Psalm 52:1-5 NIV

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Psalms 52:1

Verse 1 1.Why boastest thou of thy wickedness? The success which crowned the treachery of Doeg must have tended considerably to stagger David’s faith; and he seems to have adopted the strain of holy defiance with which the psalm commences, in order to arm himself more effectually against this temptation. He begins by charging Doeg with an aggravation of his guilt, in boasting of the power which he had acquired by an act of consummate villany. This power may have been sufficiently considerable... read more

John Calvin

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Psalms 52:2

Verse 2 2.Thy tongue reckons up mischiefs David is not to be considered as here venting a flood of reproaches against his adversary, as many who have been unjustly injured are in the habit of doing, merely to gratify a feeling of revenge. He brings these charges against him in the sight of God, with a view to encourage himself in the hopefulness of his own cause: for it is plain that the farther our enemies proceed in the practice of iniquity, they proportionally provoke the anger of the Lord,... read more

John Calvin

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Psalms 52:4

Verse 4 The term בלע , balang, in verse fourth, which has been translated destruction, I prefer understanding in the sense of hiding or concealment. He seems to allude to the drawing back of the tongue when we swallow; and under this figure, to describe the deceitfulness of Doeg’s words, by which he devoured the unsuspecting and the innocent. (277) The great design of David, as I have already remarked in the preceding verses, is to encourage himself in the hope of deliverance by dwelling upon... read more

John Calvin

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Psalms 52:5

Verse 5 5God shall likewise destroy thee for ever. From these words it is made still more evident that his object in dwelling upon the aggravated guilt of Doeg, was to prove the certainty of his approaching doom, and this rather for his own conviction and comfort, than with a view to alarming the conscience of the offender. Accordingly, he declares his persuasion that God would not allow his treachery to pass unpunished, though he might for a time connive at the perpetration of it. The ungodly... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 52:1

Why boastest thou thyself in mischief, O mighty man? Doeg was "the chiefest of the herdmen that belonged to Saul" ( 1 Samuel 21:7 ), or, according to another passage ( 1 Samuel 22:9 ), "set over the servants of Saul." The position would be a high one, and would imply the possession of much physical strength. A sense of tyranny or extreme arrogance seems to attach to the word translated "mighty one" ( gibber ); see Genesis 6:4 ; Genesis 10:8 . The word translated "mischief"... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 52:1-9

Metrically, the psalm seems to consist of three strophes, extending respectively to four, three, and two verses. In the first strophe Doeg's wickedness is set forth ( 1 Samuel 21:1-4 ); in the second ( 1 Samuel 21:5-7 ), he is threatened with God's vengeance; in the third ( 1 Samuel 21:8 , 1 Samuel 21:9 ), David thanks God for the vengeance which he has executed, and declares his intention always to trust in him. read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 52:1-9

A betrayer. The "mighty man" might have been Doeg or some other who had gained notoriety as a betrayer. I. THE ODIOUSNESS OF HIS CHARACTER . It is marked by deceitfulness. Craft and lying are the tools of the betrayer. He cannot get on without them, and he waxes expert in their use. He may pretend friendship, but malice is in his heart. Even if he speaks truth, it is not in love, but in hate. "Whispering tongues can poison truth," Beat on mischief, he does not think of... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 52:1-9

"This psalm is A stern upbraiding addressed to the man who, unscrupulous in the exercise of his power, and proud of his wealth, finds his delight in all the arts of the practised liar." I. THE ARROGANCE OF A WICKED MAN IN WORLDLY POWER . 1 . He boasts of the evil which he does. He is not ashamed of his wickedness. 2 . He is bent upon ever new forms of mischief. Works deceitfully, and not openly, and his tongue, as the instrument of his mind, is ever... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 52:2

Thy tongue deviseth mischiefs; or, malignities — evils of the worst kind. It was Doeg's "tongue" that brought about the entire ghastly massacre (see 1 Samuel 22:9 , 1 Samuel 22:10 ). Like a sharp razor, working deceitfully. Doeg had "worked deceitfully," since he had not told Saul the circumstances that made Ahimelech's giving aid to David no disloyalty to the king ( 1 Samuel 21:2 , 1 Samuel 21:8 ). The suppressio veri is a suggestio falsi. read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 52:3

Thou lovest evil more than good. To "love evil" is to have reached the lowest depth of depravity. It is to say, with Milton's Satan, "Evil, be thou my good!" And lying rather than to speak righteousness (see the comment on Psalms 52:2 ). Doeg's crimes seem to have arisen out of a mere love of evil. read more

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Psalms 52:1

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Psalms 52:2

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Psalms 52:4

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Psalms 52:5

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 52:1

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 52:1-9

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 52:1-9

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 52:1-9

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 52:2

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 52:3

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