Psalm 6:10

Let all mine enemies be ashamed and sore vexed: let them return and be ashamed suddenly.

EXPOSITORY (ENGLISH BIBLE)

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(10) Let all mine enemies.—Better rendered either by the present or future. The Psalmist with the eye of faith sees the answer to his prayer.

Return—i.e., retire discomfited and in failure.

“My enemies shall all be blank, and dasht

With much confusion: then grow red with shame;

They shall return in haste the way they came,

And in a moment shall be quite abashed.”—

Milton’s trans.

Benson Commentary

Psalm 6:10. Let all mine enemies be ashamed — Or, they shall be ashamed, of their vain confidence; and sore vexed — Because of their great and unexpected disappointment. Let them return — Namely, from their wicked ways, and from their hostile and malicious practices against me. Hebrew, ישׁבו, jeshubu, they shall return, turn back, or be converted; that is, repent of their sins and return to their obedience. And be ashamed suddenly — Sooner than I could hope, or they did expect, or believe. “Many mournful Psalms,” says Mr. Scott, “end thus triumphantly, for the encouragement of other mourners to hope and pray.”

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

6:8-10 What a sudden change is here! Having made his request known to God, the psalmist is confident that his sorrow will be turned into joy. By the workings of God's grace upon his heart, he knew his prayer was accepted, and did not doubt but it would, in due time, be answered. His prayers will be accepted, coming up out of the hands of Christ the Mediator. The word signifies prayer made to God, the righteous Judge, as the God of his righteousness, who would plead his cause, and right his wrongs. A believer, through the blood and righteousness of Christ, can go to God as a righteous God, and plead with him for pardon and cleansing, who is just and faithful to grant both. He prays for the conversion of his enemies, or foretells their ruin.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Let all mine enemies be ashamed - Be so brought to see their folly that they shall be ashamed of their conduct. The wish is that they might be brought to see their own guilt - a wish certainly which it is right to cherish in regard to all evil-doers.

And sore vexed - Compare the notes at Psalm 5:10. The same Hebrew word is used here which occurs in Psalm 6:2-3, and rendered "vexed." It is a word which denotes trouble, trembling, consternation; and the meaning here is, that the psalmist prayed that they might be confounded or disconcerted in their plans - a prayer which is certainly proper in regard to all the purposes of the wicked. No one should desire that the purposes of the wicked should prosper; and not to desire this is to desire that they may be foiled and overcome in their schemes. This must be the wish of every good man.

Let them return - Turn back, or be turned back; that is, let them be repulsed, and compelled to turn back from their present object.

And be ashamed suddenly - Hebrew, "In a moment;" instantaneously. He desired that there might be no delay, but that their defeat might be accomplished at once. As it was right to pray that this might occur, so it was right to pray that it might occur without delay, or as speedily as possible. The sooner the plans of sinners are confounded, the better.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

10. and knows they will be disappointed and in their turn (compare Ps 6:3) be terror-stricken or confounded.

Matthew Poole's Commentary

Ashamed of their vain hopes and confidence of conquering and destroying me. Or, they shall be ashamed, because of their great and unexpected disappointment.

Let them return, to wit, from their wicked ways, from their hostile and malicious practices against me, and let them come and submit to me, from whom they have revolted. Or, let them turn back, as it is expressed, Psalm 56:9; let them be put to flight. Or, let them be converted, i.e. repent of their sins, and return to their obedience to me. Although it seems more probable, both from the foregoing and following words, that this turning or returning is rather penal than penitential. Or, they shall turn or return. Or this verb may be taken adverbially, and joined to the following verb, as it is frequently in other places, and both may be thus rendered, let them, or they shall, be again ashamed; clothed, as it were, with double shame. Suddenly; sooner than I could hope, or they did expect or believe.

Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

Let all mine enemies be ashamed,.... Or "they shall be ashamed" (k); and so the following clauses may be rendered, and be considered as prophecies of what would be; though if this be considered as an imprecation, it is wishing no ill; wicked men are not ashamed of their abominations committed by them, neither can they blush; it would be well if they were ashamed of them, and brought to true repentance for them; and if they are not ashamed now, they will be hereafter, when the Judge of quick and dead appears;

and sore vexed; or "troubled" (l); as his bones had been vexed, and his soul had been sore vexed by them; as he knew they would be through disappointment at his recovery, and at his deliverance from the distresses and calamities he was now in, when he should sing for joy of heart, and they should howl for vexation of spirit;

let them return; meaning either from him, from pursuing after him; or to him, to seek his favour, and be reconciled to him, and be at peace with him, as Aben Ezra and Kimchi explain it; unless this word should only signify "again", as it sometimes does, and be read in connection with what follows;

and let them be again ashamed suddenly (m); intimating that his deliverance would be sudden, in a moment, in a very little time, and so would be their disappointment, shame, and confusion. Jarchi, from R. Jonathan and R. Samuel bar Nachmani, refers this to the shame of the wicked in the world to come.

(k) "pudore afficientur", Pagninus, Montanus; "pudefient", Coeceius, Schmidt; so Ainsworth. (l) "conturbantur", Junius & Tremellius, Piscator. (m) "iterum confundantur", Gejerus.

Geneva Study Bible

Let all mine enemies be ashamed and sore vexed: let them return and be ashamed {f} suddenly.

(f) When the wicked think the godly will perish, God delivers them suddenly, and destroys their enemies.

EXEGETICAL (ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)

Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

10. It is better to render the verbs as future:

All mine enemies shall be ashamed and sore vexed;

They shall turn back, they shall be ashamed in a moment.

The ‘dismay’, which he had felt to be a token of divine displeasure (Psalm 6:2-3), is now retorted upon those who took a malicious delight in his misfortunes. When God returns to His servant, his assailants are repulsed in sudden and ignominious defeat. Cp. Psalm 35:4; Psalm 35:26, Psalm 56:9, Psalm 83:17.

Pulpit Commentary

Verse 10. - Let all mine enemies be ashamed and sore vexed; rather, all mine enemies shall be ashamed and sore vexed (Rosenmuller, Kay, and others). Shame will fall upon David's enemies when their plots have failed, and deep vexation when they find him restored to health (ver. 4) and in the full enjoyment of the Divine favour. Lot them return; rather, they shall return; i.e. "retire... turn their backs," "take to flight." As Hengstenberg says, "David sees his enemies, who are gathered around him for the attack, all at once in alarm give way." And be ashamed suddenly. It is doubly shameful to have to fly when one has been the assailant.



Psalm 6:10

Keil and Delitzsch Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament

(Heb.: 6:9-11) Even before his plaintive prayer is ended the divine light and comfort come quickly into his heart, as Frisch says in his "Neuklingende Harfe Davids." His enemies mock him as one forsaken of God, but even in the face of his enemies he becomes conscious that this is not his condition. Thrice in Psalm 6:9, Psalm 6:10 his confidence that God will answer him flashes forth: He hears his loud sobbing, the voice of his weeping that rises towards heaven, He hears his supplication, and He graciously accepts his prayer. The twofold שׁמע expresses the fact and יקח its consequence. That which he seems to have to suffer, shall in reality be the lot of his enemies, viz., the end of those who are rejected of God: they shall be put to shame. The בּושׁ, Syr. behet, Chald. בּהת, בּהת, which we meet with here for the first time, is not connected with the Arab. bht, but (since the Old Arabic as a rule has t` as a mediating vowel between ש and t, )ת with Arab. bât, which signifies "to turn up and scatter about things that lie together (either beside or upon each other)" eruere et diruere, disturbare, - a root which also appears in the reduplicated form Arab. bṯṯ: to root up and disperse, whence Arab. battun, sorrow and anxiety, according to which therefore בּושׁ ( equals בּושׁ as Arab. bâta equals bawata) prop. signifies disturbare, to be perplexed, lose one's self-control, and denotes shame according to a similar, but somewhat differently applied conception to confundi, συγχεῖσθαι, συγχύνεσθαι. ויבּהלוּ points back to Psalm 6:2, Psalm 6:3 : the lot at which the malicious have rejoiced, shall come upon themselves. As is implied in יבשׁוּ ישׁבוּ, a higher power turns back the assailants filled with shame (Psalm 9:4; Psalm 35:4).

What an impressive finish we have here in these three Milels, jashûbu jebôshu rāga), in relation to the tripping measure of the preceding words addressed to his enemies! And, if not intentional, yet how remarkable is the coincidence, that shame follows the involuntary reverse of the foes, and that יבשׁו in its letters and sound is the reverse of ישׁבו! What music there is in the Psalter! If composers could but understand it!!