To the chief Musician. See App-64 . upon Sheminith = the Sheminith. See App-65 . Title. A Psalm. See App-65 . Help = Save. godly man = "gracious [man]". ceaseth = is no more. Compare Isaiah 57:1 .Micah 7:2 . faithful. Figure of speech Metonymy (of Adjunct), App-6 , put for faithful men. children of men = sons of men. (Hebrew ' adam . App-14 .) read more
They speak. Man's words contrasted with Jehovah's words. Compare Psalms 12:6 , and see Structure above. double = deceitful. Hebrew "a heart and a heart". Compare 1 Chronicles 12:33 . read more
The tongue, &c. Quoted in James 3:5 . read more
With our tongue will we prevail = Thanks to our tongue, we will prevail. read more
poor = wretched. Hebrew ' ain . See note on Proverbs 6:11 . saith the LORD = let Jehovah say. from him that puffeth at him = let him [the oppressed] despise it [the oppression], him = it: i.e. the oppression. read more
words = the spoken words, sayings, or utterances. Compare Psalms 119:38 . silver tried: i.e. pure silver. furnace = crucible. Put a full stop after this word. of = to, or pertaining to (referring to the "words"). The letter lamed is the sign of the Dative case, not the Genitive. earth. Hebrew. 'erez (the earth), not 'adamah (the ground): i.e. "words for, or pertaining to the earth", but purified seven times: i.e. with spiritual perfection (see App-10 ). Some are used with a higher... read more
them: i.e. the godly. Plural reference to "the faithful" of Psalms 12:1 . them = him: refers to the man of grace (Psalms 12:1 ). read more
wicked = lawless. Hebrew. rasha'. App-44 . men: i.e. the sons of Adam, as in Psalms 12:1 . To the chief Musician. See App-64 . Title. A Psalm. See App-65 . read more
PSALM 12SUPPLICATION IN A TIME OF DEGENERACY (FOR THE CHIEF MUSICIAN; SET TO THE SHEMINITH. A PSALM OF DAVID).The title we have selected here is from Arnold B. Rhodes.[1] The age of David was in some ways the Golden Age of Israel, but here is a revelation that the moral condition of society as a whole was one of the utmost degeneracy.Psalms 12:1-2"Help, Jehovah; for the godly man ceaseth;For the faithful fail from among the children of men.They speak falsehood everyone with his neighbor:With... read more
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Bridgeway Bible Commentary - Psalms 12:1-8
Psalms 11-13 Persevere . . . or give in?There came a time when David became tired of his continual flight from Saul, not just because it was wearying, but because it was cutting him off from the public worship places of God’s people (1 Samuel 26:19). His spiritual life was weakened and he gave in to the temptation to leave his own country for the safety of enemy Philistia (1 Samuel 27:1). This is the sort of temptation that David considers in Psalms 11:0, the temptation to go along with... read more