Psalm 52:2-4 NLT,NIV,ESV

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Psalms 52:1-5

The title is a brief account of the story which the psalm refers to. David now, at length, saw it necessary to quit the court, and shift for his own safety, for fear of Saul, who had once and again attempted to murder him. Being unprovided wit harms and victuals, he, by a wile, got Ahimelech the priest to furnish him with both. Doeg an Edomite happened to be there, and he went and informed Saul against Ahimelech, representing him as confederate with a traitor, upon which accusation Saul... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Psalms 52:2

Thy tongue deviseth mischiefs ,.... Abundance of mischiefs, in a variety of ways, against many persons, even all good men. What properly belongs to the heart is here ascribed to the tongue; because, as Aben Ezra observes, it is the interpreter and discoverer of the thoughts of the heart: out of the abundance of that the tongue speaks and declares the mischief it has devised. Doeg intended mischief to David, when he spoke to Saul, 1 Samuel 22:9 ; so antichrist devises mischiefs against the... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Psalms 52:3

Thou lovest evil more than good ,.... Indeed not good at all; such comparatives being strong negatives; see Psalm 118:8 ; a wicked man loves evil, and nothing else; his carnal mind being enmity to all that is good and lying rather than to speak righteousness ; as appears by his affirming that Ahimelech inquired of the Lord for David, when he did not, 1 Samuel 22:10 ; and by suffering some things to pass for truths which were falsehoods, when it lay in his power to have disproved... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Psalms 52:4

Thou lovest all devouring words ,.... Or "words of swallowing up" F25 דברי בלע "verba absorptionis", Vatablus, Gejerus, Schmidt. ; such as lies, calumnies, and detractions are, which devour the characters and reputations of men, and are the cause sometimes of their utter ruin and destruction; of the devouring and blasphemous words of antichrist see Revelation 13:5 ; O thou deceitful tongue ; See Gill on Psalm 52:2 . read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Psalms 52:2

Deviseth mischiefs - Lies and slanders proceeding from the tongue argue the desperate wickedness of the heart. Like a sharp razor, working deceitfully - Which instead of taking off the beard, cuts and wounds the flesh; or as the operator who, when pretending to trim the beard, cuts the throat. read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Psalms 52:3

Thou lovest evil - This was a finished character. Let us note the particulars: He boasted in the power to do evil. His tongue devised, studied, planned, and spoke mischiefs. He was a deceitful worker. He loved evil and not good. He loved lying; his delight was in falsity. Every word that tended to the destruction of others he loved. 7. His tongue was deceitful; he pretended friendship while his heart was full of enmity, Psalm 52:1-4 . Now behold the punishment: - 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

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

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Psalms 52:1-5

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Psalms 52:2

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Psalms 52:3

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Psalms 52:4

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Psalms 52:2

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Psalms 52:3

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

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

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 52:1-9

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 52:1-9

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