Psalm 7:10

My defence is of God, which saveth the upright in heart.

EXPOSITORY (ENGLISH BIBLE)

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(10) My defence.—Literally, as in margin, my shield is upon God. (Comp. Psalm 62:7, “In God is my salvation,” where the Hebrew is as here, “God is my shield-bearer.”) Another explanation appears in Milton’s translation—

“On God is cast

My defence, and in Him lies,

In Him who both just and wise,

Saves the upright at heart at last.”

Benson Commentary

Psalm 7:10-11. My defence is of God — Hebrew, מגני על אלהים, maginni gnal Elohim, my shield is upon God. He, as it were, carries my shield before me: see 1 Samuel 17:7. He does and will protect me against all mine enemies. Which saveth the upright in heart — And therefore will save me whom he knows to be sincere and upright in my conduct toward him and toward Saul. God judgeth the righteous — That is, defendeth, or avengeth, or delivereth, as this word is often used. To judge is properly to give sentence; which, because it may be done either by absolving and acquitting from punishment, or by condemning and giving up to punishment, therefore, it is sometimes used for the one and sometimes for the other, as the circumstances of the place determine. God is angry with the wicked every day — Even then when his providence seems to favour them, and they are most secure and confident.

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

7:10-17 David is confident that he shall find God his powerful Saviour. The destruction of sinners may be prevented by their conversion; for it is threatened, If he turn not from his evil way, let him expect it will be his ruin. But amidst the threatenings of wrath, we have a gracious offer of mercy. God gives sinners warning of their danger, and space to repent, and prevent it. He is slow to punish, and long-suffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish. The sinner is described, ver. 14-16, as taking more pains to ruin his soul than, if directed aright, would save it. This is true, in a sense, of all sinners. Let us look to the Saviour under all our trials. Blessed Lord, give us grace to look to thee in the path of tribulation, going before thy church and people, and marking the way by thine own spotless example. Under all the persecutions which in our lesser trials mark our way, let the looking to Jesus animate our minds and comfort our hearts.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

My defense is of God - The meaning here is, that God was his protector, and that in his troubles he confided in him. The original word here, as in Psalm 3:3, note; Psalm 5:12, note; is "shield." See the notes at thoses verses.

Which saveth the upright in heart - whom he that searches the heart Psalm 7:9 sees to be upright; or to be sincere, truthful, just. The writer says that it is a characteristic of God that he saves or protects all such; and, conscious of his innocence of the charges against himself, he here appeals to him on that ground, and confides in his protection because he sees that in this respect he was blameless.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

10. defence—literally, "shield" (Ps 5:12).

The Treasury of David

10 My defence is of God, which saveth the upright in heart.

11 God judgeth the righteous, and God is angry with the wicked every day.

12 If he turn not, he will whet his sword; he hath bent his bow, and made it ready.

13 He hath also prepared for him the instruments of death; he ordaineth his arrows against the persecutors.

The judge has heard the cause, has cleared the guiltless, and uttered his voice against the persecutors. Let us draw near, and learn the results of the great assize. Yonder is the slandered one with his harp in hand, hymning the justice of his Lord, and rejoicing aloud in his own deliverance. "My defence is of God, which sayeth the upright heart." Oh, how good to have a true and upright heart. Crooked sinners, with all their craftiness, are foiled by the upright in heart. God defends the right. Filth will not long abide on the pure white garments of the saints, but shall be brushed off by divine providence, to the vexation of the men by whose base hands it was thrown upon the godly. When God shall try our cause, our sun has risen, and the sun of the wicked is set for ever. Truth, like oil, is ever above, no power of our enemies can drown it; we shall refute their slanders in the day when the trumpet wakes the dead, and we shall shine in honour when lying lips are put to silence. O believer, fear not all that thy foes can do or say against thee, for the tree which God plants no winds can hurt. "God judgeth the righteous," he hath not given thee up to be condemned by the lips of persecutors. Thine enemies cannot sit on God's throne, nor blot thy name out of his book. Let them alone, then, for God will find time for his revenges.

"God is angry with the wicked every day." He not only detests sin, but is angry with those who continue to indulge in it. We have no insensible and stolid God to deal with; he can be angry, nay, he is angry today and every day with you, ye ungodly and impenitent sinners. The best day that ever dawns on a sinner brings a curse with it. Sinners may have many feast days, but no safe days. From the beginning of the year even to its ending, there is not an hour in which God's oven is not hot, and burning in readiness for the wicked, who shall be as stubble.

"If he turn not, he will whet his sword." What blows are those which will be dealt by that long uplifted arm! God's sword has been sharpening upon the revolving stone of our daily wickedness, and if we will not repent, it will speedily cut us in pieces. Turn or burn is the sinner's only alternative. "He hath bent his bow and made it ready." Even now the thirsty arrow longs to wet itself with the blood of the persecutor. The bow is bent, the aim is taken, the arrow is fitted to the string, and what, O sinner, if the arrow should be let fly at thee even now! Remember, God's arrows never miss the mark, and are, every one of them, "instruments of death." Judgment may tarry, but it will not come too late. The Greek proverb saith, "The mill of God grinds late, but grinds to powder."

Matthew Poole's Commentary

My defence is of God, Heb. My shield is upon God; he doth as it were carry my shield before me. See 1 Samuel 17:7. He doth and will protect me against all mine enemies.

Which saveth the upright in heart; and therefore me, whom he knoweth to be sincere and honest in my carriage toward him and toward Saul.

Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

My defence is of God,.... Or "my shield is in" or "of God" (e); God was his shield, his protector and defender; see Psalm 3:3; or "my shield is with God"; that is, Christ, who was the shield his faith made use of against every spiritual enemy, was with God; he was with him as the Word and Son of God from all eternity, and as the living Redeemer of his people before his incarnation; and he is now with him as their intercessor and advocate, who pleads in defence of them, and opposes himself, his blood and righteousness, to all the charges and accusations of Satan;

which saveth the upright in heart: who have the truth of grace in them, wisdom in the hidden part; who are sincere in their affections, purposes, and designs, in their faith, hope, and love; and act from real principles of truth and love, in the integrity of their souls; for these light and gladness are sown, to them grace and glory are given, and no good thing is withheld from them; they are saved by God from sin, Satan, the world, death, and hell, and every enemy, with a spiritual and everlasting salvation.

(e) "in Deo", Musculus, Tigurine version, Junius & Tremellius, Muis, Ainsworth; "apud Deum", Lutherus, Piscator, Gejerus, Cocceius, Michaelis.

Geneva Study Bible

My defence is of God, which saveth the upright in heart.

EXEGETICAL (ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)

Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

10. My defence is of God] R.V., my shield is with God. Lit. my shield is upon God; it rests with God to defend me. Cp. Psalm 62:7.

Pulpit Commentary

Verse 10. - My defense is of God; literally, my shield is on God; i.e. "rests on him" (Kay) - is upheld by him. Which sayeth the upright in heart (comp. Psalm 125:4). Psalm 7:10

Keil and Delitzsch Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament

(Heb.: 7:10-11) In this strophe we hear the calm language of courageous trust, to which the rising and calmly subsiding caesural schema is particularly adapted. He is now concerned about the cessation of evil: Oh let it come to an end (גּמר intransitive as in Psalm 12:2; Psalm 77:9).... His prayer is therefore not directed against the individuals as such but against the wickedness that is in them. This Psalm is the key to all Psalms which contain prayers against one's enemies. Just in the same manner וּתכונן is intended to express a wish; it is one of the comparatively rare voluntatives of the 2 pers. (Ew. 229): and mayst Thou be pleased to establish.... To the termination of evil which is desired corresponds, in a positive form of expression, the desired security and establishment of the righteous, whom it had injured and whose continuance was endangered by it. וּבחן is the beginning of a circumstantial clause, introduced by ו, but without the personal pronoun, which is not unfrequently omitted both in the leading participial clause, as in Isaiah 29:8 (which see), and in the minor participial clause as here (cf. Psalm 55:20): cum sis equals quoniam es. The reins are the seat of the emotions, just as the heart is the seat of the thoughts and feelings. Reins and heart lie naked before God-a description of the only kardiognoo'stees, which is repeated in Jeremiah 11:20; Jeremiah 20:12, Revelation 2:23. In the thesis the adjective is used with אלהים in the sing. as in Psalm 78:56, cf. Psalm 58:12. God is the righteous God, and by his knowledge of the inmost part He is fully capable of always showing Himself both righteous in anger and righteous in mercy according to the requirements and necessity of the case. Therefore David can courageously add על־אלהים מגנּי, my shield doth God carry; ל Psalm 89:19) would signify: He has it, it (my shield) belongs to Him, על (1 Chronicles 18:7) signifies: He bears it, or if one takes shield in the sense of protection: He has taken my protection upon Himself, has undertaken it (as in Psalm 62:8, cf. Judges 19:20), as He is in general the Saviour of all who are devoted to Him with an upright heart, i.e., a heart sincere, guileless (cf. Psalm 32:1 with Psalm 7:2). צדּים is intentionally repeated at the end of the first two lines - the favourite palindrome, found more especially in Isaiah 40:1. And to the mixed character of this Psalm belongs the fact of its being both Elohimic and Jehovic. From the calm language of heartfelt trust in God the next strophe passes over into the language of earnest warning, which is again more excited and somewhat after the style of didactic poetry.