Psalm 64:1

To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David. Hear my voice, O God, in my prayer: preserve my life from fear of the enemy.

EXPOSITORY (ENGLISH BIBLE)

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(1) My prayer.—Rather, my cry, complaint, as in Psalm 55:2.

Benson Commentary

Psalm 64:1-4. Preserve my life from fear — That is, from danger: the act or passion of fear being often put for its object, danger, as Psalm 14:5; 1 Peter 3:14, and frequently elsewhere. Hide me from the secret counsels of the wicked — That is, from the ill effects of their plots against me. Who shoot their arrows — Of which phrase, see notes on Psalm 58:7. Even bitter words — Slanderous and pernicious speeches against me. That they may shoot in secret — Lying in ambush, or hiding themselves in secret places, as fowlers commonly do; at the perfect — Or, upright man; that is, at me, who, in spite of all their calumnies, dare avow that my heart is perfect with God, and that I am blameless as to them, having given them no just provocation; suddenly — At the very first opportunity; do they shoot at him, and fear not — Neither fear men, because they conceal their actions from them, as appears from the foregoing and following words; nor God, whose judgments they despise.

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

64:1-6 The psalmist earnestly begs of God to preserve him from disquieting fear. The tongue is a little member, but it boasts great things. The upright man is the mark at which the wicked aim, they cannot speak peaceably either of him or to him. There is no guard against a false tongue. It is bad to do wrong, but worse to encourage ourselves and one another in it. It is a sign that the heart is hardened to the greatest degree, when it is thus fully set to do evil. A practical disbelief of God's knowledge of all things, is at the bottom of every wickedness. The benefit of a good cause and a good conscience, appears most when nothing can help a man against his enemies, save God alone, who is always a present help.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Hear my voice, O God, in my prayer - The use of the word voice here would seem to imply that this was audible prayer, or that, though alone, he gave utterance to his petitions aloud. We have this same use of the word often in the Psalms, making it probable that even private prayers were uttered in an audible manner. In most cases, when there is no danger of being overheard, or of its being construed as ostentation or Pharisaism, this is favorable to the spirit of secret devotion. Compare the notes at Daniel 6:10. The word here rendered prayer means properly speech, discourse; then, complaint; then, meditation. It is most commonly rendered complaint. See Job 7:13; Job 9:27; Job 10:1; Job 21:4; Psalm 55:2 (notes); Psalm 102 (Title); Psalm 142:2. It refers here to a state of mind caused by trouble and danger, when the deep meditation on his troubles and dangers found expression in audible words - whether those words were complaint or petition. As there are no indications in the psalm that David was disposed to complain in the sense of blaming God, the proper interpretation here is that his deep meditations took the form of prayer.

Preserve my life from fear of the enemy - Either Saul or Absalom. He prayed that his life might be made so secure that he would not have occasion to be afraid of his enemy.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

PSALM 64

Ps 64:1-10. A prayer for deliverance from cunning and malicious enemies, with a confident view of their overthrow, which will honor God and give joy to the righteous.

1. preserve … fear—as well as the danger producing it.

The Treasury of David

1 Hear my voice, O God, in my prayer preserve my life from fear of the enemy.

2 Hide me from the secret counsel of the wicked: from the insurrection of the workers of iniquity.

3 Who whet their tongue like a sword, and bend their bows to shoot their arrows, even bitter words.

4 That they may shoot in secret at the perfect: suddenly do they shoot at him, and fear not.

5 They encourage themselves in an evil matter: they commune of laying snares privily; they say, Who shall see them?

6 They search out iniquities; they accomplish a diligent search: both the inward thought of every one of them, and the heart, is deep.

Psalm 64:1

"Hear my voice, O God, in my prayer." It often helps devotion if we are able to use the voice and speak audibly; but even mental prayer has a voice with God which he will hear. We do not read that Moses had spoken with his lips at the Red Sea, and yet the Lord said to him, "Why criest thou which are unheard on earth may be among the best heard unto me?" Prayers duty to note how constantly David turns to prayer; it is his in heaven. It is our duty to note how constantly David turns to prayer; it is his battleaxe and weapon of war he uses it under every pressure, whether of inward sin or outward wrath, foreign invasion or domestic rebellion. We shall act wisely if we make prayer to God our first and best trusted resource in every hour of need. "Preserve my life from fear of the enemy." From harm and dread of harm protect me; or it may be read as an expression of his assurance that it would be so; "from fear of the foe thou wilt preserve me." With all our sacrifices of prayer we should offer the salt of faith.

Psalm 64:2

"Hide me from the secret counsel of the wicked." From their hidden snares hide me. Circumvent their counsels; let their secrets be met by thy secret providence, their counsels of malice by thy counsels of love. "From the insurrection of the workers of iniquity." When their secret counsels break forth into clamorous tumults, be thou still my preserver. When they think evil, let thy divine thoughts defeat them; and when they do evil, let thy powerful justice overthrow them: in both cases, let me be out of reach of their cruel hand, and even out of sight of their evil eye. It is a good thing to conquer malicious foes, but a better thing still to be screened from all conflict with them, by being hidden from the strife. The Lord knows how to give his people peace, and when he wills to make quiet, he is more than a match for all disturbers, and can defeat alike their deep-laid plots and their overt hostilities.

Psalm 64:3

"Who whet their tongue like a sword." Slander has ever been the master weapon of the good man's enemies, and great is the care of the malicious to use it effectively. As warriors grind their swords, to give them an edge which will cut deep and wound desperately, so do the unscrupulous invent falsehoods which shall be calculated to inflict pain, to stab the reputation, to kill the honour of the righteous. What is there which an evil tongue will not say? What misery will it not labour to inflict? "And bend their bows to shoot their arrows, even bitter words." Far off they dart their calumnies, as archers shoot their poisoned arrows. They studiously and with force prepare their speech as bended bows, and then with cool, deliberate aim, they let fly the shaft which they have dipped in bitterness. To sting, to inflict anguish, to destroy, is their one design. Insult, sarcasm, taunting defiance, nicknaming, all these were practised among Orientals as a kind of art; and if in these Western regions, with more refined manners, we are less addicted to the use of rough abuse, it is yet to be feared that the less apparent venom of the tongue inflicts none the less poignant pain. However, in all cases, let us fly to the Lord for help. David had but the one resource of prayer against the twofold weapons of the wicked, for defence against sword or arrow he used the one defence of faith in God.

Psalm 64:4

"That they may shoot in secret at the perfect." They lie in ambush, with bows ready bent to aim a coward's shaft at the upright man. Sincere and upright conduct will not secure us from the assaults of slander. The devil shot at our Lord himself, and we may rest assured he has a fiery dart in reserve for us; He was absolutely perfect, we are only so in a relative sense, hence in us there is fuel for fiery darts to kindle on. Observe the meanness of malicious men; they will not accept fair combat, they shun the open field, and skulk in the bushes, lying in ambush against those who are not so acquainted with deceit as to suspect their treachery, and are too manly to imitate their despicable modes of warfare. "Suddenly do they shoot at him, and fear not." To secrecy they add suddenness. They give their unsuspecting victim no chance of defending himself; they pounce on him like a wild beast leaping on its prey. They lay their plans so warily that they fear no detection. We have seen in daily life the arrow of calumny wounding its victim sorely; and yet we have not been able to discover the quarter from which the weapon was shot, nor to detect the hand which forged the arrowhead, or tinged it with the poison. Is it possible for justice to invent a punishment sufficiently severe to meet the case of the dastard who defiles my good name, and remains himself in concealment? An open liar is an angel compared with this demon. Vipers and cobras are harmless and amiable creatures compared with such a reptile. The devil himself might blush at being the father of so base an offspring.

continued...THE ARGUMENT

The matter of this Psalm plainly declares that it was made in a time when David was greatly distressed and reproached; which he was both under Saul, and in the time of Absalom’s rebellion.

The psalmist complaining of his enemies, and describing their crafty and wicked practices, prayeth unto God for guard and deliverance, Psalm 64:1-6; foretelleth also their utter ruin, to the honour of God, and joy of the righteous, Psalm 64:7-10.

From fear, i.e. from danger; the act or passion of fear being oft put for its object, danger, as Psalm 14:5 1 Peter 3:14, and oft elsewhere.

Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

Hear my voice, O God, in my prayer,.... The prayer of the psalmist was vocal and expressed in a mournful manner, with groans and cries, as the word (z) used signifies, and with great ardour and fervency; his condition, by reason of his enemies, being very distressing, and therefore he is very eager and earnest that he might be heard;

preserve my life from fear of the enemy; David had his enemies. Saul and his courtiers, and was afraid of them; Christ had his enemies the wicked Jews, who sought his life before the time, and therefore he walked no more in Judea till near the time; and whose human nature was sometimes possessed of the fears of death, though they were sinless ones: the church and people of God have their enemies; as the men of the world, who revile, reproach, and persecute them; Satan their adversary, who goes about seeking to devour them; and their own corruptions and lusts which war against their souls; and death, the last enemy, which is so to human nature, though by the grace of Christ friendly to the saints. And the people of God have their fears of these enemies; they are afraid of men, their revilings and persecutions, though they have no reason since God is on their side; and of Satan, whose fiery darts and buffetings are very distressing, though if resisted he will flee; and of their own corruptions, lest they should one day perish by them; or, at least, lest they should break out, to the wounding of their souls, and the dishonour of God: and some of them, through fear of death, are all their lifetime subject to bondage: which fears, though they are not the saints' excellencies, but their infirmities, yet are consistent with the grace of God; and under the power and influence of these fears they apprehend sometimes their life to be in danger; and therefore pray to the God of their life, who has given them it, and is the preserver of it, that he would preserve their natural life, as he does; as also their spiritual life, which is preserved by him; is bound up in the bundle of life with the Lord their God, and is hid with Christ in God.

(z) "in querimonia mea", Tigurine version; "in oratione mea gemebunda", Gejerus; so Michaelis.

Geneva Study Bible

<> Hear my {a} voice, O God, in my prayer: preserve my life from fear of the enemy.

(a) In that he calls to God with his voice, it is a sign that his prayer was vehement, and that his life was in danger.

EXEGETICAL (ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)

Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

1. in my prayer] R.V., in my complaint. Cp. Psalm 55:2; Psalm 55:17; 1 Samuel 1:16.

preserve &c.] From the enemy’s terror—the alarm which he excites—thou wilt guard my life (Psalm 12:7; Psalm 61:7). The common rendering of the verbs in this and the following line as imperatives (‘preserve’ ‘hide’), though legitimate, seems to miss the shade of meaning intended by the change from the imperative ‘hear.’ From petition the Psalmist passes at once to the language of confident anticipation, such as we find in Psalm 16:10 f.

1–6. Prayer for preservation from malicious enemies, who are plotting against the Psalmist with subtle treachery and resolute determination.

Pulpit Commentary

Verse 1. - Hear my voice, O God, in my prayer; rather, in my complaint (Cheyne, Revised Version); see Psalm 55:2. Preserve my life from fear of the enemy. David already feels that it is not his deposition only, but his life, that is sought (comp. 2 Samuel 15:14; 2 Samuel 17:2). Psalm 64:1

Keil and Delitzsch Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament

The Psalm opens with an octostich, and closes in the same way. The infinitive noun שׂיח signifies a complaint, expressed not by the tones of pain, but in words. The rendering of the lxx (here and in Psalm 55:3) is too general, ἐν τῷ θέεσθαί με. The "terror" of the enemy is that proceeding from him (gen. obj. as in Deuteronomy 2:15, and frequently). The generic singular אויב is at once particularized in a more detailed description with the use of the plural. סוד is a club or clique; רגשׁה (Targumic equals המון, e.g., Ezekiel 30:10) a noisy crowd. The perfects after אשׁר affirm that which they now do as they have before done; cf. Psalm 140:4 and Psalm 58:8, where, as in this passage, the treading or bending of the bow is transferred to the arrow. דּבר מר is the interpretation added to the figure, as in Psalm 144:7. That which is bitter is called מר, root מר, stringere, from the harsh astringent taste; here it is used tropically of speech that wounds and inflicts pain (after the manner of an arrow or a stiletto), πικροὶ λόγοι. With the Kal לירות (Psalm 11:2) alternates the Hiph. ירהוּ. With פּתאם the description takes a new start. ולא ייראוּ, forming an assonance with the preceding word, means that they do it without any fear whatever, and therefore also without fear of God (Psalm 55:20; Psalm 25:18).