Yea, they opened their mouth wide against me, and said, Aha, aha! our eye hath seen it. They "opened their mouth wide" in scornful derision; and shouted triumphantly, "Ha, ha! our eye hath seen his downfall!" read more
This thou hast seen, O Lord . Nothing of this has been hid from thee; thine eye, O Lord, has seen it. Therefore I call upon thee. Keep not silence . Refrain not thyself. "Up, and let not man have the upper hand" ( PS . Psalms 9:19 ). O Lord, be not far from me . Draw near, hasten, vindicate my name (comp. Psalms 22:19 ; Psalms 38:21 ; Psalms 70:1-5 :12). read more
God's silence. "There is a time to keep silence, and a time to speak" ( Ecclesiastes 3:7 ). So it is with man, and with reverence it may be said, so it is with God. There is a sense in which God is never silent. In manifold ways his voice is ever sounding in our ears. But there are times when God may be said to be silent, even with regard to his own people. There is speech on the one side, but no answer on the other. This silence may be prolonged till it becomes distressingly painful.... read more
Yea, they opened their mouth wide against me - See the notes at Psalms 22:13.And said, Aha, aha! - See Psalms 40:15; Psalms 70:3. The language is that which we use when we “detect” another in doing wrong - in doing what he meant to conceal.Our eye hath seen it - We are not dependent on the reports of others. We have seen it with our own eyes. We have found you out. We cannot be mistaken in regard to it. The reference is to some supposed “detection” of misconduct on the part of David, and the... read more
This thou hast seen, O Lord - Thou hast seen what they have done, as they profess to have seen what I have done Psalms 35:21. Thine eye has been upon all their movements, as they say that theirs has been upon mine. Compare the notes at Psalms 35:17.Keep not silence - That is, Speak; rebuke them; punish them. God seemed to look on with unconcern. As we express it, he “said nothing.” He appeared to pay no attention to what was done, but suffered them to do as they pleased without interposing to... read more
Psalms 35:19-21. Neither let them wink with the eye That is, mock me, or insult over me, as this phrase signifies. For they speak not peace They are enemies to all peaceable counsels; they breathe out nothing but threatenings and war. They devise deceitful matters They use, not only open violence, but deceit and subtle artifices; against them that are quiet in the land Against me and my followers, who desire nothing more than to live quietly and peaceably under Saul’s government. ... read more
Psalms 35:22-24. Thou hast seen, O Lord As they say they have seen, so my comfort is, that thou also hast seen, and dost observe all their plots and threats, and all my distresses and calamities, which I suffer for thy sake. Keep not silence Or, Be not deaf, namely, to my prayers. Be not far from me Do not withdraw thy favour and help from me. Awake unto my cause At last undertake to plead my cause against my adversaries. According to thy righteousness Whereby thou usest to defend... read more
Psalms 35:0 Against false accusersIt seems that this psalm also was written during the time of David’s flight from Saul. Much of his suffering during that time was because of the false accusations made against him by influential people in Saul’s court. (See introductory notes to Psalms 7:0.)Since David’s enemies have the ferocity of men in battle, David asks God to deal with them accordingly and fight against them as a warrior (1-3). He prays that they might be turned back, scattered and... read more
opened their mouth. Implying contempt. Aha, aha. Figure of speech Epizeuxis ( App-6 ), for emphasis. See Psalms 40:15 ; Psalms 70:3 . Compare Mark 15:29 . hath seen. Implying delight in so doing. read more
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The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 35:19-28
Pleas for triumph. The substance of this third division is a continuous prayer that God would give him to triumph over his enemies; and the plans on which the prayer is grounded. I. HE PRAYS THAT THE CAUSE OF UNRIGHTEOUSNESS MAY NOT TRIUMPH . 1 . The enmity of his enemies was without just cause. ( Psalms 35:19 .) To be unjustly accused wounds a good man very deeply. 2 . He was the champion of public order and peace : and therefore they opposed him. (... read more