Old Testament Commentary - Psalms 109

by Don R. Hender

Scriptural Text [& Editorial]	Commentary & Explanation	Footnotes ~ References ~ JST
CHAPTER 109 David speaks of the cursing due to the wicked and deceitful—He prays that his adversaries shall be confounded.
To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David.
1 HOLD not thy peace, O God of my praise; 2 For the mouth of the wicked and the mouth of the deceitful are opened against me: they have spoken against me with a ^alying tongue. 3 They compassed me about also with words of hatred; and fought against me without a cause^a.	3^a fought against me without cause Often people will take afront when there is none but in their own imaginations. And then to worsen the fiction they then will begin to fight against one as though some real cause exists. These are but insecure people who cannot abide honesty and truth but rather image any such straight forth statement to be directly aimed against themselves. Beware of such for they will take offense when none was given, such as when speaks of a sin or sinners in general and one takes it to his heart personally as aimed at himself and proceeds out of guilt to fight him whose statement it was that he pretented to be leveled against himself. When one asks an honest opinion, if one does not like the honest answer as being that which he would have wanted to hear and then makes it out of fiction an attack upon himself, he will then proceed to fight against foes and shadows which are not and further cause afronts and offenses where and when now should have been given based on the reality of the matter. And how does one protect one's self from such attacks which but fall from no where out of the falsifying minds of the offended out of fantasy?
4 ^aFor my love they are my adversaries: but I give myself unto prayer. 5 And they have rewarded me evil for good, and ^ahatred for my love. 6 Set thou a wicked man over him: and let ^aSatan stand at his right hand.
7 When he shall be ^ajudged, let him be condemned: and let his ^bprayer become sin. 8 Let his days be few; and let another take his ^aoffice. 9 Let his children be fatherless, and his wife a widow.
10 Let his children be continually vagabonds, and beg: let them seek their bread also out of their desolate places. 11 Let the ^aextortioner catch all that he hath; and let the strangers spoil his labour. 12 Let there be none to extend mercy unto him: neither let there be any to favour his fatherless children.
13 Let his ^aposterity be cut off; and in the generation following let their name be ^bblotted out. 14 Let the ^ainiquity of his fathers be remembered with the LORD; and let not the sin of his mother be blotted out. 15 Let them be before the LORD continually, that he may cut off the memory of them from the earth.
16 Because that he remembered not to shew mercy, but persecuted the ^apoor and needy man, that he might even slay the broken in heart. 17 As he loved cursing, so let it come unto him: as he delighted not in blessing, so let it be far from him. 18 As he clothed himself with cursing like as with his garment, so let it come into his bowels like water, and like oil into his bones.
19 Let it be unto him as the garment which covereth him, and for a girdle wherewith he is girded continually. 20 Let this be the reward of mine adversaries from the LORD, and of them that speak evil against my soul.
21 But do thou for me, O GOD the Lord, for thy ^aname's sake: because thy mercy is good, deliver thou me. 22 For I am poor and needy, and my heart is wounded within me. 23 I am gone like the shadow when it declineth: I am tossed up and down as the locust.
24 My knees are weak through fasting; and my flesh faileth of fatness. 25 I became also a reproach unto them: when they looked upon me they shaked their heads. 26 Help me, O LORD my God: O save me according to thy mercy: 27 That they may know that this is thy hand; that thou, LORD, hast done it.
28 Let them ^acurse, but bless thou: when they arise, let them be ashamed; but let thy servant rejoice. 29 Let mine adversaries be clothed with ^ashame, and let them cover themselves with their own confusion, as with a mantle. 30 I will greatly praise the LORD with my mouth; yea, I will praise him among the multitude. 31 For he shall stand at the ^aright hand of the ^bpoor, to save him from those that condemn his soul.