52004456 psalm-7-commentary

PSALM 7 COMMETARY
Edited by Glenn Pease
PREFACE
I quote many authors both old and new in this commentary, and if any I quote does not want
their wisdom shared in this way, they can let me know and I will remove it. My e-mail is
glenn_p86@yahoo.com
A shiggaion[b] of David, which he sang to the LORD
concerning Cush, a Benjamite.
ITRODUCTIO
1. Henry, “Shiggaion is a song or psalm (the word is used so only here and Hab_3:1) - a
wandering song (so some), the matter and composition of the several parts being different, but
artificially put together - a charming song (so others), very delightful. David not only penned it,
but sang it himself in a devout religious manner unto the Lord, concerning the words or affairs of
Cush the Benjamite, that is, of Saul himself, whose barbarous usage of David bespoke him rather
a Cushite, or Ethiopian, than a true-born Israelite. Or, more likely, it was some kinsman of Saul
named Cush, who was an inveterate enemy to David, misrepresented him to Saul as a traitor, and
(which was very needless) exasperated Saul against him, one of those children of men, children of
Belial indeed, whom David complains of (1Sa_26:19), that made mischief between him and Saul.
David, thus basely abused, has recourse to the Lord. The injuries men do us should drive us to
God, for to him we may commit our cause. ay, he sings to the Lord; his spirit was not ruffled by
it, nor cast down, but so composed and cheerful that he was still in tune for sacred songs and it
did not occasion one jarring string in his harp. Thus let the injuries we receive from men, instead
of provoking our passions, kindle and excite our devotions.
2. Jamison, “Psa_7:1-17. Shiggaion - a plaintive song or elegy. Though obscure in details, this title
seems to intimate that the occasion of this Psalm was some event in David’s persecution by Saul.
He prays for relief because he is innocent, and God will be glorified in his vindication. He thus
passes to the celebration of God’s righteous government, in defending the upright and punishing
the wicked, whose malignant devices will result in their own ruin; and, confident of God’s aid, he
closes with rejoicing. Though many enemies set upon him, one is singled out as prominent, and
compared to a wild beast tearing his prey to pieces (compare 1Sa_20:1; 1Sa_23:23; 1Sa_26:19).

3. John Schultz, “As to Cush the Benjamite, he is a person unknown in the Jewish history; the
name is probably a name of disguise; and by it he may covertly mean Saul himself, the son of
Kish, who was of the tribe of Benjamin. The subject of the Psalm will better answer to Saul’s
unjust persecution and David’s innocence, than to any other subject in the history of David.”
F. B. Meyer, in his book David, does not share this opinion. He does see a connection between this
psalm and David’s flight for Saul, but takes Cush to be the name of one of Saul’s courtiers, who
would have antagonized Saul against David. All of this is, of course, only speculation. We are not
told who Cush the Benjamite really was and what he had said. The name Cush is only found in
the Bible for the son of Ham, and as a name for Ethiopia. Yet the connection between this psalm
and David’s flight from Saul seems to be a logical one. Even if it could be proven that this is
historically incorrect, we can take David’s condition to be one similar as when he fled from Saul.
This psalm can be taken as the counterpart of psalm three, where David is guilty as he flees from
his son Absalom. Here he flees as an innocent victim. This complaint of Shiggaion, with its
irregular rhythm, reminds us of a stream that runs over a bed of rocks; it is syncopated, which
means that the beat is on the wrong note in every measure. This translates very well the kind of
emotions David wants to express in this poem. Beethoven used this method with great effect in his
music to give expression to his anger. David’s purpose, however, is not merely to express his
emotions in order to experience a psychological sense of relief but also he sings his song before
the Lord.
4. Calvin, “David, loaded with unjust calumny, calls upon God to be his advocate and defender,
and commits his innocence to the Divine protection. In the first place, he protests that his
conscience did not accuse him of the wickedness laid to his charge. Secondly, he shows how
greatly it concerns the glory of God that he should execute judgment against the ungodly.
Thirdly, to inspire his mind with confidence, he seriously reflects upon the goodness and
righteousness of God, and sets before him the divine promises. Lastly, as if he had obtained the
desire of his heart, he derides the folly and the vain attempts of his enemies; or rather, depending
upon the aid of God, he assures himself that all their endeavors against him shall turn to their
own destruction.
Shiggaion of David, which he sung unto Jehovah,
upon the words of Cush the Benjamite.
With respect to the word Shiggaion, the Jewish interpreters are not agreed. Some understand it
to mean a musical instrument. To others it seems to be a tune to which a song is set. Others
suppose it to have been the beginning of a common song, to the tune of which David wished this
psalm to be sung. Others translate the Hebrew word, delight, or rejoicing. The second opinion
appears to me the most probable, namely, that it was some kind of melody or song, as if one
should term it Sapphic or Phaleucian verse. “amely, that it was a kind of tune or song, as we
know, that, according to the diversity of nations and languages, there are different measures of
verse.” But I do not contend about a matter of so small importance. Again, the psalm is said to
have been composed upon the words of Cush. I cannot subscribe to the interpretation, (although
it is the commonly received one,) that words here mean affairs, or business. To put word for a
matter, or an affair, is, I allow, a common form of speech among the Jews; but as David a little

after declares that he was falsely accused of some crime, I doubt not but he here speaks of the
accusation or calumny itself, of which, as I judge, Cush, some one of Saul’s kindred, was the
author, or, at least, the instrument who preferred and circulated it. The opinion of some who say
that Saul is here spoken of under a fictitious name, is not supported by any argument of sufficient
weight. According to them, David avoided calling him by his own name, in order to spare the
royal dignity. David, I admit, had great reverence for the holy anointing; but as he expressly
names Saul in other places where he reprehends him not less severely, and paints him in colours
no less black than he does in this psalm, why should he suppress his name here, and not in these
passages? In my opinion, therefore, he here expresses by his proper name, and without figure, a
wicked accuser, who had excited hatred against him by falsely charging him with some crime,
and who had either been bribed by the king to do this, or, currying the royal favour, had
calumniated David of his own accord; for David, we know, was very much slandered, as if he had
been ungrateful and treacherous towards the king, his father-in-law. Saul, indeed, belonged to the
tribe of Benjamin. We do not, however, think that he is the person here mentioned, but that it was
one of Saul’s relations, one who belonged to the same tribe with him, who falsely accused David.
5. Coffman, “Addis believed that this Psalm was once two Psalms and that they have been welded
together. The first five verses and the last six have the story of an innocent man, slandered,
persecuted, and pursued with hatred; and in Ps. 7:6-11 personified Israel asks for justice at
God's hands, and begs him to summon all nations to the great assize (The Final Judgment), that
they may attest the Divine Sentence that declares Israel innocent.
The first of these is one of eight passages traditionally associated with David's flight from the
wrath of King Saul. The other seven are: Ps. 34; Ps. 52; Ps. 54; Ps. 56; Ps. 57; Ps. 59; and Ps.
142.
King Saul was of the tribe of Benjamin, and the mention of Cush as a member of that tribe
supports the supposition that David was falsely accused of treason against the King and of
plotting against him, by members of Saul's tribe. This appears to us far more reasonable than the
notion that the innocent man in the passage, who was David, of course, was accused of
dishonest dealing with some individual as suggested by Arnold Rhodes.F3
We do know, of course, that David was viciously slandered by Doeg, and that Saul vigorously
pursued David with the purpose of killing him.
6. Warren Wiersbe, “This psalm was born out of a sad experience David had with Cush, a
Benjamite (see I Sam. 24-26). Cush was one of Saul's spies. And because of what David did, Cush
caused the deaths of innocent men.
Whenever David had a problem with persecution or with people, he would run to God. O Lord
my God, in You I put my trust; save me from all those who persecute me; and deliver me (v. 1).
David's enemies were pursuing him. But the first thing he did was examine his own heart. O
Lord my God, if I have done this: if there is iniquity in my hands (v. 3). He was saying, If I
have sinned, then let the enemy persecute me.
When we are persecuted or experiencing problems, the first thing we should do is examine our
own hearts--not examine the enemy or even examine God by saying, God, why did You allow
such a thing to happen? When you find yourself in a tight spot, look in the mirror and say,
Father, is there something in my life You are talking to me about? Is there some area in my life
where I am not as yielded as I ought to be?

You may ask, What about my enemies? Who's going to take care of them? That was David's
question. The answer is that God will take care of the enemy. The wickedness of others will come
to an end. Our righteous God will accomplish His purposes, but notice the end of verse 9: For
the righteous God tests the hearts and minds. Times of trial are not only times of testimony and
trusting; they are also times of testing. When God tests you, He is showing you your own heart.
You may say, I know my own heart. But you don't. The heart is deceitful above all things, and
desperately wicked; who can know it? (Jer. 17:9).
God has a purpose for trials and testings. Do you find yourself in a tight spot today? Don't view
this as something to endure. Rather, consider it an opportunity for growth. Use this time to
examine your heart. Perhaps God wants to teach you something and develop an area of your life.
Yield yourself to Him and trust Him to do a good work in you.
7. Spurgeon, “Shiggaion of David, which he sang unto the Lord, concerning the word of Cush
the Benjamite. -- Shiggaion of David. As far as we can gather from the observations of
learned men, and from a comparison of this Psalm with the only other Shiggaion in the Word of
God, (Habakkuk 3:1), this title seems to mean variable songs, with which also the idea of
solace and pleasure is associated. Truly our life psalm is composed of variable verses; one stanza
rolls along with the sublime metre of triumph, but another limps with the broken rhythm of
complaint. There is much bass in the saint's music here below. Our experience is as variable as
the weather in England.
From the title we learn the occasion of the composition of this song. It appears probable that
Cush the Benjamite had accused David to Saul of treasonable conspiracy against his royal
authority. This the king would be ready enough to credit, both from his jealousy of David, and
from the relation which most probably existed between himself, the son of Kish, and this Cush, or
Kish, the Benjamite. He who is near the throne can do more injury to a subject than an ordinary
slanderer.
This may be called the SOG OF THE SLADERED SAIT. Even this sorest of evils may
furnish occasion for a Psalm. What a blessing it would be if we could turn even the most
disastrous event into a theme for song, and so turn the tables upon our great enemy. Let us learn
a lesson from Luther, who once said, David made Psalms; we also will make Psalms, and sing
them as well as we can to the honour of our Lord, and to spite and mock the devil.
Division. In the first and second verses the danger is stated, and prayer offered. Then the
Psalmist most solemnly avows his innocence. (Psalms 7:3-5). The Lord is pleaded with to arise to
judgment (Psalms 7:6-7). The Lord, sitting upon his throne, hears the renewed appeal of the
Slandered Supplicant (Psalms 7:8-9). The Lord clears his servant, and threatens the wicked
(Psalms 7:10-13). The slanderer is seen in vision bringing a curse upon his own head, (Psalms 14-
16), while David retires from trial singing a hymn of praise to his righteous God. We have here a
noble sermon upon that text: o weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper, and every
tongue that riseth against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn.
1. LORD my God, I take refuge in you; save and deliver
me from all who pursue me,

1. Barnes, “O Lord my God, in thee do I put my trust - The psalm opens with an expression of
strong confidence in God. The psalmist addresses Yahweh as his God, and says that in him he
trusts or confides. The word rendered trust - חסה châsâh - means “to flee;” to flee to a place; to
take shelter; and is applied to taking shelter under the shadow or protection of one Jdg_9:15;
Isa_30:2; Psa_57:1; Psa_61:4. The idea here is, that in his troubles he fled to God as a refuge, and
felt safe under his protection.
Save me from all them that persecute me - That is, protect my life; rescue me from their power.
The word “persecute” here refers to those who sought his life, who endeavored to deprive him of
his rights. The language would apply to many occasions in the life of David - to the persecutions
which he endured by Saul, by Absalom, etc. In this case the language was suggested by the
opposition of Cush the Benjamite; and it was this that David had particularly in view. It is
probable, however, that, whoever Cush was, he was not alone, but that others were associated
with him in his opposition to David; and it was natural also that, in circumstances like these,
David should remember his other persecutors, and pray that he might be delivered from them all.
The prayer, therefore, has a general form, and the desire expressed is that which we all naturally
have, that we may be delivered from all that troubles us.
And deliver me - Rescue me. It would seem from this expression, and from the following verse,
that there was more to be apprehended in the case than mere reproachful words, and that his life
was actually in danger.
2. Clarke, “O Lord my God - יהוה אלהי Yehovah Elohai, words expressive of the strongest
confidence the soul can have in the Supreme Being. Thou self-existent, incomprehensible,
almighty, and eternal Being, who neither needest nor hatest any thing that thou hast made; thou
art my God: God in covenant with thy creature man; and my God and portion particularly.
Therefore, in thee do I put thy trust - I repose all my confidence in thee, and expect all my good
from thee.
Save me - Shield me from my persecutors; abate their pride, assuage their malice, and
confound their devices!
Deliver me - From the counsels which they have devised, and from the snares and gins they
have laid in my path.
3. Gill, “O Lord my God, in thee do I put my trust,.... The psalmist expresses his interest in God
as his covenant God, and his trust and confidence in him; and with these he sets out as the stay of
his soul, and his bulwark against the fears of his enemies; and he does not say that he had trusted
in God, or would for the future trust in him; but that he did trust in him, and continued to do so.
And God is to be trusted in at all times; in times of affliction, temptation, and desertion; and
these the psalmist premises to his petition, which follows, as an encouragement to him to hope for
success, since God was his God, and none that ever trusted in him were confounded;
save me from all them that persecute me, and deliver me; persecution is no new thing to the

people of God; David had his persecutors, and many of them; the Church, in Jeremiah's time,
had hers; the saints, in the times of the apostles, and in all ages since, have had theirs. Every one
that will live godly in Christ Jesus must expect persecution in one shape or another; and there is
none can save and deliver from it but God, and he can and will in his own time, 2Co_1:10. David
was sensible of this, and therefore applies to him, and him only; and not to an arm of flesh, to his
friends, or to neighbouring princes and powers.
4. Henry, “He puts himself under God's protection and flies to him for succour and shelter
(Psa_7:1): “Lord, save me, and deliver me from the power and malice of all those that persecute
me, that they may not have their will against me.” He pleads, 1. His relation to God. “Thou art
my God, and therefore whither else should I go but to thee? Thou art my God, and therefore my
shield (Gen_15:1), my God, and therefore I am one of thy servants, who may expect to be
protected.” 2. His confidence in God: “Lord, save me, for I depend upon thee: In thee do I put my
trust, and not in any arm of flesh.” Men of honour will not fail those that repose a trust in them,
especially if they themselves have encouraged them to do so, which is our case. 3. The rage and
malice of his enemies, and the imminent danger he was in of being swallowed up by them: “Lord,
save me, or I am gone; he will tear my soul like a lion tearing his prey,” with so much pride, and
pleasure, and power, so easily, so cruelly. St. Paul compares ero to a lion (2Ti_4:17), as David
here compares Saul. 4. The failure of all other helpers: “Lord, be thou pleased to deliver me, for
otherwise there is none to deliver,” Psa_7:2. It is the glory of God to help the helpless.
5. J. A. Alexander, “The psalm opens with an expression of strong confidence in God, and a
prayer founded on it. Lord, Jehovah, my God, not merely by creation, but by special covenant, in
thee, as such, and therefore in no other, / have trusted, and do still trust. This relation and this
trust entitle him to audience and deliverance. Save me from all my persecutors, or pursuers, a
term frequently employed in David s history. See 1 Sam. xxiv. 15 (14) ; xxvi. 20. By these we are
here to understand the whole class of worldly and ungodly men, of which Saul was the type and
representative. The all suggests the urgency of the necessity, as a motive to immediate
interposition. And extricate me, or deliver me. The primary idea of the verb translated save is
that of making room, enlarging. See above, on Ps. iv. 2 (1).
6. Calvin, “At the commencement of the psalm, David speaks of having many enemies, and in the
second verse he specifies some one in the singular number. And certainly, since the minds of all
men were inflamed against him, he had very good reason for praying to be delivered from all his
persecutors. But as the wicked cruelty of the king, like a firebrand, had kindled against him,
though an innocent person, the hatred of the whole people, he had good reason also for turning
his pen particularly against him. Thus, in the first verse, he describes the true character of his
own circumstances—he was a persecuted man; and, in the second verse, the fountain or cause of
the calamity he was enduring. There is great emphasis in these words which he uses in the
beginning of the Psalms O Jehovah my Godly in thee do I trust. The verb, it is true, is in the past
tense in the Hebrew; and, therefore, if literally translated, the reading would be, In thee have I
trusted; but as the Hebrews often take one tense for another,. I prefer to translate it in the present,
In thee I do trust, especially since it is abundantly evident that a continued act, as it is termed, is
denoted. David does not boast of a confidence in God, from which he had now fallen, but of a
confidence which he constantly entertained in his afflictions. And this is a genuine and an
undoubted proof of our faith, when, being visited with adversity, we, notwithstanding, persevere
in cherishing and exercising hope in God. From this passage, we also learn that the gate of mercy

is shut against our prayers if the key of faith do not open it for us. or does he use superfluous
language when he calls Jehovah his own God; for by setting up this as a bulwark before him, he
beats back the waves of temptations, that they may not overwhelm his faith. In the second verses
by the figure of a lion, he represents in a stronger light the cruelty of Saul, as an argument to
induce God to grant him assistance, even as he ascribes it to Him as his peculiar province to
rescue his poor sheep from the jaws of wolves.
7. Treasury of David, “Verse 1. David appears before God to plead with him against the Accuser,
who had charged him with treason and treachery. The case is here opened with an avowal of
confidence in God. Whatever may be the emergency of our condition we shall never find it amiss
to retain our reliance upon our God.
O Lord my God, mine by a special covenant, sealed by Jesus' blood, and ratified in my own soul
by a sense of union to thee; in thee, and in thee only, do I put my trust, even now in my sore
distress. I shake, but my rock moves not. It is never right to distrust God, and never vain to trust
him. And now, with both divine relationship and holy trust to strengthen him, David utters the
burden of his desire -- save me from all them that persecute me. His pursuers were very many,
and any one of them cruel enough to devour him; he cries, therefore, for salvation from them all.
We should never think our prayers complete until we ask for preservation from all sin, and all
enemies.
And deliver me, extricate me from their snares, acquit me of their accusations, give a true and
just deliverance in this trial of my injured character. See how clearly his case is stated; let us see
to it, that we know what we would have when we are come to the throne of mercy. Pause a little
while before you pray, that you may not offer the sacrifice of fools. Get a distinct idea of your
need, and then you can pray with the more fluency of fervency.
Verse 1. O Lord, my God, in thee do I put my trust. This is the first instance in the Psalms where
David addresses the Almighty by the united names Jehovah and my God. o more suitable words
can be placed at the beginning of any act of prayer or praise. These names show the ground of the
confidence afterward expressed. They denote at once supreme reverence and the most
endearing confidence. They convey a recognition of God's infinite perfections, and of his
covenanted and gracious relations. William S. Plumer.
2. or they will tear me apart like a lion and rip me to
pieces with no one to rescue me.
1. Barnes, “Lest he - Lest “Cush” should do this. See the title, and the introduction to the psalm,
Section 2. Tear my soul like a lion - Tear or rend my “life” - that is, “me” - like a lion. The word
rendered “soul” here - נפשׁ nephesh - refers, as it properly does elsewhere, to the “life,” and not
to the soul, as we use the term, denoting the thinking, immortal part. The simple idea is, that
David was apprehensive of his “life,” and, in order to indicate his great peril, he uses language
derived from the fierceness of the lion. Such imagery would be well understood in a country

where lions abounded, and nothing could more strikingly denote the danger in which David was,
or the fierceness of the wrath of the enemy that he dreaded.
Rending it in pieces - Rending me in pieces. Or rather, perhaps, breaking or crushing the
bones, for the word used - פרק pâraq (from our English word “break”) - means “to break, to
crush,” and would apply to the act of the lion crushing or breaking the bones of his victim as he
devoured it.
While there is none to deliver - Denoting the complete destruction which he feared would come
upon him. The figure is that of a solitary man seized by a powerful lion, with no one at hand to
rescue him. So David felt that if God did not interfere, he would fall into the hands of this fierce
and wrathful enemy.
2. Clarke, “Lest he tear my soul like a lion - These words seem to answer well to Saul. As the lion
is king in the forest; so was Saul king over the land. As the lion, in his fierceness, seizes at once,
and tears his prey in pieces; so David expected to be seized and suddenly destroyed by Saul. He
had already, in his rage, thrown his javelin at him, intending to have pierced him to the wall with
it. As from the power of the lion no beast in the forest could deliver any thing; so David knew that
Saul’s power was irresistible, and that none of his friends or well-wishers could save or deliver
him out of such hands. “Lest he tear my soul (my life) like a lion, rending it in pieces, while there
is none to deliver.” All this answers to Saul, and to none else.
3. Gill, “Lest he tear my soul like a lion,.... That is, one of his persecutors, the chief of them; it
may be Saul, whom the psalmist compares to a lion for his majesty and greatness, the lion being
the king among beasts; and for his authority, power, and might, and for his wrath and cruelty,
which he feared; and which, should it be exerted on him, would tear his soul, or himself, in
pieces; would rend his soul from his body, and dispatch his life; see Pro_19:12. So the Apostle
Paul calls the Roman governor, before whom he was, and from whose hands he was delivered, a
lion, for his power and fierceness, 2Ti_4:17. And so our adversary the devil, the chief of all
persecutors, and who instigates others against the saints, is by Peter said to go about like a
roaring lion, 1Pe_5:8;
rending it in pieces, as the lion does his prey when hungry. So Homer (s) compares Polyphemus to
a mountain lion, which devours and leaves nothing, neither the intestines, nor flesh, nor bones;
and represents (t) it first taking hold of the creature with its strong teeth, and breaking its neck,
and drawing out its blood and all its inwards; see Isa_38:13;
while there is none to deliver; no saviour, no deliverer: for if God does not save and deliver his
people out of the hands of their persecutors, none can; especially out of the hands of such an one
as is here described tearing and rending in pieces. As there is no God besides the Lord, there is no
saviour besides him: there is no temporal nor spiritual saviour but he: salvation is not to be
expected from any other; and were it not for him, saints must fall a prey to their enemies.
4. John Schultz, “The image of the lion places this psalm for us in the right spiritual perspective.
Peter calls Satan “a roaring lion.” He says: “Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil

prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.”108 There had been a time in
David’s life when, in his youthful daring, he killed a lion that wanted to steal a sheep. To Saul he
said: “Your servant has been keeping his father's sheep. When a lion or a bear came and carried
off a sheep from the flock, I went after it, struck it and rescued the sheep from its mouth. When it
turned on me, I seized it by its hair, struck it and killed it.” ow, as he is older and less daring,
the situation in which he find himself makes him fearful. It is advisable to fear lions. Physical or
spiritual recklessness has not merit in itself. David is right to want to flee from the lion and to flee
to God. It is good for us to hide in God and to put ourselves under His protection. C. S. Lewis
develops the theme of being under God’s protection in his beautiful book That Hideous Strength.
If we flee to God, we put a distance between ourselves and the enemy. It is obvious that we will
only be subject to enemy attacks if we resist him. As long as we have a common cause with the
devil, he will treat us as calves to be fattened for the kill. But once we confess our sins before God
and ask for forgiveness, he turns against us. This is, undoubtedly, the most positive side of this
kind of experience. It is much more dangerous if we are exposed to a sweet, subtle temptation
than when Satan turns against us openly with physical threats. In that way he easily crosses the
limits God has set for him. There is in open demonic attacks a hidden compliment to our spiritual
status.
David shows a very human reaction to fear and, he deals with this in a healthy way. The solution
to the problem of fear lies in the spiritual realm, which is only accessible in fellowship with God.
When Jesus’ disciples were afraid to return with Him to Jerusalem, He told them: “Are there not
twelve hours of daylight? A man who walks by day will not stumble, for he sees by this world's
light. It is when he walks by night that he stumbles, for he has no light.”There is in the
persecution of David a semblance of justice which is hard to accept. David is being accused of
certain things which would give an air of legality to the case. This air of justice is more repulsive
than unlimited absolutism. We are not told what David is charged with. If we do place this psalm
against the background of David’s flight from Saul, we know that Saul suspected David of
revolutionary efforts to take over the throne. The basis for this supposition was not imaginary if
Saul was aware of the fact that Samuel had anointed David. Saul would have considered David’s
irreproachable conduct towards him as a sly political ploy. Why would he have trusted David
more than he trusted himself? Saul’s reasoning was not illogical. The situation was rather
complicated, mainly because God had started to intervene in David’s life, in a supernatural way,
and at an early stage.
Ironically, David found himself in a tight situation into which he got himself because of the grace
of God. From a spiritual viewpoint this kind of conflict is the logical result of God’s grace; the
devil reacts when the work of the Holy Spirit becomes evident in the life of man. But in the world
in which we live, with its inter-personal relations, matters are seldom so easily definable as black
or white. We have a hard time accepting that God’s interventions can increase the pressure and
make life more difficult for us. One example is the one of Israel in Egypt after Moses’ first visit to
Pharaoh’s court. Others include first the life of Joseph, second, the man who was paralyzed for
thirty-eight years,111 and third, the man who was born blind, to mention only a few. Jesus
advises us to rejoice and be glad when we find ourselves in similar circumstances. He said:
“Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of
heaven. Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil
against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the
same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”113 We can only rejoice under
those circumstances, of course, if our conscience is clear. There is always the very subtle danger
that we will try to manipulate the work of the Holy Spirit to boost our own ego. That was the

difference between David and Saul; both were seized by the power of the Holy Spirit. David,
immediately, handed over the reigns of his life to God; Saul did not. At first glance Saul was the
more modest one of the two, but his modesty was a cover-up for his efforts to remain in the
saddle. Only “those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.”
5. Spurgeon, “Lest he tear my soul. Here is the plea of fear co-working with the plea of faith.
There was one among David's foes mightier that the rest, who had both dignity, strength, and
ferocity, and was, therefore, like a lion. From this foe he urgently seeks deliverance. Perhaps this
was Saul, his royal enemy; but in our own case there is one who goes about like a lion, seeking
whom he may devour, concerning whom we should ever cry, Deliver us from the Evil One.
otice the vigour of the description -- rending it in pieces, while there is none to deliver. It is a
picture from the shepherd life of David. When the fierce lion had pounced upon the defenceless
lamb, and had made it his prey, he would rend the victim in pieces, break all the bones, and
devour all, because no shepherd was near to protect the lamb or rescue it from the ravenous
beast. This is a soul moving portrait of a saint delivered over to the will of Satan. This will make
the bowels of Jehovah yearn. A father cannot be silent when a child is in such peril. o, he will
not endure the thought of his darling in the jaws of a lion, he will arise and deliver his persecuted
one. Our God is very pitiful, and he will surely rescue his people from so desperate a destruction.
It will be well for us here to remember that this is a description of the danger to which the
Psalmist was exposed from slanderous tongues. Verily this is not an overdrawn picture, for the
wounds of a sword will heal, but the wounds of the tongue cut deeper than the flesh, and are not
soon cured. Slander leaves a slur, even if it be wholly disproved. Common fame, although
notoriously a common liar, has very many believers. Once let an ill word get into men's mouths,
and it is not easy to get it fully out again. The Italians say that good repute is like the cypress,
once cut it never puts forth leaf again; this is not true if our character be cut by a stranger's
hand, but even then it will not soon regain its former verdure. Oh, it is a meanness most
detestable to stab a good man in his reputation, but diabolical hatred observes no nobility in its
mode of warfare. We must be ready for this trial, for it will surely come upon us. If God was
slandered in Eden, we shall surely be maligned in this land of sinners. Gird up your loins, ye
children of the resurrection, for this fiery trial awaits you all.
6. Treasury of David, “Verse 2. Lest he tear my soul like a lion, etc. It is reported of tigers, that
they enter into a rage upon the scent of fragrant spices; so do ungodly men at the blessed savour
of godliness. I have read of some barbarous nations, who, when the sun shines hot upon them,
they shoot up their arrows against it; so do wicked men at the light and heat of godliness. There is
a natural antipathy between the spirits of godly men and the wicked. Genesis 3:15. I will put
enmity between thy seed and her seed. Jeremiah Burroughs.
3. LORD my God, if I have done this and there is guilt on
my hands—

1. Barnes, “O Lord my God - A solemn appeal to God as to the sincerity and truth of what he was
about to say.
If I have done this - This thing charged upon me, for it is evident that “Cush,” whoever he was,
had accused him of some wrong thing - some wicked action. What that was can only be learned
from what follows, and even this is not very specific. So far as appears, however, it would seem to
be that he accused David of bringing evil, in some way, upon one who was at peace with him; that
is, of wantonly and without provocation doing him wrong, and of so doing wrong that he had the
avails of it in his own possession - some spoil, or plunder, or property, that he had taken from
him. The charge would seem to be, that he had made a wanton and unprovoked attack on one
who had not injured him, and that he had taken, and had still in his possession, something of
value that properly belonged to another. Whether the accuser (Cush) in this referred to himself
or to some other person, does not appear clear from the psalm; but as he was filled with rage, and
as the life of David was endangered by him, it would seem most probable that the reference was
to himself, and that he felt he had been personally wronged. The design of David, in the passage
now before us, is to deny this charge altogether. This he does in the most explicit manner, by
saying that this was so far from being true, that he had, on the contrary, delivered the life of him
that was his enemy, and by adding that, if this were so, he would be willing that the injured man
should persecute and oppose him, and even trample his life down to the earth.
If there be iniquity in my hands - That is, if there is the iniquity referred to; or, in other words,
if he had in his possession what had been wrongfully taken from another, to wit, as appears, from
this “Cush” who now accused him. The word “iniquity” here denotes an “unjust possession” - a
property that had been unjustly taken from another; and, as remarked above, the slanderous
charge would seem to have been, that he had taken that property from some one who was at
peace with him, and that he retained it contrary to justice. This charge David means
peremptorily to deny.
2. Clarke, “If I have done this - David was accused by Saul of affecting the kingdom; and of
waiting for an opportunity to take away the life of his king, his patron, and his friend. In his
application to God he refers to these charges; meets them with indignation; and clears himself of
them by a strong appeal to his Judge; and an imprecation that, if he had meditated or designed
any such thing, he might meet with nothing but curse and calamity either from God or man.
3. Gill, “O Lord my God, if I have done this. The crime which Saul and his courtiers charged him
with, and which was made so public that every body knew it; and therefore it was needless
particularly to mention it; namely, that he lay in wait for Saul, and sought his life to take it away,
1Sa_24:9. The Targum interprets it of this psalm, paraphrasing it, if I have made this song with
an evil intention; to give an ill character of any, and lead them with false charges;
if there be iniquity in my hands; not that he was without sin, he had it in his heart; nor that he
lived without the actual commission of sin: but his sense is, that there was no iniquity, as not in
his heart, purpose, and design, so not in his hand, nor attempted by him, of the kind he was
accused of, 1Sa_24:11. Otherwise, we often hear him complaining of the depravity of his nature,
and acknowledging his sins and transgressions, Psa_32:5.
4. Henry, “He makes a solemn protestation of his innocency as to those things whereof he was

accused, and by a dreadful imprecation appeals to God, the searcher of hearts, concerning it,
Psa_7:3-5. Observe, in general, 1. When we are falsely accused by men it is a great comfort if our
own consciences acquit us -
- Hic murus aheneus esto,
(il conscire sibi. -
Be this thy brazen bulwark of defence,
Still to preserve thy conscious innocence. -
and not only they cannot prove their calumnies (Act_24:13), but our hearts can disprove them,
to our own satisfaction. 2. God is the patron of wronged innocency. David had no court on earth
to appeal to. His prince, who should have righted him, was his sworn enemy. But he had the court
of heaven to fly to, and a righteous Judge there, whom he could call his God. And here see, (1.)
What the indictment is which he pleads not guilty to. He was charged with a traitorous design
against Saul's crown and life, that he compassed and imagined to depose and murder him, and,
in order to that, levied war against him. This he utterly denies. He never did this; there was no
iniquity of this kind in his hand (Psa_7:3); he abhorred the thought of it. He never rewarded evil
to Saul when he was at peace with him, nor to any other, Psa_7:4. ay, as some think it should be
rendered, he never rendered evil for evil, never did those mischief that had injured him.
5. Calvin, “O Jehovah my God Here David, to induce God to show him favour, protests that he is
molested unjustly, and without being guilty of any crime. To give his protestation the greater
weight, he uses an imprecation. If he has done any wrong, he declares his readiness to bear the
blame; yea, he offers to endure the severest punishment, if he is not altogether innocent of the
crime of which all men thought him almost convicted. And by entreating God to succour him
upon no other condition than this, that his integrity should upon trial be found to be untarnished,
he teaches us, by his example, that as often as we have recourse to God, we must make it our first
care to be well assured in our own consciences with respect to the righteousness of our cause; for
we do him great wrong if we wish to engage him as the advocate and defender of a bad cause. The
pronoun this shows that he speaks of a thing which was generally known; whence we may
conclude, that the slander which had been raised by Cush was spread far and wide. And as David
was condemned, by the false reports and unrighteous judgments which men advanced against
him, and saw no remedy on earth, he betakes himself to the judgment-seat of God, and contents
himself with maintaining his innocence before the heavenly Judge; an example which all the
godly should imitate, in order that, in opposition to the slanderous reports which are spread
against them, they may rest satisfied with the judgment of God alone. He next declares more
distinctly, that he had committed no crime. And in the fourth verse, he mentions two particulars
in self-vindication; first, That he had done no wrong to any one; and, secondly, That he had
rather endeavored to do good to his enemies, by whom notwithstanding he had been injured
without any just cause. I, therefore, explain the fourth verse thus: If I have wronged any man
that was at peace with me, and have not rather succored the unworthy, who persecuted me
without a cause, etc. Since David was hated of almost all men, as if ambition to reign had
impelled him perfidiously to rise up in rebellion against Saul, and to lay snares for the monarch
to whom he was bound by the oath of allegiances . “After having sworn the oath of allegiance to
him.” in the first part of the verse, he clears himself of such a foul slander. The reason, perhaps,
why he calls Saul him that was at peace with him is, that on account of his royal dignity his person
ought to be sacred, and secure from danger, “Because the royal name and title ought to be to him

a safeguard, and secure the safety of his person.” so that it should be unlawful to make any
hostile attempt against him. This phrase, however, may be understood generally, as if he had said,
o one who has meekly restrained himself from injuring me, and has conducted himself kindly
towards me, can with truth complain that I have ever injured him in a single instance. And yet it
was the general persuasion, that David, in the midst of peace, had stirred up great confusion, and
caused war. From this it is just so much the more manifest, that David, provided he enjoyed the
approbation of God, was contented with the consolation arising from this, though he should have
comfort from no other source.
In the second clause of the fourth verse, he proceeds farther, and states, that he had been a
friend, not only to the good, but also to the bad, and had not only restrained himself from all
revenge, but had even succoured his enemies, by whom he had been deeply and cruelly injured. It
would certainly not be very illustrious virtue to love the good and peaceable, unless there were
joined to this self-government and gentleness in patiently bearing with the bad. But when a man
not only keeps himself from revenging the injuries which he has received, but endeavours to
overcome evil by doing good, he manifests one of the graces of a renewed and sanctified nature,
and in this way proves himself to be one of the children of God; for such meekness proceeds only
from the Spirit of adoption. With respect to the words: chalats, which I חלץ as the Hebrew word
have translated to delivers signifies to divide and to separate, some, to prevent the necessity of
supplying any word to make out the sense, In the clause, “And have OT delivered him that
persecuted me without cause,” the word not is a supplement, there being nothing for it in the
Hebrew text. thus explain the passage, If I have withdrawn myself from my persecutors, in order
not to succour them. The other interpretation, however, according to which the verb is rendered
to deliver or rescue from danger, is more generally received; because the phrase, to separate or set
aside, is applied to those things which we wish to place in safety. And thus the negative word not
.must be supplied, an omission which we will find not unfrequently occurring in The Psalms
6. Spurgeon, “Verse 3-5. The second part of this wandering hymn contains a protestation of
innocence, and an invocation of wrath upon his own head, if he were not clear from the evil
imputed to him. So far from hiding treasonable intentions in his hands, or ungratefully requiting
the peaceful deeds of a friend, he had even suffered his enemy to escape when he had him
completely in his power. Twice had he spared Saul's life; once in the cave of Adullam, and again
when he found him sleeping in the midst of his slumbering camp: he could, therefore, with a clear
conscience, make his appeal to heaven. He needs not fear the curse whose soul is clear of guilt. Yet
is the imprecation a most solemn one, and only justifiable through the extremity of the occasion,
and the nature of the dispensation under which the Psalmist lived. We are commanded by our
Lord Jesus to let our yea be yea, and our nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than this cometh of
evil. If we cannot be believed on our word, we are surely not to be trusted on our oath; for to a
true Christian his simple word is as binding as another man's oath. Especially beware, O
unconverted men! of trifling with solemn imprecations. Remember the woman at Devizes, who
wished she might die if she had not paid her share in a joint purchase, and who fell dead there
and then with the money in her hand.
Selah. David enhances the solemnity of this appeal to the dread tribunal of God by the use of the
usual pause.
From these verses we may learn that no innocence can shield a man from the calumnies of the
wicked. David had been scrupulously careful to avoid any appearance of rebellion against Saul,
whom he constantly styled the Lord's anointed; but all this could not protect him from lying
tongues. As the shadow follows the substance, so envy pursues goodness. It is only at the tree

laden with fruit that men throw stones. If we would live without being slandered we must wait till
we get to heaven. Let us be very heedful not to believe the flying rumors which are always
harassing gracious men. If there are no believers in lies there will be but a dull market in
falsehood, and good men's characters will be safe. Ill will never spoke well. Sinners have an ill
will to saints, and therefore, be sure they will not speak well of them.
7. Treasury of David, “Verse 3. O Lord, my God, if I have done this, if there be iniquity in my
hands. In the primitive times the people of God were then a people under great reproach. What
strange things does Tertullian tell us they reproached them withal; as that in their meetings they
made Thyestes suppers, who invited his brother to a supper, and presented him with a dish of his
own flesh. They charged them with uncleanness because they met in the night (for they durst not
meet in the day,) and said, they blew out the candles when they were together, and committed
filthiness. They reproached them for ignorance, saying, they were all unlearned; and therefore
the heathens in Tertullian's time used to paint the God of the Christians with an ass's head, and a
book in his hand to signify that though they pretended learning, yet they were an unlearned, silly
people, rude and ignorant. Bishop Jewel in his sermon upon Luke 11:5, cites this out of
Tertullian, and applies it to his time: -- Do not our adversaries do the like, saith he, at this
day, against all those that profess the gospel of Christ? Oh, say they, who are they that favor this
way? they are none but shoemakers, tailors, weavers, and such as were never at the university;
they are the bishop's own words. He cites likewise Tertullian a little after, saying, that the
Christians were accounted the public enemies of the State. And Josephus tells us of Apollinaris,
speaking concerning the Jews and Christians, that they were more foolish than any barbarian.
And Paulus Fagius reports a story of an Egyptian, concerning the Christians, who said, They
were a gathering together of a most filthy, lecherous people; and for the keeping of the Sabbath,
he says, they had a disease that was upon them, and they were fain to rest the seventh day
because of that disease. And so in Augustine's time, he hath this expression, Any one that
begins to be godly, presently he must prepare to suffer reproach from the tongues of
adversaries; and this was their usual manner of reproach, What shall we have of you, an Elias?
a Jeremy? And azianzen, in one of his orations says, It is ordinary to reproach, that I cannot
think to go free myself. And so Athanasius, they called him Sathanasius, because he was a
special instrument against the Arians. And Cyprian, they called him Coprian, one that gathers up
dung, as if all the excellent things that he had gathered in his works was but dung. Jeremiah
Burroughs.
Verse 3. If I have done this; if there be iniquity in my hands. I deny not but you may, and ought to
be sensible of the wrong done to your name, for as a good name is a precious ointment (Song of
Solomon 1:3), so to have an evil name is a great judgment; and therefore you ought not to be
insensible of the wrong done to your name by slanders and reproaches, saying, Let men speak of
me what they please, I care not, so long as I know mine own innocency, for though the testimony
of your own innocency be a ground of comfort unto you, yet your care must be not only to
approve yourselves unto God, but also unto men, to be as careful of your good names as possibly
ye can; but yet you are not to manifest any distemper or passion upon the reproachful speeches of
others against you. Thomas Gouge, 1660.
Verse 3. It is a sign that there is some good in thee if a wicked world abuse thee. Quid mali feci?
said Socrates, what evil have I done that this bad man commends me? The applause of the
wicked usually denotes some evil, and their censure imports some good. Thomas Watson.
Verse 3. If there be iniquity in my hands. Injustice is ascribed to the hand, not because injustice as
always, though usually it be, done by the hand. With the hand men take away, and with that men

detain the right of others. David speaks thus (1 Chronicles 12:17 ), Seeing there is no wrong in
mine hands; that is, I have done no wrong. Joseph Caryl.
Verse 3-4. A good conscience is a flowing spring of assurance. For our rejoicing is this, the
testimony of our conscience, that in simplicity and godly sincerity, not with fleshly wisdom, but
by the grace of God, we have had our conversation in the world, and more abundantly toward
you. 2 Corinthians 1:12 . Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence
towards God. 1 John 3:21 . A good conscience has sure confidence. He who has it sits in the midst
of all combustions and distractions, oah like, all sincerity and serenity, uprightness and
boldness. What the probationer disciple said to our Saviour, Master, I will follow thee
whithersoever thou goest, that a good conscience says to the believing soul; I will stand by thee;
I will strengthen thee; I will uphold thee; I will be a comfort to thee in life, and a friend to thee in
death. Though all should leave thee, yet will I never forsake thee, Thomas Brooks.
8. Coffman, “otice the triple if in Ps. 7:3-5. This format was typical of what was called The
Oath of Clearance which is mentioned in 1 Kings 8:31-32. When one was accused, he could go to
the temple and there take a solemn oath after the pattern noted here, asking that God would
receive his affirmation as righteous and true, including also a curse upon his own head in case his
oath was false. This oath was supposed to be taken in the Temple and administered by the priests;
but it was sometimes taken elsewhere. Job is supposed to have had this Oath of Clearance in
mind in the words of Job 31:5-40.F4
The fact of David's having been viciously slandered by people like Doeg and perhaps also by
Cush the Benjamite, has led some to refer to this Psalm as the Song of the Slandered Saint. But as
someone once said, If God Himself was slandered in the Garden of Eden, we mortals living upon
this sinful and rebellious earth should not expect to escape it.
4. if I have repaid my ally with evil or without cause have
robbed my foe—
1. Barnes, “If I have rewarded evil unto him that was at peace with me - If I have done evil; or if I
have requited him that was friendly by some unjust and evil conduct. If I have come upon him
wantonly and unprovoked, and have done him wrong. This seems to have been the substance of
the accusation; and, as remarked above, it is most probable that the accuser (Cush) referred to
himself.
Yea, I have delivered him that without cause is mine enemy - So far is this from being true, that
the very reverse is true. So far from taking advantage of another that was at peace with me, and
depriving him of his just rights by fraud or force, it is a fact that I have rescued from impending
danger the man that was at war with me, and that was an avowed enemy. It would seem probable
that in this he refers to this very Cush, and means to say that there had been some occasion in
which he, who was long hostile to him, was wholly in his power, and when he had not only

declined to take advantage of him, but had actually interposed to rescue him from danger. An
instance of this kind actually occurred in the life of David, in his treatment of Saul 1Sa_24:10-11;
and it is “possible” that David referred to that case, and meant to say that that was an indication
of his character, and of his manner of treating others. Those who suppose that the whole psalm
refers to Saul (see the introduction, Section 2), of course regard this as the specific case referred
to. There may have been other instances of the same kind in the life of David, and there is no
improbability in supposing that on some occasion he had treated this very man, “Cush,” in this
way, and that he refers here to that fact.
2. Clarke, “Yea, I have delivered him - When, in the course of thy providence, thou didst put his
life in my hand in the cave, I contented myself with cutting off his skirt, merely to show him the
danger he had been in, and the spirit of the man whom he accused of designs against his life; and
yet even for this my heart smote me, because it appeared to be an indignity offered to him who
was the Lord ‘s anointed. This fact, and my venturing my life frequently for his good and the
safety of the state, sufficiently show the falsity of such accusations, and the innocence of my life.
3. Gill, “If I have rewarded evil unto him that was at peace with me,.... That is, when Saul was at
peace with him; when he lived at his court, and ate at his table his meaning is, that he did not
conspire against him, nor form schemes to deprive him of his crown nor of his life: or, as it may
be rendered, if I have rewarded to him that rewarded me evil (u); that is, as Jarchi explains it,
if I rewarded him as he rewarded me, evil for evil. This David did not; and it is eminently true of
Christ his antitype, 1Pe_2:23; and in it he ought to be imitated by every believer, Rom_12:17;
yea, I have delivered him that without cause is mine enemy; meaning Saul, who persecuted David
without any just reason, and whom David delivered without any obligation to do it; not for any
benefit and kindness he had received from him; for the phrase without cause may be read in
connection either with the word delivered (w); for the deliverance was wrought without any
cause or merit on Saul's part, or profit to David; or with the word enemy, for Saul was David's
enemy without any just cause on David's part: and the deliverance referred to was when he cut
off Saul's skirt, in the cave at Engedi, and spared his life; and when he took away his spear from
him, as he was sleeping in the trench, and did not destroy him, nor suffer those that would to do
it, 1Sa_24:4. The words may be rendered, only I stripped him (x). The sense is, that he cut off
the skirt of his coat, and took away his spear, and so in part stripped him both of his clothes and
armour, at two different times; not to do him any hurt, but to let him know, as Jarchi observes,
that he was delivered into his hands, and he could have slain him, but did not. The same Jewish
writer interprets the word used of stripping of garments; and Aben Ezra observes, from R.
Moses, that the vau, rendered yea, signifies only, as in Gen_42:10.
4. Henry, “ What evidence he produces of his innocency. It is hard to prove a negative, and yet
this was a negative which David could produce very good proof of: I have delivered him that
without cause is my enemy, Psa_7:4. By this it appeared, beyond contradiction, that David had no
design against Saul's life - that, once and again, Providence so ordered it that Saul lay at his
mercy, and there were those about him that would soon have dispatched him, but David
generously and conscientiously prevented it, when he cut off his skirt (1Sa_24:4) and afterwards

when he took away his spear (1Sa_26:12), to attest for him what he could have done. Saul himself
owned both these to be undeniable proofs of David's integrity and good affection to him. If we
render good for evil, and deny ourselves the gratifications of our passion, our so doing may turn
to us for a testimony, more than we think of, another day.
5. John Schultz, “In vs. 4 David makes reference to an incident in which he saved the life of a
person who wanted to kill him. The IV says: “If I have done evil to him who is at peace with
me ...” The KJ renders it: “If I have repaid evil to him who was at peace with me ...” This
reference could describe the incidents at Engedi and later Hakilah, where Saul was cornered and
David could have killed him, but refrained from doing so.
6. Treasury of David, “Verse 4. If I have rewarded evil unto him that was at peace with me. To do
evil for good, is human corruption; to do good for good, is civil retribution; but to good for evil, is
Christian perfection. Though this be not the grace of nature, yet it is the nature of grace. William
Secker.
Verse 4. Then is grace victorious, and then hath a man a noble and brave spirit, not when he is
overcome by evil (for that argues weakness), but when he can overcome evil. And it is God's way
to shame the party that did the wrong, and to overcome him too; it is the best way to get the
victory over him. When David had Saul at an advantage in the cave, and cut off the lap of his
garment, and did forbear any act of revenge against him, Saul was melted, and said to David,
Thou art more righteous than I. 1 Samuel 24:17 . Though he had such a hostile mind against
him, and chased and pursued him up and down, yet when David forbear revenge when it was in
his power, it overcame him, and he falls weeping. Thomas Manton.
7. Coffman, “The ew English Bible's rendition of the second line in Ps. 7:4 is severely
condemned by Derek Kidner who affirmed that, Their translation not only contradicts the Old
Testament's demand of generosity to a personal enemy, but also David's known convictions.
Yea, I have delivered him that without cause was mine adversary. George DeHoff cited two clear
examples of David's doing that very thing on behalf of King Saul in 1 Sam. 24:1-22; and in 1
Sam. 26:1-25.
In the following six verses (Psalms 7:5-11), believed by some to have once been a separate Psalm,
The Psalm moves from the intensely personal plea of a man who is betrayed and hounded, to
the conviction that God is judge of all the earth,F7 and in effect calls for such a judgment in
which Israel will be declared innocent.
It was perhaps passages such as this one that led ancient Israel to the habit of frequently calling
upon God to usher in the judgment day. Of course, they had some very erroneous ideas about
that day, as indicated by the prophet Amos (Amos 5:18-20). For some, the Judgment Day was
envisioned as a day when Almighty God would appear, kill all the Gentiles and turn the whole
world over to God's Chosen People!
5. then let my enemy pursue and overtake me; let him

trample my life to the ground and make me sleep in the
dust.[c]
1. Barnes, “Let the enemy persecute my soul - Persecute my “life,” for so the word rendered
“soul,” נפשׁ nephesh, is evidently used here. He was willing, if he had been guilty of the thing
charged upon him, that the enemy here referred to should “pursue” or persecute him until he
should destroy his life. Compare with this the expression of Paul in Act_25:11. The meaning here
is simply that if he were a guilty man, in the manner charged on him, he would be willing to be
treated accordingly. He did not wish to screen himself from any just treatment; and if he had
been guilty he would not complain even if he were cut off from the land of the living.
And take it - Take my life; put me to death.
Yea, let him tread down my life upon the earth - The allusion here is to the manner in which the
vanquished were often treated in battle, when they were rode over by horses, or trampled by men
into the dust. The idea of David is, that if he was guilty he would be willing that his enemy should
triumph over him, should subdue him, should treat him with the utmost indignity and scorn.
And lay mine honor in the dust - All the tokens or marks of my honor or distinction in life.
That is, I am willing to be utterly degraded and humbled, if I have been guilty of this conduct
toward him who is my enemy. The idea in all this is, that David did not wish to screen himself
from the treatment which he deserved if he had done wrong. His own principles were such that
he would have felt that the treatment here referred to would have been right and proper as a
recompense for such base conduct; and he would not have had a word to say against it. His desire
for the interposition of God, therefore, arose solely from the fact of his feeling that, in these
respects, he was entirely innocent, and that the conduct of his enemy was unjust and cruel.
Selah - A musical pause, not affecting the sense, but introduced here, perhaps, because the
sense of the psalm now demanded a change in the style of the music. See the notes at Psa_3:2.
2. Clarke, “Let the enemy persecute my soul - If I have been guilty of the things laid to my
charge, let the worst evils fall upon me.
3. Gill, “Let the enemy persecute my soul, and take it,.... That is, if the above things he was
charged with could be proved against him; then he was content that Saul his enemy should
pursue after him, and apprehend him, and bring him to justice, by taking away his life from him;
yea, let him tread down my life upon the earth; with the utmost indignation and contempt,
without showing any mercy; as the lion treads down his prey, and tears it to pieces, Mic_5:8; or
as the potter treads his clay under foot, Isa_41:25;
and lay mine honour in the dust; meaning either his life and soul, as before; denominating
himself from his better part, and which he elsewhere calls his glory, Psa_16:9; see Gen_49:6; or
else his body, as R. Judah Ben Balaam, who is blamed for it by Jarchi; or rather his fame, credit,

and reputation, that he had gained, both by his courage and valour in the field, and by his wise
and prudent behaviour at court, 1Sa_18:7. Should he appear to be guilty of the crimes he was
accused of, he is willing to have his glorious name buried in the dust of oblivion, and his memory
perish for ever. The words are to be considered as a strong assertion of his innocence, in an
appeal to God, the searcher of hearts, and the trier of the reins of men; and as imprecating on
himself the worst of evils, should it not appear; see Job_31:21.
Selah; Aben Ezra renders selah, in truth, let it be so; and the Targum renders it, as usual,
for ever; See Gill on Psa_3:2.
4. Henry, “ What doom he would submit to if he were guilty (Psa_7:5): Let the enemy persecute
my soul to the death, and my good name when I am gone: let him lay my honour in the dust. This
intimates, [1.] That, if he had been indeed injurious to others, he had reason to expect that they
would repay him in the same coin. He that has his hand against every man must reckon upon it
that every man's hand will be against him. [2.] That, in that case, he could not with any
confidence go to God and beg of him to deliver him or plead his cause. It is a presumptuous
dangerous thing for any that are guilty, and suffer justly, to appeal to God, as if they were
innocent and suffered wrongfully; such must humble themselves and accept the punishment of
their iniquity, and not expect that the righteous God will patronise their unrighteousness. [3.]
That he was abundantly satisfied in himself concerning his innocency. It is natural to us to wish
well to ourselves; and therefore a curse to ourselves, if we swear falsely, has been thought as
awful a form of swearing as any. With such an oath, or imprecation, David here ratifies the
protestation of his innocency, which yet will not justify us in doing the like for every light and
trivial cause; for the occasion here was important.
III. Having this testimony of his conscience concerning his innocency, he humbly prays to God
to appear for him against his persecutors, and backs every petition with a proper plea, as one
that knew how to order his cause before God.
5. Calvin, “Let mine enemy pursue It is a striking proof of the great confidence which David had
in his own integrity, when he is willing to endure any kind of punishment, however dreadful,
provided he should be found guilty of any crime. If we could bring a good conscience like this
before God, his hand would be more quickly stretched forth to afford us immediate assistance.
But as it often happens that those who molest us have been provoked by us, or that we burn with
the desire of revenge when offended, we are unworthy of receiving succour from God; yea, our
own impatience shuts the gate against our prayers. In the first place, David is prepared to be
given over to the will of his enemies, that they may seize his life, and throw it down to the ground;
and then to be publicly exhibited as an object of their mockery, so that, even after he is dead, he
may lie under eternal disgrace. Some think that the כבוד kebod, which we have translated glory, is
here to be taken for life, and thus there will be three words, soul, life, glory, signifying the same
thing. But it appears to me, that the meaning of the passage will be fuller if we refer the word
glory to his memory, or his good name, as if he had said, Let my enemy not only destroy me, but,
after having put me to death, let him speak of me in the most reproachful terms, so that my name
may be buried in mire or filth.
6. Treasury of David, “Verse 5. Let him tread down my life upon the earth. The allusion here is to
the manner in which the vanquished were often treated in battle, when they were rode over by

horses, or trampled by men in the dust. The idea of David is, that if he was guilty he would be
willing that his enemy should triumph over him, should subdue him, should treat him with the
utmost indignity and scorn. Albert Barnes, in loc.
Verse 5. Mine honour in the dust. When Achilles dragged the body of Hector in the dust around
the walls of Troy, he did but carry out the usual manners of those barbarous ages. David dares in
his conscious innocence to imprecate such an ignominious fate upon himself if indeed the
accusation of the black Benjamite be true. He had need have a golden character who dares to
challenge such an ordeal. C.H.S.
6. Arise, LORD, in your anger; rise up against the rage of
my enemies. Awake, my God; decree justice.
1. Barnes, “Arise, O Lord, in thine anger - That is, to punish him who thus unjustly persecutes
me. See the notes at Psa_3:7.
Lift up thyself - As if he had been lying in repose and inaction. The idea is derived from a
warrior who is called on to go forth and meet an enemy.
Because of the rage of mine enemies - ot only of this particular enemy, but of those who were
associated with him, and perhaps of all his foes. David felt, on this occasion, that he was
surrounded by enemies; and he calls on God to interfere and save him.
And awake for me - Or, in my behalf. The word “awake” is a still stronger expression than
those which he had before used. It implies that one had been asleep, and insensible to what had
occurred, and he addresses God “as if” He had thus been insensible to the dangers which
surrounded him.
To the judgment that thou hast commanded - To execute the judgment which thou hast
appointed or ordered. That is, God had, in his law, commanded that justice should be done, and
had proclaimed himself a God of justice - requiring that right should be done on the earth, and
declaring himself in all cases the friend of right. David now appeals to him, and calls on him to
manifest himself in that character, as executing in this case the justice which he required under
the great principles of his administration. He had commanded justice to be done in all cases. He
had required that the wicked should be punished. He had ordered magistrates to execute justice.
In accordance with these great principles, David now calls on God to manifest “himself” as the
friend of justice, and to show, in this case, the same principles, and the same regard to justice
which he required in others. It is an earnest petition that he would vindicate his own principles of
administration.
2. Clarke, “Arise, O Lord, in thine anger - To thee I commit my cause; arise, and sit on the throne
of thy judgment in my behalf.

3. Gill, “Arise, O Lord, in thine anger,.... This and the following phrase do not suppose local
motion in God, to whom it cannot belong, being infinite and immense, but are spoken of him
after the manner of men, who seems sometimes as though he had laid himself down, and was
unconcerned about and took no notice of human affairs, of the insults of the wicked and the
oppressions of the righteous; wherefore the psalmist beseeches him to arise, which he may be
said to do when he comes forth in his power in the defence of his people, and against their
enemies; see Psa_12:5; and he also prays him to arise in anger, to show himself displeased, and
give some tokens of his resentment, by letting his enemies feel the lighting down of his arm with
the indignation of his anger;
lift up thyself, because of the rage of mine enemies; ascend the throne of judgment, and there sit
judging right; show thyself to be the Judge of the earth, high and lifted up; let it appear that thou
art above all mine enemies, higher and more powerful than they; stop their rage, break the force
of their fury, lift up a standard against them, who, likes mighty flood, threaten to bear all before
them: or lift up thyself in rage, or fierce wrath, because of, or against mine enemies (y):
and so the sense is the same as before; and this way go many of the Jewish interpreters (z);
and awake for me to the judgment that thou hast commanded; not that sleep falls upon God, for
the keeper of Israel neither slumbers nor sleeps; nor does it fall on any but corporeal beings, not
upon angels, nor the souls of men, much less on God; but he sometimes in his providence seems to
lie dormant and inactive, as if he disregarded what is done in this world; and therefore his people
address him as if he was asleep, and call upon him to arise to their help and assistance; see
Psa_44:23; and so David here, awake for me, that is, hasten to come to me and help me;
suggesting that he was in great distress and danger, by reason of his enemies, should he delay
coming to him. By judgment is either meant the vengeance which God had ordered him to
execute upon his enemies, as Jarchi interprets it, and therefore he entreats him to arise and put
him in a capacity of doing it; or else his innocence, and the vindication of it, which God had
promised him, and then the petition is much the same with Psa_7:8. But the generality of Jewish
(a) writers understand it of the kingdom which God had appointed for him, and for which he was
anointed by Samuel; and who had told Saul that God had found a man after his own heart,
whom he had commanded to be captain over his people, 1Sa_13:14; wherefore the psalmist
prays that God would hasten the fulfilment of his purpose and promise, and set him on the
throne, that so he might administer justice and judgment to the people.
4. Henry, “1. He prays that God would manifest his wrath against his enemies, and pleads their
wrath against him: “Lord, they are unjustly angry at me, be thou justly angry with them and let
them know that thou art so, Psa_7:6. In thy anger lift up thyself to the seat of judgment, and make
thy power and justice conspicuous, because of the rage, the furies, the outrages (the word is
plural) of my enemies.” Those need not fear men's wrath against them who have God's wrath for
them. Who knows the power of his anger?
2. He prays that God would plead his cause.
(1.) He prays, Awake for me to judgment (that is, let my cause have a hearing), to the judgment
which thou hast commanded; this speaks, [1.] The divine power; as he blesses effectually, and is
therefore said to command the blessing, so he judges effectually, and is therefore said to command
the judgment, which is such as none can countermand; for it certainly carries execution along

with it. [2.] The divine purpose and promise: “It is the judgment which thou hast determined to
pass upon all the enemies of thy people. Thou hast commanded the princes and judges of the
earth to give redress to the injured and vindicate the oppressed; Lord, awaken thyself to that
judgment.” He that loves righteousness, and requires it in others, will no doubt execute it himself.
Though he seem to connive at wrong, as one asleep, he will awake in due time (Psa_78:65) and
will make it to appear that the delays were no neglects.
5. John Schultz, “In the two parallel couplets of vs. 6 and 7 and vs. 8 and 9, David asks God to
intervene on his behalf. The words: “Arise O LORD ...” are the same as in Ps. 3:6, where we
commented that God acted on behalf of man against the evil powers in the heavenlies. We should
never lose sight of the difference between our struggle against “flesh and blood” and “against the
spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” David, obviously, believed that God intervenes in
the world and in the lives of individuals. If we think that God’s omnipotence only means that God
sits on the throne in heaven as a figurehead, we do not understand Who He is. God arises, and
sometimes even jumps up in answer to our prayers. The word “awake” speaks of the mistaken
notion we often have of God, as if He were asleep. “He who watches over you will not slumber;
indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.”
God is also the source of all justice and righteousness, and David is in need of justice. Only God
can justify a man. TLB renders vs. 7 and 8 as follows: “Gather all peoples before you; sit high
above them, judging their sins. But justify me publicly.” With this prayer David sets the stage for
a public rehabilitation. The scene reminds us of the judgment John describes in Revelation,
where it is made public whose name is in the Book of Life and whose is not. We read there: “Then
I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. Earth and sky fled from his presence,
and there was no place for them. And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne,
and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were
judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. The sea gave up the dead that
were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged
according to what he had done. Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The
lake of fire is the second death. If anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was
thrown into the lake of fire.”
We find the same thought repeated in the following verses. We conclude again that the Holy
Spirit said more in David’s words than David intended to say himself. It may have been true that
David was not guilty of the things his accusers charged him with, but nobody is without guilt
before God, not even David. If a man is pronounced not guilty and is found to be righteous, this is
a miracle that is brought about by the death of Jesus Christ. “God made him who had no sin to
be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”120 Righteousness is only
our through faith in Christ. Our guiltlessness is imputed to us in Him. David’s words
demonstrate how complete this imputation is; so that even the Argus eye of God Himself cannot
find anything objectionable in us.
6. Calvin, “Arise, O Jehovah David here sets the anger of God in opposition to the rage of his
enemies; and when we are in similar circumstances we should act in the same manner. When the
ungodly are inflamed against us, and cast forth their rage and fury to destroy us, we ought
humbly to beseech God to be inflamed also on his side; in other words, to show in truth that he
has, no less zeal and power to preserve us, than they have inclination to destroy us. The word,
Arise, is taken in a figurative sense, for to ascend into a judgment-seat, or rather to prepare one’s

self to make resistance; and it is here applied to God, because, while he delays to succour us, we
are very apt to think him asleep. Accordingly, David also, a little after, beseeches him to awake;
for it seemed on the part of God something like the forgetfulness of sleep to give no assistance to
an individual who was so much afflicted and oppressed on all hands.
In the end of the verse he shows that he asks nothing but what is according to the appointment of
God. And this is the rule which ought to be observed by us in our prayers; we should in every
thing conform our requests to the divine will, as John also instructs us, (1 John 5:14.) And,
indeed, we can never pray in faith unless we attend, in the first place, to what God commands,
that our minds may not rashly and at random start aside in desiring more than we are permitted
to desire and pray for. David, therefore, in order to pray aright, reposes himself on the word and
prose mise of God; and the import of his exercise is this: Lord, I am not led by ambition, or
foolish headstrong passion, or depraved desire, inconsiderately to ask from thee whatever is
pleasing to my flesh; but it is the clear light of thy word which directs me, and upon it I securely
depend. Since God, of his own good pleasure, had called him to be one day king, it belonged to
him to defend and maintain the rights of the man whom he had chosen for his servant. David’s
language, therefore, is the same as if he had said, “When I was well contented with my humble
condition in private life, it was thy pleasure to set me apart to the honourable station of being a
king; now, therefore, it belongs to thee to maintain this cause against Saul and his associates who
are using their efforts to defeat thy decree in making war upon me.” The Hebrew word ,עורה
urah, which we have rendered awake thou, might also be taken transitively for to build up, or to
establish the right of David. The sum of the whole, however, comes to this, that David, trusting to
the call of God, beseeches him to stretch forth his hand for his relief. The faithful must, therefore,
take care not to exceed these bounds, if they desire to have God present with them to maintain
and preserve them.
7. Spurgeon, “We now listen to a fresh prayer, based upon the avowal which he has just made.
We cannot pray too often, and when our heart is true, we shall turn to God in prayer as naturally
as the needle to its pole.
Arise, O Lord, in thine anger. His sorrow makes him view the Lord as a judge who had left the
judgment seat and retired into his rest. Faith would move the Lord to avenge the quarrel of his
saints.
Lift up thyself because of the rage of mine enemies -- a still stronger figure to express his anxiety
that the Lord would assume his authority and mount the throne. Stand up, O God, rise thou
above them all, and let thy justice tower above their villainies.
Awake for me to the judgment that thou hast commanded. This is a bolder utterance still, for it
implies sleep as well as inactivity, and can only be applied to God in a very limited sense. He
never slumbers, yet doth he often seem to do so; for the wicked prevail, and the saints are
trodden in the dust. God's silence is the patience of longsuffering, and if wearisome to the saints,
they should bear it cheerfully in the hope that sinners may thereby be led to repentance.
7. Let the assembled peoples gather around you, while you

sit enthroned over them on high.
1. Barnes, “So shall the congregation of the people compass thee about - That is, as the result of
thy gracious interposition in defending the righteous, and in bringing just judgment on the
wicked. The meaning is, that such an act would inspire confidence in him as a just and holy God,
and that, as the result, his people would gather round him to express their gratitude, and to
render him praise. In other words, every act of justice on the part of God - all hls interpositions
to defend his people, and to maintain the principles of righteousness and truth - tend to inspire
confidence in him, and to increase the number of his friends. The phrase “the congregation of the
people,” here, does not necessarily refer to any “congregation,” or assembly as such, then
existing; but it means that a great congregation - a great multitude - would thus encompass him,
or that great numbers would worship him the result of his interposition. This the psalmist urges
as a motive, or as a reason why God should interpose, that in this way the number of his
worshippers would be greatly increased.
For their sakes - On their account; or to secure this result in regard to them.
Return thou on high - The most probable meaning of this is “ascend thy throne of justice, or
thy judgment-seat;” spoken here either as a king ascending his elevated throne (compare
Isa_6:1), or as ascending to heaven, the place where he dispensed justice. The “language” is as if
he had come down from his throne - as if he had not been engaged in dispensing justice; and
David now calls on him to reascend the throne, and to execute righteous judgment among men.
The effect of this, he says, would be to secure the confidence of his people, and to increase the
number of those who would worship him. Of course, this is not to be understood literally, but in a
manner appropriate to the divine majesty. It is language, in this respect, similar to that which is
elsewhere used, when the psalmist calls on God “to awake, to arise, to lift up himself.” See
Psa_7:6. Such language is easily understood; and language drawn from the common modes of
speaking among men must be used when we speak of God. The whole idea in this passage is that
God seemed to delay in the execution of his judgment, and the psalmist entreats him to hasten it.
2. Clarke, “For their sakes therefore return thou on high - Thy own people who compass thy
altar, the faithful of the land, are full of gloomy apprehensions. They hear the charges against me;
and see how I am persecuted. Their minds are divided; they know not what to think. For their
sakes, return thou on high - ascend the judgment-seat; and let them see, by the dispensations of
thy providence, who is innocent and who is guilty. David feared not to make this appeal to God;
for the consciousness of his innocence showed him at once how the discrimination would be
made.
3. Gill, “ So shall the congregation of the people compass thee about,.... By the congregation of
the people are meant the nation of the Jews, the twelve tribes of Israel, called an assembly of
people, and a company of nations, Gen_28:3; and this is to be understood not of their gathering
together in an hostile manner about David to take him, which might be interpreted compassing

God himself about, David being as dear to him as the apple of his eye, which is the sense of
several Jewish commentators (b); but rather of their encompassing and surrounding the altar of
God with songs of deliverance, upon David's being rid of his enemies and advanced to the throne
of the kingdom; see Psa_26:6; unless it should have regard to the pure worship of God by David,
which was greatly neglected in Saul's time; and then the sense is, that the psalmist prays that he
might be established in his kingdom, as God had appointed and commanded, when he would
fetch up the ark of God, and encourage the worship of God, and rectify all disorders in it; that so
the several tribes might come up to Jerusalem and encompass the ark, the symbol of the divine
Presence, and worship in his holy mountain;
for their sakes therefore return thou on high; take, the throne of justice, high and lifted up,
vindicate the cause of the oppressed, deliver me from all my troubles, put me into the peaceable
possession of my kingdom; if not for my, sake, yet for the sake of thy church and people, and for
the sake of thy worship and thy glory; the Targum paraphrases it, return thou to the house of
thy Shechinah.
4. Henry, “He prays (Psa_7:7), “Return thou on high, maintain thy own authority, resume thy
royal throne of which they have despised the sovereignty, and the judgment-seat of which they
have despised the sentence. Return on high, that is, visibly and in the sight of all, that it may be
universally acknowledged that heaven itself owns and pleads David's cause.” Some make this to
point at the resurrection and ascension of Jesus Christ, who, when he returned to heaven
(returned on high in his exalted state), had all judgment committed to him. Or it may refer to his
second coming, when he shall return on high to this world, to execute judgment upon all. This
return his injured people wait for, and pray for, and to it they appeal from the unjust censures of
men.
5. Calvin, “And a congregation of peoples Some limit this sentence exclusively to the people of
Israel, as if David promised that, as soon as he should ascend the throne, he would endeavour to
reunite together, in the pure worship of God, the people who before had been as it were in a state
of dispersion. Under the reign of Saul, religion had been neglected, or such an unrestrained
license in wickedness had prevailed, that few paid any regard to God. The meaning, therefore,
according to these expositors, is this: Lord, when thou shalt have constituted me king, the whole
people, who have so basely gone astray from thee, shall return from their wanderings and
disorderly courses to thee and to thy service, so that all shall know that thou rulest in the midst of
them, and shall worship thee as their only King. But I am rather inclined to view this as language
which has a respect in common to many nations. David here speaks in high terms of the effects
resulting from his deliverance, the report of which would be spread far and wide, and his words
are, as if he had said, “Lord, when thou shalt have put me in peaceable possession of the
kingdom, this will not only be a benefit conferred on me personally, but it will be a common
lesson to many nations, teaching them to acknowledge thy just judgment, so that they shall turn
their eyes to thy judgment-seat.” David here alludes to the practice of a people who surround
their king, as in a circle, when he holds a solemn assembly. In the same sense, he adds
immediately after, that God, who, for a time, lay still and kept silence, would raise himself on
high that not only one or two, but whole nations, might behold his glory: And on account of this
return thou on high Fry reads, “And over it resume thy high tribunal.” He supposes that the
word עליה , aleha, which Calvin has rendered on account of this, may be understood, “concerning
this affair,” and gives the following paraphrase: ”Resume thy judgment-seat, in order to

investigate the cause in which I have been prejudged by the adversary.” There is in these words, a
tacit comparison, that although it might not be necessary to have a regard to one man alone, it is
requisite that God should keep the world in the fear and reverence of his judgment.
6. Spurgeon, “So shall the congregation of the people compass thee about. Thy saints shall crowd
to thy tribunal with their complaints, or shall surround it with their solemn homage: for their
sakes therefore return thou on high. As when a judge travels at the assizes, all men take their
cases to his court that they may be heard, so will the righteous gather to their Lord. Here he
fortifies himself in prayer by pleading that if the Lord will mount the throne of judgment,
multitudes of the saints would be blessed as well as himself. If I be too base to be remembered,
yet, for their sakes, for the love thou bearest to thy chosen people, come forth from thy secret
pavilion, and sit in the gate dispensing justice among the people. When my suit includes the
desires of all the righteous it shall surely speed, for, shall not God avenge his own elect?
7. Treasury of David, “Verse 7. The congregation of the people: either,
1. A great number of all sorts of people, who shall observe thy justice, and holiness, and
goodness in pleading my righteous cause against my cruel and implacable oppressor. Or
rather,
2. The whole body of thy people Israel, by whom both these Hebrew words are commonly
ascribed in Holy Scripture.
Compass thee about; they will, and I, as their king and ruler in thy stead, will take care that they
shall come from all parts and meet together to worship thee, which in Saul's time they have
grossly neglected, and been permitted to neglect, and to offer to thee praises and sacrifices for thy
favour to me, and for the manifold benefits which they shall enjoy by my means, and under my
government.
For their sakes; or, for its sake, i.e., for the sake of thy congregation, which now is woefully
dissipated and oppressed, and has in a great measure lost all administration of justice, and
exercise of religion.
Return thou on high, or, return to thy high place,i.e. to thy tribunal, to sit there and judge my
cause. An allusion to earthly tribunals, which generally are set up on high above the people.
1 Kings 10:19 . Matthew Poole, 1624-1679.
8. Let the LORD judge the peoples. Vindicate me, LORD,
according to my righteousness, according to my integrity,
O Most High.
1. Barnes, “The Lord shall judge the people - Expressing his confident belief that God would
interpose, and that his judgment would not much longer be delayed. The proposition is a general

one - that God would see that justice would be done to all people; and on this ground the psalmist
pleads that He would now interpose and defend him from his enemies.
Judge me, O Lord - That is, in my present circumstances. Interpose to do justice to my cause,
and to vindicate me from these false accusations.
According to my righteousness - In this particular case, for to that the proper laws of
interpretation require us to confine this. He does not say that he wished his own righteousness to
be made the basis of judgment in determining his eternal welfare, or that he depended on his own
righteousness for salvation - for that is not the point in question; but he felt that his was, in this
case, a righteous cause; that he was not guilty of the charge alleged against him; that he was an
injured, wronged, and calumniated man; and he prayed that God would “vindicate” him from
these charges, and defend him from those who were unjustly persecuting him. With all our sense
of personal unworthiness in the matter of salvation, it is not improper, when we are wronged, to
pray that God would interpose and vindicate us in that particular case, according to our
innocence of the charges alleged against us.
And according to mine integrity that is in me - Hebrew, “my perfection.” That is, his perfection
in “this” case; his entire freedom from the charges brought against him; his absolute innocence in
respect to the points under consideration. A man may be conscious of “perfect” innocence in
respect to a particular matter, and yet have a deep sense of his “general” unworthiness, and of
the fact that he is a sinner against God. That I am innocent of a particular act charged on me
does not prove that I am guiltless altogether; that I should allege that, and insist on that, and
pray to God to vindicate me in that, does not prove that I depend on that for the salvation of my
soul, or that I claim absolute perfection before him.
2. Clarke, “The Lord shall judge the people - He will execute justice and maintain truth among
them. They shall not be as sheep without a shepherd.
Judge me, O Lord - Let my innocence be brought to the light, and my just dealing made clear
as the noonday.
3. Gill, “The Lord shall judge the people,.... The inhabitants of the world in general; for God is
the Judge of all the earth, and he judges the world in righteousness daily, and ministers judgment
in uprightness, though it is not always manifest; or his own people in particular, whose cause he
pleads, whose injuries and wrongs he avenges, whose persons he protects and defends; this the
psalmist expresses with confidence, and therefore, suitable to his character as a Judge, he
entreats him as follows:
judge me, O Lord, according to my righteousness; he speaks not of his justification before God,
in whose sight he well knew no flesh living could be justified by their own righteousness,
Psa_143:2; nor of the righteousness of his person, either imputed or inherent; but of the
righteousness of his cause, Psa_35:27; not of his righteousness God-ward, for he knew that he
was a sinner with respect to him; but of his righteousness towards Saul, against whom he had not
sinned, but had acted towards him in the most righteous and faithful manner, 1Sa_24:11; and
therefore desired to be judged, and was content to stand or fall according to his conduct and
behaviour towards him;

and according to mine integrity that is in me; who had always acted the sincere and upright part
towards Saul, though he had pursued him with so much fury and violence; the psalmist's prayer
was heard and answered, Psa_18:20.
4. Henry, “He prays again (Psa_7:8), “Judge me, judge for me, give sentence on my side.” To
enforce this suit, [1.] He pleads that his cause was now brought into the proper court: The Lord
shall judge the people, Psa_7:8. He is the Judge of all the earth, and therefore no doubt he will do
right and all will be obliged to acquiesce in his judgment. [2.] He insists upon his integrity as to
all the matters in variance between him and Saul, and desires only to be judged, in this matter,
according to his righteousness, and the sincerity of his heart in all the steps he had taken towards
his preferment. [3.] He foretels that it would be much for the glory of God and the edification and
comfort of his people if God would appear for him: “So shall the congregation of the people
compass thee about; therefore do it for their sakes, that they may attend thee with their raises and
services in the courts of thy house.” First, They will do it of their own accord. God's appearing on
David's behalf, and fulfilling his promise to him, would be such an instance of his righteousness,
goodness, and faithfulness, as would greatly enlarge the hearts of all his faithful worshippers and
fill their mouths with praise. David was the darling of his country, especially of all the good
people in it; and therefore, when they saw him in a fair way to the throne, they would greatly
rejoice and give thanks to God; crowds of them would attend his footstool with their praises for
such a blessing to their land. Secondly, If David come into power, as God has promised him, he
will take care to bring people to church by his influence upon them, and the ark shall not be
neglected, as it was in the days of Saul, 1Ch_13:3.
5. Calvin, “Jehovah shall judge the nations This sentence is closely connected with the preceding
verse. David had prayed God to show himself as judge to the nations; and now he takes it for a
certain and admitted truth, that it is the peculiar office of God to judge the nations: for the word
put in the future tense, and rendered shall judge, denotes here a continued act; and this is the
signification of the future tense in general sentences. Besides, he does not here speak of one nation
only, but comprehends all nations. As he acknowledges God to be the judge of the whole world,
he concludes a little after from this, that he will maintain his cause and right. And as often as we
seem to be forsaken and oppressed, we should recall this truth to our remembrance, that as God
is the governor of the world, it is as utterly impossible for him to abdicate his office as to deny
himself. From this source there will flow a continual stream of comfort, although a long
succession of calamities may press upon us: for from this truth we may assuredly conclude, that
he will take care to defend our innocence. It would be contrary to every principle of just
reasoning to supposes that he who governs many nations neglects even one man. What happens
with respect to the judges of this world can never take place with respect to him; he cannot, as
may be the case with them, be so occupied about great and public affairs as to neglect, because
unable to attend to them, the concerns of individuals. He again brings into new his integrity that
he may not seem, after the example of hypocrites to make the name of God a mere pretext for the
better furthering of his own purposes. Since God is no respecter of persons, we cannot expect him
to be on our side, and to favour us, if our cause is not good. But it is asked, how can David here
boast of his own integrity before God, when in other places he deprecates God entering into
judgment with him? The answer is easy, and it is this: The subject here treated of is not how he
could answer if God should demand from him an account of his whole life; but, comparing
himself with his enemies, he maintains and not without cause, that, in respect of them, he was

52004456 psalm-7-commentary

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