Psalms 52:8 - Exposition

But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God . In conclusion, the psalmist contrasts his own condition, as one of God's people, with that of Doeg, which he had described in Psalms 52:7-9 . Doeg is about to be "plucked up" and "rooted out of the land of the living" ( Psalms 52:5 ); he is like a flourishing green olive tree planted in the sanctuary, or "house of God." Doeg is entirely without any trust in the Almighty ( Psalms 52:7 ); he declares of himself, I trust in the mercy of God for ever and ever . It is questioned whether olive trees were at any time planted in the courts of either the tabernacle or the temple; but it certainly cannot be proved that they were not. In the courts of Egyptian temples trees were abundant, also probably in Phoenician temples. And to this day there grow in the Hardin area at Jerusalem, on the site of the Jewish temple, a number of magnificent cypresses, olive, and lemon trees.