Psalms 52

To the chief Musician, Maschil, A Psalm of David, when Doeg the Edomite came and told Saul, and said unto him, David is come to the house of Ahimelech.

The title sufficiently indicates the occasion of the psalm in the tragic story found in 1 Samuel 22:6-19. Though the psalm wears a personal aspect, it is of general application. The wicked man who is the hero of the song, is the impersonation of the cruelty, falsehood, and hypocrisy which in all ages have betrayed the living Church into the hands of its persecutors; and what Doeg does to David and to the priests of Nob has been repeated throughout the world upon a larger scale. The psalm is the beginning of three maschils, (Psalms 52, 54, 55,) written by David in a similarly didactic style, and belonging to the Sauline period. Its matter falls into three divisions. Psalms 52:1-4 are a description of the falsehood and hypocrisy of his persecutor; Psalms 52:5-7, of his downfall; Psalms 52:8-9, of the psalmist’s assured prosperity and trust in God.

TITLE:

Doeg the Edomite How this foreigner came to acquire such influence and rank in the councils of Saul is not known. Nothing is known of him beyond the statements of 1 Samuel 22:0, except that in 1 Samuel 21:7, we learn that he was “the chiefest of the herdmen.” From the fact that it is there said that he was “detained before the Lord” at Nob, it has been inferred he might have been a proselyte, detained for the fulfilment of some vow. See further on Psalms 52:1; Psalms 52:7 of the psalm.