Psalm 41:5

Mine enemies speak evil of me, When shall he die, and his name perish?

EXPOSITORY (ENGLISH BIBLE)

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(5) Shall he die . . . perish.—Better, When will he die, and his name have perished.

Benson Commentary

Psalm 41:5-7. Mine enemies speak evil of me — Designing thereby to grieve my spirit, ruin my reputation, and sink my interest. And if he come to see me — If any of mine enemies visit me in my sickness, according to the custom; he speaketh vanity — Or falsehood, pretending sympathy with, and friendship to me, while he is contriving mischief in his heart against me. His heart gathereth iniquity, &c. — Even when he is with me, and pretends a sincere affection for me, his heart is devising evil against me. When he goeth abroad he telleth it — Partly to delight his companions, and partly to encourage them to, and direct them in, their malicious designs against me. They whisper together against me — Secretly defame me, and closely plot against me.

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

41:5-13 We complain, and justly, of the want of sincerity, and that there is scarcely any true friendship to be found among men; but the former days were no better. One particularly, in whom David had reposed great confidence, took part with his enemies. And let us not think it strange, if we receive evil from those we suppose to be friends. Have not we ourselves thus broken our words toward God? We eat of his bread daily, yet lift up the heel against him. But though we may not take pleasure in the fall of our enemies, we may take pleasure in the making vain their designs. When we can discern the Lord's favour in any mercy, personal or public, that doubles it. If the grace of God did not take constant care of us, we should not be upheld. But let us, while on earth, give heartfelt assent to those praises which the redeemed on earth and in heaven render to their God and Saviour.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Mine enemies speak evil of me - They take occasion to speak evil of me in my weak and feeble state, thus adding to my sorrows. The word "evil" here refers to their calumnies or reproaches. They spoke of him as a bad man; as if it were desirable that he should die; that his influence in the world should come to an end, and that his name should be forgotten.

When shall he die - "He is sick; sick on account of his sins; it seems certain that he will die; and it is desirable that such a man should die. But he seems to linger on, as if there were no hope of his dying." Nothing can be imagined more unkind, cutting, severe than this - the desire that a man who is sick shall die, and be out of the way. Nothing could add more to the sorrows of sickness itself than such a wish; than to have it talked about among men - whispered from one to another - that such a man was a nuisance; that he was a bad man; that he was suffering on account of his sins; that it was desirable that his death should occur as soon as possible, and that all remembrance of him on earth should cease.

And his name perish - That he should be forgotten altogether; that his name should be no more mentioned; that all the influence of his life should cease forever. Of a truly bad man - a corrupter of the faith and the virtue of others - this is desirable, for the sooner such men are forgotten the better. Forgotten they will be Proverbs 10:7, but there is no more malignant feeling in regard to a good man, and especially when such a man is suffering under a severe disease, than the wish that he should die, and that his name should wholly fade away from recollection.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

5, 6. A graphic picture of the conduct of a malignant enemy.

Matthew Poole's Commentary

Speak evil of me; vent their ill wishes against me, in the following words.

Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

Mine enemies speak evil of me,.... That is, the Jews, who were enemies to his person, people, doctrines and ordinances, and would not have him to reign over them; these spake evil of him, charged him with being a glutton and a winebibber; said he had a devil, and was a Samaritan; imputed his miracles to diabolical influence; branded his doctrine with blasphemy, and spoke against his religion and worship, and wished him ill, saying,

when shall he die; they had a good will to assassinate him privately, but upon mature deliberation they consulted and determined to take what advantage they could against him, and deliver him up to the Roman governor; they feared, should he go on and succeed, through his doctrines and miracles, as he did, it would go ill with them; and they concluded, could he be brought to death, it would clearly appear to the common people that he was not the Messiah; though this was the very thing he came into the world for, and which he himself was very desirous of; because hereby, and hereby only, the salvation of his people could be brought about; and though this was a thing foretold in prophecy, yet it seems as if Christ's enemies the Jews, and Satan himself, were ignorant of it, and of its virtue and use to save men; however, though it was an ill wish in them, it was well for us that he did die, though the consequence is not as they wished;

and his name perish? that is, the fame of his doctrine and miracles, the memory of him and his worthy deeds, particularly his Gospel, which so fully expresses the glory of his person and grace; yea, he himself, for they hoped that upon his death he would come into general disgrace, that his name would never be mentioned but with reproach, that his Gospel would be no more preached, and that he would be accursed of God and men: in all which they were sadly disappointed; for, upon his resurrection from the dead, he had a name given him above every name; his memory became precious to thousands; an ordinance was appointed to remember him to the end of the world in all his churches; his Gospel was ordered to be preached to all the world, as it was; and he himself is blessed for evermore.

Geneva Study Bible

Mine enemies {d} speak evil of me, When shall he die, and his name perish?

(d) That is, curse me and cannot have their cruel hate quenched but with my shameful death.

EXEGETICAL (ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)

Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

5. speak evil of me] R.V. against me. Psalm 41:5 takes up Psalm 41:2, as Psalm 41:4 answers to Psalm 41:3.

When &c.] The words of the enemies, expressing their impatient eagerness for his death, and even for the extinction of his posterity. Cp. Psalm 109:13; 2 Samuel 18:18; Psalm 9:6.

Pulpit Commentary

Verse 5. - Mine enemies speak evil of me. Another head of suffering, viz. misrepresentation, calumny, abuse, on the part of enemies. Absalom had stolen away the hearts of the children of Israel from David by misrepresenting him (2 Samuel 15:3, 4). Shimei had followed the example, adding to his misrepresentation abuse and cursing (2 Samuel 16:5-8). Absalom's aiders and abettors generally, no doubt, joined in the chorus. This, then, is David's second subject of complaint, and one that he felt keenly - his enemies spoke evil of him. Farther, they desired and anticipated his death. When (they said) shall he die, and his name perish? David evidently was, or had been, when his enemies thus spoke, on the bed of sickness, prostrate, and in danger of his life. While he thus suffered, they rejoiced, expecting his early demise. When he was dead, they intended that his name should "perish;" i.e. that his memory should be utterly rooted out. Psalm 41:5

Keil and Delitzsch Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament

(Heb.: 41:5-7) He, the poet, is treated in his distress of soul in a manner totally different from the way just described which is so rich in promises of blessing. He is himself just such a דּל, towards whom one ought to manifest sympathising consideration and interest. But, whilst he is addressing God in the language of penitential prayer for mercy and help, his enemies speak evil to him, i.e., with respect to him, wishing that he might die and that his name might perish. רפאה .hs is as an exception Milra, inasmuch as א draws the tone to its own syllable; cf. on the other hand רגזה, Isaiah 32:11 (Hitzig). מתי (prop. extension, length of time) has only become a Semitic interrogative in the signification quando by the omission of the interrogative אי (common Arabic in its full form Arab. 'ymtâ, êmata). ואבד is a continuation of the future. In Psalm 41:7 one is singled out and made prominent, and his hypocritically malicious conduct described. ראות of a visit to a sick person as in 2 Samuel 13:5., 2 Kings 8:29. אם is used both with the perf. (Psalm 50:18; Psalm 63:7; Psalm 78:34; Psalm 94:18; Genesis 38:9; Amos 7:2; Isaiah 24:13; Isaiah 28:25) and with the fut. (Psalm 68:14; Job 14:14), like quum, as a blending together of si and quando, Germ. wenn (if) and wann (when). In ידבר לבו two Rebias come together, the first of which has the greater value as a distinctive, according to the rule laid down in Baer's Psalterium, p. xiv. Consequently, following the accents, it must not be rendered: "falsehood doth his heart speak." The lxx, Vulgate, and Targum have discerned the correct combination of the words. Besides, the accentuation, as is seen from the Targum and expositors, proceeds on the assumption that לבּו is equivalent to בּלבּו. But why may it not be the subject-notion: "His heart gathereth" is an expression of the activity of his mind and feelings, concealed beneath a feigned and friendly outward bearing. The asyndeton portrays the despatch with which he seeks to make the material for slander, which has been gathered together, public both in the city and in the country.