Psalm 17 commentary

PSALM 17 COMME TARY
EDITED BY GLE PEASE
A prayer of David.
1 Hear me, Lord, my plea is just;
LISTE to my cry.
Hear my prayer,
it does not rise from deceitful lips.
BAR ES, "Hear the right - Margin, as in Hebrew, “justice.” The prayer is, that God
would regard that which was “right” in the case, or that he would vindicate the psalmist
from that which was wrong. It is the expression of his confident assurance even in the
presence of God that his cause was right, and that he was asking only that which it would
be consistent for a “just” God to do. We can offer an acceptable prayer only when we are
sure that it would be right for God to answer it, or that it would be consistent with
perfect and eternal justice to grant our requests. It is to be observed here, however, that
the ground of the petition of the psalmist is not that “he” was righteous, that is, he did
not base his petition on the ground of his own merits, but that his “cause” was righteous;
that he was unjustly oppressed and persecuted by his enemies. We cannot ask God to
interpose in our behalf because we have a claim to his favor on the ground of our own
merit; we may ask him to interpose because wrong is done, and his glory will be
promoted in securing that which is just and right.
Attend unto my cry - The word used here - ‫רנה‬ rinnâh - means either a shout of joy,
Psa_30:5; Psa_42:4; Psa_47:1; or a mournful cry, outcry, wailing, Psa_61:1; et soepe. It
is expressive, in either case, of deep feeling which vents itself in an audible manner. Here
it denotes the earnest “utterance” of prayer.
Give ear unto my prayer - See the notes at Psa_5:1.
That goeth not out of feigned lips - Margin, as in Hebrew, “without lips of deceit.”
That is, that is sincere, or that proceeds from the heart. The utterance of the lips does
not misrepresent the feelings of the heart. True prayer is that in which the lips “do”
represent the real feelings of the soul. In hypocritical prayer the one is no proper
representation of the other. It is evident that the prayer here was not mere mental
prayer, or a mere desire of the heart. It was uttered prayer, or oral prayer; and, though
private, it was in the form of uttered words. The feeling was so great that it was
expressed in an audible cry to God. Deep emotion usually finds vent in such audible and
fervent expressions. Compare the Saviour’s earnest prayer in the garden of Gethsemane,
Luk_22:41 ff.

CLARKE, "Hear the right - Attend to the justice of my cause, ‫צדק‬ ‫יהוה‬ Yehovah
tsedek, righteous Jehovah. “O righteous Jehovah, attend unto my cry.”
Goeth not out of feigned lips - My supplication is sincere: and the desire of my
heart accompanies the words of my lips.
GILL, "Hear the right, O Lord,.... The psalmist appeals to the Lord as a Judge,
sitting on the throne judging right, that he would hear his cause litigated between him
and his adversaries, determine and give the decisive sentence about it; so Christ
committed himself to him that judgeth righteously, 1Pe_2:23; for by "right" may be
meant his right and cause, or his righteous cause, as in Psa_9:4; unless rather his
righteous prayer should be intended, so the Targum paraphrases it, "my prayer in
righteousness"; not presented for the sake of his own righteousness, but on account of
the righteousness of Christ, and for the vindication of his righteous cause before men:
the Vulgate Latin, Ethiopic, and Arabic versions, render it "my righteousness", meaning
his righteous cause; but rather the word may be rendered "righteousness" (z), or the
"righteous one", and may design the psalmist himself, who was a righteous person, and
such the Lord hears; or Christ, whose name is the Lord our righteousness, Jer_23:6; and
who, as an advocate or intercessor for himself and for his people, is Jesus Christ the
righteous, 1Jo_2:1. The Septuagint version takes it to be an epithet of the Lord himself,
translating it, "O Lord of my righteousness", as in Psa_4:1; and so the Syriac version,
"hear, O holy Lord"; and in this manner does Christ address his father in prayer, Joh_
17:11; and the consideration of the holiness and righteousness of God is of use in prayer
to glorify God, and to command a proper awe and reverence of him;
attend unto my cry; the word for "cry" signifies both a noise made in a way of joy and
grief; wherefore the Chaldee paraphrase renders it, "attend to my praise", or hymn of
praise, and which arises from sorrow and distress; and intends not mental prayer
attended with groanings which cannot be uttered, but vocal prayer expressed in a loud
and mournful manner, signifying the distress the person is in, and his earnestness and
importunacy for help; and of this sort were some of Christ's prayers; see Heb_5:7;
give ear unto my prayer, that goeth not out of feigned lips; hypocritical and
deceitful ones; but this went forth from his heart, which was lifted up with his hands to
God, to whom he drew nigh with a true heart, and called upon him in the sincerity and
uprightness of his soul; and of this sort were all Christ's prayers, in whose mouth there is
no guile: the various expressions, "hear, attend, give ear", which signify the same thing,
show the distress the supplicant was in, the fervency of his prayer, and his vehement and
earnest desire to be heard and answered immediately; and since the accent "athnach" is
upon the word ‫,תפלתי‬ "my prayer", this last clause is not to be joined only to that, but
refers to all that is said before; as that his "right" and his "cry", as well as his prayer,
were unfeigned.
HE RY, "This psalm is a prayer. As there is a time to weep and a time to rejoice, so
there is a time for praise and a time for prayer. David was now persecuted, probably by

Saul, who hunted him like a partridge on the mountains; without were fightings, within
were fears, and both urged him as a suppliant to the throne of mercy. He addresses
himself to God in these verses both by way of appeal (Hear the right, O Lord! let my
righteous cause have a hearing before thy tribunal, and give judgment upon it) and by
way of petition (Give ear unto my prayer Psa_17:1, and again Psa_17:6, Incline thy ear
unto me and hear my speech); not that God needs to be thus pressed with our
importunity, but he gives us leave thus to express our earnest desire of his gracious
answers to our prayers. These things he pleads with God for audience, 1. That he was
sincere, and did not dissemble with God in his prayer: It goeth not out of feigned lips.
He meant as he spoke, and the feelings of his mind agreed with the expressions of his
mouth. Feigned prayers are fruitless; but, if our hearts lead our prayers, God will meet
them with his favour. 2. That he had been used to pray at other times, and it was not his
distress and danger that now first brought him to his duty: “I have called upon thee
formerly (Psa_17:6); therefore, Lord, hear me now.” It will be a great comfort to us if
trouble, when it comes, find the wheels of prayer a-going, for then we may come with the
more boldness to the throne of grace. Tradesmen are willing to oblige those that have
been long their customers. 3. That he was encouraged by his faith to expect God would
take notice of his prayers: “I know thou wilt hear me, and therefore, O God, incline thy
ear to me.” Our believing dependence upon God is a good plea to enforce our desires
towards him.
JAMISO ,"Psa_17:1-15. This Psalm is termed a prayer because the language of
petition is predominant. With a just cause, sincerely presented, the writer prays for a
just decision and help and protection. Pleading former mercies as a ground of hope, he
urges his prayer in view of the malice, pride, rapacity, and selfishness of his foes, whose
character is contrasted with his pious devotion and delight in God’s favor.
CALVI , "1.Hear my righteousness, O Jehovah. The Psalmist BEGI S the psalm
by setting forth the goodness of his cause. He does this because God has promised
that he will not suffer the innocent to be oppressed, but will always, at length, succor
them. Some explain the word righteousness as denoting righteous prayer, an
interpretation which appears to me unsatisfactory. The meaning rather is, that
David, confiding in his own integrity, interposes God as a Judge between himself
and his enemies, to cognosce or determine in his cause. We have ALREADYseen, in
a preceding psalm, that when we have to deal with wicked men, we may
warrantably protest our innocence before God. As, however, it would not be enough
for the faithful to have the approving testimony of a good conscience, David adds to
his protestation earnest prayer. Even irreligious persons may often be able justly to
boast of having a good cause; but as they do not acknowledge that the world is
governed by the providence of God, they content themselves with enjoying the
approbation of their own conscience, as they speak, and, gnawing the bit, bear the
injuries which are done to them rather obstinately than steadfastly, seeing they do
not seek for any consolation in faith and prayer. But the faithful not only depend
upon the goodness of their cause, they also commit it to God that he may defend and
maintain it; and whenever any adversity befalls them, they betake themselves to him
for help. This, therefore, is the meaning of the passage; it is a prayer that God, who
knew David to have done justly, and to have performed his duty without giving

occasion to any to blame him, (339) and, therefore, to be unrighteously molested by
his enemies, would graciously look upon him; and that he would do this especially,
since, confiding in his aid, he entertained good hope, and, at the same time, prays to
him with a sincere heart. By the words cry and prayer he means the same thing; but
the word cry, and the repetition of what it denotes, by a different expression, serve
to show his vehement, his intense earnestness of soul. Farther, as hypocrites talk
loftily in commendation of themselves, and to show to others a token of the great
confidence which they have in God, give utterance to loud cries, David protests
concerning himself that he does not speak deceitfully; in other words, that he does
not make use of his crying and prayer as a pretext for covering his sins, but comes
into the presence of God with sincerity of heart. By this form of prayer the Holy
Spirit teaches us, that we ought diligently to endeavor to live an upright and
innocent life, so that, if there are any who give us trouble, we may be able to boast
that we are blamed and persecuted wrongfully. (340) Again, whenever the wicked
assault us, the same Spirit calls upon us to engage in prayer; and if any man,
trusting to the testimony of a good conscience which he enjoys, neglects the exercise
of prayer, he defrauds God of the honor which belongs to him, in not referring his
cause to him, and in not leaving him to judge and determine in it. Let us learn, also,
that when we present ourselves before God in prayer, it is not to be done with the
ornaments of an artificial eloquence, for the finest rhetoric and the best grace which
we can have before him consists in pure simplicity.
SPURGEO , " TITLE A D SUBJECT.--_A Prayer of David_. David would not
have been a man after God's own heart, if he had not been a man
of prayer. He was a master in the sacred art of supplication. He
flies to prayer in all times of need, as a pilot speeds to the
harbour in the stress of tempest. So frequent were David's
prayers that they could not all be dated and entitled; and hence
this simply bears the author's name, and nothing more. The smell
of the furnace is upon the present Psalm, but there is evidence
in the last verse that he who wrote it came unharmed out of the
flame. We have in the present plaintive song, A APPEAL TO HEAVE
from the persecutions of earth. A spiritual eye may see Jesus
here.
DIVISIO S.--There are no very clear lines of demarcation
between the parts; but we prefer the divisions adopted by that
precious old commentator, David Dickson. In verses #1-4|, David
craves justice in the controversy between him and his oppressors.
In verses #5,6|, he requests of the Lord grace to act rightly
while under the trial. From verse #7-12|, he seeks protection
from his foes, whom he graphically describes; and in verses
#13,14|, pleads that they may be disappointed; closing the whole
in the most comfortable confidence that all would certainly be
well with himself at the last.
EXPOSITIO .

"_Hear the right, O Lord_." He that has the worst cause
makes the most noise; hence the oppressed soul is apprehensive
that its voice may be drowned, and therefore pleads in this one
verse for a hearing no less than three times. The troubled heart
craves for the ear of the great Judge, persuaded that with him to
hear is to redress. If our God could not or would not hear us,
our state would be deplorable indeed; and yet some professors set
such small store by the mercy-seat, that God does not hear them
for the simple reason that they neglect to plead. As well have no
house if we persist like gipsies in living in the lanes and
commons; as well have no mercy-seat as be always defending our
own cause and never going to God. There is more fear that _we_
will not hear the Lord than that the Lord will not hear us.
"_Hear the right_;" it is well if our case is good in itself and
can be urged as a right one, for right shall never be wronged by
our righteous Judge; but if our suit be marred by our
infirmities, it is a great privilege that we may make mention of
the righteousness of our Lord Jesus, which is ever prevalent on
high. _Right_ has a voice which Jehovah always hears; and if my
wrongs clamour against me with great force and fury, I will pray
the Lord to hear that still louder and mightier voice of the
right, and the rights of his dear Son. "Hear, O God, the just
One;" i.e., "hear the Messiah," is a rendering adopted by Jerome,
and admired by Bishop Horsley, whether correct or not as a
translation, it is proper enough as a plea. Let the reader plead
it at the throne of the righteous God, even when all other
arguments are unavailing.
"_Attend unto my cry_." This shows the vehemence and
earnestness of the petitioner; he is no mere talker, he weeps and
laments. Who can resist a cry? A real hearty, bitter, piteous
cry, might almost melt a rock, there can be no fear of its
prevalence with our heavenly Father. A cry is our earliest
utterance, and in many ways the most natural of human sounds; if
our prayer should like the infant's cry be more natural than
intelligent, and more earnest than elegant, it will be none the
less eloquent with God. There is a mighty power in a child's cry
to prevail with a parent's heart. "_Give ear unto my prayer_."
Some repetitions are not vain. The reduplication here used is
neither superstition nor tautology, but is like the repeated blow
of a hammer hitting the same nail on the head to fix it the more
effectually, or the continued knocking of a beggar at the gate
who cannot be denied an alms. "_That goeth not out of feigned
lips_." Sincerity is a _sine qua non_ in prayer. Lips of deceit
are detestable to man and much more to God. In intercourse so
hallowed as that of prayer, hypocrisy even in the remotest degree

is as fatal as it is foolish. Hypocritical piety is double
iniquity. He who would feign and flatter had better try his craft
with a fool like himself, for to deceive the all-seeing One is as
impossible as to take the moon in a net, or to lead the sun into
a snare. He who would deceive God is himself already most grossly
deceived. Our sincerity in prayer has no merit in it, any more
than the earnestness of a mendicant in the street; but at the
same time the Lord has regard to it, through Jesus, and will not
long refuse his ear to an honest and fervent petitioner.
EXPLA ATORY OTES A D QUAI T SAYI GS.
Title.--"_A prayer of David_." Since many of the Psalms
consist of _prayers_, the question may be asked why such an
inscription more especially belongs to this. But though the
others contain divers prayers mixed with other matters, this is a
supplication through its whole course.--_The Venerable Bede_,
672-735.
Verse 1.--"_Hear ... attend ... give ear_." This petition
repeated thrice, indicates a great power of feeling and many
tears; because the craft of the ungodly, in truth, grieves and
afflicts the spiritual man more than their power and violence,
for we can get a knowledge of open force and violence, and, when
we see the danger, can in some way guard against it.--^Martin
Luther.
Verse 1.--"_That goeth not out of feigned lips_."--There
are such things as "_feigned lips_;" a contradiction between the
heart and the tongue, a clamour in the voice and scoffing in the
soul, a crying to God, "Thou art my father, the guide of my
youth;" and yet speaking and doing evil to the utmost of our
power (#Jer 3:4,5|), as if God could be imposed upon by fawning
pretences, and, like old Isaac, take Jacob for Esau, and be
cozened by the smell of his garments; as if he could not discern
the dark heart under an angel's garb. ... This is an unworthy
conceit of God, to fancy that we can satisfy for inward sins, and
avert approaching judgments by external offerings, by a loud
voice, with a false heart, as if God (like children), would be
pleased with the glittering of an empty shell, or the rattling of
stones, the chinking of money, a mere voice, and crying without
inward frames and intentions of service.--^Stephen Charnock.
Verse 1.--"_ ot out of feigned lips_." It is observable,
that the eagle soareth on high, little intending to fly to
heaven, but to gain her prey; and so it is that many do carry a
great deal of seeming devotion in lifting up their eyes towards

heaven; but they do it only to accomplish with more ease, safety,
and applause their wicked and damnable designs here on earth;
such as without are Catos, within eros; hear them, no man
better; search and try them, no man worse; they have Jacob's
voice, but Esau's hands; they profess like saints, but practise
little Satans; they have their long prayers, but short prayings;
they are like apothecaries' gallipots--having without the title
of some excellent preservative, but within they are full of
deadly poison; counterfeit holiness is their cloak for all manner
of villanies, and the midwife to bring forth all their devilish
designs.--^Peter Bales, in Spencer's "Things ew and Old."
Verse 1.--"_ ot out of feigned lips_." ot only a
righteous cause, but a righteous prayer are urged as motives why
God should hear. Calvin remarks on the importance of joining
prayer to the testimony of a good conscience, lest we defraud God
of his honour by not committing all judgment to him.--^J. J.
Stewart Perowne.
Verse 1.--Though thy prayers be never so well framed in
regard of words, and reverently performed as to thy external
gestures; yet all is nothing, _if thy heart be not in the duty_.
For prayer is not a work of the head, or hand, or eyes only, but
chiefly a work of the heart, and therefore called in Scripture,
the "pouring out of the soul" (#1Sa 1:15|); and the "pouring out
of the heart." #Ps 67:8|. And, indeed, the very soul of prayer
lieth in the pouring out of the soul before the Lord. Whensoever,
therefore, thou drawest near unto God in prayer, let it be with
thine heart and soul, otherwise thou canst have no assurance of
audience, and acceptance; for as Cyprian speaketh, _Quomodo te
audiri a Deo postulas_, etc. How canst thou expect the Lord
should hear thee, when thou hearest not thyself? or that he
should regard thy prayers, when thou regardest not what thou
prayest? Certainly that prayer reacheth not the heart of God,
which reacheth not our own.--^Thomas Gouge, 1605-1681.
HI TS TO PREACHERS.
Verse 1.--The voice of Jesus--our Righteousness, and our
own voice. Work out the thought of both coming up to the ear of
heaven, noting the qualities of our prayer as indicated by the
psalmist's language, such as earnestness, perseverance,
sincerity, etc.
BIBLICAL ILLUSTRATOR, "Hear the right, O Lord, attend unto my cry,. . .that

goeth not out of feigned lips.
Conscious sincerity
The Psalmist is quite sure that he himself is sincere. The verses which follow seem to be
a kind of anticipation of the Pharisee’s self-satisfied prayer; but they are nothing of the
kind. The reference is not to sinlessness, but to sincerity. The Psalmist does not say, I am
a pure man, without a stain upon the heart or hand. He says, I am a sincere man, the
general purpose I have had in view is a purpose marked by honesty. He does not
represent himself as pure snow in the face of heaven, but as a man whose supreme
motive has been a motive of honesty and general truthfulness. Sincerity can appeal to
the right. We draw our prayer out of our own character. This suppliant is so sure of his
own honesty that he says, Let the whole case be settled honestly. At other times, when he
knows there is not a clean spot upon his whole constitution—one sound healthy spot—he
falls right down before God and weeps out his soul ill penitence . . . We should be sure of
our motive before we invoke the doing of right. It is better for us to invoke the exercise of
mercy. Most men will get more from pity than they ever can get from righteousness.
(Joseph Parker, D. D.)
Prayer out of feigned lips
It is observable that the eagle soareth on high, little intending to fly to heaven, but to
gain her prey; and so it is that many do carry a great deal of seeming devotion in lifting
up their eyes towards heaven; but they do it only to accomplish with more ease, safety,
and applause their wicked designs here on earth; such as without are Catos, within
Neros; hear them, no man better; search and try them, no man worse; they have Jacob’s
voice, but Esau’s hands; they profess like saints, but practise like Satans; they have their
long prayers, but short prayings; they are like apothecaries gallipots—having without the
title of some excellent preservative, but within they are full of deadly poison; counterfeit
holiness is their cloak for all manner of villanies, and the midwife to bring forth all their
devilish designs. (Peter Bales.)
Justice, mercy, and perfection
I. A cry for justice (Psa_17:1-7). Things in the mind of David.
1. A sense of truthfulness. He was conscious that there was no discrepancy between
his speech and his spirit. The man, unless he feels that he is sincere, will never dare
to appeal to heaven for justice. Virtuous sincerity requires that there should be not
only an exact correspondence between the speech and spirit, but also between the
spirit and eternal realities.
2. A desire for the Divine verdict. “Let my sentence come forth from Thy presence.”
The human soul everywhere holds that there is justice at the head of the universe,
and that it will sooner or later vindicate the right.
3. A consciousness of a Divine searching. “Thou hast proved mine heart.” A man may
be deeply conscious of his imperfection before God, analyst conscious of his
innocence of the charges brought against him by man.
4. A determination to be blameless in his speech. “I am purposed that my mouth
shall not transgress.” What he means is, I will utter nothing wrong concerning mine

enemies, nothing that can justify their harsh and cruel conduct.
5. An assurance of Divine protection. He was protected from ruin. Protected by God.
And protected in connection with his own agency. God’s agency in connection with
man’s deliverance neither supersedes the necessity nor interferes with the freedom
of human effort.
6. A dread of falling from rectitude. “Hold up my goings in Thy paths”. This means—
I am right as far as mine enemies are concerned at present. I am conscious of no
wrong. I am anxious to retain my blamelessness. To retain my blamelessness I need
Divine help.
7. A confidence that God will attend to his prayer. The meaning is—I have invoked
Thee heretofore, and do so still, because I know that Thou wilt hear.
II. Here is a cry for mercy. “Show Thy marvellous loving kindness.” A prayer for
protection from enemies. Note the character in which he appeals to God for protection.
He appeals to Him as a mighty Saviour. The manner in which he desired protection. The
enemies from whom he sought protection. The cry for mercy is as deep and universal as
that for justice.
III. Here is a cry for perfection. Three facts deduce from the words.
1. That the death of a good man is an awaking from sleep. There is much spiritual
torpor and spiritual dreaming even in the best.
2. In this awaking at death there will be the complete assimilation of the soul to God.
3. In this assimilation will consist the everlasting satisfaction of our nature. There is
no satisfaction without this. The spiritual powers will not work harmoniously under
the dominion of any other disposition. The conscience will frown upon any other
state of mind. The Great One will not bless with His friendship any other state of
mind in His creatures. Likeness to God is likeness to His controlling disposition. His
controlling disposition is disinterested love, and this is that well which springs up to
everlasting life. (Homilist.)
EBC, "THE investigations as to authorship and date yield the usual conflicting results.
Davidic, say one school; undoubtedly post-exilic, say another, without venturing on
closer definition; late in the Persian period, says Cheyne. Perhaps we may content
ourselves with the modest judgment of Baethgen in his last book ("Handcommentar,"
1892, p. 45): "The date of composition cannot be decided by internal indications." The
background is the familiar one of causeless foes round an innocent sufferer, who flings
himself into God’s arms for safety, and in prayer enters into peace and hope. He is, no
doubt, a representative of the Ecclesia pressa; but he is so just because his cry is
intensely personal. The experience of one is the type for all, and a poet’s prerogative is to
cast his most thoroughly individual emotions into words that fit the universal heart. The
psalm is called a "prayer," a title given to only four other psalms, none of which are in
the First Book. It has three movements, marked by the repetition of the name of God,
which does not appear elsewhere, except in the doubtful Psa_17:14. These three are Psa_
17:1-5, in which the cry for help is founded on a strong profession of innocence; Psa_
17:6-12, in which it is based on a vivid description of the enemies; and Psa_17:13-15, in
which it soars into the pure air of mystic devotion, and thence looks down on the
transient prosperity of the foe and upwards, in a rapture of hope, to the face of God.
The petition proper, in Psa_17:1-2, and its ground, are both strongly marked by

conscious innocence, and therefore sound strange to our ears, trained as we have been
by the New Testament to deeper insight into sin, This sufferer asks God to "hear
righteousness," i.e., his righteous cause. He pleads the bona fides of his prayer, the
fervour of which is marked by its designation as "my cry," the high-pitched note usually
the expression of joy, but here of sore need and strong desire. Boldly he asks for his
"sentence from Thy face," and the ground of, that petition is that "Thine eyes behold
rightly." Was there, then, no inner baseness that should have toned down such
confidence? Was this prayer not much the same as the Pharisee’s in Christ’s parable?
The answer is partly found in the considerations that the innocence professed is specially
in regard to the occasions of the psalmist’s present distress, and that the acquittal by
deliverance which he asks is God’s testimony that as to these he was slandered and clear.
But, further, the strong professions of heart cleanness and outward obedience which
follow are not so much denials of any sin as avowals of sincere devotion and honest
submission of life to God’s law. They are "the answer of a good conscience towards God,"
expressed, indeed, more absolutely than befits Christian consciousness, but having
noticing in common with Pharisaic self-complacency. The modern type of religion which
recoils from such professions, and contents itself with always confessing sins which it
has given up hope of overcoming, would be all the better for listening to the psalmist and
aiming a little more vigorously and hopefully at being able to say, "I know nothing
against myself." There is no danger in such a saying, if it be accompanied by "Yet am I
not hereby justified" and by "Who can understand his errors? Cleanse Thou me from
secret faults."
HAWKER 1-3, "As none but Jesus could ever make appeal in the justice of his cause, so
it is blessed to discover him in this sweet prayer. Reader, you and I may, in his
righteousness, look up to that God, who is and can be just, and the Justifier of every
poor sinner that believeth in Jesus. To the throne we may, and indeed we are
commanded to come, that the sentence of our justification in Jesus may come forth. God
hath found no iniquity in our glorious Surety; and, therefore, the sweetest, and
strongest, and best of all prayers are those which the poor believer in Jesus puts up,
when he tells God, that the life of Jesus was perfect, and his nature wholly free from taint
or shadow of sin. Precious Lamb of God! what unanswerable arguments may the souls of
thy redeemed find in this holiness of thine as our Surety! And what can a sinner tell
Jehovah, so pleasing to him, as when he follows up the gracious voice and proclamation
from heaven, in which the Father said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well
pleased; and saith, Lord! I am well pleased too in Jesus and his justifying righteousness,
and am now come for acceptance in the beloved!
E-SWORD, "“Hear the right, O Lord.” He that has the worst cause makes the most
noise; hence the oppressed soul is apprehensive that its voice may be drowned, and
therefore pleads in this one verse for a hearing no less than three times. The troubled
heart craves for the ear of the great Judge, persuaded that with him to hear is to redress
if our God could not or would not hear us, our state would be deplorable indeed; and yet
some professors set such small store by the mercy-seat, that God does not hear them for
the simple reason that they neglect to plead. As well have no house if we persist like
gypsies in living in the lanes and commons; as well have no mercy-seat as be always
defending our own cause and never going to God. There is more fear that we will not
hear the Lord than that the Lord will not hear us. “Hear the right;” it is well if our case is
good in itself and can be urged as a right one, for right shall never be wronged by our
righteous Judge; but if our suit be marred by our infirmities, it is a great privilege that

we may make mention of the righteousness of our Lord Jesus, which is ever prevalent on
high. Right has a voice which Jehovah always hears; and if my wrongs clamour against
me with great force and fury, I will pray the Lord to hear that still louder and mightier
voice of the right, and the rights of his dear Son. “Hear, O God, the just One;” i.e., “hear
the Messiah,” is a rendering adopted by Jerome, and admired by Bishop Horsley,
whether correct or not as a translation, it is proper enough as a plea. Let the reader plead
it at the throne of the righteous God, even when all other arguments are unavailing.
“Attend unto my cry.” This shows the vehemence and earnestness of the petitioner;
he is no mere talker, he weeps and laments. Who can resist a cry? A real hearty, bitter,
piteous cry, might almost melt a rock, there can be no fear of its prevalence with our
heavenly Father. A cry is our earliest utterance, and in many ways the most natural of
human sounds; if our prayer should like the infant's cry be more natural than intelligent,
and more earnest than elegant, it will be none the less eloquent with God. There is a
mighty power in a child's cry to prevail with a parent's heart. “Give ear unto my prayer.”
Some repetitions are not vain. The reduplication here used is neither superstition nor
tautology, but is like the repeated blow of a hammer hitting the same nail on the head to
fix it the more effectually, or the continued knocking of a beggar at the gate who cannot
be denied an alms. “That goeth not out of feigned lips.” Sincerity is a sine quâ non in
prayer. Lips of deceit are detestable to man and much more to God. In intercourse so
hallowed as that of prayer, hypocrisy even in the remotest degree is as fatal as it is
foolish. Hypocritical piety is double iniquity. He who would feign and flatter had better
try his craft with a fool like himself, for to deceive the all-seeing One is as impossible as
to take the moon in a net, or to lead the sun into a snare. He who would deceive God is
himself already most grossly deceived. Our sincerity in prayer has no merit in it, any
more than the earnestness of a mendicant in the street; but at the same time the Lord
has regard to it, through Jesus, and will not long refuse his ear to an honest and fervent
petitioner.
COFFMA , "A PRAYER FOR PROTECTIO AGAI ST E EMIES (A PRAYER
OF DAVID)
The customary arguments among scholars as to the date and authorship of this
psalm are of little interest and of no value at all. As Maclaren said of such
discussions, "The deepest and most precious elements in the Psalms are very slightly
affected by the answers to such questions."[1]
However, we find no fault whatever with the ancient inscription here which ascribes
the psalm to David. As to the particular time of David's life when such a psalm was
written, it may very well have been during that time when he was hunted like a wild
animal in the wilderness of Engedi by King Saul and his followers. The psalm has
many intimations in it that harmonize with the opinion that it was written by David.
We shall notice some of these in the text below. This psalm along with UMBERS
86,142 is, "Entitled `A Psalm of David' in the superscription."[2]
Psalms 17:1-5
"Hear the right, O Jehovah, attend unto my cry;

Give ear unto my prayer that goeth not out of feigned lips.
Let my sentence come forth from thy presence;
Let thine eyes look upon equity.
Thou hast proved my heart, thou hast visited me in the night;
Thou hast tried me, and findest nothing;
I am purposed that my mouth shall not transgress.
As for the works of men, by the word of thy lips
I have kept me from the ways of the violent.
My steps have held fast to thy paths,
My feet have not slipped."
In our paragraph divisions of this psalm, we have followed that of Rawlinson which
he attributed to a Dr. Kay.[3]
A glance at the different versions and translations of this psalm reveals some
remarkable variations in what is actually the meaning of the text; and some scholars
have registered rather bold claims of damaged or CORRUPT passages. "Psalms
17:4 is hopelessly CORRUPT,"[4] ACCORDI G to Addis; and Maclaren's
comment on Psalms 17:3-5 was that:
"The general drift is clear, but the precise meaning and CO ECTIO are
extremely obscure. Probably the text is faulty. It has been twisted in all sorts of
ways; the Masoretic accents have been discarded, the division of verses set aside;
and still no proposed rendering of verses 3,4 is wholly satisfactory."[5]
We like what Leupold said regarding this problem. "The difficulties of
interpretation are numerous; but all of this does not warrant manifold textual
changes as though the state of the text were quite corrupt. The compact utterances
are part of the problem."[6]
This writer claims no ability whatever to judge the questions regarding damaged or
faulty texts; and we shall be content to interpret the passages as they stand in our
version.
There are no less than five appeals to God in these two verses. Such repetitions
suggest an unusual urgency in the psalmist's mind which prompted such vigorous
appeals.
Christians cannot fail to be somewhat shocked by such bold assertions of the

psalmist's innocence, purity, righteousness, and faithfulness in observing the will of
God as we find in this paragraph. These claims of integrity are certainly unlike the
petitions of most Christians today, which Maclaren described as follows:
"The modern type of religion recoils from such professions (of innocence and
purity), and contents itself with always confessing sins which it has given up hope of
overcoming, would be all the better for listening to the psalmist and aiming a little
more vigorously and hopefully at being able to say, "I know nothing against myself"
(1 Corinthians 4:4).[7]
Leupold approvingly QUOTED this same passage by Maclaren,[8] adding that it
was very true and appropriate for our times.
Regarding the claims made by David here regarding his truth, integrity, and
righteousness, and even the claim that God himself had found no fault in him, we
should remember that this psalm was very likely written in the early part of David's
life, during his FLIGHT from the murderous vengeance of King Saul, and that it
came from a period in David's life long before his shameful actions with regard to
Bathsheba and the murder of her husband, sins which David tearfully repented of
and openly confessed. We may not, therefore, find any fault with such vigorous
protestations of innocence as we find here. Rhodes pointed out that, "These
declarations are not what we would today call self-righteousness, but an oath of
clearance as commanded in 1 Kings 8:31-32."[9]
"By the word of thy lips" (Psalms 17:4). David here identified the source of his
strength, namely, "God's Word"; and, as Ash said: "God's revelation implies grace,
so he is not suggesting his merit alone as the ground of his pleading."[10] A
remarkable example of how David was restrained from evil by a timely
remembrance of God's Word brought to him by Abigail was recorded in 1 Samuel
25:25-42; and Kidner thought that, "David could have had that in mind
here."Psalms 1--72 (London: InterVarsity Press, 1973), p. 87.">[11]
"As for the works of men" (Psalms 17:4). "The literal words here are `the works of
Adam,' the works of the natural man."[12] This is primarily a reference to deeds of
vengeful violence, of the very kind that David contemplated, but did not do, in the
EVE T mentioned above. (1 Samuel 25:22).
Barnes stated that, " o prayer could be more appropriate."[13] When we are hated
and pursued by cruel and powerful enemies, against whom we have done no wrong,
when our most violent passions are aroused and we are sorely tempted to take
bloody vengeance against them, then nothing can be more proper than to lift our
hearts to God in prayer, entreating him to keep us from evil and E ABLE us to
restrain our passions.
EXPOSITOR'S BIBLE, "The petition proper, in Psalms 17:1-2, and its ground, are
both strongly marked by conscious innocence, and therefore sound strange to our
ears, trained as we have been by the ew Testament to deeper insight into sin, This
sufferer asks God to "hear righteousness," i.e., his righteous cause. He pleads the

bona fides of his prayer, the fervour of which is marked by its designation as "my
cry," the high-pitched note usually the expression of joy, but here of sore need and
strong desire. Boldly he asks for his "sentence from Thy face," and the ground of,
that petition is that "Thine eyes behold rightly." Was there, then, no inner baseness
that should have toned down such confidence? Was this prayer not much the same
as the Pharisee’s in Christ’s parable? The answer is partly found in the
considerations that the innocence professed is specially in regard to the occasions of
the psalmist’s present distress, and that the acquittal by deliverance which he asks is
God’s testimony that as to these he was slandered and clear. But, further, the strong
professions of heart cleanness and outward obedience which follow are not so much
denials of any sin as avowals of sincere devotion and honest submission of life to
God’s law. They are "the answer of a good conscience towards God," expressed,
indeed, more absolutely than befits Christian consciousness, but having noticing in
common with Pharisaic self-complacency. The modern type of religion which recoils
from such professions, and contents itself with always confessing sins which it has
given up hope of overcoming, would be all the better for listening to the psalmist
and aiming a little more vigorously and hopefully at being able to say, "I know
nothing against myself." There is no danger in such a saying, if it be accompanied
by "Yet am I not hereby justified" and by "Who can understand his ERRORS?
Cleanse Thou me from secret faults."
PULPIT, "THIS psalm is termed "a prayer"—"a Prayer of David." It consists, no
doubt, mainly of a series of petitions (Psa_17:1, Psa_17:2, Psa_17:6, Psa_17:7, Psa_
17:8, Psa_17:9, Psa_17:13, Psa_17:14); but contains also a number of verses which
have no precatory character (Psa_17:3, Psa_17:4, Psa_17:5, Psa_17:10-12, Psa_
17:15); and, on the whole, it cannot be said to be occupied with supplication to a
greater extent than many of the compositions which are simply termed "psalms."
Probably it was called a "prayer" because the writer himself seemed so to entitle it
in Psa_17:1. David's authorship is generally allowed, since the composition has "the
marked characteristics of David's early style" ('Speaker's Commentary'). The
current of thought and language is vehement and abrupt; there is a deep
dependence upon God, and at the same time a warmth of indignation against the
writer's enemies, found frequently in the Davidical psalms, and not very noticeable
in the others. There is also an earnest faith in a future life (Psa_17:15), which was a
marked feature of David's character, but not very common among his
contemporaries. The time in David's life to which the psalm belongs is uncertain;
but it has been conjectured, with a certain amount of probability, to have been
written during the heat of the persecution by Saul, perhaps when David was
pursued after by the wicked king in the wilderness of Maon (1Sa_23:26). (So Hitzig,
Moll, and the 'Speaker's Commentary.')
The metrical arrangement is somewhat doubtful. Perhaps the best division is that of
Dr. Kay, who makes the poem one of four stanzas—the first of five verses (Psa_17:1-
5); the second of four (Psa_17:6-9); the third of three (Psa_17:10-12); and the fourth
also of three (Psa_17:13-15).
PULPIT, "The saint's appeal from the wrongs of earth to the Righteous One on the

throne.
The title of our homily on this psalm is in some respects similar to that on the
seventh psalm. There, however, the psalm is an appeal to the great Vindicator of one
unjustly accused; here, it is the appeal of one beset with persecutors to the great
Judge of all. Whenever or by whomsoever the words of this psalm were penned, it
may not be easy to say. The probability is that it is one of David's. £ If so, there is an
abundance of incident in the record of his career by which it may be illustrated and
explained. And, indeed, the surest (perhaps the only) way of interpreting such
psalms as this is to read them by the light of the Books of Samuel. Anyway, however,
it is an infinite mercy that we have preserved to us, not only psalms to be enjoyed at
all times,(such as the twenty-third and the forty-sixth), but others adapted for
special times. For very often the saints of God have been so impeached, slandered,
worried, beset, and persecuted, that the words of this psalm have exactly fitted their
ease. And in all such instances, the people of God may find sweet repose in reading
the words before us; showing us, as they do,
(1) that however greatly we may be wronged on earth, there is a Righteous One to
whom we may make our final appeal;
(2) that he who sitteth on the throne is not only just, but is also One of "marvellous
loving-kindness;"
(3) that therefore we may pour out our heart before him, and tell him our case—the
whole of it, exactly as it is; so that, though we are by no means obliged to adopt as
our own every word in psalms like this, yet we may learn from them to present our
case before God as minutely and exactly as the psalmists did theirs,—as varied as
are the cases, so varied may be the words.
I. HERE IS A REMARKABLE CASE LAID BEFORE GOD. There are in it six
features.
1. The writer is sorely and grievously persecuted. (Psa_17:9-12.) It has been well
said, "Where would David's psalms have been, if he had not been persecuted?" £
The experiences through which he passed may be studied in the records to which we
have referred above. In fact, one of our most skilled expositors said to the writer
that his own study of the Books of Samuel had thrown floods of light on the Psalms,
had cleared up many phrases that before were unintelligible, and had shown the
reason of many others that seemed unjustifiable. And since David was withal the
poet of the sanctuary, be could and did put these hard experiences of his life in such
words as should be helpful to the troubled and ill-treated saint in all future time.
(For the exact significance of detailed expressions, seethe Exposition. £) Let believers
follow David here, and whatever their cares and worries may be, let them tell them
out, one by one, to their God, who will never misunderstand them, and, even if some
expressions of emotion are unwise and faulty, will cover the faults with the mantle of
his forgiving love, and fulfil the desires according to his own perfect wisdom. Oh,
the infinite relief of having a Friend to whom we may safely tell every thing!

2. David is conscious of his own integrity. (Verses 1 4.) This is by no means to be
understood as a piece of self-righteousness (see Psa_143:2). It is quite consistent with
the deepest humiliation before a holy and heart-searching God, that an upright man
should avow his innocence of the guilt that false accusers may charge upon him. In
fact, we ought, while penitent before our God for innumerable heart-sins, to be able
to look our fellow-men in the face with the dignity of conscious honesty and purity.
3. David knows there is a Judge on the Throne, a Judge of perfect righteousness—
and One who will listen to his cry (verse 7). He knows God as One who saves the
trusting ones from their foes by his own omnipotent hand.
4. Hence to him David makes his appeal. (Verse 2.) ote: Only one who is at peace
with God, and who is among the upright in heart, could possibly make such an
appeal as this,—for sentence to come forth from God's presence must be a terror to
the rebel, for that sentence could only be one of condemnation. But souls in
harmony with God can lovingly look to God as their Redeemer, their Goel, their
Vindicator; they will say, with Job, "I know that my Redeemer liveth;" or with
Cromwell, "I know that God is above all ill reports; and that he will in his own time
vindicate me." Yea, they can call on God to do this, leaving in his hands the time
and the way of doing it (cf. 1Jn_3:21, 1Jn_3:22).
5. With the appeal, David joins fervent supplication.
(1) With regard to his enemies. That God would arise, i.e. interpose in the way of
providential aid; that he would cast down the wicked from their high pretensions,
and disappoint them, i.e. prevent them—be beforehand with them, and frustrate
their evil designs ere they attempt to carry them out.
(2) With regard to himself.
(a) That God would deliver him out of their hand.
(b) That God would hold up his goings in the right way.
(c) That God would keep him
( α ) as the apple of the eye (literally," the little man," "the daughter of the eye")—
an exquisitely beautiful figure, admirably adapted to be the basis of an address to
the young on God's care in the structure of the eye;
( β ) as a hen gathereth her brood under her wings—another figure of marvellous
tenderness £ (Psa_36:7; Psa_57:1; Psa_61:4; Psa_91:4; Mat_23:37). or let it be
unnoticed that for all this, David uttered a "piercing cry' (for so the word in the first
verse signifies).
6. David remembers that, after all, he has no reason to envy his persecutors; that,

after all, it is far better to know God as his God, and to have him as a Refuge, than
to have all the ease, comfort, and wealth which this world can give. And this brings
us to note—
II. THAT, REMARKABLE AS THE PSALMIST'S CASE IS, IT PRESE TS TO
US A STILL MORE REMARKABLE CO TRAST. £ (Verse 14.) How much force
is there in the expression, "As for me" (cf. Psa_4:1-8 :16)! ote: Amid all the
confusion, strife, and whirl of earth, each man has a distinctive individuality, which
is all his own, and is never confounded with another's (Gal_6:5; Isa_40:27). o one
has a right to think he is lost in the crowd (2Ti_2:19; Rev_2:17; Isa_43:1; Luk_12:6,
Luk_12:7). Each one has a relation to God entirely his own. The bad may mingle
with the good, but are never confounded with them. ot one grain of wheat is by
mistake cast into the fire, nor yet one of the tares gathered into the garner. All that
is momentous in hope, character, relation, SECURITY, destiny, gathers round the
individual. Each one has an "As for me." In the psalm before us there are
indications of six points of difference between David and his enemies; so vital are
they, that not all the distress which he suffers from them could make him desire to
change places with them.
1. He is right; they are in the wrong. (Verse 1.) As we have before said, the writer by
no means claims to be perfect, but he knows that he has chosen the side of
righteousness, and is sincerely anxious to walk ACCORDI G thereto; he walks in
his integrity, though he may be conscious of coming far short of his own ideal. But
as for his enemies, to be in the right is no concern of theirs! Their's is might against
right. ote: Happy is the man who sees infinite honour in being right, however
much it may cost him!
2. God is to him a Defender; to them he is a Judge—to condemn them and put them
to shame. This is the ground-tone of the psalm. The throne of the great Eternal is to
the psalmist one of grace, mercy, and love; but to his enemies, it appears to shoot
forth devouring flame. ote: God will seem to us according to our state before him
(see Psa_18:25, Psa_18:26).
3. The psalmist addresses God in confident hope; they resist God, in proud defiance.
The whole attitude of David's enemies was one of proud self-confidence: "Our
tongues are our own: who is Lord over us?" Hence:
4. The throne of righteousness, which was the safety of David, was the peril of his
persecutors. His joy was their dread. Wicked men are afraid of God; and it is
saddening to reflect that the guilt of an uneasy conscience projects its own dark
shadow on the face of infinite love!
5. David had an eternal portion in his God; they lived only for this life. He calls
them (verse 14) "men of the world" (cf. Hebrew original). David could say, "Thou
art my Portion, O God;" but with them their all was laid up here. When they depart
hence, they will leave behind them all their treasures; but David would go, at death,
to the enjoyment of his. Hence:

6. The outlook of the psalmist was full of gladness; theirs, full of gloom. How blissful
the anticipation in the one case!
(1) A glorious vision. "I shall behold thy face in righteousness." Whether the writer
thought of a bodily vision of Jehovah's form, or of a spiritual vision of the invisible
glory, we cannot say. At any rate, knowing even now the glory of God in the face of
Jesus Christ, we can forecast the ecstatic rapture which we shall feel when he shall
be manifested, and we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is!
(2) A glorious transformation. "When I awake, with thy likeness," i.e. with
possessing it (otherwise the phrase would be a tautology). As Watts beautifully puts
it—
"I shall behold thy blissful face,
And stand complete in righteousness."
(3) Entire satisfaction therein; i.e. both with the vision and with the conformation.
Yes! There will be full and complete realization of the glory which now we see only
"as through a glass darkly." And this will be in the awakening (cf. Psa_49:14, "The
upright … in the morning"). The state after death has been viewed in three aspects.
(a) As a slumbrous state in the under-world, from which there was no awaking. This
was the pagan view.
(b) As a slumbrous state in the underworld, but with the hope of an awaking "in the
morning." This was the Hebrew conception.
(c) To the Christian, however, the state after death is—"Absent from the body, at
home with the Lord" (2Co_5:8, Revised Version). The glory, however, will be
completed at the resurrection (Col_3:4, Revised Version). But how different the
outlook of the wicked! (Mat_7:13, Mat_7:14; Php_3:19; Luk_16:22, Luk_16:23;
Luk_12:21; Luk_13:28). Well may preachers plead agonizingly with their hearers to
choose life rather than death (Heb_11:25, Heb_11:26)! Little will the godly think of
past sorrow when they Gave their recompense in heaven! Small comfort, will earth's
wealth give to those who miss heaven!—C.
2 Let my vindication come from you;
may YOUR eyes see what is right.

BAR ES, "Let my sentence - Hebrew, “my judgment.” The allusion is to a
judgment or sentence as coming from God in regard to the matter referred to in the
psalm, to wit, the injuries which he had received from his enemies. He felt that they had
done him injustice and wrong; he felt assured that a sentence or judgment from God in
the case would be in his favor. So Job often felt that if he could bring his case directly
before God, God would decide in his favor. Compare Job_23:1-6.
Come forth from thy presence - From before thee. That is, he asks God to
pronounce a sentence in his case.
Let thine eyes behold - He asked God to examine the case with his own eyes, or
attentively to consider it, and to see where justice was.
The things that are equal - The things that are just and right. He felt assured that
his own cause was right, and he prays here that justice in the case may be done. He felt
that, if that were done, he would be delivered from his enemies. As between ourselves
and our fellow-men, it is right to pray to God that he would see that exact justice should
be done, for we may be able to feel certain that justice is on our side, and that we are
injured by them; but as between ourselves and God, we can never offer that prayer, for if
justice were done to us we could not but be condemned. Before him our plea must be for
mercy, not justice.
CLARKE, "My sentence come forth from thy presence - Thou knowest my
heart, and my ways; judge me as thou shalt find; let me not fall under the judgment of
man.
Let thine eyes behold the things that are equal - Thou knowest whether I
render to all their due, and whether others act justly by me. Thou canst not be deceived:
do justice between me and my adversaries.
GILL, "Let my sentence come forth from thy presence,.... Not of condemnation,
such as came forth from God and passed on Adam and all his posterity, Rom_5:12;
though such an one was executed on Christ, as he was the surety and representative of
his people; but of justification, which came forth from God and passed on Christ, when
he rose from the dead, and upon his people in him, 1Ti_3:16. Here it chiefly designs the
vindication of the innocence of the psalmist before men; and his request is, that as he
was fully persuaded that he was clear of the things he was charged with in the sight of
God, that he would openly and publicly make him appear so before men; that he would
bring forth his righteousness as the light, and his judgment as the noonday, Psa_37:6;
and of which he made no doubt but he would; so Christ, though he was traduced by
men, knew he should be justified by his Father, and by his children, Isa_50:8;
let thine eyes behold the things that are equal; which is not to be understood
barely of the eyes of his omniscience; for these behold things both equal and unequal,
good and evil, things which agree and disagree with the law of God, the rule of
righteousness and equity; but of his approbation of them, and that he would some way
or other testify that approbation; for the petition intends the favouring of his just and
equal cause, and making it to appear to be so.
HE RY, "What his appeal is; and here observe,

1. What the court is to the cognizance and determination of which he makes his
appeal; it is the court of heaven. “Lord, do thou hear the right, for Saul is so passionate,
so prejudiced, that he will not hear it. Lord, let my sentence come forth from thy
presence, Psa_17:2. Men sentence me to be pursued and cut off as an evil-doer. Lord, I
appeal from them to thee.” This he did in a public remonstrance before Saul's face (1Sa_
24:12, The Lord judge between me and thee), and he repeats it here in his private
devotions. Note, (1.) The equity and extent of God's government and judgment are a very
great support to injured innocency. If we are blackened, and abused, and
misrepresented, by unrighteous men, it is a comfort that we have a righteous God to go
to, who will take our part, who is the patron of the oppressed, whose judgment is
according to truth, by the discoveries of which every person and every cause will appear
in a true light, stripped of all false colours, and by the decisions of which all unrighteous
dooms will be reversed, and to every man will be rendered according to his work. (2.)
Sincerity dreads no scrutiny, no, not that of God himself, according to the tenour of the
covenant of grace: Let thy eyes behold the things that are equal. God's omniscience is as
much the joy of the upright as it is the terror of hypocrites, and is particularly
comfortable to those who are falsely accused and in any wise have wrong done them.
JAMISO ,"sentence — acquitting judgment.
from thy presence — Thy tribunal.
things that are equal — just and right, do Thou regard.
CALVI , "2.From the presence of thy countenance. Literally it is, from before thy
face, or, before thy face. By these words David intimates that if God does not rise up
as the vindicator of his cause, he will be overwhelmed with calumnies though
innocent, and will be looked upon as a guilty and condemned person. The
cognisance which God will take of his cause is tacitly set in opposition to the dark
inventions of falsehood which were spread against him. (341) His language is as if he
had said, I do not ask for any other judge but God, nor do I shrink from standing
before his judgment-seat, (342) since I bring with me both a pure heart and a good
cause. What he immediately adds with respect to God’ looking upon his uprightness
is of similar import. He does not mean to say that God is blind, but only beseeches
him actually to show that he does not connive at the wickedness of men, and that it
is not to him a matter of indifference when he beholds those who have not the means
of defending themselves (343) receiving evil treatment undeservedly. Some take the
wordjudgment in too restricted a sense for the right to the kingdom which was
promised to David, as if he petitioned to be placed on the royal throne by the power
of God, inasmuch as he had been chosen by him to be king, and had also, in his
name and by his authority, been anointed to this office by the hand of Samuel. The
meaning which I ATTACH to David’ language is simply this, that being oppressed
with many and varied wrongs, he commits himself to the protection and defense of
God.
E-SWORD, "“Let my sentence come forth from thy presence.” The Psalmist has
now grown bold by the strengthening influence of prayer, and he now entreats the Judge
of all the earth to give sentence upon his case. He had been libelled, basely and
maliciously libelled; and having brought his action before the highest court, he, like an

innocent man, has no desire to escape the enquiry, but even invites and sues for
judgment. He does not ask for secrecy, but would have the result come forth to the
world. He would have sentence pronounced and executed forthwith. In some matters we
may venture to be as bold as this; but except we can plead something better than our
own supposed innocence, it were terrible presumption thus to challenge the judgment of
a sin-hating God. With Jesus as our complete and all-glorious righteousness we need not
fear, though the day of judgment should commence at once, and hell open her mouth at
our feet, but might joyfully prove the truth of our hymn writer's holy boast -
“Bold shall I stand in that great day;
For who ought to my charge shall lay?
While, through thy blood, absolved I am
From sin's tremendous curse and shame.”
“Let thine eyes behold the things that are equal.” Believers do not desire any other
judge than God, or to be excused from judgment, or even to be judged on principles of
partiality. No; our hope does not lie in the prospect of favouritism from God, and the
consequent suspension of his law; we expect to be judged on the same principles as other
men, and through the blood and righteousness of our Redeemer we shall pass the ordeal
unscathed. The Lord will weigh us in the scales of justice fairly and justly; he will not use
false weights to permit us to escape, but with the sternest equity those balances will be
used upon us as well as upon others; and with our blessed Lord Jesus as our all in all we
tremble not, for we shall not be found wanting. In David's case, he felt his cause to be so
right that he simply desired the Divine eyes to rest upon the matter, and he was
confident that equity would give him all that he needed.
SPURGEO , ""_Let my sentence come forth from thy presence_." The
Psalmist has now grown bold by the strengthening influence of
prayer, and he now entreats the Judge of all the earth to give
sentence upon his case. He had been libelled, basely and
maliciously libelled; and having brought his action before the
highest court, he, like an innocent man, has no desire to escape
the enquiry, but even invites and sues for judgment. He does not
ask for secrecy, but would have the result come forth to the
world. He would have sentence pronounced and executed forthwith.
In some matters we may venture to be as bold as this; but except
we can plead something better than our own supposed innocence, it
were terrible presumption thus to challenge the judgment of a
sin-hating God. With Jesus as our complete and all-glorious
righteousness we need not fear, though the day of judgment should
commence at once, and hell open her mouth at our feet, but might
joyfully prove the truth of our hymn writer's holy boast--
"Bold shall I stand in that great day;
For who ought to my charge shall lay?
While, through thy blood, absolved I am
From sin's tremendous curse and shame."
"_Let thine eyes behold the things that are equal_."

Believers do not desire any other judge than God, or to be
excused from judgment, or even to be judged on principles of
partiality. o; our hope does not lie in the prospect of
favouritism from God, and the consequent suspension of his law;
we expect to be judged on the same principles as other men, and
through the blood and righteousness of our Redeemer we shall pass
the ordeal unscathed. The Lord will weigh us in the scales of
justice fairly and justly; he will not use false weights to
permit us to escape, but with the sternest equity those balances
will be used upon us as well as upon others; and with our blessed
Lord Jesus as our all in all we tremble not, for we shall not be
found wanting. In David's case, he felt his cause to be so right
that he simply desired the Divine eyes to rest upon the matter,
and he was confident that equity would give him all that he
needed.
Verse 2.--David appeals unto God to judge the
righteousness of his heart towards Saul--"_Let my sentence come
forth from thy presence_." From Saul and his courtiers there
comes a hard sentence; they call me traitor, they call me rebel;
but, Lord, leave me not unto their sentence, "_Let my sentence
come from thy presence_;" that I know will be another sentence
than what cometh from them, for thou hast proved me, and tried
me, and findest nothing in me.--^Jeremiah Burroughs.
HI TS TO PREACHERS.
Verse 2.--"_Let my sentence come forth from thy
presence_." I. When it will come. II. Who dare meet it _now_.
III. How to be among them.
3 Though you probe my heart,
though you examine me at night and test me,
you will find that I have planned no evil;
my mouth has not transgressed.

BAR ES, "Thou hast proved mine heart - In this verse he refers to his own
character and life in the matter under consideration, or the consciousness of his own
innocence in respect to his fellow-men who are persecuting and opposing him. He
appeals to the Great Searcher of hearts in proof that, in this respect, he was innocent;
and he refers to different forms of trial on the part of God to show that after the most
thorough search he would find, and did find, that in these respects he was an innocent
man, and that his enemies had no occasion to treat him as they had done. It is still to be
borne in mind here that the trial which the psalmist asks at the hand of God was not to
prove that he was innocent toward him, or that he had a claim to His favor on account of
his own personal holiness, but it was that he was innocent of any wrong toward those
who were persecuting him, or, in other words, that after the most searching trial, even
by his Maker, it would be found that he had given them no cause for treating him thus.
The word here rendered “proved” means “to try, to prove, to examine,” especially metals,
to test their genuineness. See Psa_7:9-10, note; Job_12:11, note. The psalmist here says
that God had tried or searched “his heart.” He knew all his motives. He had examined all
his desires and his thoughts. The psalmist felt assured that, after the most thorough
trial, even God would not find anything in his heart that would justify the conduct of his
enemies toward him.
Thou hast visited me - That is, for the purpose of inspecting my character, or of
examining me. The English word “visit,” like the Hebrew, is often used to denote a
visitation for the purpose of inspection and examination. The idea is, that God had come
to him for the very purpose of “examining” his character.
In the night - In solitude. In darkness. When I was alone. In the time when the
thoughts are less under restraint than they are when surrounded by others. In a time
when it can be seen what we really are; when we do not put on appearances to deceive
others.
Thou hast tried me - The word used here - ‫צרף‬ tsâraph - means properly “to melt, to
smelt,” etc., metals, or separating the pure metal from the dross. The meaning is, that
God, in examining into his character, had subjected him to a trial as searching as that
employed in purifying metals by casting them into the fire.
And shalt find nothing - Thou wilt find nothing that could give occasion for the
conduct of my enemies. The future tense is used here to denote that, even if the
investigation were continued, God would find nothing in his heart or in his conduct that
would warrant their treatment of him. He had the most full and settled determination
not to do wrong to them in any respect whatever. Nothing had been found in him that
would justify their treatment of him; he was determined so to live, and he felt assured
that he would so live, that nothing of the kind would be found in him in time to come. “I
am purposed.” I am fully resolved.
My mouth shall not transgress - Transgress the law of God, or go beyond what is
right. That is, I will utter nothing which is wrong, or which can give occasion for their
harsh and unkind treatment. Much as he had been provoked and injured, he was
determined not to retaliate, or to give occasion for their treating him in the manner in
which they were now doing. Prof. Alexander renders this “My mouth shall not exceed my
thought; “but the common version gives a better idea, and is sanctioned by the Hebrew.
Compare Gesenius, Lexicon.

CLARKE, "Thou hast proved mine heart - Thou well knowest whether there be
any evil way in me. Thou hast given me to see many and sore trials; and yet, through thy
mercy, I have preserved my integrity both to thee and to my king. Thou hast seen me in
my most secret retirements, and knowest whether I have plotted mischief against him
who now wishes to take away my life.
Thou hast tried me - ‫צרפתני‬ tseraphtani; Thou hast put me to the test, as they do
metals in order to detect their alloy, and to purify them: well expressed by the Vulgate,
Igne me examinasti, “Thou hast tried me by fire;” and well paraphrased in my old
Psalter, - The examynd me the lykkenyng of the fournas, that purges metal, and imang al
this, wykednes es nout funden in me: that es, I am funden clene of syn, and so ryghtwis. -
He who is saved from his sin is right wise; he has found the true wisdom.
My mouth shall not transgress - This clause is added to the following verse by the
Vulgate and Septuagint: “That my mouth may not speak according to the works of men, I
have observed difficult ways because of the words of thy lips.” That is, So far from doing
any improper action, I have even refrained from all words that might be counted
inflammatory or seditious by my adversaries; for I took thy word for the regulation of my
conduct, and prescribed to myself the most painful duties, in order that I might, in every
respect, avoid what would give offense either to thee or to man. Among the genuine
followers of God, plots and civil broils are never found.
GILL, "Thou hast proved mine heart,.... This properly belongs to God, who is the
searcher of the heart and reins, and is desired by all good men; and though God has no
need to make use of any means to know the heart, and what is in it; yet in order to know,
or rather to make known, what is in the hearts of his people, he proves them sometimes
by adversity, as he did Abraham and Job, and sometimes by prosperity, by mercies given
forth in a wonderful way, as to the Israelites in the wilderness, Deu_8:2; sometimes by
suffering false prophets and false teachers to be among them, Deu_13:3; and sometimes
by leaving corruptions in them, and them to their corruptions, as he left the Canaanites
in the land, and as he left Hezekiah to his own heart, Jdg_2:22. In one or other or more
of these ways God proved the heart of David, and found him to be a man after his own
heart; and in the first of these ways he proved Christ, who was found faithful to him that
appointed him, and was a man approved of God;
thou hast visited me in the night; God visited and redeemed his people in the night
of Jewish darkness; he visits and calls them by his grace in the night of unregeneracy;
and so he visits with his gracious presence in the night of desertion; and he often visits
by granting counsel, comfort, and support, in the night of affliction, which seems to be
intended here; thus he visited the human nature of Christ in the midst of his sorrows
and sufferings, when it was the Jews' hour and power of darkness. Elsewhere God is said
to visit every morning, Job_7:18;
thou hast tried me; as silver and gold are tried in the furnace; thus the people of God,
and their graces in them, are tried by afflictions; so David was tried, and in this manner
Christ himself was tried; wherefore he is called the tried stone, Isa_28:16;
and shalt find nothing; or "shalt not find": which is variously supplied; some "thy

desire", or what is well pleasing to thee, so Jarchi; or "thou hast not found me innocent",
as Kimchi; others supply it quite the reverse, "and iniquity is not found in me", as the
Septuagint, Vulgate Latin, and Ethiopic versions; or "thou hast not found iniquity in
me", as the Syriac and Arabic versions; to which agrees the Chaldee paraphrase, "and
thou hast not found corruption"; which must be understood, not as if there was no sin
and corruption in David; for he often makes loud complaints and large confessions of his
sins, and earnestly prays for the forgiveness of them; but either that there was no sin in
his heart which he regarded, Psa_66:18; which he nourished and cherished, which he
indulged and lived in; or rather there was no such crime found in him, which his
enemies charged him with; see Psa_7:3. This is true of Christ in the fullest sense; no
iniquity was ever found in him by God, by men or devils, Joh_14:30, 1Pe_2:22; and also
of his people, as considered in him, being justified by his righteousness, and washed in
his blood, Jer_50:20; though otherwise, as considered in themselves, they themselves
find sin and corruption abounding in them, Rom_7:18;
I am purposed that my mouth shall not transgress; by murmuring against God,
on account of his visitation and fiery trials, or by railing at men for their false charges
and accusations; this resolution was taken up by the psalmist in the strength of divine
grace, and was kept by him, Psa_39:9; so Christ submitted himself patiently to the will
of God without repining, and when reviled by men reviled not again, Luk_22:42; and
from hence may be learned, that the laws of God may be transgressed by words as well as
by works, and that the one as well as the other should be guarded against; see Psa_39:1.
SBC, "The religious aspects of night are many.
I. Viewed in its relations to the life of man, it strikes us, first of all and pre-eminently, as
an interruption. It breaks in upon and suspends human occupations, of whatever kind; it
writes on the face of the heavens the veto of God on uninterrupted work. This enforced
suspension of activity suggests, not merely the limited stock of strength at our disposal,
but it also reminds us that we have a higher life than that which is represented and made
the most of by the activity of this life, which will last when all that belongs to this life
shall have passed away, a life for the nutriment and development of which God thus
makes provision, and invites us to make provision, lest we should be swept without
thought, without purpose, down the stream of time into the vast eternity that awaits us.
II. Night suggests danger. The daylight is of itself protection. Night is the opportunity of
wild beasts and of evil men; they ply their trade during its dark and silent hours. He who
gave us life can alone guarantee to us the permanence of the gift, since He can order the
unruly wills and affections of sinful men, and can control the destructive force of nature
and the sequence of events.
III. Night is a time during which God often speaks solemnly to the soul of man. (1) The
sleep of the body is not always the sleep of the soul. If the Bible is to guide us, there can
be no doubt that dreams have often been made the vehicle of the communication of the
Divine will to man, and that it leads us to expect that they may be so again. (2) But it is
not in dreams that God generally speaks to man in the silent hours of the night. Never
does God speak more solemnly, more persuasively, to the human soul than during the
waking hours of the night. Sleeplessness may be a very great blessing, if we only think of
it, first, as a part of the will of God concerning us, and, next, if we are open to its many
opportunities.
H. P. Liddon, Contemporary Pulpit, vol. ii., p. 193 (see also Christian World Pulpit, vol.

xxvi., p. 161).
HE RY, "What the evidence is by which he hopes to make good his appeal; it is the
trial God had made of him (Psa_17:3): Thou hast proved my heart. God's sentence is
therefore right, because he always proceeds upon his knowledge, which is more certain
and infallible than that which men attain to by the closest views and the strictest
investigations.
(1.) He knew God had tried him, [1.] By his own conscience, which is God's deputy in
the soul. The spirit of a man is the candle of the Lord, with this God had searched him,
and visited him in the night, when he communed with his own heart upon his bed. He
had submitted to the search, and had seriously reviewed the actions of his life, to
discover what was amiss, but could find nothing of that which his enemies charged him
with. [2.] By providence. God had tried him by the fair opportunity he had, once and
again, to kill Saul; he had tried him by the malice of Saul, the treachery of his friends,
and the many provocations that were given him; so that, if he had been the man he was
represented to be, it would have appeared; but, upon all these trials, there was nothing
found against him, no proof at all of the things whereof they accused him.
(2.) God tried his heart, and could witness to the integrity of that; but, for the further
proof of his integrity, he himself takes notice of two things concerning which his
conscience bore him record: - [1.] That he had a fixed resolution against all sins of the
tongue: “I have purposed and fully determined, in the strength of God's grace, that my
mouth shall not transgress.” He does not say, “I hope that it will not,” or, “I wish that it
may not,” but, “I have fully purposed that it shall not:” with this bridle he kept his
mouth, Psa_39:1. Note, Constant resolution and watchfulness against sins of the tongue
will be a good evidence of our integrity. If any offend not in word, the same is a perfect
man, Jam_3:2. He does not say, “My mouth never shall transgress” (for in many things
we all offend), but, “I have purposed that it shall not;” and he that searches the heart
knows whether the purpose be sincere.
JAMISO ,"proved ... visited ... tried — His character was most rigidly tested, at
all times, and by all methods, affliction and others (Psa_7:10).
purposed that, etc. — or, my mouth does not exceed my purpose; I am sincere.
CALVI , "3.Thou hast proved my heart. Some are of opinion that in the three first
verbs the past tense is put for the future. Others more correctly and more clearly
resolve the words thus: If thou provest my heart, and visitest it by night, and
examinest it thoroughly, there will not BE FOU D any deceit therein. But without
making any change upon the words, they may be suitably enough explained in this
way: Thou, Lord, who understandest all the secret affections and thoughts of my
heart, even as it is thy peculiar prerogative to try men, knowest very well that I am
not a double man, and do not cherish any deceit within. What David intended to
express is certainly very evident. As he was unjustly and falsely charged with crime,
and could obtain neither justice nor humanity at the hands of men, he appeals to
God, requesting he would become judge in the matter. (346) But not to do this
rashly, he subjects himself to an impartial examination, seeing God, whose
prerogative it is to SEARCH the secret recesses of the heart, cannot be deceived by
the external appearance. The time when he declares God to have visited him is

during the night, because, when a man is withdrawn from the presence of his fellow-
creatures, he sees more clearly his sins, which otherwise would be hidden from his
view; just as, on the contrary, the sight of men affects us with shame, and this is, as
it were, a veil before our eyes, which prevents us from deliberately examining our
faults. It is, therefore, as if David had said, O Lord, since the darkness of the night
discovers the conscience more fully, all coverings being then taken away, and since,
at that season, the affections, either good or bad, according to men’ inclinations,
manifest themselves more freely, when there is no person present to witness and
pronounce judgment upon them; if thou then examinest me, there will be FOU D
neither disguise nor deceit in my heart. (347) Hence we conclude how great was
David’ integrity, seeing that, when purposely and leisurely taking ACCOU T of his
inmost thoughts, he presents himself so boldly, to be tried by the judgment of God.
And he not only declares himself to be innocent of outward crimes, but also free
from all secret malice. So far from cherishing malicious designs, while he covered
them over with fair pretences, as his enemies alleged, he protests that his words
were a frank and undisguised representation of what was passing in his heart: My
thought shall not pass beyond my mouth. Our thought is said to pass beyond our
mouth when, for the purpose of deceiving, the mind thinks differently from what the
tongue expresses. (348) The word ‫,זמה‬zimmah, which we have translated simply
thought, may also be taken in a bad sense for deceitful and malicious devices.
(346) “Le requerant d’ vouloir estre le juge.” —Fr.
(347) “Il ne sera trouve desguisement ne fraude quelconque en mon coeur.” —Fr.
(348) This is the sense put upon this last clause by the learned Castellio, who
TRA SLATES it thus:- “ on deprehendes me aliud in pectore, aliud in ore
habere.” “ shalt not find me to have one thing in my breast and another in my
mouth.”
SPURGEO , ""_Thou hast proved mine heart_." Like Peter, David uses
the argument, "Thou knowest all things, thou knowest that I love
thee." It is a most assuring thing to be able to appeal at once
to the Lord, and call upon our Judge to be a witness for our
defence. "Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we
confidence towards God." "_Thou hast visited me in the night_."
As if he had said, "_Lord, thou hast entered my house at all
hours; and thou hast seen me when no one else was nigh; thou hast
come upon me unawares and marked my unrestrained actions, and
thou knowest whether or no I am guilty of the crimes laid at my
door." Happy man who can thus remember the omniscient eye, and
the omnipresent visitor, and find comfort in the remembrance. We
hope we have had our midnight visits from our Lord, and truly
they are sweet; so sweet that the recollection of them sets us
longing for more of such condescending communings. Lord, if,

indeed, we had been hypocrites, should we have had such
fellowship, or feel such hungerings after a renewal of it? "_Thou
hast tried me, and shalt find nothing_." Surely the Psalmist
means nothing hypocritical or wicked in the sense in which his
slanderers accused him; for if the Lord should put the best of
his people into the crucible, the dross would be a fearful sight,
and would make penitence open her sluices wide. Assayers very
soon detect the presence of alloy, and when the chief of all
assayers shall, at the last, say of us that he has found nothing,
it will be a glorious hour indeed--"They are without fault before
the throne of God." Even here, as viewed in our covenant Head,
the Lord sees no sin in Jacob, nor perverseness in Israel; even
the all-detecting glance of Omniscience can see no flaw where the
great Substitute covers all with beauty and perfection. "_I am
purposed that my mouth shall not transgress_." Oh those sad lips
of ours! we had need purpose to purpose if we would keep them
from exceeding their bounds. The number of diseases of the tongue
is as many as the diseases of all the rest of the man put
together, and they are more inveterate. Hands and feet one may
bind, but who can fetter the lips? iron bands may hold a madman,
but what chains can restrain the tongue? It needs more than a
purpose to keep this nimble offender within its proper range.
Lion-taming and serpent-charming are not to be mentioned in the
same day as tongue-taming, for the tongue can no man tame. Those
who have to smart from the falsehoods of others should be the
more jealous over themselves; perhaps this led the Psalmist to
register this holy resolution; and, moreover, he intended thereby
to aver that if he had said too much in his own defence, it was
not intentional, for he desired in all respects to tune his lips
to the sweet and simple music of truth. othwithstanding all this
David was slandered, as if to show us that the purest innocence
will be be mired by malice. There is no sunshine without a
shadow, no ripe fruit unpecked by the birds.
Verse 3.--"_Thou hast proved mine heart:"--
What! take it at adventure, and not try
What metal it is made of? o, not I.
Should I now lightly let it pass,
Take sullen lead for silver, sounding brass,
Instead of solid gold, alas!
What would become of it in the great day
Of making jewels, 'twould be cast away.
The heart thou giv'st me must be such a one,

As is the same throughout. I will have none
But that which will abide the fire.
Tis not a glitt'ring outside I desire,
Whose seeming shows do soon expire:
But real worth within, which neither dross,
or base alloys, make subject unto loss.
If, in the composition of thine heart,
A stubborn, steely wilfulness have part,
That will not bow and bend to me,
Save only in a mere formality
Of tinsel-trimm'd hypocrisy,
I care not for it, though it show as fair
As the first blush of the sun-gilded air.
The heart that in my furnace will not melt,
When it the glowing heat thereof hath felt,
Turn liquid, and dissolve in tears
Of true repentance for its faults, that hears
My threat'ning voice, and never fears,
Is not an heart worth having. If it be
An heart of stone, 'tis not an heart for me.
The heart, that, cast into my furnace, spits
And sparkles in my face, falls into fits
Of discontented grudging, whines
When it is broken of its will, repines
At the least suffering, declines
My fatherly correction, is an heart
On which I care not to bestow mine art.
* * * * *
The heart that vapours out itself in smoke.
And with these cloudy shadows thinks to cloke
Its empty nakedness, how much
Soever thou esteemest, it is such
As never will endure my touch.
I'll bring it to my furnace, and there see
What it will prove, what it is like to be.
If it be gold, it will be sure
The hottest fire that can be to endure.
And I shall draw it out more pure.
Affliction may refine, but cannot waste
That heart wherein my love is fixed fast.
^Francis Quarles.

Verse 3.--"_Thou hast visited me in the night_," etc. In
the night the soul is free from business with the world, and
therefore freest for business with God; and then did God prove
and visit David, that is, examine and sift him, by calling to his
mind all his ways and works in former passages; and the issue of
this trial was _he found nothing_; not that his soul was empty of
good things, or that there was nothing evil in him; but God, upon
examination, found nothing of that evil in him which some men
suspected him of; namely, either any ill will or evil design
against Saul, in reference to whom he called his cause a
righteous cause, or "_the right_" (verse #1|); "Hear the right, O
Lord."--^Joseph Caryl.
Verse 3 (third clause, ew Translation).--"_Thou hast
smelted me, and found in me no dross_." A metaphor taken from the
smelting of metals to purify them from extraneous
matter.--^Geddes.
Verse 3.--"_Proved ... visited in the night ... tried_."
Tribulation, whereby, when examined, I was found righteous, is
called not only night, in that it is wont to disturb with fear,
but fire in that it actually burns.--^Augustine.
Verse 3.--"_I am purposed that my mouth shall not
transgress_."--Wherefore, if thou be upon a mountain, look not
backward again unto Sodom as Lot's wife did; if thou be within
the ark, fly not out again into the world as oah's crow did; if
thou be well washed, return not again to the mire as the hog
doth; if thou be clean, run not again to thy filth, as the dog
doth; if thou be going towards the land of Canaan, think not on
the flesh-pots of Egypt; if thou be marching against the host of
Midian, drink not of the waters of Harod; if thou be upon the
housetop, come not down; if thou have set thy hand to the plough,
look not behind thee; remember not those vices which are behind
thee.--_Thomas Playfere_.
Verses 3,4,5.--Where there is true grace, there is hatred
of all sin, for hatred is _pro's to' ge'nos_. Can a man be
resolved to commit what he hates? o, for his inward aversion
would secure him more against it than all outward obstacles. As
this inward purpose of a good man is against all sin, so more
particularly against that which doth so easily beset him. David
seems in several places to be naturally inclined to lying, but he
takes up a particular resolution against it: (verse #3|), "_I am
purposed that my mouth shall not transgress_;" _zƒmam_ <02161>
--I have contrived to waylay and intercept the sin of lying when

it hath an occasion to approach me. A good man hath not only
purposes, but he endeavours to fasten and strengthen those
purposes by prayer; so David (verse #5|), "_Hold up my goings in
thy paths, that my footsteps slip not_." He strengthens himself
by stirring up a liveliness in duty, and by avoiding occasions of
sin; (verse #4|), "_I have kept me from the paths of the
destroyer_;" whereas, a wicked man neither steps out of the way
of temptation, nor steps up to God for strength against
it.--^Stephen Charnock.
HI TS TO PREACHERS.
Verse 3.--"_Thou hast proved mine heart_." The metal, the
furnace, the refiner, etc.
Verse 3.--"_Thou hast visited me in the night_." I.
Glorious visitor. II. Favoured individual. III. Peculiar season.
IV. Refreshing remembrance. V. Practical result.
Verse 3 (last sentence).--Transgressions of the lip, and
how to avoid them.
BIBLICAL ILLUSTRATOR, "4.As for the works of men, by the word of thy lips.
Interpreters explain this verse in different senses. Some thinking that the letter ‫,ב‬
beth, which commonly signifies in or by, is taken for against, render it thus: As for
the works of men which they PRACTICE against thy word. But I rather incline to
the opinion of others who consider that there is here commended a right judgment
of the actions of men which is formed according to the rule of the word of God.
There are some shrewd and ingenious persons who carefully mark the works of
men, but they do not judge of them according to the word of God. What we have as
yet said does not, however, fully give us the sense of the passage. We must still
consider what the Psalmist means when he speaks of the paths of the destroyer.
(349) Some think he refers to the men of his own company, who, if he had not
restrained them, would have instantly rushed like robbers to commit depredation;
since being reduced to the greatest distress, and seeing no prospect of an alteration
to the better in their affairs, they were become bold through despair; and we know
how sharp a spur necessity is in goading men forward in any course. But this
exposition seems to me to be forced, and therefore I rather refer the words to his
enemies. Farther, there is a diversity of opinion among interpreters with respect to
the meaning of the word watched or observed. Some understand it in this sense, that
David had done his duty in strenuously opposing outrageous men, and those who
were wickedly engaged in the work of disturbing the repose and tranquillity of their
fellow-men. (350) Others understand it thus, that he was careful to distinguish
between good and evil, or right and wrong, that he might not be corrupted by bad
examples, (351) but avoid them, and, on the contrary, practice those things which he

saw to be agreeable to the word of God. But David, I have no doubt, had a different
meaning, and intended to declare, that although wicked and malicious men
provoked him to evil, he had, nevertheless, been always restrained by the word of
God, so that he kept himself from exercising violence and inflicting injuries, or from
rendering evil for evil. (352) He therefore tells us, that whatever may have been the
works of men, he had been always so devoted to the word of God, and so hung, as it
were, upon his mouth, that he could not think of allowing himself, when provoked
by the injuries his enemies inflicted on him, to act towards them as they acted
towards him. We know how severe a temptation it is, and how difficult to overcome,
to disregard the manner in which men behave themselves towards us, and to
consider only what God forbids or commands us. Even those who are naturally
inclined to gentleness and humanity, (353) who desire to do good to all men, and
wish to hurt nobody, whenever they are provoked, burst forth into a revengeful
mood, carried away by a blind impetuosity; especially when we see all right and
equity overthrown, the confusion so blinds us, that we BEGI to howl with the
wolves. If, therefore, we would have a good rule for governing ourselves, when our
enemies, by their mischievous actions, provoke us to treat them in a similar manner,
let us learn, after the example of David, to meditate upon the word of God, and to
keep our eyes fixed upon it. By this means our minds will be preserved from ever
being blinded, and we shall always avoid the paths of wickedness, seeing God will
not only keep our affections under restraint by his commandments, but will also
train them to patience by his promises. He withholds us from doing evil to our
neighbors, (354) not only by forbidding us, but by declaring, at the same time, that
he will take into his own hand the execution of vengeance on those who injure us,
(355) he admonishes us to “ place unto wrath,” (Rom_12:19.)
(349) Or, the paths of the violent. Literally of him who, by violent means, makes a
breach in, or breaks down a wall or fence, the word ‫,פריף‬ pharits, being derived
from ‫,פרף‬ pharats, to break down, or break through. It is referred by Calvin to the
violent and wicked conduct of his enemies towards him.
EBC, "The general drift of Psa_17:3-5 is clear, but the precise meaning and connection
are extremely obscure. Probably the text is faulty. It has been twisted in all sorts of ways,
the Masoretic accents have been disregarded, the division of verses set aside, and still no
proposed rendering of parts of Psa_17:3-4 is wholly satisfactory. The psalmist deals with
heart, lips, feet-that is, thoughts, words, and deeds-and declares the innocence of all. But
difficulties begin when we look closer. The first question is as to the meaning and
connection of the word rendered in the A.V. and R.V., "I am purposed." It may be a first
person singular or an infinitive used as a noun or even a noun, meaning, in both the
latter cases, substantially the same, i.e. my thinking or my thoughts. It is connected by
the accents with what follows; but in that case the preceding verb "find" is left without
an object, and hence many renderings attach the word to the preceding clause, and so
get "Thou shalt find no [evil] thoughts in me." This division of the clauses leaves the
words rendered, by A.V. and R.V., "My mouth shall not transgress," standing alone.
There is no other instance of the verb standing by itself with that meaning, nor is
"mouth" clearly the subject. It may as well be the object, and the clause be, "[It] shall not
pass my mouth." If that is the meaning, we have to look to the preceding word as
defining what it is that is thus to be kept unuttered, and so detach it from the verb "find,"

as the accents do. The knot has been untied in two ways: "My [evil] purpose shall not
pass," etc., or, taking the word as a verb and regarding the clause as hypothetical, Should
I think evil, it shall not pass, etc.
Either of these renderings has the advantage of retaining the recognised meaning of the
verb and of avoiding neglect of the accent. Such a rendering has been objected to as
inconsistent with the previous clause, but the psalmist may be looking back to it, feeling
that his partial self-knowledge makes it a bold statement, and thus far limiting it, that if
any evil thought is found in his heart, it is sternly repressed in silence.
E-SWORD, "“Thou hast proved mine heart.” Like Peter, David uses the argument,
“Thou knowest all things, thou knowest that I love thee.” It is a most assuring thing to be
able to appeal at once to the Lord, and call upon our Judge to be a witness for our
defence. “Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence towards God.”
“Thou hast visited me in the night.” As if he had said, “Lord, thou hast entered my house
at all hours; and thou hast seen me when no one else was nigh; thou hast come upon me
unawares and marked my unrestrained actions, and thou knowest whether or no I am
guilty of the crimes laid at my door.” Happy man who can thus remember the
omniscient eye, and the omnipresent visitor, and find comfort in the remembrance. We
hope we have had our midnight visits from our Lord, and truly they are sweet; so sweet
that the recollection of them sets us longing for more of such condescending
communings. Lord, if, indeed, we had been hypocrites, should we have had such
fellowship, or feel such hungerings after a renewal of it? “Thou hast tried me, and shalt
find nothing.” Surely the Psalmist means nothing hypocritical or wicked in the sense in
which his slanderers accused him; for if the Lord should put the best of his people into
the crucible, the dross would be a fearful sight, and would make penitence open her
sluices wide. Assayers very soon detect the presence of alloy, and when the chief of all
assayers shall, at the last, say of us that he has found nothing, it will be a glorious hour
indeed - “They are without fault before the throne of God.” Even here, as viewed in our
covenant Head, the Lord sees no sin in Jacob, nor perverseness in Israel; even the all-
detecting glance of Omniscience can see no flaw where the great Substitute covers all
with beauty and perfection. “I am purposed that my mouth shall not transgress.” Oh
those sad lips of ours! we had need purpose to purpose if we would keep them from
exceeding their bounds. The number of diseases of the tongue is as many as the diseases
of all the rest of the man put together, and they are more inveterate. Hands and feet one
may bind, but who can fetter the lips? iron bands may hold a madman, but what chains
can restrain the tongue? It needs more than a purpose to keep this nimble offender
within its proper range. Lion-taming and serpent-charming are not to be mentioned in
the same day as tongue-taming, for the tongue can no man tame. Those who have to
smart from the falsehoods of others should be the more jealous over themselves;
perhaps this led the Psalmist to register this holy resolution; and, moreover, he intended
thereby to aver that if he had said too much in his own defence, it was not intentional,
for he desired in all respects to tune his lips to the sweet and simple music of truth.
Nothwithstanding all this David was slandered, as if to show us that the purest
innocence will be bemired by malice. There is no sunshine without a shadow, no ripe
fruit unpecked by the birds.
EXPOSITOR'S BIBLE, "The general drift of Psalms 17:3-5 is clear, but the precise
meaning and CO ECTIO are extremely obscure. Probably the text is faulty. It

Psalm 17 commentary

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