Bible Commentaries
Arthur Peake's Commentary on the Bible
Psalms 15
XV. Yahweh's Client.—The Phœnicians were familiar with the idea that a man might become the client of a god and so put himself under Divine protection. They used the same word for "client" as the Hebrews, viz. gçr. Hence we have such names in Phœnician, as Gerastart, "client of Astarte," Gerhekal, "client of the temple," etc. But to be Yahweh's client moral qualities are necessary; indeed no others are mentioned here. With the whole Ps. cf. Isaiah 33:13-16.
Psalms 15:1. tent (so Heb., cf. mg.) is a poetical name for the Temple.
Psalms 15:4. "To his own hurt" is abbreviated from "to his own advantage or to his own hurt"; whatever the result of keeping his oath may be to himself. Cf. Numbers 24:13, "I cannot go beyond the word of Yahweh to do either good or bad."
Psalms 15:5. The Law forbade a Hebrew to take interest from a compatriot: it was no fault to take it from a Gentile (see, e.g., Deuteronomy 23:20). Probably the Psalmist was thinking only of interest taken from a brother, i.e. a Jew (p. 112).
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