The wicked plotteth against the just ,.... Forms schemes to make him uneasy, uncomfortable, and unhappy: and gnasheth upon him with his teeth : which expresses his malice and hatred, as David's enemies did upon him, Psalm 35:16 ; and Stephen's, Acts 7:54 . read more
The Lord shall laugh at him ,.... Have him and his plots in derision, confound his schemes, and disappoint him of his designs, bring him into calamity, and laugh at it; see Psalm 2:4 ; for he seeth that his day is coming ; either the day of the Lord, which he has appointed to judge the world in, and which comes suddenly, at unawares, as a thief in the night, and is known unto the Lord, though to none else; or the day of the wicked man's ruin and destruction, to which he is appointed,... read more
The wicked have drawn out the sword ,.... That is, out of the scabbard; they drew upon the righteous, in order to sheath it in them; or they sharpened the sword, as Aben Ezra observes some interpret the word; it may be literally rendered, "opened the sword" F17 חרב פתחו "aperuerunt gladium", Gejerus. , which before lay hid in the scabbard: and have bent their bow ; having put the arrow in it, in order to shoot. The former expression may design the more open, and this the more... read more
He seeth that his day is coming - The utter desolation of your oppressors is at hand. All this may be said of every wicked man. read more
The wicked have drawn out the sword - There is an irreconcilable enmity in the souls of sinners against the godly; and there is much evidence that the idolatrous Babylonians whetted their tongue like a sword, and shot out their arrows, even bitter words, to malign the poor captives, and to insult them in every possible way. read more
Verse 12 12.The wicked plotteth against the righteous. David here anticipates an objection which might have been taken to the preceding verse. Where, it might be said, can tranquillity and joy be found when the wicked are mad with rage, and plot every kind of mischief against the children of God? And how shall they cherish good hope for the future who see themselves surrounded with innumerable sources of death? David therefore replies, That although the life of the godly should be assailed by... read more
Verse 14 14.The wicked draw their sword, and bend their bow. David now goes on to say, that the ungodly, being armed with sword and bow, threaten with death the children of God; and this he does in order to meet the temptation which would otherwise overwhelm them. The promises of God do not have place in a time of quietness and peace, but in the midst of severe and terrible conflicts. And, therefore, David now teaches us that the righteous are not deprived of that peace of which he had spoken a... read more
The psalm is wholly didactic. It begins with exhortation, which is carried on through five stanzas to the end of Psalms 37:9 . Exhortation then gives place to calm and unimpassioned instruction, of a character resembling that which makes up the bulk of the Book of Proverbs. This tone continues to the end of verse 33, when there is a return to exhortation, but exhortation (verses 34, 37) mingled with instruction (verses 35, 36, 38-40). The whole poem is grave, quiet, equable, devoid of... read more
The good man's directory. This is a very remarkable psalm. Its theme is one throughout its entire length. Yet it is not so much drawn out consecutively as repeated proverbially. This may be partly accounted for by its alphabetical structure. £ There is no advance between the verses at the commencement and those at its close, but rather a remarkable variety of beautiful turns of expression to a thought that is the same throughout. The whole psalm may be summed up thus: "Just now, you see... read more
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Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Psalms 37:7-20
In these verses we have, I. The foregoing precepts inculcated; for we are so apt to disquiet ourselves with needless fruitless discontents and distrusts that it is necessary there should be precept upon precept, and line upon line, to suppress them and arm us against them. 1. Let us compose ourselves by believing in God: ?Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him (Ps. 37:7), that is, be well reconciled to all he does and acquiesce in it, for that is best that is, because it is what God has... read more