Psalms 55:21

Psalms 55:21 [The words] of his mouth were smoother than butter, but war [was] in his heart: his words were softer than oil, yet [were] they drawn swords.

Ver. 21. The words of his mouth were smoother than butter] Full finely he could soothe and smooth me up, while he was my counsellor, with his pithanology.

Mel in ore, verba lactis:

Fel in corde, fraus in factis.

But war was in his heart ] Heb. His heart was war. So in another psalm David saith of himself, "I am peace"; but when I speak of it, they are for war.

His words were softer than oil ] So were Joab's to Amasa; Judas's to Christ; Cambyses' to his brother whom he slew; Andronicus's to his nobles, put to death by him, while he wept over them, as if he had been the most sorrowfull man alive. Whereupon the historian crieth out, Oh deep dissimulation and crocodile's tears, &c.! The wiser sort deemed Andronicus's praisings to be the beginnings of a man's disgrace; his bounty, his undoing, and his kindness, his death.