Psalms 109:5

And they have rewarded me evil for good,.... For the good words and sound doctrine he delivered to them; for the good works and miracles he wrought among them, to the healing of them; see John 10:32 . And hatred for my love; he came to seek and save that which was lost, and yet they hated him, and would not have him to rule over them, Luke 19:10.

And they have rewarded me evil for good - literally, "They have placed against me." They have put it in my way; it is what they had to set before me. See the notes at Psalm 35:12 , where the same expression occurs. And hatred for my love - Instead of loving me in return for my love, they have met me with the expressions of hatred. This often occurred in the life of David; it was constant in the life of the Saviour; it is habitually manifested by people toward God; it is often experienced by good men now; it "may" occur in the life of any man - and if it "does" occur to us, we should not think that any strange thing has happened to us.

A sign for help and complaints of ungrateful persecutors form the beginning of the Psalm. "God of my praise" is equivalent to God, who art my praise, Jeremiah 17:14 , cf. Deuteronomy 10:21 . The God whom the Psalmist has hitherto had reason to praise will also now show Himself to him as worthy to be praised. Upon this faith he bases the prayer: be not silent ( Psalm 28:1 ; Psalm 35:22 )! A mouth such as belongs to the "wicked," a mouth out of which comes "deceit," have they opened against him; they have spoken with him a tongue (accusative, vid., on Psalm 64:6 ), i.e., a language, of falsehood. דּברי of things and utterances as in Psalm 35:20 . It would be capricious to take the suffix of אהבתי in Psalm 109:4 as genit. object. (love which they owe me), and in Psalm 109:5 as genit. subject.; from Psalm 38:21 it may be seen that the love which he has shown to them is also meant in Psalm 109:4 . The assertion that he is "prayer" is intended to say that he, repudiating all revenges of himself, takes refuge in God in prayer and commits his cause into His hands. They have loaded him with evil for good, and hatred for the love he has shown to them. Twice he lays emphasis on the fact that it is love which they have requited to him with its opposite. Perfects alternate with aorists: it is no enmity of yesterday; the imprecations that follow presuppose an inflexible obduracy on the side of the enemies.

The varieties are verbal and trivial, except that in Psalms 108:9, "over Philistia will I triumph," differs from Psalms 60:8, the interpretation of which it confirms. Its altogether triumphant tone may intimate that it was prepared by David, omitting the plaintive portions of the other Psalms, as commemorative of God's favor in the victories of His people. ## PSALM 109 Psalms 109:1-31. The writer complains of his virulent enemies, on whom he imprecates God's righteous punishment, and to a prayer for a divine interposition in his behalf appends the expression of his confidence and a promise of his praises. This Psalm is remarkable for the number and severity of its imprecations. Its evident typical character (compare Psalms 109:8) justifies the explanation of these already given, that as the language of David respecting his own enemies, or those of Christ, it has respect not to the penitent, but to the impenitent and implacable foes of good men, and of God and His cause, whose inevitable fate is thus indicated by inspired authority. 1. God of my praise —its object, thus recognizing God as a certain helper. Be not silent (compare Psalms 17:13; 28:1). 2. For the mouth … opened —or, "They have opened a wicked mouth" against me —literally, "with me," that is, Their intercourse is lying, or, they slander me to my face (Matthew 26:59). 3. (Compare Psalms 35:7; 69:4). 4, 5. They return evil for good (compare Psalms 27:12; Proverbs 17:13).

[Reformed Biblical] at David was of a malicious, vindictive spirit, it cannot be conceived that this Psalm contains what one author has ventured to call "a pitiless hate, a refined and insatiable malignity." To such a suggestion we cannot give place, no, not for an hour. But what else can we make of such strong language? Truly this is one of the hard places of Scripture, a passage which the soul trembles to read; yet as it is a Psalm unto God, and given by inspiration, it is not ours to sit in judgment upon it, but to bow our ear to what God the Lord would speak to us therein. This psalm refers to Judas, for so Peter quoted it; but to ascribe its bitter denunciations to our Lord in the hour of his sufferings is more than we dare to do. These are not consistent with the silent Lamb of God, who opened not his mouth when led to the slaughter. It may seem very pious to p ut such words into his mouth; we hope it is our piety which prevents our doing so. (See our first note from Perowne in the Explanatory Notes and Quaint Sayings.) DIVISION. In the first five verses (Psalms 109:1-5) David humbly plead s with God that he may be delivered from his remorseless and false hearted enem ies. From Psalms 109:6-20, filled with a prophetic fervour , which carries him entirely beyond himself, he denounces judgment upon his foes, and then from Psalms 109:21-31 he returns to his communion with God in prayer and praise. The central

[Hymns] 10 O who is he will bring me to the city fortify'd? O who is he that to the land of Edom will me guide? 11 O God, thou who hadst cast us off, this thing wilt thou not do? And wilt not thou, ev'n thou, O God, forth with our armies go? 12 Do thou from trouble give us help, for helpless is man's aid. 13 Through God we shall do valiantly; our foes he shall down tread. Psalm 109 To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David. 1 O thou the God of all my praise, do thou not hold thy peace; 2 For mouths of wicked men to speak against me do not cease: The mouths of vile deceitful men against me open'd be; And with a false and lying tongue they have accused me. 3 They did beset me round about with words of hateful spight: And though to them no cause I gave, against me they did fight. 4 They for my love became my foes, but I me set to pray. 5 Evil for good, hatred for love, to me they did repay. 6 Set thou the wicked over him; and upon his right hand Give thou his greatest enemy, ev'n Satan, leave to stand. 7 And when by thee he shall be judg'd, let him condemned be; And let his pray'r be turn'd to sin, when he shall call on thee. 8 Few be his days, and in his room his charge another take. 9 His children let be fatherless, his wife a widow make. 10 His children let be vagabonds, and beg continually; And from their places desolate seek bread for their supply. 11 Let covetous extortioners catch all he hath away: Of all for which he labour'd hath let strangers make a prey.