Not for transgression or sin of mine, Jehovah. 4 Without [my] fault they run and set themselves in array: Awake to meet me, and behold. 5 And Thou, Jehovah, God of hosts, God of Israel, Rouse Thyself to visit all the nations: Be not gracious to wicked apostates. Selah.
6 They return at evening, they snarl like dogs, and prowl round the city. 7 See, they foam at the mouth; Swords are in their lips: For "Who hears?" 8 But Thou, Jehovah, shalt laugh at them; Thou mockest at all the nations. 9 My Strength, for Thee will I watch: For God is my high tower.
10 My God shall come to meet me with His loving-kindness: God will let me look on my adversaries. 11 Slay them not, lest my people forget: Make them wanderers by Thy power (army?), and cast them down, O Lord our shield. 12 [Each] word of their lips is a sin of their mouth, And they snare themselves in their pride, And for the cursing and lying [which] they speak. 13 End [them] in wrath, end [them], that they be no more: And let them know that God is ruler in Jacob, Unto the ends of the earth. Selah.
14 And they shall return at evening, they shall growl like dogs, And prowl round the city. 15 They--they shall wander about for food, If they are not gorged, then [so must] they pass the night. 16 And I will sing Thy strength, And sound aloud Thy loving-kindness in the morning, For Thou hast been a high tower for me, And a refuge in the day of my straits. 17 My strength, to Thee will I harp, For God is my high tower, the God of my loving-kindness.
The superscription makes this the earliest of David's psalms, dating from the Sauline persecution. It has many points of connection with the others of that group, but its closest affinities are with Psalm lv., which is commonly considered to belong to the period of incubation of Absalom's rebellion (_cf._ Psalm lv. 10 with lix. 6, 14, and lv. 21 with lix. 7). The allusion to enemies patrolling the city, which is common to both psalms, seems to refer to a fact, and may in this psalm be founded on the watchfulness of Saul's emissaries; but its occurrence in both weakens its force as here confirmatory of the superscription. It does not necessarily follow from the mention of the "nations" that the psalmist's enemies are foreigners. Their presence in the city and the stress laid on words as their weapons are against that supposition. On the whole, the contents of the psalm do not negative the tradition in the title, but do not strongly attest it. If we have accepted the Davidic authorship of the other psalms of this group, we shall extend it to this one; for they clearly are a group, whether Davidic or not. The psalm falls into two principal divisions (vv. 1-9 and 10-17), each closing with a refrain, and each subdivided into two minor sections, the former of which in each case ends with Selah, and the latter begins with another refrain. The two parts travel over much the same ground of petition, description of the enemies, confidence in deliverance and in the defeat of the foes. But in the first half the psalmist prays for himself, and in the second he prays against his persecutors, while assured confidence in his own deliverance takes the place of alarmed gaze on their might and cruelty.