His mischief shall return upon his own head ,.... That which he conceived and devised in his mind, and attempted to bring upon others, shall fall upon himself, as a just judgment from heaven upon him; and his violent dealing shall come down upon his own pate ; referring to the violence with which Saul pursued David, which would be requited to him, and of which he prophesied, 1 Samuel 26:10 . read more
I will praise the Lord according to his righteousness ,.... Or on account of it, as it was displayed in vindicating the innocent, and punishing the wicked; so Pharaoh having ordered male infants of the Hebrews to be drowned, and he himself and his host in righteous judgment being drowned in the Red sea; Moses and the children of Israel sung a song, as the psalmist here; and will sing praise to the name of the Lord most high ; whose name is Jehovah, and is the most High over all the... read more
Shall come down upon his own pate - Upon his scalp, קדקד kodkod , the top of the head. It may refer to knocking the criminal on the head, in order to deprive him of life. Had scalping been known in those days, I should have thought the reference might be to that barbarous custom. read more
I will praise the Lord according to his righteousness - I shall celebrate both his justice and his mercy. I will sing praise to the name of the Lord Most High. The name of God is often put for his perfections. So here, עלין יהוה שם shem Yehovah Elyon ; "The perfections of Jehovah, who is above all." My old Scotico - English MS., mentioned at the conclusion of the introduction, begins at this verse, where are the following words by way of paraphrase: Sang falles til ioy; and he that... read more
Verse 17 17I will praise Jehovah according to his righteousness; and I will sing to the name of Jehovah, Most High As the design of God in the deliverances which he vouchsafes to his servants is, that they may render to him in return the sacrifices of praise, David here promises that he will gratefully acknowledge the deliverance which he had received, and at the same time affirms that his preservation from death was the undoubted and manifest work of God. He could not, with truth, and from the... read more
"Shiggaion" is connected by some with the "Shigioneth" of Habakkuk 3:1 , which is commonly explained to be a particular kind of tune or tunes. But the identity of the two words is uncertain, and the identity of their meaning, at an interval of nearly six centuries, is still more open to question. The meaning of "Shiggaion" has really to be guessed from the context; and the most probable of the conjectures made would seem to be, either simply, "a poem of David," or "a lyrical... read more
The slandered saint appealing to his God. £ There is nothing like the trials of life to constrain to prayer; and no prayers are so full of deep meaning as those forced out by such trials. There is no reason for doubting the Davidic authorship of this psalm. It well accords with some known episodes in his experience, and is just such an appeal to the great Judge of all the earth as he might be expected to make when unjustly accused; specially when accused of evil in the very direction... read more
Trust in God. An earnest appeal to God to save him from the wickedness of men who would requite him with evil for the good he had done in sparing Saul's life. The charge against him probably was that he still sought the life of Saul; and they plotted against his life. In the midst of this wrong and danger, what was his resource? I. TRUST IN GOD . Not in counter-plotting against his enemies, nor neglecting the use of means for his own safety; but faith in the all-controlling... read more
His mischief shall return upon his own head, and his violent dealing upon his own pate . Some critics see in this a continuation of the metaphor, and suppose that, while the sinner is in the pit, the heap which his own hands have thrown out falls in upon him and crushes him. But it is perhaps better to understand the words in a more general way. read more
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Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Psalms 7:10-17
David having lodged his appeal with God by prayer and a solemn profession of his integrity, in the former part of the psalm, in this latter part does, as it were, take out judgment upon the appeal, by faith in the word of God, and the assurance it gives of the happiness and safety of the righteous and the certain destruction of wicked people that continue impenitent. I. David is confident that he shall find God his powerful protector and Saviour, and the patron of his oppressed innocency (Ps.... read more