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Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

Psalms 143:2

enter not into judgment with thy servant Do not put me on my trial and pass sentence on me according to my deserts. For the phrase cp. Job 9:32; Job 14:3; Isaiah 3:14.

Thy servantis not a mere formal expression of humility: it denotes -one who is devoted to Thy service," and this relation is the ground of his plea. Cp. Psalms 143:12.

be justified Rather, be righteous. Cp. Psalms 130:3, and many passages in Job, where the truth of man's unholiness in the sight of God is emphasised, e.g. Job 4:17; Job 9:2; Job 15:14; Job 25:4. St Paul quotes this passage freely in Romans 3:20; Galatians 2:16, substituting πᾶσα σὰρξ, -all flesh," for πᾶς ζῶν.

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See also Psalms 143:2 in other biblical comments:

  • Adam Clarke Bible Commentary

    Verse Psalms 143:2. _ENTER NOT INTO JUDGMENT_] אל תבוא _al tabo_. Do not come into court, either as a _Witness_ against me, or as a _Judge_, else I am ruined; for thou hast seen all my ways that they...

  • Albert Barnes' Bible Commentary

    AND ENTER NOT INTO JUDGMENT WITH THY SERVANT - Do not deal with me on the ground of justice as toward “thee;” do not mark my own offences against thee, when I plead that justice may be done as between...

  • Annotated Bible by A.C. Gaebelein

    PSALM 143-145 In Psalms 143:1 the enemy is mentioned again, the enemy who pursued David. “For the enemy has persecuted my soul; he has smitten my life down to the ground; he has made me to dwell in da...

  • Arthur Peake's Commentary on the Bible

    CXLIII. There is no internal argument to justify the LXX title, A Ps. of [or by] David when his son persecuted him. On the contrary, it contains reminiscences of other and those late Psalms 143:3_ b_...

  • Bullinger's Companion Bible Notes

    ENTER NOT. As in Job 9:32; Job 22:4. IN THY SIGHT. Compare 1 Samuel 16:7; Isaiah 55:8;...

  • Charles Simeon's Horae Homileticae

    DISCOURSE: 738 A STRICT AWARD OF JUSTICE DEPRECATED Psalms 143:2. _Enter not into judgment with thy servant; for in thy sight shall no man living be justified._ TRIALS and persecutions are sometimes...

  • Coke's Commentary on the Holy Bible

    ENTER NOT INTO JUDGMENT— That is, "Do not call me to a rigorous account for my sins; (See 2 Samuel 12:9; 2 Samuel 12:11.) which have justly brought these troubles upon me." _Be justified;_ namely, if...

  • College Press Bible Study Textbook Series

    PSALMS 143 DESCRIPTIVE TITLE Continued Concealment in the Cave: its Griefs and its Gains. ANALYSIS Stanza I., Psalms 143:1-2, Remarkable Pleadings and Deprecation. Stanza II., Psalms 143:3-4, How

  • Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible

    And enter not into judgment with thy servant: for in thy sight shall no man living be justified. AND ENTER NOT INTO JUDGMENT WITH THY SERVANT - for my many shortcomings. This shows that the "righte...

  • Dummelow's Commentary on the Bible

    A late Ps., though ascribed to David, consisting mainly of appropriate reminiscences from earlier Pss....

  • Dummelow's Commentary on the Bible

    SHALL NO MAN LIVING, etc.] perhaps, 'is no man living righteous.'...

  • EasyEnglish Bible Commentaries

    Psalms 107:150 _GORDON CHURCHYARD_ GOD IS MY ONLY HOPE PSALMS 143 Jesus said, "Father, if it is possible, I pray that this cup will pass from me. But (it must be) what you want (to happen). It mu...

  • Ellicott's Commentary On The Whole Bible

    AND ENTER NOT. — The Divine justice has just been invoked, and now the appellant suddenly seems to deprecate it. These verses really sum up the apparent paradox of the Book of Job, as also the express...

  • ETCBC data on Hebrew bible

    וְ אַל ־תָּבֹ֣וא בְ֭ מִשְׁפָּט אֶת ־עַבְדֶּ֑ך

  • Expositor's Bible Commentary (Nicoll)

    Psalms 143:1 THIS psalm's depth of sadness and contrition, blended with yearning trust, recalls the earlier psalms attributed to David. Probably this general resemblance in inwardness and mood is all...

  • Frederick Brotherton Meyer's Commentary

      THE CRY OF THE THIRSTY SOUL Psalms 143:1-12 This psalm falls into four stanzas of three verses each. _Complaint,_ Psalms 143:1-3. Though the enemy has resorted to unwarrantable violence, David re...

  • G. Campbell Morgan's Exposition on the Whole Bible

    This is the last of the four psalms, and both in respect of the sense of helplessness and of assurance in God, it is more vivid and striking than either of them. So far as human situation is concerned...

  • Geneva Study Bible Commentary

    And enter not into judgment with thy servant: for in thy (c) sight shall no man living be justified. (c) He know that his afflictions were God's messengers to call him to repentance for his sins, tho...

  • George Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary

    _Mercy. "All the titles of God remind us of his benefits." (St. Jerome) --- My people. After the defeat of the rebels, (Calmet) and the death of Isboseth. (Berthier) --- Hebrew may also be "peoples,...

  • Hawker's Poor man's commentary

    It is beautiful to observe, how the holy pleader begs for deliverance upon the footing of God's righteousness. Jesus, when he stood as the sinner's surety, did this: and in his name all his people do...

  • John Calvin's Bible Commentary

    2._And enter not into judgment_, (249) _etc_. I have hinted already why he proceeds to pray for pardon. When overtaken by adversity, we are ever to conclude that it is a rod of correction sent by God...

  • John Darby's Synopsis

    THE FOLLOWING COMMENTARY COVERS PSALMS 140 THROUGH 144. The five following psalms go over ground which we have trodden over in detail: only they apply to a restored Israel, still in conflict, and not...

  • John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible

    AND ENTER NOT INTO JUDGMENT WITH THY SERVANT,.... The house of judgment, as the Targum, or court of judicature; God is a Judge, and there is and will be a judgment, universal, righteous, and eternal;...

  • John Trapp Complete Commentary

    And enter not into judgment with thy servant: for in thy sight shall no man living be justified. Ver. 2. _And enter not into judgment with thy servant_] This is _insignis sententia, siqua usquam in s...

  • Joseph Benson’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

    _In thy faithfulness_ According to thy true and faithful promises, made to the penitent who apply to thee for pardon and aid; _answer me_ Grant my earnest request; _and in thy righteousness_ Whereby t...

  • Kretzmann's Popular Commentary of the Bible

    And enter not into judgment with Thy servant, dealing with him according to His strict and absolute justice; FOR IN THY SIGHT, before the all seeing eye of the omniscient God, SHALL NO MAN LIVING BE J...

  • Kretzmann's Popular Commentary of the Bible

    A PRAYER OF REPENTANCE AND A SIGH FOR MERCY. A psalm of David, which sets forth the fundamental facts concerning sin and grace, for which reason it was reckoned by Luther with the Pauline psalms....

  • Matthew Henry Commentary on the Whole Bible

    1-6 We have no righteousness of our own to plead, therefore must plead God's righteousness, and the word of promise which he has freely given us, and caused us to hope in. David, before he prays for...

  • Matthew Poole's Concise Commentary On The Bible

    But when I appeal to thy righteousness, I do it only with respect to mine enemies, whose cause as well as their persons is worse than mine, but not in reference to thee, as if I could absolutely justi...

  • Patchworkid's Personal Study Bible Notes

    Psalms 143:2 enter H935 (H8799) judgment H4941 servant H5650 sight H6440 living H2416 righteous H6663 (H8799)...

  • Spurgeon's Bible Commentary

    «A psalm of David.» Psalms 143:1. _Hear my prayer, O LORD, give ear to my supplications: in thy faithfulness answer me, and in thy righteousness._ It is a theory held by some persons of skeptical mi...

  • Spurgeon's Bible Commentary

    Psalms 143:1. _Hear my prayer, O LORD, give ear to my supplications: in thy faithfulness answer me, and in thy righteousness. And enter not into judgment with thy servant: for in thy sight shall no ma...

  • Spurgeon's Bible Commentary

    Psalms 143:1. _Hear my prayer, O LORD, give ear to my supplications: in thy faithfulness answer me, and in thy righteousness. And enter not into judgment with thy servant: for in thy sight shall no ma...

  • Summarized Bible Commentary

    CONTENTS: Complaint of great distresses and dangers and prayer that persecutors might be reckoned with. CHARACTERS: God, David. CONCLUSION: If we look with earnest desire toward God, we need not let...

  • Sutcliffe's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

    This is the last of the penitential psalms, and is uniformly ascribed to David. It was composed during a period of exile. The LXX and the Vulgate, “on the rebellion of Absalom.” Psalms 143:10. _Thy S...

  • The Biblical Illustrator

    _Hear my prayer, O Lord, give ear to my supplications._ A PENITENTIAL SOUL IN PRAYER I. The reasons urged. 1. A consciousness of moral unrighteousness (verse 2). No man will ever pray rightly until...

  • The ESV Global Study Bible's Study Notes

    PSALM PSALM—NOTE ON PSALMS 143:1. This individual lament is a penitential psalm. The person’s troubles make him aware of his own sins. ⇐

  • The Preacher's Complete Homiletical Commentary

    INTRODUCTION This is the last of what are called the Seven Penitential Psalms. In the Hebrew it has the superscription, “A Psalm of David.” And in the Septuagint and the Vulgate there is added, “When...

  • The Pulpit Commentaries

    EXPOSITION ALMOST entirely a psalm of supplication, partly general (Psalms 143:1, Psalms 143:7), partly special (Psalms 143:2,...

  • Through The Bible C2000 Serie by Chuck Smith

    Psa 143:1-12, another psalm of David. Hear my prayer, O LORD, give ear to my supplications: in your faithfulness answer me, and in your righteousness. And enter not into judgment with your servant: f...

  • Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

    2 Samuel 18:11; 2 Samuel 2:22; Ezekiel 37:11; Psalms 142:6; Psal

  • Wesley's Explanatory Notes

    Justified — Upon terms of strict justice....

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