Outline of Chapter 63:

       Inscription       Psalm 63 Inscription

       vv.    1–2        David Yearns for God

       vv.    3–5        David Praises God

       vv.    6–8        David Recalls God’s Hand in His Life

       vv.    9–11      God Will Avenge All Wrongs and Bless Those Who Trust in Him

Charts and Maps:

       Introduction    Why You Need a Bible Teacher

       Introduction    A Corrected Translation of Psalm 63

       Introduction    Why You Need a Bible Teacher—Part II: the Key to Psalm 63

       Introduction    Meaningless Crap Written About Psalm 63

       Introduction    What is Wrong with the Content of Biblical Commentaries?

       v.      4           The Parallelisms of Psalm 63:3–4

       v.      6           The Contrast Between Psalm 63:6a and 63:6b

       v.      8           Some Points of Doctrine on Suffering and Psalm 63:8

I ntroduction: We do not know exactly when David penned Psalm 63. We are told in the inscription that he was in the wilderness of Judah, which is where he will spend much of the next several years, hiding from Saul and his army. We may most reasonably place this as the general time period that David wrote this (more on this later in the exegesis). Recall that we have studied how David went from a position of power, respect and wealth, to that of being a fugitive, without earthly resources. God was teaching David how to depend upon Him. God was causing David to focus on Him.

As we often feel in times of pressure, David at times felt as though God had abandoned him. He could not worship at the Tent of God, because Saul had wiped out the population of the city of Nob, the city of priests. One man from that city, Abiathar, came to live with David, as he had become a fugitive as well, narrowly escaping Saul’s slaughter with his life and the Ephod of God. However, this man is very young (probably his early teens) and is more dependent upon David than David is upon him.

Now that you understand the glue which holds this psalm together, let me give you a general summation: David misses the formal worship of the Tabernacle services and the sacrifices made to God (vv. 1–2). Then David thinks about God’s graciousness, and he is motivated to praise God (vv. 3–4). In fact, David realizes, in musing about God’s grace, that his own soul has become satiated, causing him to praise God again (v. 5). David recognizes that he has a memory which allows him to think about God, to cling to God, and to be upheld by God (vv. 6–8). Now David applies God’s character—His graciousness and faithfulness—to his own present situation: David has enemies, but God will deal with them (vv. 9–10). Those who believe in God will be vindicated, and those who choose a lifestyle of deceit and self-service will be shut down (v. 11).

This psalm was written by David while David was in the wilderness desert of Judah; although I have placed it at I Sam. 23:14, David may have written this psalm when he was alone and he may have written it later in this time of exile.

Like any piece of Scripture, someone questions the authorship of this psalm. The reason is, there is a reference to the king in the final verse. The argument is, how can David write favorably about the king if David is not king and the only king on the throne is Saul, who is in reversionism. Although we will cover this in greater detail when we exegete this verse, there are two basic explanations: (1) David is speaking theoretically about a king on the throne who is faithful to God, or (2) David is speaking of the King of Kings, Who will occupy this throne in the Millennium. In any case, there is no reason to doubt David’s authorship. The other reason given that David could not have been the author is that he refers to himself in the 3^rd person, if he himself is the king referred to in the final verse. Again, this argument is not valid, as David may not be referring to himself and because many authors, ancient and contemporary, have referred to themselves in the 3^rd person. That is simply a literary style, which we have observed before in Scripture. Here’s the deal: if the Bible says that David wrote it, then David wrote it. We would have to have a preponderance of evidence to the contrary before we would doubt the veracity of the inscription.

One reasonable option, presented by Barnes, is that David did not write this when he was running from Saul, but later in his life when he was running from his son Absalom, who temporarily dethroned David (II Sam. 15). Barnes suggests that these belong with Psalm 42:1-11 43:1-5 61:1-8, other psalms written (according to Barnes) during this period of time. If this is the case, then David could be the king referred to in the final verse.

Psalm 63 Inscription

Here is how others have translated this verse:

Early translations:

The Septuagint                      A Psalm of David, when he was in the wilderness of Idumea.

Thought-for-thought translations; paraphrases:

TEV                                       [none]. [Footnote: Hebrew Title: A psalm by David, when he was in the desert of Judea.]

Mostly literal renderings (with some occasional paraphrasing):

JPS (Tanakh)                        A psalm of David, when he was in the Wilderness of Judah. [This is v. 1 in the JPS].

Literal, almost word-for-word, renderings:

The Emphasized Bible           A Melody of David. When he was in the Wilderness of Judah.

NASB                                    A Psalm of David, when he was in the wilderness of Judah.

Young's Literal Translation    A Psalm of David, in his being in the wilderness of Judah.

What is the gist of this verse? David wrote this psalm while in the desert wilderness of Judæa.

Translation: A Psalm of David... As we have discussed, this was the way that a by line was established for a psalm. David wrote this psalm, and it makes infinitely more sense when so understood.

Translation: ...while he was in the wilderness of Judah. This is actually a fairly open time frame, as David spend perhaps a year or three moving about in this general area (the desert wilderness of Judæa). Clarke suggests that David wrote this in the forest of Hereto in the wilderness of Ziph, after having left the presence of Achish. However, could have been written even as much as a year or three later.

Many suggest that this psalm was written much later in David’s life—when Absalom has him on the run. The point to the use of the word king in the final verse, saying that David would only use this word if he were already king. However, that makes little sense, because Absalom is king over Israel during this time, not David. So we would encounter essentially the same problem in either case. However, when this psalm is carefully examined, so that it’s meaning is clearly understood, then we better understand that its context demands that this be written before David actually becomes king over Israel. The proper interpretation can be found back in Why You Need a Bible Teacher—Part II: the Key to Psalm 63.

J. P. Lange tells us: The term “wilderness” (רָ ׃ד ̣מ, as distinguished from הָבָרֲע, a steppe) was given to a district which was not regularly cultivated and inhabited, but used for pasturage, being generally without wood and defective in water, but not entirely destitute of vegetation.

I want you to notice something else: David is under pressure right now—his life is in danger. Furthermore, he has no access to the Tent of God. Yet he still has a spiritual life. His relationship with God has not been hampered. In fact, it is because of this situation that David will grow closer to God.

What we have here is possibly a parallel situation. David is in the wilderness of Judæa speaking about the coming King (v. 10), just as John the Baptizer was the forerunner of the Messiah in Matt. 3:1. David is also a type of Christ, being forced to hide in the wilderness, just as the infant Jesus was forced to be hidden from the political power of His day (Matt. 2:13–15, 19–23).

David Yearns for God

In the Hebrew, this is v. 2.

Here is how others have handled this verse:

Early translations:

The Peshitta                          O God, You are my God; on You I wait; my soul thirsts for You, my flesh longs for You as in a dry and thirsty land where no water is.

The Septuagint                      O God, my God, I cry to You early; my soul has thirsted for You; how often has my flesh [longed] after You, in a barren and trackless and dry land!

Thought-for-thought translations; paraphrases:

CEV                                       You are my God, I worship you.

In my heart, I long for you,

as I would long for a stream in a scorching desert.

NLT                                O God, you are my God;

I earnestly search for you.

My soul thirsts for you;

my whole body longs for you

in this parched and weary land

where there is no water.

REB                                       God, you are my God; I seek you eagerly

with a heart that thirsts for you

and a body wasted with longing for you,

like a dry land, parched and devoid of water.

Mostly literal renderings (with some occasional paraphrasing):

God’s Word™                         O God, you are my God.

At dawn I search for you.

My soul thirsts for you.

My body longs for you

In a dry, parched land where there is no water.

JPS (Tanakh)                        God, You are my God;

I search for You,

my soul thirsts for You,

my body yearns for You,

as a parched and thirsty land that has no water.

Literal, almost word-for-word, renderings:

Updated Emphasized Bible   O God, <my God> You are,

Earnestly I do desire You, —

My soul thirsts for You,

My flesh faints for You,

In [Syriac has like] a land—dry and wary for want of water,—...

NASB                                    O God, Thou art my God; I shall seek Thee earnestly [lit., early];

My soul thirst for Thee, my flesh years for Thee

In a dry and weary land where there is no water.

Young's Updated LT              O God, You are my God, earnestly do I seek You,

My soul has thirsted for You,

My flesh has longed for You,

In a land dry and weary, without waters.

What is the gist of this verse? David lacks the relationship with God as he once knew it to be. He desires to have that relationship back.

Translation: Elohim, You [are] my God; I diligently seek You [or, I seek You early]. Elohim is the name for the Trinity. It is a plural noun which is plural because it is plural, and not just emphatic (it is alleged that this noun is the emphatic plural, meaning that it is not plural, but simply emphatic). Being the plural noun, and referring to the Trinity, this means that David is speaking to God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. Now, whether or not David had himself a concept of the Trinity is unknown. We do know that very early on, the Trinity was alluded to (Gen. 1:26, which reads: Then Elohim said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over...all the earth.”) and that the Trinity was also made known to Isaiah (Isa. 48:16, which reads: “Come near to Me, listen to this. From the first, I have not spoken in secret. From the time it took place, I was there. And now the Lord Jehovah has sent Me and His Spirit.”). For more information on this, please refer back to the Doctrine of the Trinity in Deut. 5:11.

There are actually two thoughts here: David addresses this psalm to the Godhead and then he says that he diligently seeks God; he looks for God. This could also mean that David seeks God early. Even though I attended church, I found that the best time for me to study was early in the morning (I’m a morning person); this is when my head was most clear, and I could absorb the most information. It could be that David himself, saddled with the responsibility that he was, took this time out in the morning, before his 400 refugees were up, to commune with God. Memory would be a part of this (see v. 6); and writing down these psalms would also be a part of David’s communion with God.

Application: Diligently seeking God may involve attending almost every church in your city and in the adjacent cities until you find a church where the Word of God is carefully taught. Although seeing books taught verse by verse often suggests that a church is doing their job, this is not always the case. I attended one church where classes were taught on books of the Bible regularly and had high hopes for this church. However, the church was infested with legalism. The fact that their main teachers were women should have been a dead giveaway (after a class, a tape of a woman who taught, and her teaching was riddled with legalism and incorrect doctrine ). If a church cannot be found where God’s Word is taught correctly, there are many sights now on the internet where there are accurate, doctrinal teachers who post their teachings as MP3 files.

Translation: My soul thirsts for You... The city of Nob is no more; all of the priests are dead, save one, along with all of their families. Therefore, the Tent of God is abandoned. David cannot go there for spiritual growth. He can look to Abiathar the young priest, who is with him, for guidance, but not for spiritual growth. There is no way that David has any access at this point in time to the Word of God. So, more than you can imagine, David’s soul searches for God.

Translation: ...[and] my flesh longs for You... David’s physical being longs for God. All that David is desires more of a relationship with God. We have no idea in this day and age. Down the street from any of us are a half dozen churches (whether they are any good or not is another thing). David had nothing and he longed for God.

In v. 1b, we had David’s soul thirsting for God; in this portion of v. 1, we have David’s flesh longing for God. The idea is, the two together make up the entirety of David. All that David is, desires God. Recall that David is out in the desert wilderness with 400 reprobates, so the normal methods of worship are out—i.e., going to the Tabernacle and seeing the priest offer up animal sacrifices. In this psalm, David is going to turn toward God’s character and being, and latch onto that, as opposed to reaching those things through ceremonies. This, in fact, is the great break through that David has in this psalm. He is able to turn toward God and to function under divine resources out in the desert wilderness—that is a great turning point in David’s life.

Application: Most of us dislike hardship and testing; however, David’s greatest growth is had out here in the desert wilderness, under what may be reasonably characterized as exigent circumstances. You may think what you need is a church next door that you can walk to, whose hours perfectly match your schedule, and who’s additional services, e.g., child care, are exactly what you need. David here has nothing that he needs, or so it seems. And then he realizes that God is still God, and God is just as much a part of his existence here as He is anywhere else.

Translation: ...in a dry and exhausting land without water. This is both literal and metaphorical. He is in the wilderness desert of Judea. Finding water at this time is difficult; everything that they choose to do is difficult. We have no idea. Imagine a week without water and electricity; that would be difficult enough. Now imagine it without stores, without prepackaged foods, without restaurants. Now we are closer to what David was enduring, except that he was out in a desert wilderness and attempting to lead a bunch of misfits.

On the metaphorical side, this has already been discussed in the previous couple lines. David lacks a clear relationship with God. He lacks God’s Word to guide and comfort him. He lacks the pomp and ceremony to fill in those spiritual gaps.

Here is how others have translated this verse:

Early translations:

The Septuagint                      Thus have I appeared before You in the sanctuary, that I might see Your power and Your glory.

Thought-for-thought translations; paraphrases:

CEV                                       I have seen your power and your glory

in the place of worship.

REB                                       With such longing I see you in the sanctuary

and behold your power and glory.

TEV                                       Let me see you in the sanctuary;

let me see how mighty and glorious you are.

Mostly literal renderings (with some occasional paraphrasing):

God’s Word™                         So I look for you in the holy place

to see your power and your glory.

JPS (Tanakh)                        I shall behold You in the sanctuary,

and see Your might and glory,...

Literal, almost word-for-word, renderings:

Updated Emphasized Bible   <In like manner as │in the sanctuary│ I have had vision of You>

To behold Your power and Your glory.

NASB                                    Thus I have beheld Thee in the sanctuary,

To see Thy power and Thy glory.

Young's Updated LT              So in sanctuary I have seen You,

To behold Your strength and Your honor.

What is the gist of this verse? David was used to worshiping at the Tabernacle of God. This is where he learned about God. David focuses on the power and glory of God in this verse.

Translation: Thus, in the sacred [Tent] I have beheld You... We have the perfect tense here, often referring to a completed event. David has worshiped God in sacred places, and we would assume that to have been the Tent of God. Even though it was not fully functional, and even though we have little about the priests of that day, there was enough spiritual information available for David to grow. David, as we have talked about before, was not yet spiritually mature. This is why we find him in caves and in the desert wilderness and not as a king. He is not ready to be a king. However, David has observed or beheld God and David recognizes the importance of his spiritual life. David recognizes the importance of a relationship with God. This is where we find him at this time.

Translation: ...to perceive Your strength and Your glory. When David had observed God, so to speak, in the Holy Tent, he learned about God’s great strength and God’s great glory. David has not seen God’s strength and glory, as these things cannot be seen—only their manifestations. However, David has perceived God’s strength and glory; he has come to understand these aspects of God’s character. He also learned of these things in Tabernacle and when he had access to Holy Writ in the palace (recall that the king was supposed to have a copy of the Law at his disposal). So David learned about God academically, as well as seeing how God functioned in his day to day life. However, he is now under different circumstances. He has no access to the Bible, as it existed in those days. He is no longer one of the top soldiers under Saul. He is not living with Saul’s daughter in a nice home anymore. The circumstances for David have changed dramatically. But God has not changed. That is the key to this whole psalm. It appears as though everything has changed, but it has not. David’s circumstances have changed, but God is still God. In this psalm, David will realize that God’s character remains the same, despite his own changing circumstances. David’s access to God remains unfettered, even though, from human viewpoint, it appears as though David has no access to God. He does not have access to God’s Word; he cannot attend Tabernacle services. What David does have is internal operating assets. God’s Word is in his soul. David has fellowship with God, even though there is no longer a functioning Tabernacle.

Application: At some point in time, all that you have depended upon—the reading of your Bible, the study of Scripture, the attending church—will be suddenly gone. Who knows what might happen? A debilitating illness. The overthrow of your government. Every church in your periphery goes apostate. Circumstances change, your life changes, and you can no longer access doctrine as before. Then what can you use to function with? You must use the doctrine which is built up in your human spirit. Let me give you an analogy: when a hiker finds himself lost without supplies for an extra day in the wilderness, his body will begin to convert his fat into energy. His body will metabolize the fat that he carries and use that so that the hiker can continue to walk and to make progress. We must have these internal assets in our human spirit. If we have a human spirit filled with divine viewpoint, filled with the various problem-solving rationales, then if we must go for a few days without doctrine, or even a few months, we are able to function without our spiritual life going to hell.

Application: Don’t misunderstand the previous point. This does not mean that you can simply choose to skip doctrine whenever it is inconvenient. You have a lot of work, you go on vacation, there is a really good television show on. As long as you are able to take in doctrine, then you take in doctrine. As long as you are able to learn about Who and What God is, you continue to learn. There will come a time in your life when you cannot take in the Word of God. That is, it will be impossible (and I don’t mean difficult or inconvenient; I mean impossible). That is when your body can begin to draw upon the fat that you have stored up.

Finally, this does not mean that you should go out and try to gain as much weight as humanly possible. I include that for the ½% of complete and total freaks who do everything possible to misinterpret anything which is accurate information.

Now, why does David focus upon God’s power and glory? Simple: David knows that God is all-powerful. Saul may have an army behind him; David may not be safe in another country or city (like Gath); the people of Israel may be willing to give David up in a heartbeat (cp. I Sam. 23:12, 19). None of this matters, because David is protected by God. David can depend upon God for his strength. God is all-powerful, so the temporary circumstances which make David think that all is lost—they are meaningless. Let me give you an example. You are the new kid in school and you are tiny and you walk down the hallway in the midst of a plethora of jocks and bullies—by yourself, you may have reason to fear or to be at least apprehensive. However, now walk down that same hallway and your best friend, who is walking beside you, is the biggest, toughest kid in the school. Now you have no reason to fear anyone. You don’t mind all of the bullies looking you over, because right next to you walks a kid who can knock the stuffing out of them. So you want them to look and recognize who is your ally. This is David; the hallway is Israel; and the bullies are Saul and his army. However, David is walking down this hallway with God, so no one can lay a hand on him. Only if God allows it to happen can it happen.

Next, why does David focus in on God’s glory? Simple: everything that God chooses to happen glorifies Him. Even though David finds himself out in the wilderness of Judæa, the circumstances in which he finds himself are orchestrated by God to glorify God. There is nothing amiss. There have been no mistakes. God isn’t going to someday look down and say, “Holy damn, David, I meant for you to be in the palace. I must have lost track of this situation.” God doesn’t loose track. Where David is, is by God’s choice to glorify Himself. God didn’t screw up; David is not in the Judæan wilderness by mistake. He is there to glorify God. David is there to magnify God and to give credence to God’s graciousness (which will be part of the focus of the next verse) and power.

Application: Your circumstances will change periodically; do not worry about that. Focus on the character of God. Focus on His power and His glory. Realize that things do not occur by happenstance. God did not forget about you, he hasn’t gotten busy and let you slip into a problematic situation by mistake. Where you are and what is happening to you is all by divine design. Now, maybe it is discipline and maybe it is testing; however, in any case, it is blessing for you and glorification for God.

David Praises God

Here is how others have translated this verse:

Early translations:

The Septuagint                      For Your mercy is better than life; my lips will praise You.

Thought-for-thought translations; paraphrases:

CEV                                       Your love means more than life to me,

and I praise you.

NAB                                       For your love is better than life;

my lips offer you worship!

NLT                                Your unfailing love is better to me than life itself;

how I praise you!

REB                                       You unfailing love is better than life;

therefore I shall sing your praises.

Mostly literal renderings (with some occasional paraphrasing):

God’s Word™                         I praise you

because your mercy is better than life └itself┘.

JPS (Tanakh)                        Truly Your faithfulness is better than life;

my lips declare Your praise.

Literal, almost word-for-word, renderings:

NASB                                    Because Thy lovingkindness is better than life,

My lips will praise Thee.

Young's Updated LT              Because better is Your kindness than life,

My lips praise You.

What is the gist of this verse? David, even in these exigent circumstances, will praise God because of His matchless grace.

Translation: Because Your grace is better than life [itself],... We would have normally turned this phrase around. That is, stated v. 3b first, and then 3a. What follows is that David praises God (more accurately, his lips praise God). David does that because God’s grace—His undying and unmerited love—to us is greater than our human existence. David does not know exactly what the future holds for him. He knows that he will be king over Israel. However, he knows, more importantly, that he can depend upon God’s grace throughout his life. In fact, his life, apart from grace, is worth nothing. Therefore, God’s grace is greater than David’s human existence. God’s grace is greater than anything in this life.

What David has done is he has focused on three aspects of God’s character and purpose: His strength, His glory and His graciousness. God is all-powerful no matter what circumstances David finds himself in. Even though things may seem bleak, God is grace and He is pouring his unfiltered love upon David. So David cannot become discouraged, nor is there any reason for him to doubt God. The psalms of this general time period show that David is making great spiritual strides, and that, if anytime, he is experiencing accelerated growth, growth which would be impossible under non-adverse circumstances. God has plans for David—incredible plans, and God must get David prepared for these things which will come to pass. Therefore, God must do whatever it is to prepare David. Remember that, not only will David rule over all Israel, and not only will the Messiah come through David’s bloodline, but David will be a type of Christ. Few men will further the plan of God like David. Therefore, his preparation must be carefully directed and intense.

David, at first, was running for his life. Ever since his wife, Michal, let him down through the window of their home, David has been running from Saul, trying to preserve his own life. He’s made some tremendous mistakes while running, which are covered in I Sam. 21–22. With this verse, David recognizes that his life is not greater than God’s grace. He lives because of God’s grace. What David does in this verse is to put things in perspective. David has the divine perspective at this point.

Application: When things don’t appear to be going your way, focus on God’s power and His graciousness. Then realize that, what God does will glorify Him. Therefore, do not become discouraged or confused by adverse circumstances. While things are easy, then prepare for the future by taking in doctrine. When things get difficult, then feed off of that doctrine in your soul

Translation: ...I give praise to You [lit., my lips praise You]. Although David is in a place where he is without the ability to attend the services at the Tent of God; he is away from the Word of God; still, David praises God. The basis for his praise was just given—God’s glorious graciousness. David recognizes that these adverse circumstances are a product of God’s power and grace—therefore, who is he to bitch and complain? He has no reason to be upset and he has no reason to doubt God. When examining this situation from God’s viewpoint, taking into consideration God’s character, David’s response is to praise God. Most of you would have the sense to thank God if someone suddenly delivered a wheel barrel of money to you. Please realize that God is also involved when there are unfavorable conditions in your life. So, you go with whatever He chooses for you, and glorify Him, recognizing that He is purposeful, even if we do not immediately recognize the purpose of where he places us and what he allows to be done to us.

Here is how others have translated this verse:

Early translations:

The Septuagint                      Thus I will bless You during my life; I will lift up my hands in Your name.

Thought-for-thought translations; paraphrases:

CEV                                       As long as I live, I will pray to you.

NLT                                I will honor you as long as I live,

lifting up my hands to you in prayer.

Mostly literal renderings (with some occasional paraphrasing):

God’s Word™                         So I will thank you as long as I live.

I will lift up my hands └to pray┘ in your name.

JPS (Tanakh)                        I bless You all my life;

I lift up my hands, invoking Your name.

Literal, almost word-for-word, renderings:

NASB                                    So I will bless Thee as long as I live;

I will lift up my hands in Thy name.

NRSV                                    So I will bless you as long as I live;

I will lift up my hands and call on your name.

Young's Updated LT              So I bless You in my life;

In Your name, I lift up my hands.

What is the gist of this verse? David celebrates God while he is alive, giving an external sign of this of raising up his hands.

Recognize that this verse is a parallel to the previous verse. God’s graciousness is greater than life itself, so David praises God. Therefore, David will celebrate God for as long as he lives, and he will lift up his hands in praise and worship.

Translation: So I celebrate You in my being alive... David is alive and God therefore has a purpose for his life. Therefore, even if he is unable to enjoy many of the spiritual blessings that he has had in the past, David can still celebrate, as he can depend upon God.

This historical background is the key to this psalm. David has been running for his life, and then, suddenly, he realizes, “Hey, I am still alive...all of Saul’s army is out to kill me but I am still alive.” David has already recognized that God’s omnipotence and His grace have kept him alive to this point (vv. 2–3). So, rather than concentrate on preserving his own life, David celebrates Who and What God is. He is alive not because he has cleverly eluded Saul, but he is alive because of God’s grace and power. Therefore, it would be ridiculous to be in a panic, to be worried, to distrust God and God’s plan. The opposite mental attitude is to not just trust God, but to celebrate God’s character.

Translation: ...I lift my hands before Your name [or, reputation]. Lifting up his hands is giving glory to God and recognizing God’s grace and blessings. This is a demonstrative gesture of prayer and reverence. Psalm 28:2: Hear the voice of my prayers, when I cry to You, when I lift up my hands toward Your Holy Place. David recognizes and pays homage to God and His grace in this psalm.

As noted above, David honors God with what he says (v. 3b) and with what he does (v. 4b).

Here is how others have translated this verse:

Early translations:

The Peshitta                          My soul will be enriched as with cream and fatness; and my mouth will praise You with joyful lips.

The Septuagint                      Let my soul be filled as with marrow and fatness; and [my] joyful lips will praise You name.

Thought-for-thought translations; paraphrases:

CEV                                       I will sing joyful praises and be filled with excitement

like a guest at a banquet.

NJB                                        All my longings fulfilled as with fat and rich foods,

a song of joy on my lips and praise in my mouth.

NLT                                You satisfy me more than the richest of foods.

I will praise you with songs of joy.

Mostly literal renderings (with some occasional paraphrasing):

God’s Word™                         You satisfy my soul with the richest foods.

My mouth will sing └your┘ praise with joyful lips.

JPS (Tanakh)                        I am sated as with a rich feast [lit., suet and fat],

I sing praises with joyful lips.

Literal, almost word-for-word, renderings:

NASB                                    My soul is satisfied as with marrow and fatness,

And my mouth offers praises with joyful lips.

Young's Updated LT              As with milk and fatness is my soul satisfied,

And with singing lips does my mouth praise.

What is the gist of this verse? David, although out in the desert, on the run, is satisfied in his soul with God and with God’s provisions. He continues to praise God.

Translation: My soul is satiated as [with] fat and oil,... There are certain kinds of foods which make you feel full, and often these are foods with fats and oils. Here, we are not speaking of a person literally feeling physically satiated, but rather David’s soul which feels spiritually satiated from fellowship with God and knowing God’s Word. The reality of David’s situation is that he is in the midst of the desert wilderness with 400 reprobates and malcontents, and they are scrambling for any kind of food, and hiding out from Saul. They are in the worst kind of circumstances. The fullness of David’s soul is probably in contrast to the occasional hunger that he suffers in hiding out in the Judæan desert. Furthermore, David, as I’ve pointed out earlier, lacks Tabernacle services as well as access to the Word of God. However, all of these things taken together, and David still says that his soul is satiated. He is happy and he is content. Philip. 4:11–13: Not that I speak according to need, for I have learned to be content in whatever state I am. I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound. In everything and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. David is at peace with God and his circumstances.

David’s soul is satisfied in several ways. First of all, he is a believer in Jesus Christ, and therefore his soul has been redeemed and David will enjoy fellowship with God throughout eternity. Secondly, David is in fellowship; we know this because he is writing Scripture (it would make no sense for an unbeliever or for a believer out of fellowship to write Scripture). Thirdly, David’s soul is filled with doctrine—he knows God’s Word and he is beginning to apply God’s Word. Finally, David is applying the character of God to his circumstances; he knows of God’s grace and God’s power. Therefore, David is not the scared man hiding out from Saul, but a man filled with power and strength. David is satisfied and grounded and at peace with God and the world.

Translation: ...and my mouth celebrates with joyful words. In fellowship, David also showed his emotional appreciation of God through singing. Again, for the third time in as many verses, David speaks about praising or celebrating Who and What God is. His psalms reverberate with parallelisms.

David Recalls God’s Hand in His Life

Here is how others have translated this verse:

Early translations:

The Septuagint                      If as I remembered You on my bed, in the early seasons I have meditated on You.

Thought-for-thought translations; paraphrases:

CEV                                       I think about you before I go to sleep,

and my thoughts turn to you during the night.

NJB                                        On my bed when I think of you,

I muse on you in the watches of the night,...

NLT                                I lie awake thinking of you,

meditating on you through the night.

Mostly literal renderings (with some occasional paraphrasing):

God’s Word™                         As I lie on my bed, I remember you.

Through the long hours of the night, I think about you.

JPS (Tanakh)                         ...when I call You to mind upon my bed,

when I think of You in the watches of the night;...

Literal, almost word-for-word, renderings:

Updated Emphasized Bible   <Should I call You to mind upon my couch>

<In the watches of the night> would I breathe soft speech of You.

NASB                                    When I remember Thee on my bed,

I mediates on Thee in the night watches.

Young's Updated LT              If I have remembered You on my couch,

In the watches—I meditate on You.

What is the gist of this verse? David’s turnaround is based upon memory—the doctrine in his soul.

Translation: When I call You to mind [while] upon the couch... This is interesting, because David writes this psalm from the desert wilderness of Judah (inscription and v. 1). What David is doing is looking back to previous times, when he would think of God at night. At his royal home, in the city of Saul, David would have been able to leisurely study the Word of God; and he thinks back upon those times. As a country which seeks to legitimize the gay lifestyle, along with other forms of degeneracy, we do not know what will happen to this nation. We do not know if we will be rocked by earthquakes or subject to vicious terrorism attacks. There will be a time when you will look back on the many days that you spend in Bible class or in the study of God’s Word as a time of relaxation, a time when tension was at a minimum, a time that you will view as blessed. This is what David is doing.

Translation: ...[then] I meditate on You in the [night] watches. There were three night watches, and David is not specific here, but is referring to any time in the past when he would recall God. When he would wake up thinking about God, he would meditate about God. Now, this is not the sort of meditation where your mind goes blank, but the word means that someone is murmuring quietly to themselves (in this particular sense, anyway). David would no doubt recall to mind a chapter of Scripture, or a few verses, and he would repeat these to himself.

Barnes explains the concept of watches to those who are unfamiliar: The word watches here refers to the ancient divisions of the night for municipal or military purposes - periods of the night assigned to different persons to keep watch around a camp or city. The most common division of the night was into three parts, though the arrangement varied at different times. See Matt. 14:25; Luke 12:38. In the Jewish systems, there were generally three 4 hour watches in the night; the Romans had four 3 hour watches instead, which accounts for some minor Old and New Testament differences.

I want you to recognize that these two halves of v. 6 are antithetical in a way. The first half hearkens back to David taking in God’s Word when his life was easy; the second half views him now, staying awake during the various watches with his men, under the pressure of being discovered and attacked by Saul’s army. David spends this time meditating and recalling to himself God’s Word. The idea is, David’s circumstances have changed; but God has not. David has gone from great power and wealth to poverty and hiding, yet God’s Word remains the same.

Application: I want you to recognize the principles found in this psalm, and see how David applies them to his daily life when on the run from Saul. I saw a new program the other evening and it dealt with the death of an infant, and a religious cult was, in part, to blame for this. Cultists often take faith and trust in God and completely confuse the application. David is safe from Saul; God preserves David and satiates his soul. This does not mean that David is going to take his army and move back to the city of Saul and live there in defiance. This is not faith. David is not going to place his men in front of Saul’s army and then say, “I have faith that God will deliver us.” In other words, he does not act like an idiot even though he believes in God. You don’t throw yourself in front of a moving train and say, “God will take care of me.” What God is going to do is take you out of this world so that you will not do another handful of stupid and embarrassing things. Similarly, you do not refuse medical care or refuse to take medicine because that shows a lack of faith. I had cataracts early in my life; the last place I was going to the was to the tent of some faith-healer to remove them. I went to a physician (actually two), and they removed the cataracts. Then I went to another institution and had the centers of my lens sacs burned away with lazars. Did I pray? Many times, on many occasions, for myself and the hands of the physicians involved. Were the operations successful? Wildly so. I could not have asked for a better outcome. My point is, you live in a real world. Having faith is not the same as making a complete ass of yourself.

Application/Tangent: Recognize when you are in a cult. A cult is often dominated by a strong personality (who could be the founder of the cult). That cult will rarely recognize anyone who falls outside of the narrow confines of the cult as being spiritually mature or even as being saved (for instance, I am close to the doctrine of the Baptists; however, I recognize that some Catholics, Presbyterians, and even a few Mormons and Jehovah Witnesses are saved). If your religion attempts to separate you from family and friends, to reduce the amount of time that you spend with them, your religion is probably a cult. We are not to separate from the unbelieving world. We are to be witnesses to the unbelieving world, in both our lives and in presenting them with the gospel. If everyone around you thinks that you are an asshole because of the behavior instituted by the religion that you belong to, either (1) that religion is a cult and/or (2) you are an asshole. Will some unbelievers dislike you? Absolutely. Some believers will dislike you and persecute you. However, if that is pretty much everyone’s reaction from outside your religion’s periphery, then you probably belong to a cult.

Application/Tangent: It is true that family relationships are redefined for the believer. Your permanent family members are those who are fellow believers. However, this does not mean that you withdraw from your biological family. Will becoming a Christian cause a rift in your family? It could. However, this rift should not be because you act like an idiot and embarrass Jesus Christ. In many cases, you will be a witness to your family. Antagonizing them is not really the best approach in the realm of witnessing.

Here is how others have translated this verse:

Early translations:

The Septuagint                      For You have been my helper, and in the shelter of Your wings I will rejoice.

Thought-for-thought translations; paraphrases:

CEV                                       I have seen your power and your glory

in the place of worship.

NLT                                I think how much you have helped me;

I sing for joy in the shadow of your protecting wings.

Mostly literal renderings (with some occasional paraphrasing):

JPS (Tanakh)                         for you are my help,

and in the shadow of Your wings

I shout for joy.

Literal, almost word-for-word, renderings:

Updated Emphasized Bible   For You have become a help to me,—

And <in the shadow of Your wings> will I shout for joy [or Ginsburg thinks, will I tarry]..

NASB                                    For You have been my help,

And in the shadow of Thy wings I sing for joy.

Young's Updated LT              For You have been a help to me,

And in the shadow of Your wings I sing.

What is the gist of this verse? What has been consistent in David’s life is that God has guided and protected him.

Translation: Because You have been a help to me... Even though David is now out in the Judæan desert wilderness, he recognizes that God has always been there to help him and to guide him. So David is not upset or worried about his circumstances, because he knows what God has been to him.

In the previous verse, there was a contrast presented, between David’s life as the son-in-law of Saul, and as a fugitive from Saul. Here, God’s consistency is emphasized, in all situations.

Translation: ...and I shout for joy in the shadow of Your wings. David uses the imperfect tense here—this means that he continues to shout for joy or to celebrate being under God’s protection (which is the imagery of being under the shadow of God’s wings). When David was among the hierarchy of Israel, and one among an army of Israelis, he felt God’s protection. However, as we have seen in I Sam. 21, he was running scared, giving no thought to God—not even when in the city of Priests. However, by this time, not only has David rebounded (named his sins to God), but he has begun to apply the character of God to his situation, and he realizes that, no matter how difficult the circumstances seem to be, he is still under God’s protection.

Application: I want to reiterate this application, because I read and hear about so many screwball cults and misapplications: David, although he is protected by God, does not cease making intelligent military decisions. He does not camp out in the open, he does not make himself an easy target for Saul, he continues to act with evasive maneuvers. The application here is, God does take care of you, but you still need to have a job. God heals you, but that does not mean that you abstain from all medical treatment. Because God performed a relatively small number of miracles at specific periods of time, some idiots think they will get sick, and God will cure them miraculously—that is hogwash. God can cure and even on rare occasion, does cure, miraculously. However, when you are sick, you seek the care of a doctor. Thinking that you can break your arm and that God will healed your arm instantly if you had faith is ludicrous. Can God do that? Certainly. Does God do that? Probably not even one time out of a million.

Application: God works through people. Most people, even the goofiest of the cultists, seem to understand that God works through missionaries. A missionary goes to another country and teaches the Word of God (specifically the gospel). Almost every single believer and quasi-believer observes this and thinks nothing of it. God is working through the missionary to bring Christ to that nation. God does not miraculously appear to this nation in a cloud, or a burst of fire, and give them the gospel. Can God do that? Sure He can. Does He? Not even one time in a million. Therefore, you should not be confused when God chooses to work through a doctor instead of healing us miraculously.

David, by the way, used this same imagery in Psalm 57:1 (see also Psalm 17:8 36:7 61:4 91:4).

Here is how others have translated this verse:

Early translations:

The Peshitta                          My soul follows hard after You; Your right hand upholds me.

The Septuagint                      My soul has been glued close behind You; Your right hand has upheld me.

Thought-for-thought translations; paraphrases:

CEV                                       I stay close to you,

and your powerful arm supports me.

NLT                                I follow close behind you;

your strong right hand holds me securely.

Mostly literal renderings (with some occasional paraphrasing):

JPS (Tanakh)                        My soul is attached to You;

Your right hand supports me.

Literal, almost word-for-word, renderings:

NASB                                    My soul clings to Thee;

Thy right hand upholds me.

NKJV                                     My soul follows close behind You;

You right hand upholds me.

Scofield’s KJV                       My soul followeth │close behind│ thee; thy right hand upholdeth me.

Young's Updated LT              Cleaved has my soul after You,

On me has Your right hand taken hold.

What is the gist of this verse? David, under these adverse circumstances, is drawn closer to God, recognizing that God’s right hand upholds him.

Translation: My soul has clung to You... Again, David is speaking of a completed action (perfect tense). His soul has clung to God in the past, and David continues to cling to God at the time of writing this psalm.

Application: We dislike all adverse conditions and often ask God, “Where are You?” during particularly difficult times. David in this psalm was the same way, saying My soul thirsts for You and my flesh yearns for You. However, we have seen in these past few verses is that David has been drawn closer to God because of this adversity. Sometimes, we have to endure suffering in order for God to get our attention; and sometimes, we are asked to suffer by God as evidence testing. No matter what the reason, suffering is a part of this life. If you don’t like that, there is a simple solution to minimize your suffering: learn God’s Word and obey His mandates. This will reduce disciplinary suffering to almost nil and make it easier for you to cope with suffering for blessing.

Translation: ...and Your right hand has taken a hold of [or, supports] me. It is a mutual thing. As David’s soul takes a hold of God, God’s right hand supports David (God’s right hand refers to His grace and mercy in delivering His own—Psalm 18:35 20:6 44:3 80:15, 17). See Ex. 15:16 for the Doctrine of the Right Hand of God. David recognizes that in the past, God has upheld him in all kinds of troubles. The right hand is used repeatedly in Scripture for being in a place of great blessing.

God Will Avenge All Wrongs and Bless Those Who Trust in Him

Here is how others have translated this verse:

Early translations:

The Septuagint                      But they vainly sought after my soul; they will go into the lowest parts of the earth.

Thought-for-thought translations; paraphrases:

CEV                                       All who want to kill me will end up in the ground.

NLT                                But those plotting to destroy me will come to ruin.

They will go down into the depths of the earth.

REB                                       May those who seek my life themselves be destroyed,

may they sink into the depths of the earth;...

Mostly literal renderings (with some occasional paraphrasing):

God’s Word™                         But those who try to destroy my life

will go into the depths of the earth.

JPS (Tanakh)                        May those who seek to destroy my life

enter the depths of the earth.

Literal, almost word-for-word, renderings:

Keil and Delitzsch                  On the other hand, those, to (their own) ruin do they seek my soul.

NASB                                    But those who seek my life [lit., soul], to destroy it,

Will go into the depths [lit., lowest places] of the earth.

Young's Updated LT              And they who for desolation seek my soul,

Go in to the lower parts of the earth.

What is the gist of this verse? David knows that those who are out to kill him will die in hell.

Translation: They seek my soul for destruction... David is not just pursued by Doeg. Saul’s entire army is after him. Saul and his entire army seek David’s life—to destroy it. Saul is, of course, in the lead. We already know that Saul’s army was very close to standing up against Saul when it came to killing the priests (I Sam. 22:17)—however, the actions of Doeg galvanized them into action. Now there is a degenerate army out their looking to kill David, seeking to destroy his soul.

Translation: ...they will enter into the depths of the earth. David here promises that these who seek his life will enter into the depths of the earth, meaning that they will rot in hell. We find a parallel verse in Psalm 55:15: Let desolation take hold on them, and let them go down alive into hell; for evils are among them in their dwellings.

People do not trust God’s justice sometimes. There remains a lot of bitterness and hatred toward those men who guided the airplanes into the World Trade Center on 9/11/2002. Please realize that the souls of these men went directly into torments; and some day, they will be cast with Satan into the Lake of Fire. The 50 virgins weren’t there to meet them at their deaths; God’s judgment was there to meet them at their deaths. Every single suicide terrorist will spend eternity in the Lake of Fire. Their pain and suffering will be unfathomable. Every time one of them dies, they are delivered into torments where they await judgment for their evil. So David is assured of these men who pursue him and seek his life.

Application: I have been persecuted on several occasions, unjustly so. I have been cheated, taken advantage of, and a myriad of other things. I could sit down and name quickly a dozen people; perhaps two dozen, that I would like revenge on. However, I don’t have to worry about that. God will deal with them. I’ve seen God deal with some of them. If you are a growing believer, and you are cheated, lied to, unjustly persecuted, you don’t need to worry about taking revenge. You don’t need to worry about getting even. God will take care of that for you. God is better at it. God is more fair. Someone cheats you out of $100; don’t worry about it. God will deal with that. If someone misrepresents themselves in a business deal, God can right that wrong. I have lost some jobs unjustly. Every single time, something better—often much, much better—comes along immediately. I never kept track or worried much about those who were against me; I know God takes care of them, just as God has taken care of me after the fact. My point is, you do not need to think revenge, you do not have to carry all these mental attitude sins around with you, you do not have to be upset just because you have been the victim of an injustice, or many injustices. God will balance the scales. At the end of the day, if you did your job as unto the Lord, the scale is going to tip in your favor. For those who unjustly persecuted you? Their scales are going to tilt the other way. God takes care of that. We don’t have to. You may think you need to sue; you may think you need to make an example of them. Do you think you can inflict more pain and suffering than God? Do you think you can mete out just the right amount of judgment? God can take care of it. Just get out of His way.

Here is how others have translated this verse:

Early translations:

The Peshitta                          They shall fall by the sword; they shall be a portion for foxes.

The Septuagint                      They will be delivered up to the power of the sword; they will be portions for foxes.

Thought-for-thought translations; paraphrases:

CEV                                       Swords will run them through,

and wild dogs will eat them.

NLT                                They will die by the sword

and become the food of jackals.

REB                                       ...may they be given over to the sword,

And become carrion for jackals.

TEV                                       They will be killed in battle,

and their bodies eaten by wolves.

Mostly literal renderings (with some occasional paraphrasing):

God’s Word™                                They will be cut down by swords.

Their dead bodies will be left as food for jackals.

JPS (Tanakh)                        May they be gutted by the sword;

may they be prey to jackals.

Literal, almost word-for-word, renderings:

Updated Emphasized Bible   Everyone will be give up to the power of the sword,

They will become <the portion of jackals>.

NASB                                    They will be delivered over to the power of the sword;

They will be a prey for foxes.

Young's Updated LT              They cause him to run on the edge of the sword,

They are a portion for foxes.

What is the gist of this verse? David continues to speak of what will happen to his enemies; they will die by the sword and become jackal food.

Translation: They deliver him over [to] hands of the sword;... What we have here, and what is ignored by the other translators, is the masculine singular suffix at the end of the main verb. Since the verb is masculine plural, we may reasonably assume that this applies to the same evil men of the previous verse—those who seek David’s life. What they would like to do is to deliver David over to the sword—they would like to deliver David over to death.

Translation: ...they are a portion for jackals. However, here, in a reversal of fortune (a theme of Psalm 52), they are the ones who become food for the jackals. Also note that David is not necessarily wishing this upon his enemies—that they become jackal food—he is saying that this is the natural outcome of their actions against him.

Thompson writes: Jackals are wild, fierce, savage; they howl around dwellings at night - producing most hideous music, beginning in a sort of solo, a low, long-drawn wail, rising and swelling higher and higher until it quite overtops the wind and ready to gather at any moment when there is prey to be devoured. These sinister, guilty, wobegone brutes, when pressed with hunger, gather in gangs among the graves, and yell in rage, and fight like fiends over their midnight orgies; but on the battlefield is their great carnival. Let me never even dream that anyone dear to me has fallen by the sword, and lies there to be torn, and gnawed at, and dragged about by these hideous howlers. Ward’s Customs tells us: The jackal, or chokal, is a very ravenous beast, and fond of human flesh. It devours dead bodies, steals infants out of the lap of their mothers, devours alive the sick who are left by the side of the Ganges, and even in the streets of Calcutta has been known to eat persons who were in a state of intoxication.

Application: If you have made an enemy out of a believer, then you may want to back down. If you are acting with malice toward a growing believer, then you had better stand down. This is a war you will not win. Maybe they are obnoxious and their personality grates on you. No problem; this is a big world, and you and these people that you do not like can often find places where you are not together. There is nothing wrong with avoiding a believer that you do not like—unless, of course, it is your husband or wife. And if you work with a believer that you do not like, then you use impersonal love. You do not have mental attitude sins toward this person and you do not malign or talk badly about this person. David’s enemies are going to become jackal food. Is that the end that you want for yourself?

There are many exegetes who place David, when writing this psalm, in the desert wilderness escaping from Absalom his son. This is an even which will be covered in the future (II Sam. 16–18). What these exegetes ignore is what David desires for his enemies. If you read this verse and the next, you will see that David had no kind thoughts for his enemies. However, when Absalom was killed, David was beside himself with grief (“Oh, my son Absalom, would that I had died instead of you, Absalom, my son my son!” —II Sam. 18:33b). Even though David did not desire for his son to overcome him, he also was not willing to have his son killed—quite the opposite of the sentiments expressed in this psalm. It is no wonder that the exegesis presented by these same men is pap. Now, you may raise the objection that David will not raise his hand against God’s anointed (Saul). And he won’t. However, Saul has acted with great malice towards David. Saul has been reasoned with in every way possible and he continues to return to a place of unreasonable anger toward David. Furthermore, if it were Saul alone, then David could live with that. But it is Saul and his army and his underlings. We have seen that Saul’s army, had they any moral conviction, could have stood up to Saul. They chose not to and took the expedient route. So David has no love for these men.

Application: A Bible teacher needs to be open to the passage that he examines. It is great to have a theory and an opinion; however, you should be willing to revise that opinion if there is a preponderance of evidence that you are wrong. At first, theorizing that David may be hiding out from Saul or he may be hiding out from Absalom is fine. However, once you get into this psalm, it is clear that David is not talking about his son.

Here is how others have translated this verse:

Early translations:

The Septuagint                      But the king will rejoice in God; everyone that swears by Him will be praised; for the mouth of them that speak unjust things has been stopped.

Thought-for-thought translations; paraphrases:

CEV                                       Because of you, our God, the king will celebrate

with your faithful followers,

but liars will be silent.

NJB                                        Then the king shall rejoice in God,

all who swear by him shall gain recognition,

for the mouths of liars shall be silenced.

Mostly literal renderings (with some occasional paraphrasing):

God’s Word™                         But the king will find joy in God.

Everyone who takes an oath by God will brag,

but the mouths of liars will be shut.

JPS (Tanakh)                        But the king shall rejoice in God;

all who swear by Him shall exult,

when the mouth of liars is stopped.

Literal, almost word-for-word, renderings:

The Amplified Bible                but the king shall rejoice in God; every one who swears by Him [that is, who binds himself by God’s authority, acknowledging His supremacy, and devoting himself to His glory and service alone] every such one shall glory, for the mouth of those who speak lies shall be stopped.

NASB                                    But the king will rejoice in God;

Everyone who swears by Him will glory,

For the mouths of those who speak lies will be stopped.

Young's Updated LT              And the king does rejoice in God,

Boasts him does everyone swearing by Him,

But stopped is the mouth all those speaking lies!

What is the gist of this verse? The king rejoices in God, and those who swear by God will boast in Him. Simultaneously, those who speak lies will be shut up.

Translation: The king will rejoice in Elohim... This is quite interesting. David writes this while in the desert wilderness of Judah. Israel’s king at this time was Saul, who was out to kill David. Saul had little or no interest in God. Therefore, we must understand this in principle: a righteous king—a believer king—would rejoice in God.

This also marks a turning point in David’s understanding and faith. He was named king some time ago. He had possibly assumed that he would become king through the normal means. He married the king’s daughter, with the king’s blessing...and that would eventually lead to his being king. All of a sudden, David finds himself cast out from the palace, with no more logical path to this great office, and he herein accepts his office and recognizes the reality of this office. That is, David is the king in this passage. He is the one rejoicing in Elohim. No other interpretation really makes any sense. However, this understanding does explain this psalm. David is not just a fugitive in the desert, but he is waiting on God to install him as king. This means he has apprehended his future and his destiny. These psalms that we have studied mark the changes in David as he grows spiritually.

This could be understood as the King, Jesus Christ, would rejoice in Elohim, the Godhead.

Translation: ...and those swearing by Him will glory [or, will be praised],... Those who either swear by God or swear allegiance to God will glory or boast in their position. These, of course, would be believers. Men swear in that which they believe in.

It is difficult to determine exactly to whom by Him refers. God is the nearest masculine singular noun; however, also nearby is the king. If David is the king in this verse, which is about the only reasonable point of view, then those who swear allegiance to David will be praised or will glory (as they will share in David’s glory). However, this by Him also reasonably applied to God, the nearest noun in context. Obviously, those who are in allegiance with God are glorified as well.

Swearing by a king or a God or by God was quite common in those times. The Jews were encouraged to swear by God (Deut. 6:13). In Scripture, God is even said to swear by Himself (Isa. 45:23). Clarke tells us: It was customary to swear by the life of the king. The Egyptians swore by the life of Pharaoh; and Joseph conforms to this custom, as may be seen in the book of Genesis, Gen. 42:15–16. He adds: ...swearing by [the name of God the King] signifies binding themselves by his authority, acknowledging his supremacy, and devoting themselves to his glory and service alone.

The alternative reading, which is also accurate from a doctrinal standpoint, is that those who trust in God will also be praised—being praised in not so much, a “Good show, old boy” but more that they are praised because they are in Christ and He stands praised for all time. However, I don’t see this as being the proper meaning of this verse.

Interestingly enough, Psalm 64 ends in a very similar fashion: Psalm 64:10: The righteous will be glad in Jehovah, and they will trust in Him; and all the upright in heart shall glory. However, it was written probably at a much later date.

Translation: ...for the mouths of those speaking lies will be shut up. This final line tells us one reason that the king rejoices in God and why those who believe in God will be glorified: those who speak lies will be shut up. The idea is, the final judgment will remove these from the earth—the liars, and, by implication, all sinners—and the earth will be sin-free once more. Now, don’t panic. I realize that you sin. So do I. However, we are in Christ Jesus, and we share His righteousness. Therefore, we will participate in God’s perfect plan, and only our sin natures will be eradicated in the end.

Why does David choose the sin of lying here? He chooses this sin because this is what Saul has done to condemn him; and this is what Doeg did in order to take the heat off himself and to elevate himself in Saul’s eyes. So David’s enemies are specifically those who have lied about him.