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James Burton Coffman

Coffman Commentaries on the Bible - Psalms 12:3

"Jehovah will cut off all flattering lips,The tongue that speaketh great things;Who hath said, With our tongue will we prevail;Our lips are our own; who is lord over us?"These lines are a promise that God will indeed intervene and "cut off" such an offensive society."Tongue that speaketh great things." "Proud and lofty boastings are intended, as in Daniel 7:20." [3]"With our tongues we will prevail." "The wicked acknowledge no responsibility for their words."[4]"Our lips are our own." This is... read more

James Burton Coffman

Coffman Commentaries on the Bible - Psalms 12:5

"Because of the oppression of the poor, because of the sighing of the needy,Now will I arise, saith Jehovah;I will set him in the safety he panteth for."These words constitute a direct answer to David's cry for help from the Lord."Now will I arise, saith Jehovah." Addis and other radical critics have alleged that this is a quotation from Isaiah 33:10;[5] but it takes a vivid imagination indeed to believe that five words, the equivalent of which are used a thousand times in the Bible, are any... read more

James Burton Coffman

Coffman Commentaries on the Bible - Psalms 12:6

"The words of Jehovah are pure words;As silver tried in a furnace on the earth, purified seven times."Delitzsch recognized these words also as the direct message of God to David.[6] He also interpreted David's words in Psalms 12:7 as the equivalent of the psalmist's solemn "Amen" to God's promise in Psalms 12:5-6.THE SEVEN-FOLD PURIFICATION OF GOD'S WORDSatan himself tried God's Word in Eden, saying "Thou shalt not surely die," but the sprawling cemeteries of the whole world, spread like... read more

James Burton Coffman

Coffman Commentaries on the Bible - Psalms 12:7

"Thou wilt keep them, O Jehovah, Thou wilt preserve them from this generation forever."As noted above, this is David's exultant "Amen" to the glorious promise of Psalms 12:5-6. All of God's people are perpetually safe. As the Lord said, "Not a hair of your head shall perish."The fact that a whole generation may fall into the grossest and most shameful immorality is of no importance whatever, except as it pertains to the salvation or the condemnation of that generation. The Lord knoweth his own,... read more

James Burton Coffman

Coffman Commentaries on the Bible - Psalms 12:8

"The wicked walk on every side,When vileness is exalted among the sons of men."The elevation of evil men to high places of authority results in the proliferation of all kinds of shameful conduct in the land; and it would appear that this verse outlines just such a situation. It corresponds very closely to verse 1 of this psalm and seems to be just another way of saying "The current situation in society remains the same." read more

Thomas Coke

Thomas Coke Commentary on the Holy Bible - Psalms 12:1

Psalms 12:0. David, destitute of human comfort, asketh help of God: he comforteth himself with God's judgments on the wicked, and confidence in God's tried promises. To the chief musician upon Sheminith, A Psalm of David. Title.— השׁמינית על למנצח lamnatseach al hoshsheminith. See the note on the title of Psalms 6:0. This psalm complains of the falsehood and treachery abounding in the world; from which God is introduced as determined to deliver his people. Some conjecture that he points... read more

Thomas Coke

Thomas Coke Commentary on the Holy Bible - Psalms 12:2

Psalms 12:2. They speak vanity— They speak falsehood. Mudge. A double heart, in the Hebrew is ולב בלב beleb valeb, with heart and heart; that is, they spake as if they had two hearts: the one to hate their neighbour and form designs against him, and the other to prompt the tongue to pretend a friendship for him. read more

Thomas Coke

Thomas Coke Commentary on the Holy Bible - Psalms 12:3

Psalms 12:3. That speaketh proud things— The Hebrew word גדלות gedoloth signifies great things, or great words; for the more artificial and dissembling a man is, the more he affects a pompous formality in his discourse, that he may the better deceive. read more

Thomas Coke

Thomas Coke Commentary on the Holy Bible - Psalms 12:5

Psalms 12:5. Now will I arise, saith the Lord— The beauty and energy of this fine prosopopoeia, must be felt by every reader. Nothing can be more poetical and expressive. Houbigant renders the last clause, I will procure them safety, that they may breathe; namely, from their troubles. read more

Thomas Coke

Thomas Coke Commentary on the Holy Bible - Psalms 12:6

Psalms 12:6. The words of the Lord are pure words— The words of God, mentioned in the verse before, may certainly be depended on; they are pure truth, without any mixture of dross or deceit: Silver fined in a ground furnace [a furnace or melting-pot in the earth] seven times purified. read more

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