Bible Commentaries

Hear my voice, O God, in my prayer: preserve my life from fear of the enemy.

Psalms 64:1-10.-Two strophes. He prays for preservation from the secret counsels of the wicked (Psalms 64:1-5); the completion of laying their plots foreruns their sudden destruction, God turning their malice upon themselves, so that all discern God's doing, and the righteous are glad in Him (Psalms 64:6-10). The slanders of tongue apply to the Sauline persecution. But the truth is general: all the plots of the ungodly, including the last Antichrist, shall utterly fail, when seeming on the verge of my success.

Hear my voice, O God, in my prayer - Hebrew 'in my meditating'-my plaintive, meditative prayer [ b

Hide me from the secret counsel of the wicked; from the insurrection of the workers of iniquity:

Hide me from the secret counsel of the wicked - `from the divan of the malicious;' from the secret session together of those who plot mischief against me. Compare with Psalms 64:1-2; Psalms 55:2-4; Psalms 83:3.

From the insurrection of the workers of iniquity ( meerigshat ) - 'from the tumult of,' etc.

Who whet their tongue like a sword, and bend their bows to shoot their arrows, even bitter words:

Who whet their tongue like a sword - (Psalms 57:4; Psalms 59:7.) Not mere common slanders; but those which aim at the destruction of the slandered person, as was the case in the slanders directed by Saul and his faction against the destruction of the slandered person, as was the case in the slanders directed by Saul and his faction against David.

That they may shoot in secret at the perfect: suddenly do they shoot at him, and fear not.

That they may shoot in secret at the perfect - like night murderers waylaying the unwary traveler (Psalms 10:8-9).

Suddenly do they shoot at him - when he least suspects danger.

And fear not - God and His coming judgment; cf. Psalms 64:9 on the contrary (Psalms 55:19).

They encourage themselves in an evil matter: they commune of laying snares privily; they say, Who shall see them?

They encourage themselves in an evil matter - literally, 'They confirm for themselves an evil matter' or 'word.'

They commune - each one proposing his plan in the secret council.

They say, Who shall see them? - literally, 'Who shall see concerning them?'-namely, concerning the "snares" which they 'lay privily.' They flatter themselves God takes no cognizance of, because He does not immediately punish, their plots (Psalms 10:11-13; Psalms 59:7).

They search out iniquities; they accomplish a diligent search: both the inward thought of every one of them, and the heart, is deep.

-When all the plot is ripe, then ensues sudden destruction of the wicked plotters.