Psalms 125:3

"For the sceptre of wickedness shall not rest upon the lot of the righteous;

That the righteous put not forth their hands unto iniquity."

The great problem with this psalm is the identification of which rulers held this sceptre of wickedness over God's people. Allen thought the situation existed in the times of post-exilic Judaism when Israel was under foreign domination for centuries,[3] but this view overlooks the fact that the wickedness rebuked in this verse is to be terminated soon, before the righteous become discouraged and turn aside to iniquity. That simply did not occur in post-exilic Judaism. Racial Israel continued to be dominated by wicked Gentile rulers up until the times of Christ.

Briggs has made the only proposal that recognizes this implication of a speedy reversal of the wicked rule, stating that, "This must have been written during the mild rule of Egyptian monarchs some time before the Syrian oppression."[4]

An alternative meaning was suggested by Barnes, namely, that, "God will not deal with the righteous as he deals with the wicked. God will not give his people prosperity as he does the wicked; but the righteous will be afflicted, and placed in such circumstances that will prevent their putting forth their hands to iniquity."[5] We do not understand Barnes' basis for this commentary; nevertheless, the essential truth of what he says here is admitted.

See the comment of McCullough under Psalms 125:5, below, for what seems to this writer the most acceptable understanding of this somewhat ambiguous passage.