Online Bible 1995 March/ROM-1025.iso/olb/gill/4_200.lzh/4_293.TXT

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and freed from the restraints of divine Providence; see
Isa. xxxvii. 29. Lest they exalt themselves. Selah.
Grow proud, haughty, and insolent to God and man;
see Dent. xxxii. 27. Or, let them not be exalted {};
upon the ruin of me and my friends.
Ver. 9. As for the head of those that compass me
about, &c.3 Meaning either their natural head, put
for their whole persons; and the sense is, let the mis-
chief they have contrived for othera fall upon them-
selves; see Ezek. ix. 10. Psai. vii. 16. or some principal
person, the head and leader of them, as the word is
sometimes used, Isa. ix. 14, 15. and vii. 8. and designs
either Saul, who at the head of three thousand men
surrounded the hill where David and his men were;
or Doeg the Edomite, who was over the servants of
Saul, and accused David to him; so Kimchi: or Ahi-
thophel, who was at the head of the conspirators against
him; so the Targum paraphrases it, "Ahithophel, the
"head of the sanhedrim of the disciples of wickedness."
If we understand this clause of Christ, the antitype of
David, it may design Judas; who was the guide to
them that sought Jesus, and, at the head of a band of
men, enclosed and took him: or if of the church and
people of God, the man of sin may be intended, the
pope of Rome; the head over many countries, the anti-
christian nations, Psal. cx. 6. The word is used of the
gall and poison of asps, Job xx. 14. and if so taken here,
as Arama interprets it, it will make the sense agree
with ver. & and may be read in connexion with the
following clause, thus: let the poison of those that com-
pass me about, even the mischief of their lips, cover them°;
or the labour of theme: let the lies and calumnies
they have so industriously spread, and took so much
pains to propagate to the hurt of others, like deadly
poison, cover them with shame and confusion; and the
mischief they have boasted of, and gave out that they
would do, let it come upon them on all sides, and
utterly ruin and destroy them.
Vet. 10. Let burning coals fall upon them, &c.]
From heaven, as the Targum, Aben Ezra, and Kimchi,
by way of explanation; alluding to the burning of Sodore
and Gomorrah with fire from thence: and may design
both the terrible judgments of God in this life, and
everlasting burnlugs in hell; so Jarchi interprets it of
the coals of hell; see Paul. xi. 6. and xviii. 8, 1°-, 13.
and cxx. 3, 4. Let them be cast into the fire ; into the
fire of divine wrath, and have severe punishment
inflicted on them in this world; and into the fire of
hell hereafter, as the Targum, which is unquenchable
and everlasting; and into which all wicked men, carnal
professors, the followers of antichrist, the devil and his
angels, will be cast: of the phrase of casting into hell,
see Matt. v. 29, 30. Mark ix. 45, 47. Into deep pits,
that they rise not up again; meaning either the grave,
the pit of corruption; from whence the wicked will
not rise to eternal life, as the Targum adds, for though
they will rise again, it will be to everlasting shame and
damnation, Dan. xii. o.. John v. 28, 29. or else the pit
of hell, the bottomless pit, from whence there will be
no deliverance; where they must lie till the uttermost
farthing is paid, and that will be for ever. Arama
refers this to Korah, who was burnt and swallowed up, ·
and rose not again in Israel.
Vet. 11. Let not an evil speaker be established in the
earth, &c.] One that sets his tnouth against tile l:ea-
yeas, and speaks evil cf God; of his being, perfections,
purposes, and providenets: whose tongue walks th rough
the earth, and speaks evil of all men, even of dignities;
and especially of the sahns of the most High, and of
the Gospel and ways of Christ. Or, a maiz of tongue {q};
that uses his tongue in an ill way, in detractions and
slanders {r}; in blaspheming God, his name and taber-
nacle, and those that dwell therein, as antichrist, Rev.
xiii. 5. a man that calumniates with a triple tongue, so.
the Targum; like a serpent, whose tongue seems to be
so sometimes. Kimchi applies this to Doeg, and Jarchi
to Esau. The request is, that such an one might not
be established in the earth; in the land of the living,
as the Targum; might not increase and flourish in
worldly substance, or be continued in his posterity;
but be rooted out of the earth, and he and Iris be no
more; see Paul. iii. 4, 5. Evil shall hunt the violent
man to overthrow him; or to impulsions {}: to drive him
from evil to evil, as Kimchi. The sense is, that the
evil of punishment shall hunt him, as a beast of prey is
hunted; it shall closely pursue him and overtake him,
and seize on him, and thrust him down to utter ruin
and destruction. The Targum is, "the injurious
"wicked man, let the angel of death hunt, and drive
"into hell." Of the violent man, see ver. 1, 4. he who
purposed to overthrow David, he was persuaded would
be overthrown himself. This clause teaches us how to
understand the rest; for though they are delivered out
as wishes and imprecations, yet are prophetic, and
are strongly expressive of the certainty of the things
imprecated.
Ver. 12. I know, &c.] Here is a double reading:
the Keri, ormarginal reading, is, thou knoweat; an
appeal of the psalmist to God, who knew the thoughts
of the wicked concerning him, and their devices
against him; as Kimchi: but the Scripture reading is,
I know; express:,ng his full persuasion and assurance
that the Lord will maintain the cause of the afflicted,
and the right of the poor; of his poor and afflicted
people, that are afflicted within and without, by men
and devils; and who are poor as to the things of this
world, and poor in spirit, and sensible of their spiritual
poverty, but rich in grace: the cause of these God will
maintain against their oppressors, and right their
wrongs, and avenge their injuries; this the psalmist
knew, and was assured of from the word of God, from
instances a.nd examples in former times, and from
Iris own experience, Psal. ix. 4.
Ver. t3. Surely the righteous shall give thanks unto
thy name, &c.] The same with the poor and the
afflicted; who, though traduced by men, and evil-
spoken of and ill-used by them, are righteous in the
sight of God; being justified by the righteousness of
Christ, which is imputed to them, and received by
faith, in consequence of which they live soberly and

{n} \^wmwry\^ ne exaltentur, Vatablus, Gejerus.
{o} So Junius & Tremellius, Piscator.
{p} \^wmytpv lme\^ labor labiorum eorum, Montanus, Gejerus, Michaelis.
{q} \^Nwvl vya\^ vir linguae, Pagninus, Montanus, Cocceius, Gejerus,
Michaelis.
{r} So the word tongue is used in Cicero, Si linguas minus facila
possimus, epist. l. 9. 2.
{s} \^tphdml\^ ad impulsiones, Montanus.