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Joseph Benson’s Bible Commentary

Psalms 38:19-20

Mine enemies are lively Hebrew, living; that is, thriving, flourishing, and prosperous. They that render evil for good That hate and persecute me, not only without any injury or provocation on my part, but, as it were, in requital of the good I have done to them. Because I follow the thing that good is Because I love and diligently practise justice and piety, which they hate, and which I exercised, as I had opportunity, in the punishment of such as they are.

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See also Psalms 38:19-20 in other biblical comments:

  • Adam Clarke Bible Commentary

    Verse Psalms 38:19. _BUT MINE ENEMIES_ ARE _LIVELY_] Instead of חיים _chaiyim, lively_, I would read חינם _chinam, without cause_; a change made by the half of one letter, נ _nun_ for a י _yod_. See...

  • Albert Barnes' Bible Commentary

    BUT MINE ENEMIES ARE LIVELY ... - DeWette renders this, “My enemies live and are strong.” The word translated “lively” - חיים _chayiym_ - means properly “living, being alive.” The literal translation...

  • Annotated Bible by A.C. Gaebelein

    Psalms 38 The Suffering Saint and Confession of Sin _ 1. Suffering and Humiliation (Psalms 38:1)_ 2. Looking to the Lord (Psalms 38:9) 3. Confession and prayer ...

  • Arthur Peake's Commentary on the Bible

    XXXVIII. A PENITENTIAL PSALM. After a short prayer for pity (verbally identical with Psalms 6:2), the poet describes his bodily and mental pains, the desertion of his friends, and the unscrupulous att...

  • Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

    Fresh pleadings with God....

  • Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

    _mine enemies_are _lively_ He contrasts their vigour with his own weakness. But the expression is somewhat strange; and a comparison of Psalms 35:19 suggests that we should read without cause, corresp...

  • College Press Bible Study Textbook Series

    PSALMS 38 DESCRIPTIVE TITLE Prayer for Deliverance from Disease and from Enemies. ANALYSIS Part I. _Against Disease._ Stanza I., Psalms 38:1-2, Jehovah's Anger Deprecated. Stanza II., Psalms 38:3-5...

  • Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible

    _BUT MINE ENEMIES ARE LIVELY, AND THEY ARE STRONG: AND THEY THAT HATE ME WRONGFULLY ARE MULTIPLIED._ But mine enemies are lively, and they are strong. Whilst the sufferer is like one dead, through wa...

  • Dummelow's Commentary on the Bible

    This Ps. may be compared with Psalms 6. It is the prayer of one who, like Job, is in great bodily suffering (Psalms 38:1), and is also deserted by his friends (Psalms 38:11), and beset by treacherous...

  • EasyEnglish Bible Commentaries

    Psalms 1:41 _GORDON CHURCHYARD_ Words in boxes are from the Bible. The notes explain some of the words with a *star by them. Tap the * before a word to show an explanation. The translated Bible tex...

  • Ellicott's Commentary On The Whole Bible

    BUT MINE ENEMIES ARE LIVELY. — See margin. But the parallelism and a comparison with Psalms 35:19 lead to the suspicion that the true reading is “without cause.”...

  • ETCBC data on Hebrew bible

    _[Psalms 38:20]_ וְֽ֭ אֹיְבַי חַיִּ֣ים עָצֵ֑מוּ וְ...

  • Expositor's Bible Commentary (Nicoll)

    Psalms 38:1 THIS is a long-drawn wail. passionate at first, but gradually calming itself into submission and trust, though never passing from the minor key. The name of God is invoked thrice (Psalms 3...

  • Frederick Brotherton Meyer's Commentary

    THE CRY OF THE NEEDY PENITENT Psalms 38:1 A long drawn-out sigh of pain. Some think it should be classed with Psalms 32:1; Psalms 51:1, as belonging to the time of David's fall and repentance. It is...

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

    This is the third of what are known as the penitential psalms. The circumstances of the singer were most distressing. He was suffering from some terrible physical malady, deserted by his friends, and...

  • Geneva Study Bible Commentary

    But mine (n) enemies [are] lively, [and] they are strong: and they that hate me wrongfully are multiplied. (n) In my greatest misery they most rejoice....

  • Hawker's Poor man's commentary

    I need not enlarge on these verses, they all express the same blessed truths, and bear a gracious correspondence to the whole tenor of this Psalm. Jehovah is the salvation of his people, and Christ is...

  • James Nisbet's Church Pulpit Commentary

    Psalms 38 _ Proper Psalm for Ash Wednesday_ (_Morning_). PSALMS 38-40 = _ Day 8_ (_Morning_)....

  • John Calvin's Bible Commentary

    This _living, _(58) which he attributes to his enemies, implies as much as to enjoy continued and abundant prosperity in all things; and therefore he adds, that they _are become strong and increase in...

  • John Darby's Synopsis

    THE FOLLOWING COMMENTARY COVERS PSALMS 38 AND 39. Psalms 38 and 39 have, as I have said, a distinct and peculiar character. The deliverance has been sought and looked for by the upright, and forgivene...

  • John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible

    BUT MINE ENEMIES [ARE] LIVELY,.... Or "living" q or "live"; not in a spiritual sense; for they had no lively hope, nor living faith, but were dead in trespasses and sins; nor merely in a natural sense...

  • John Trapp Complete Commentary

    But mine enemies [are] lively, [and] they are strong: and they that hate me wrongfully are multiplied. Ver. 19. _Mine enemies are lively, &c._] _q.d._ It is nuts to them, and they soon compose comedi...

  • Kretzmann's Popular Commentary of the Bible

    But mine enemies, by way of contrast to his dejected state, ARE LIVELY, full of vitality and vigor, AND THEY ARE STRONG; AND THEY THAT HATE ME WRONGFULLY ARE MULTIPLIED, coming against him in ever-inc...

  • Kretzmann's Popular Commentary of the Bible

    PRAYER FOR RELIEF FROM A BURDEN OF GUILT. A psalm of David, to bring to remembrance, to remind God of His great mercy toward poor sinners, the hymn probably being intended for that part of worship wh...

  • Marginal Notes in the King James Version (1611)

    ARE LIVELY: _ Heb._ being living, are strong...

  • Matthew Henry Commentary on the Whole Bible

    12-22 Wicked men hate goodness, even when they benefit by it. David, in the complaints he makes of his enemies, seems to refer to Christ. But our enemies do us real mischief only when they drive us f...

  • Matthew Poole's Concise Commentary On The Bible

    LIVELY, Heb. _living_, i.e. thriving, or flourishing, or prosperous, as life is used, PSALMS 22:26, PSALMS 34:12, and elsewhere....

  • Patchworkid's Personal Study Bible Notes

    Psalms 38:19 enemies H341 (H8802) vigorous H2416 strong H6105 (H8804) hate H8130 (H8802) wrongfully H8267 multiplied

  • Peter Pett's Commentary on the Bible

    3). HE CALLS ON YHWH HIS LORD FOR DELIVERANCE FROM HIS ENEMIES IN VIEW OF HIS OWN DEEP REPENTANCE AND HIS CONFIDENCE IN THE TRUE FAITHFULNESS TO HIM OF YHWH, HIS GOD AND LORD (PSALMS 38:15). As we hav...

  • Spurgeon's Bible Commentary

    I am going to read two portions of Scripture. In the first, the 38 th Psalm, we shall hear a suffering servant of Jehovah crying out to his God. Psalms 38:1. _O LORD, rebuke me not in thy wrath: neit...

  • Spurgeon's Bible Commentary

    A Psalm of David, to bring to remembrance. Remember, although this is a very sorrowful Psalm, it was written by a man of God. It will show you what a terrible thing sin must be, for even a child of Go...

  • Summarized Bible Commentary

    CONTENTS: David's grief, complaints and confession. CHARACTERS: God, David. CONCLUSION: God often contends with His children to awaken their consciences and to set their sins in order before them fo...

  • Sutcliffe's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

    In Psalms 38:19, David intimates that he was hated wrongfully, because he followed good. This psalm was composed under some new outbreaking of Saul's persecution, when his mind sunk under depression,...

  • The Biblical Illustrator

    _O Lord, rebuke me not in Thy wrath: neither chasten me in Thy hot displeasure._ GREAT PERSONAL AFFLICTION I. Elements of aggravation. 1. A dread of Divine displeasure (Psalms 38:1). 2. A crushing...

  • The ESV Global Study Bible's Study Notes

    PSALM PSALM—NOTE ON PSALMS 38:1. In this lament the singer lays his troubles before God, fully realizing that those troubles result from his own sin. The psalm describes anguish of body and mind, dese...

  • The ESV Global Study Bible's Study Notes

    PSALM—NOTE ON PSALMS 38:15 The singer shows true faith in confessing his sin (v. Psalms 38:18) and in calling the Lord his SALVATION (v....

  • The Preacher's Complete Homiletical Commentary

    INTRODUCTION This is a psalm of David to call to remembrance his past life, and, no doubt, has especial reference to his sin with Bathsheba. It calls up to the view of his memory the sins of the past,...

  • The Pulpit Commentaries

    EXPOSITION THIS is the third of the penitential psalms, and is appropriately recited by the Church on Ash Wednesday. Of all the penitential psalms it is the one which shows the deepest marks of utter...

  • Through The Bible C2000 Serie by Chuck Smith

    Psa 38:1-22. This is read on Yom Kippur. Now David, through some sin, and he doesn't tell us what, became very sick. And this psalm is occasion by this great sickness that David had because of some si...

  • Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

    Acts 4:25; John 15:18; Matthew 10:22; Psalms 25:19; Psalms 3:1;...

  • Wesley's Explanatory Notes

    Strong — Are thriving and flourishing....

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