1.
Unto thee will I cry, O LORD my rock; be not silent to me: lest, if thou be silent to me, I become like them that go down into the pit.
1. my rock— (Psalms 18:2;
Psalms 18:31).
be not silent to
me—literally, "from me," deaf or inattentive.
become like them,
&c.—share their fate.
go down into the pit—or,
"grave" (Psalms 30:3).
2.
Hear the voice of my supplications, when I cry unto thee, when I lift up my hands toward thy holy oracle.
2. lift up my hands—a gesture
of prayer (Psalms 63:4; Psalms 141:2).
oracle—place of
speaking (Exodus 25:22;
Numbers 7:89), where God answered His
people (compare Psalms 5:7).
3.
Draw me not away with the wicked, and with the workers of iniquity, which speak peace to their neighbours, but mischief is in their hearts.
3. Draw me not away—implies
punishment as well as death (compare ). Hypocrisy is the special wickedness mentioned.
4.
Give them according to their deeds, and according to the wickedness of their endeavours: give them after the work of their hands; render to them their desert.
4. The imprecation is justified
in Psalms 28:5. The force of the
passage is greatly enhanced by the accumulation of terms describing
their sin.
endeavours—points out
their deliberate sinfulness.
5.
Because they regard not the works of the LORD, nor the operation of his hands, he shall destroy them, and not build them up.
5. Disregard of God's judgments
brings a righteous punishment.
destroy . . . build . . .
up—The positive strengthened by the negative form.
6.
Blessed be the LORD, because he hath heard the voice of my supplications.
6. supplications—or, "cries
for mercy."
7.
The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am helped: therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; and with my song will I praise him.
7. The repetition of "heart"
denotes his sincerity.
8.
The LORD is their strength, and he is the saving strength of his anointed.
8. The distinction made between
the people.
their strength—and the
anointed—may indicate Absalom's rebellion as the occasion.
9.
Save thy people, and bless thine inheritance: feed them also, and lift them up for ever.
9. The special prayer for the
people sustains this view.
feed them—as a shepherd
(Psalms 23:1, &c.).