This is a translation and study which I did back in 2004. I have updated this entirely in a new document.

Outline of Chapter 7:

       Inscription       Psalm 7 Inscription

       vv.    1–

vv.

Charts and Maps:

       Inscription       References to Saul in the Psalms of David

       v.      4           A Summation of Psalm 7:3–4

I ntroduction: I have no problem placing the psalms which we have covered thus far in the book of Samuel. However, Psalm 7 is more difficult, as David references Cush the Benjamite. Edersheim suggest that this is a name for Doeg, possibly earned after he slaughtered the priests of Nob. This could be another enemy of David’s, not unlike Doeg. That this is a psalm about pursuit, deliverance and injustice, we may reasonably place this psalm during the time period of David’s exile. In a precursory glance, I might even place this at the beginning of David’s exiled psalms.

Since the only Cush of Scripture comes from Gen. 10, a time which would predate the Benjamites considerably, let me offer another point of view. This is more likely a veiled reference to Saul, who is a Benjamite. Cush was from the line of Ham (his first son), and Cush fathered Nimrod. Not only would this be the unsaved line of Noah, but the degenerate line of Noah. David may be slyly referring to Saul without naming him here. That this would be a psalm written early on in David’s escape would further give credence to this theory. That this enemy is pursuing him (v. 5a) and that he overtakes him (v. 5b) would reasonably place this psalm almost at the end of 1Sam. 23.

Psalm 7 Inscription

Here is how others have translated this verse:

Early translations:

The Dead Sea Scrolls            .

The Latin Vulgate                  .

The Peshitta                          [no title]

The Septuagint                      A Psalm of David, which he sang to the lord because of the words of Chui the Benjamite [lit., son of Jemini].

Thought-for-thought translations; paraphrases:

CEV                                       [Written by David. He sang this to the Lord because of Cush from the tribe of Benjamin.]

The Lord Always Does Right

NAB                                       .

NJB                                        Lament Of David Which he sang to Yahweh about Cush the Benjamite.

NLT                                        A psalm of David, which he sang to the Lord concerning Cush of the tribe of Benjamin.

REB                                       .

TEV                                       A Prayer for Justice [HEBREW TITLE: A son which David sung to the Lord because of Cush, the Benjamite]

Mostly literal renderings (with some occasional paraphrasing):

God’s Word™                         A Shiggaion by David; he sang it to the Lord about the └slanderous ┘ words of Cush, a descendant of Benjamin.

JPS (Tanakh)                        Shiggaion of David, which he sang to the Lord, concerning Cush, a Benjaminite.

NIV                                        .

Literal, almost word-for-word, renderings:

The Amplified Bible                An Ode of David, [probably] in a wild, irregular, enthusiastic strain, which he sang to the Lord, concerning the words of Cush, a Benjamite.

Albert Barnes (revised)          .

Complete Jewish Bible          .

Updated Emphasized Bible   An Ode [Or: “hymn.” “A loud hymn, an enthusiastic song” —Dr. Benjamin Davies’ Student’s Hebrew Lexicon (Asher, 1872)] of David: which he sang until Yahweh, on account of the words of Cush the Benjamite.

Keil and Delitzsch (revised)   .

KJV (Scofield)                        .

NASB                                    A Shiggaion of David, which he sang to the Lord concerning Cush, a Benjamite.

NKJV                                     .

NRSV                                    .

Owen's Translation                .

Young's Literal Translation    .

Young's Updated LT              “The Erring One,” by David, that he sung to Jehovah concerning the words of Cush a Benjamite.

What is the gist of this verse? David sings a song about Cush the Benjamite (probably a reference to King Saul), whom he also calls the one who goes astray.

Translation: A Shiggaion [possibly, a going astray].

This is a psalm about Saul’s persecution of David (which will be justified in the third portion of this inscription). Saul began as a good and decent king, and he has gone astray; therefore, this is a psalm about his going astray and how David will pray for God to take him out (providing that he does not back off his persecution of David).

Translation: For David, which he sings to Y^ehowah...

Recall, that the lâmed preposition here means that, although David is the human author of these psalms, they are also for him; that is, he gets instruction and guidance from them as well. You see, there was limited revelation during the time of David; and we don’t know if he had access to any portion of the Law at the time of his evading Saul. However, David did have access to God the Holy Spirit, Who guided him faithfully and who inspired the writing of psalms. His writing of these psalms instructed him just as they instruct us today. A pastor teacher examines Scripture and he is also benefitted by this examination in much the same way.

Translation: ...concerning the words of Cush the Benjamite.

Now, there is no one contemporary to David named Cush. Although Cush usually refers to the land of Ethiopia, it can also refer to the first son of Ham, the father of Nimrod. This is a reference to the fallen line, so to speak; the line which gets off the track; the line which actively stands in opposition to God. There is no man named Cush who figures into the life of David. No one by that name is ever mentioned in Samuel or in the Chronicles during David’s era. My feeling is that this is a reference to Saul, before David felt comfortable writing a psalm which reference Saul the king of Israel. However, this theory would necessitate for there to be no references to Saul in the psalms of David; or for these to be later references.

Now, let me restate the assertion: I believe that David, in this psalm, refers to Saul, and there is a very negative connotation from the very beginning. In v. 2, Cush is said to tear David’s soul like a lion. Cush is called his enemy in v. 5. David calls for an end to come to the evil one in v. 9 (after asking for revenge upon his enemies in the previous few verses). From vv. 12–17, David refers to this enemy (in the masculine singular throughout), his evil ways, and how God will judge him. Therefore, David does not want to specifically name Saul in the title. Such a psalm could be seen as subversive, even though David is clearly asking for God to deliver him from this evil man (rather than asking God for the strength to destroy his enemy).

Here is how others have handled this verse:

Early translations:

The Dead Sea Scrolls            .

The Latin Vulgate                  .

The Peshitta                          .

The Septuagint                      O Lord my God, in You I have trusted; save me from all those that persecute me, and deliver me.

Yought-for-yought translations; paraphrases:

CEV                                       You, Lord God, are my protector,

Rescue me and keep me safe from all who chase me.

NAB                                       .

NJB                                        .

NLT                                        I come to you for protection, O Lord my God.

Save me from my persecutors—rescue me!

REB                                       .

TEV                                       .

Mostly literal renderings (with some occasional paraphrasing):

God’s Word™                         O Lord my God, I have taken refuge in you.

Save me, and rescue me from all who are pursuing me.

JPS (Tanakh)                        O Lord, my God, in You I seek refuge;

deliver me from all my pursuers and save me,...

NIV                                        .

Literal, almost word-for-word, renderings:

The Amplified Bible                .

Albert Barnes (revised)          .

Complete Jewish Bible          .

Updated Emphasized Bible   .

Keil and Delitzsch (revised)   .

KJV (Scofield)                        .

NASB                                    O Lord my God, in You I have taken refuge,

Save me from all those who pursue me, and deliver me,...

NKJV                                     .

NRSV                                    .

Owen's Translation                .

Young's Literal Translation    .

Young's Updated LT              O Jehovah, my God, in You I have trusted,

Save me from all my pursuers, and deliver me.

What is the gist of this verse? David speaks to God, telling Him that he trusts in Him, therefore he asks that God deliver him.

Translation: O Y^ehowah my Elohim,...

David calls out to God the Almighty, God the Creator, God the personal God. I was listening to the radio the other day, and one announcer spoke of the 300,000+ refugees who left Cambodia for Thailand when Pol Pot was massacring a million people. He pointed out that what was interesting was that the relief camps on the Cambodia-Thailand borders were run by Christians. Even though these were Buddhists refugees escaping to a 99% Buddhist country, no Buddhists were involved in helping out these refugees. Their philosophy was, these people are suffering because of what they did in a past life, and there is no reason to get involved. This does not mean that Thailand is not a religious country. There are temples all over, and people worshiping at these temples all the time. Several Buddhists who I talked to go to these temples 6 and 7 times every week. The announcer that there were no Muslims or Hindus there either. Of these major religions, only Christianity saw these people as created by God, as creations of value and worth, as people to be loved and helped. Therefore, only Christians were there to help. Christianity believes in a personal God, in a God who works through His Own; in a God Who does not forsake His people. It is to this God that David appeals.

Translation: ...I take refuge in You;...

Recall that David is out in the desert wilderness being pursued by King Saul and an army of 3000. David soon learns that his only safety and security is in Jesus Christ. David is going to learn time after time while Saul pursues him that he—David—can trust in and depend upon God.

Translation: ...deliver me from all who pursue me...

Saul was relentless. Even though he would occasionally be persuaded not to pursue David, a few days or so later and his irrational hatred would flare up again. Saul pursued David and his 600 men with a crack army of 3000 hand-picked men (1Sam. 13:2 14:52).

Translation: ...and preserve me.

David asks God to deliver him, to rescue him, to remove him from danger. As we have seen, at any time, David could run into Saul. And no matter what David did, there was always someone willing to give him up.

Here is how others have translated this verse:

Early translations:

The Dead Sea Scrolls            .

The Latin Vulgate                  .

The Peshitta                          So that my soul is not torn as by a lion, and there is no one to save me and to deliver me.

The Septuagint                      So that he does not seize my soul as a lion, while there is no one to ransom nor to save.

Yought-for-yought translations; paraphrases:

CEV                                       Or else they will rip me apart like lions attacking a victim, and no one will save me.

NAB                                       .

NJB                                        .

NLT                                        .

REB                                       .

TEV                                       .

Mostly literal renderings (with some occasional paraphrasing):

God’s Word™                         Like a lion they will tear me to pieces and drag me off with no one to rescue me.

JPS (Tanakh)                        .

The Message                         .

NIV                                        .

Literal, almost word-for-word, renderings:

The Amplified Bible                .

Albert Barnes (revised)          .

Complete Jewish Bible          .

Updated Emphasized Bible   .

Keil and Delitzsch (revised)   .

KJV (Scofield)                        .

MKJV                                     ...lest he tear my soul like a lion, tearing it in pieces, and there is no one to deliver.

NASB                                    .

NKJV                                     .

NRSV                                    .

Owen's Translation                .

Young's Literal Translation    .

Young's Updated LT              Lest he tear apart my soul as a lion, and there is no deliverer.

What is the gist of this verse? David called upon God in the previous verse to protect him from this person who is willing to tear apart his soul.

Translation: So that he does not tear [into pieces] like a lion my soul;...

David says that he takes his refuge in God, and asks for deliverance, so that he (a veiled reference to Saul) does not tear his soul into pieces. Notice, the greatest fear is for David’s soul here—his mentality, his emotions, his human life. Saul can tear David apart just as a lion would.

Also recall that David does not name Saul directly in this psalm; this psalm might be seen as evidence of treason. One could also make a case that David is attempting to incite others against Saul. However, that is not the case if Saul is never named.

Translation: ...tearing [it] apart...

The infliction of pain and suffering is primarily upon David’s soul. It is David’s soul which is being torn apart.

Translation: ...and there [is] none delivering [me].

This is a bit confusing. David asks for God to deliver him; and here suggests that there is no one to deliver him. The idea is, there is no human deliverance that David can depend upon.

Here is how others have translated this verse:

Early translations:

The Dead Sea Scrolls            .

The Latin Vulgate                  .

The Peshitta                          O Lord my God, if I have done this thing and if there is iniquity in my hands...

The Septuagint                      O Lord my God, if I have done this—if there is unrighteousness in my hands—...

Yought-for-yought translations; paraphrases:

CEV                                       I am innocent, LORD God!

NAB                                       .

NJB                                        .

NLT                                        O Lord my God, if I have done wrong

or am guilty of injustice,...

REB                                       .

TEV                                       .

Mostly literal renderings (with some occasional paraphrasing):

God’s Word™                         O LORD my God, if I have done this—if my hands are stained with injustice,...

JPS (Tanakh)                        O Lord, my God, if I have done such things,

if my hands bear the guilt of wrongdoing,...

The Message                         .

NIV                                        .

Literal, almost word-for-word, renderings:

The Amplified Bible                .

Albert Barnes (revised)          .

Complete Jewish Bible          .

Updated Emphasized Bible   .

Keil and Delitzsch (revised)   .

KJV (Scofield)                        .

MKJV                                     O Jehovah my God, if I have done this; if there is iniquity in my hands;...

NASB                                    .

NKJV                                     .

NRSV                                    .

Owen's Translation                .

Young's Literal Translation    .

Young's Updated LT              O Jehovah, my God, if I have done this, If there is iniquity in my hands,. ..

What is the gist of this verse? David prays to God, and says first, if I have done this; referring to the three things which will follow.

Translation: Y^ehowah my Elohim, if I have done this;...

We begin this verse like the first verse; David calls out to Jehovah God. In this verse and the next, he will set up a protasis—he will set up a few if’s. Saul has accused David of several crimes, including sedition. David begins with a general statement here. He will follow this general statement wit a list of three things. The idea is, if he has done any of these dishonorable things, then God should allow Saul to pursue and overtake him. However, the idea is, David has not done any of these things.

Translation: ...if there [is] iniquity in my hands;...

David continues with the very long protasis. If he has committed any wrongdoing—if there is found any iniquity in his hands. This is the first of three specific things that David mentions. Here, it is a specific crime or act of iniquity which David has personally done. An overt sin; and one which is punishable by his government.

Here is how others have translated this verse:

Early translations:

The Dead Sea Scrolls            .

The Latin Vulgate                  .

The Peshitta                          ...if I have been vengeful to him that has done me evil, and if I have oppressed my enemies without a cause;...

The Septuagint                      ...if I have requited with evil those who requited me [with good]; may I then perish empty by means of my enemies.

Yought-for-yought translations; paraphrases:

CEV                                       I have not betrayed a friend or had pity on an enemy who attacks for no reason.

NAB                                       .

NJB                                        .

NLT                                        .

REB                                       .

TEV                                       .

Mostly literal renderings (with some occasional paraphrasing):

God’s Word™                         ...if I have paid back my friend with evil or rescued someone who has no reason to attack me—...

JPS (Tanakh)                        .

The Message                         .

NIV                                        .

Literal, almost word-for-word, renderings:

The Amplified Bible                .

Albert Barnes (revised)          .

Complete Jewish Bible          .

Updated Emphasized Bible   .

Keil and Delitzsch (revised)   .

KJV (Scofield)                        .

MKJV                                     ...if I have rewarded evil to my friend, or if I have delivered one oppressing me without cause;...

NASB                                    .

NKJV                                     .

NRSV                                    .

Owen's Translation                .

Young's Literal Translation    .

Young's Updated LT              ...If I have done my well-wisher evil, And draw mine adversary without cause,. ..

What is the gist of this verse? .

Translation: ...if I have rewarded the one [with whom] I am at peace with evil,...

These two lines must be taken together, hence the wâw consecutive. It is what pulls them together. David is saying if he treats his friends like enemies and his enemies like friends...

Translation: ...and I plunder an enemy without cause [or, and then set free an oppressor without cause],...

As you have noticed, there are several ways that this verb can be understood and several different interpretations. The key could be the wâw consecutive, which is common in narrative but much less so in poetry. The wâw consecutive ties these two phrases together into a poetical whole. David has those that he is at peace with, and he rewards them with evil; then there are his enemies, and he just sets them free without a reason, without a cause, rashly. What David does makes little or no sense. The other interpretation is, David attacks and plunders his enemies without provocation. Now, realize that all of this is predicated upon an if. We have not come to the then part of this conditional.

So David is saying, if I plunder an enemy without having a reason to...

The key to understanding what David is saying here and why this is a good thing is, the enemy spoken of is Saul. Saul is David’s enemy, but David has not plundered him; David has not stolen from him.

Before we move on, I want to indicate one misgiving I have with my own interpretation (and Keil and Delitzsch may be able to shed some light here). Generally in an if...then... statement, the wâw consecutive (or the wâw conjunction) begins the then portion of a conditional. However, this wâw consecutive seems to continue the protasis. So, structurally, I would have expected the wâw consecutive here to begin the then portion of this conditional; however, the thoughts expressed are more in keeping with the if portion of this conditional.

On the other hand, it is possible that I am trying to intensely to make this follow the western way of reasoning. Our logic and language owes a great deal to the Greeks, and their way of thinking. Also, I am a mathematician, so I like the clean breaks given in an if...then... statement. There is something which is clear a protasis and something which is clearly an apodosis. This appeals to me on many different levels. But this may not be the way that David is reasoning here.

What we seem to have is three if statements followed by two then statements, with an interesting statement in between. Now, although this does not appeal to my way of thinking or reasoning, this might properly identify the structure of vv. 3–5 (which means, attempting to set this up as a simple apodasis/protasis statement would be misleading). Structure aside, still the meaning should clearly come out in the words. The intermediary statement, v. 4b-5a, sums up what David is accused of doing and what is actually occurring. David is accused of rebelling against Saul and Saul is in all actuality pursuing David.

Here is how others have translated this verse:

Early translations:

The Dead Sea Scrolls            .

The Latin Vulgate                  .

The Peshitta                          Let the enemy pursue me and overtake me; yea, let him tread down my life upon the earth and lay my honor in the dust.

The Septuagint                      Let the enemy persecute my soul, and take it; and let him trample my life on the ground and lay my glory in the dust. Pause.

Thought-for-thought translations; paraphrases:

CEV                                       If I have done any of this, then let my enemies chase and capture me. Let them stomp me to death and leave me in the dirt.

NAB                                       .

NJB                                        ...may an enemy hunt me down and catch me,

may he trample my life into the ground

                                              and crush my vital parts into the dust.                  Pause

NLT                                        ...then let my enemies capture me.

Let them trample me into the gourd.

Let my honor be left in the dust.

Interlude

REB                                       .

TEV                                       .

Mostly literal renderings (with some occasional paraphrasing):

God’s Word™                         ...then let the enemy chase me and catch me. Let him trample my life into the ground. Let him lay my honor in the dust. Selah

JPS (Tanakh)                        ...then let the enemy pursue and overtake me;

let him trample my life to the ground,

                                              and lay my body in the dust.                                         Selah

The Message                         .

NIV                                        .

Literal, almost word-for-word, renderings:

The Amplified Bible                .

Albert Barnes (revised)          .

Complete Jewish Bible          .

Updated Emphasized Bible   .

Keil and Delitzsch (revised)   .

KJV (Scofield)                        .

MKJV                                     ...let the enemy persecute my soul and take it; yea, let him trample down my life on the earth and lay my honor in the dust. Selah.

NASB                                    .

NKJV                                     .

NRSV                                    .

Owen's Translation                .

Young's Literal Translation    .

Young's Updated LT              An enemy pursues my soul, and overtakes, And treads down to the earth my life, And my honour places in the dust. Selah.

What is the gist of this verse? If David has transgressed as he speaks of in the previous two verses, then David asks that his enemy overtake David while pursuing him. David calls for his enemy to sully David’s reputation and grind his very life into the dirt.

Translation: An enemy pursues my soul...

The enemy that we are speaking of here is Saul. Saul is pursuing David as if David is some wild animal. The idea of soul here is David’s very life. This is what Saul is after. As spoken of earlier, this is not a result of what David has possibly done wrong—this is occurring. It is a fact of his life. So, properly, this is not the then portion of the if....then... statement. This is part of an intermediary statement. The thought is, and so I have plundered Saul (David’s adversary) without a cause and he is pursuing me, then... What will follow is two results which God should allow, if David has behaved without honor.

Translation: ...and he overtakes [it];...

Not only has Saul chased after David, which is the actual case, but he catches up to David here. The idea is, if David has done wrong, and it is true that Saul is chasing him, then God should allow Saul to catch up to him.

This portion of this psalm helps us to properly place it in time. Through this portion of v. 5 and the inscription, we know that this psalm was probably written after David’s narrow escape from Saul at the end of 1Sam. 23. Given the more complex nature of the structure of vv. 3–5, however, I would not stake my life on this placement. However, I would dogmatically place this during the time that Saul was pursuing David (1Sam. 20–29).

Translation: ...he treads my life to the earth

Saul chased after David for much of this time period. Saul would sit in the palace and stew about things, then gather his army and take off after David. David’s life was in danger almost all the time (from a human perspective).

What David is saying is, if he [David] has behaved dishonorably, then let Saul actually catch up to him in his pursuit and stomp David’s life into the ground. David is willing to take the heat for doing wrong—primarily because he has not done wrong. David first offers up his life.

Translation: ...and he lays my honor in [lit., to] the dust.

The disruption of David’s life is only part of what Saul has done to him. David had great integrity and honor. Saul could have trusted David with his life (which we will see). Therefore, it is crushing for Saul to impugn David’s honor and integrity. It can be very insulting and denigrating for a person of honor and integrity to have this impugned. David asks that, if he has behaved dishonorably toward Saul, then for his own honor and integrity to be ground into the dust.

Translation: Selah!

You may lose some of this in the translation, but David is very upset; Saul has made David’s life miserable; he has sullied David’s reputation. So, David reaches a crescendo here, and breaks for a musical interlude and to compose himself. There will be a big change of focus in the next portion of this psalm.

It will become clear in the following verse why David did not place Saul’s name in the inscription. He could be accused of sedition had he done that.

Here is how others have translated this verse:

Early translations:

The Dead Sea Scrolls            .

The Latin Vulgate                  .

The Peshitta                          Arise, O Lord, in Your anger; lift up Yourself over the neck of my enemies; and make me alert in the judgment that You have commanded.

The Septuagint                      Arise, O Lord, in Your wrath; be exalted in the utmost boundaries of my enemies [Hebrew, because of my enemies]; awake, O Lord my God, according to the decree which You did command.

Thought-for-thought translations; paraphrases:

CEV                                       Get angry, LORD God! Do something! Attack my furious enemies. See that justice is done.

NAB                                       Rise up, Lord, in your anger;

rise against the fury of my foes.

Wake to judge as you have decreed.

NJB                                        Arise, Yahweh, in your anger,

rise up against the arrogance of my foes.

Awake, my God,

you demand judgment.

NLT                                        Arise, O Lord, in anger!

Stand up against the fury of my enemies!

Wake up, my God, and bring justice!

REB                                       .

TEV                                       .

Mostly literal renderings (with some occasional paraphrasing):

God’s Word™                         Arise in anger, O LORD. Stand up against the fury of my attackers. Wake up, my God. You have already pronounced judgment.

JPS (Tanakh)                        .

The Message                         .

NIV                                        .

Literal, almost word-for-word, renderings:

The Amplified Bible                Arise, O Lord, in Your anger, lift up Yourself against the rage of my enemies; and wake [and stir up] for me the justice and vindication [that] You have commanded.

Albert Barnes (revised)          .

Complete Jewish Bible          .

Updated Emphasized Bible   .

Keil and Delitzsch (revised)   .

KJV (Scofield)                        .

MKJV                                     Arise, O Jehovah, in Your anger; lift up Yourself because of the rage of my enemies, and awake for me to the judgment which You have commanded.

NASB                                    .

NKJV                                     .

NRSV                                    .

Owen's Translation                .

Young's Literal Translation    .

Young's Updated LT              Rise, O Jehovah, in Your anger, Be lifted up at the wrath of my adversaries, And awake You for me: Judgment You have commanded:...

What is the gist of this verse? David demands that God rise up and apply His perfect justice to this situation.

In the previous few verses, David had a rather complex conditional statement, where he asked for God to trample him down if he had done wrong (that is an oversimplification). However, here, David asks for God to apply his perfect justice and righteousness to the situation. God’s perfect justice demands that Saul be punished for his words and actions.

Translation: O Y^ehowah, rise up in Your anger;...

David now calls upon God to spring into action. He has been dealt with unfairly by Saul and Saul’s army. So God is called to rise up in His anger. David uses the imperative mood. He is not kidding around here. What Saul has said and done is too much for David. Saul has kicked David out of his home, separated him from his wife, and has pursued him with an army of thousands. Saul’s intention is to kill David, and David has done nothing to Saul.

Application: If you are a normal growing believer, you will have enemies. They will come out of nowhere and they will plot your destruction. This is a part of life. Now, I don’t mean that people are irritated with you because you act like a total jerk; that is also a normal part of life, with no spiritual dynamics. But, assuming that you have not brought upon yourself the natural irritation of others, there will still be those who are out to get you. Many times, God will cause their machinations to come to naught, and many times, He will give them some free reign (less than you think, however). It is okay to do what David is doing here. He is praying for God to apply His justice to the situation.

Application: If you ask for God to apply His justice to your life and those around you, then make sure you are in the right. Don’t ask for God to apply His perfect justice if you are in the wrong. Let’s say you are having trouble at work; if you are doing a half-assed job and you pray for God to bring in His justice, you might just find yourself out of a job! Now, God may apply His justice and you are in the right, and you are still out of a job. Just give it time and trust His judgment. God knows what He is doing.

Application: You will note that, although David became king and Saul died in battle, this did not occur overnight. So, plan on letting God apply His perfect timing. David, while being pursued by Saul, is growing spiritually by leaps and bounds. The sneaky, underhanded, dishonest David of 1Sam. 21 is a far cry from the David we see in the subsequent chapters. What David is dealing with is accelerated spiritual growth, which comes from intense pressure.

Allow me this analogy: the diamond being pressed from a lump of coal; it is the intense pressure which causes that metamorphous. David is undergoing the same pressure. God is going to use David and his character will live on long past his lifetime. It is 3000 years later, and we still examine David’s life. Who will study your life 3000 years from now?

Translation: ...be lifted up by [or, against] the angry outbursts of my oppressors...

Angry outbursts is in the construct form, so it belongs with oppressors. Furthermore, this is a plural noun, and God, when rising up against an enemy, only requires one angry outburst. However, Saul has pursued David again and again. He gets this furious anger built up, and then he goes after David. The plural is applied to Saul and his army. Saul has gotten a significant portion of Israel to turn against David. David is asking God to be lifted up either because of the angry outbursts of his enemies or against the angry outburst of his enemies.

Notice how this portion of v. 6 parallels the previous portion. God is to raise up in anger, and be lifted up when he observes the angry outbursts of David’s oppressors (Saul and his army).

Application: It is acceptable to pray against your enemies; or to ask God to come down hard on them. You cannot do that yourself—you cannot take your personal revenge against your enemies—but God can. Now, you must allow God the time and room to work. You don’t get to gossip about your enemies, nor do you even get to hate your enemies. They are simply acting in accordance with their old sin natures. How horrible it would be if God chose to give us our due for every sin we committed. But, rest assured, that God will take care of it. Sometimes you will get to see close up what God has done to your enemies; and sometimes, you won’t know. But, rest assured, God will take care of the situation.

Translation: ...and be stirred up regarding me—...

God is told by David to become active, to become stirred up or awakened regarding David and his situation. In David’s situation, there was no clear light at the end of the tunnel. There was no time period when David knew that Saul was going to be taken care of. At this point in time, David could only ask God to deal with the situation. Here, he is asking to see some results. He is asking God to actually make a move against Saul. He is asking God not to ignore this situation anymore, but to be stirred up by it; to be upset by it.

Application: If you are the victim of injustice—and you will be—then pray to God to deal with the injustice. It is not up to you to go out and correct it. Notice that David nowhere decides, “I’ve had enough of this crap; Saul, I am coming for your head.” David asks for God to deal with his problem. He has suffered an injustice and God is the God of justice. Therefore, David has a right to ask that God be stirred up. Again, this is a legitimate approach on our part against our enemies. However, exacting personal revenge is not a legitimate approach.

Translation: ...You have mandated justice!

Here, David gives the rationale for his demands. God has mandated justice; therefore, David can call upon God to administer judgment against his enemies.

Application: As a believer—even as an unbeliever—you can expect to be the victim of injustice. Pray to God the straighten out the injustices brought against you. This may be a good time to examine the Doctrine of Personal Injustice.

You will note that I have many translations below, and have included several very literal renderings. This is a difficult verse to understand in its context, even though the existing Hebrew is relatively simple.

Here is how others have translated this verse:

Early translations:

The Dead Sea Scrolls            .

The Latin Vulgate                  .

The Peshitta                          Let the congregation of the peoples circle You about; and for their sakes therefore turn You on high.

The Septuagint                      And the congregation of the nations will surround You; and for this cause do You return on high.

Thought-for-thought translations; paraphrases:

CEV                                       Make the nations come to you, as you sit on your throne above them all.

NAB                                       .

NJB                                        .

NLT                                        Gather the nations before you,

Sit on your throne high above them.

REB                                       Let the peoples assemble around you;

take your seat on high above them.

TEV                                       .

Mostly literal renderings (with some occasional paraphrasing):

God’s Word™                         Let an assembly of people gather around you. Take your seat high above them.

JPS (Tanakh)                        Let the assembly of peoples gather about You,

with You enthroned above, on high. [The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain].

The Message                         .

NIV                                        .

Literal, almost word-for-word, renderings:

The Amplified Bible                Let the assembly of the peoples be gathered about You, and return on high over it.

Albert Barnes (revised)          .

Complete Jewish Bible          .

Updated Emphasized Bible   <When the assembly of peoples gather around You>

Then <above it—on high> do You return!

Keil and Delitzsch (revised)   .

KJV (Scofield)                        .

MKJV                                     And the congregation of the peoples shall surround You; and over it You will return on high.

NASB                                    And let the assembly of the peoples encompass You;

And over them return You on high.

NKJV                                     So the congregation of the peoples shall surround You;

For their sakes, therefore, return on high.

NRSV                                    .

Owen's Translation                .

Young's Literal Translation    .

Young's Updated LT              And a company of peoples compass You, And over it on high You turn back,...

What is the gist of this verse? God will take a place about all those who come and gather around Him.

Translation: The assembly of peoples surround You...

The translation of this first half is fairly simple. On the other hand, the interpretation is relatively difficult. It appears as though we are suddenly in the midst of the Tribulation, and Jerusalem is surrounded by her enemies on all sides (as the term used here is generally for Gentiles). What David is doing here is drawing an analogy: David is surrounded by his enemies, for all intents and purposes. All of those who oppose him are motivated by evil, including some of the people that he has delivered. He has asked God to judge these people. This is a legitimate request because at one point in time, the nations of the world will surround Jerusalem, the holy city, and God will destroy these nations from on high.

However, the problem here is, how much does David know about the second advent? We have seen bits and pieces of previous psalms where David has alluded to the Messiah to Come, although it is not clear how much of this is God the Holy Spirit, and how much of it is David. We may need to go back and piece together what David has told us so far about the first and second advents.

In any case, Old Testament writers were unaware that there were two advents. The two advents of our Lord were generally treated as one, and that is what he was here. The judgment of the Gentile nations will occur at the end of the Tribulation during our Lord’s second advent. His return to God the Father will be the first advent.

Translation: ...return to the Most High [or, on high] because of them [or, it].

You will note that my translation is different from most of the others, although this is s legitimate rendering of mârôwm. The 3^rd person feminine singular suffix is a reference to the assembly of the peoples. Jesus Christ will return to the Father in order to judge this world. Recall what Jesus said to the Apostles in the upper room discourse: “But now I am going to Him Who sent Me, and not one of you is asking me, ‘Where are You going?’ But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart. but I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you. And He, when He comes, will convict the world concerning sin, and righteousness, and judgment; concerning sin, because they do not believe in Me; and concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you no longer see Me; and concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world has been judged.” (John 16:5–11). Jesus Christ must die on behalf of all mankind and then return to the Father while He makes His enemies His footstool (Psalm 110:1). All judgment will be in the hands of our Lord (John 5:22, 27).

My thinking is that David had just the most rudimentary understanding of the first and second advent (and, like all Old Testament saints, he did not distinguish them). What he did know is, God would eventually judge all of the gentile nations; and the God would return to God in order to judge the peoples. That is simply what we have here. It is an analogy; Jesus Christ will judge all of the unrighteous gentiles who surround Him (Jerusalem); and therefore, David can expect Jesus Christ to judge those unrighteous men who surround David. David is simply explaining why he can use the imperative with the Lord and expect God to judge his enemies—it is because God will judge all of the unrighteous.

I don’t know if this bothers you that all of the Old Testament saints did not have a perfect understanding of the first and second advents; however, we have in Scripture what is known as progressive revelation. Not everything was revealed to man in the first few chapters of Genesis (although the book of Genesis is filled with the most important points of doctrine found throughout the entire Bible, as we would expect). What we had in the Old Testament is believers who were able to grasp that there was a first and second advent, but they were unable to distinguish or separate them, and they did not know all of the details of each advent.

Progressive revelation reveals new truths, but without contradicting previous revelation. In fact, very often, new revelation explains some specifics about what has already been revealed. Suddenly you realize, and think to yourself, “Oh, that is what God had in mind right there.”

An excellent illustration of this is when God asked Abraham to offer up his only son, the son whom he loved. In the Old Testament, this is seen simply as an act of obedience, based upon trust in God. However, in the New Testament, we become cognizant of the fact that, Abraham offering up his son was a shadow image of God offering up His Son on our behalf. The progressive revelation suddenly gives a greater dimension to something which we only partially understood at first.

Here is how others have translated this verse:

Early translations:

The Dead Sea Scrolls            .

The Latin Vulgate                  .

The Peshitta                          The Lord will judge the people; judge me, O Lord, according to my righteousness and according to the integrity that is in me.

The Septuagint                      The Lord will judge the nations; judge me, O Lord, according to my righteousness, and according to my innocence that is in me.

Thought-for-thought translations; paraphrases:

CEV                                       Our LORD, judge the nations! Judge me and show that I am honest and innocent.

NAB                                       .

NJB                                        .

NLT                                        .

REB                                       .

TEV                                       .

Mostly literal renderings (with some occasional paraphrasing):

God’s Word™                         The LORD judges the people of the world. Judge me, O LORD, according to my righteousness, according to my integrity.

JPS (Tanakh)                        .

The Message                         .

NIV                                        .

Literal, almost word-for-word, renderings:

The Amplified Bible                .

Albert Barnes (revised)          .

Complete Jewish Bible          .

Updated Emphasized Bible   .

Keil and Delitzsch (revised)   .

KJV (Scofield)                        .

MKJV                                     Jehovah shall judge the people; judge me, O Jehovah, according to my righteousness, and according to my integrity on me.

NASB                                    .

NKJV                                     .

NRSV                                    .

Owen's Translation                .

Young's Literal Translation    .

Young's Updated LT              Jehovah does judge the peoples; Judge me, O Jehovah, According to my righteousness, And according to mine integrity on me,...

What is the gist of this verse? David knows that God will judge the gentiles nations; and he asks for God to judge him as well.

Translation: Y^ehowah, You judge the nations;...

One thing which God does is He judge all people; all nations. David is fully aware of this. Jesus Christ will do this at the end of the Tribulation. This is a correct assumption which David makes. This also works into this psalm—David wants God to judge his enemies and evaluate him as well.

Translation: ...judge me, O Y^ehowah, according to my righteousness and integrity [which are] upon me.

David here asks for God to judge him as well. David has behaved with integrity and righteousness toward Saul and all of the others who have turned against him. He asks for God to evaluate him.

It is interesting the final preposition that David uses; he does not use the bêyth preposition, to say the righteousness and integrity which is in him. He uses ׳al, which refers to something which has been place upon him or over him or beside him. David is not saying, “I am the most righteous man here on earth, with my own righteousness and integrity.” His righteousness and integrity have be laid upon him or over him. David has some understanding that our righteousness is not our own but that which God has granted us or put upon us.

Now David also functioned during the Age of Israel, before the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, before we were placed into Jesus Christ. We are righteous before God because our righteousness is in Christ and we are in Christ. However, at that time, true righteousness was potential rather than actual; therefore, David speaks of it as being upon him.

Here is how others have translated this verse:

Early translations:

The Dead Sea Scrolls            .

The Latin Vulgate                  .

The Peshitta                          O let the evil of the wicked come to an end; and establish the righteous, O You Searcher of hearts and souls.

The Septuagint                      Oh, let the wickedness of sinners come to an end; and You will direct the righteous O God that searches the hearts and reins.

Thought-for-thought translations; paraphrases:

CEV                                       You know every heart and mind, and you always do right. Now make violent people stop, but protect all of us who obey you.

NAB                                       .

NJB                                        .

NLT                                        .

REB                                       .

TEV                                       .

Mostly literal renderings (with some occasional paraphrasing):

God’s Word™                         Let the evil within wicked people come to an end, but make the righteous person secure, O righteous God who examines thoughts and emotions.

JPS (Tanakh)                        .

The Message                         .

NIV                                        .

Literal, almost word-for-word, renderings:

The Amplified Bible                .

Albert Barnes (revised)          .

Complete Jewish Bible          .

Updated Emphasized Bible   .

Keil and Delitzsch (revised)   .

KJV (Scofield)                        .

MKJV                                     O let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end, but establish the just. For the righteous God tries the minds and hearts.

NASB                                    .

NKJV                                     .

NRSV                                    .

Owen's Translation                .

Young's Literal Translation    .

Young's Updated LT              ...Let, I pray You be ended the evil of the wicked, And establish You the righteous, And a trier of hearts and reins is the righteous God.

What is the gist of this verse? .

Translation: [Let] the evil of the malevolent please come to an end...

David has a particular person in mind here: Saul; however, this applies to the malevolence of all mankind.

Translation: ...and establish the Righteous One;...

When malevolence is removed from this world, then Jesus Christ will rule over the world.

Translation: ...testing the hearts and desires,...

This is an odd phrase to be placed right here. We would expect to find a pronoun, either the 2^nd or 3^rd person masculine singular; however, we do not. We can reasonably assume that this refers back to the Righteous One, or to God.

Translation: ...O Elohim [the Hebrew adds the Righteous].

The word righteous occurs in several places in these verses. However, according to the LXX and the Peshitta, it is not to be found here. This actually has a smoother reading without it.

Here is how others have translated this verse:

Early translations:

The Dead Sea Scrolls            .

The Latin Vulgate                  .

The Peshitta                          O God who saves the upright in heart, O righteous God, help me.