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Ellicott's Commentary On The Whole Bible

Psalms 17:11

They have now... — Evidently the meaning is, Wherever we go they surround us like curs, i.e., they dog our footsteps. But the text is confused.

They have set. — Literally, they fix their eyes to cast on the earth, which may mean, “they fix their eyes on me, ready to strike me to the ground.” Ewald, “they direct their eyes through the land to strike.” But Mr. Burgess suggests a translation at once simple and convincing. He brings the first word back from the next verse, and points it our blood, instead of the awkward his likeness. He thus gets, “They have set their eyes to shed our blood on the earth.” For the Hebrew verb in similar sense, comp. Isaiah 66:12.

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See also Psalms 17:11 in other biblical comments:

  • Adam Clarke Bible Commentary

    Verse Psalms 17:11. _THEY HAVE NOW COMPASSED US IN OUR STEPS_] Instead of אשרנו _ashshurenu_, "our steps," Dr. _Kennicott_ and others recommend אשרינו _ashreynu_, "O lucky we, at last we have compasse...

  • Albert Barnes' Bible Commentary

    THEY HAVE NOW COMPASSED US - Myself, and those who are associated with me. It would seem from this that the psalmist was not alone. It is to be observed, however, that there is a difference of reading...

  • Annotated Bible by A.C. Gaebelein

    Psalms 17 The Prayer of Christ Against the Enemy _ 1. The Righteous Intercessor (Psalms 17:1)_ 2. Prayer for deliverance (Psalms 17:6) 3. The deliverance ...

  • Arthur Peake's Commentary on the Bible

    XVII. THE PRAYER OF A GODLY MAN FOR DELIVERANCE FROM HIS FOES. These foes are not foreign enemies but worldly Jews who persecute their pious and innocent neighbours. The cry for Divine help is made in...

  • Bullinger's Companion Bible Notes

    STEPS. ways, or goings, as in Psalms 17:5....

  • Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

    The character of his enemies....

  • Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

    It has come to this that they beset the Psalmist and his adherents at every step. See 1 Samuel 23:26. _They have set_&c. R.V., They set their eyes to cast us down to the earth. They watch intently for...

  • Coke's Commentary on the Holy Bible

    THEY HAVE NOW COMPASSED US IN OUR STEPS— Mudge renders this and the preceding verse differently: Psalms 17:10. _They draw close their cords; with their mouth they speak exultingly: "We have succeeded...

  • College Press Bible Study Textbook Series

    PSALMS 17 DESCRIPTIVE TITLE One who is Righteous Prays, in Great Trouble, for Divine Deliverance and Manifestation. ANALYSIS Stanza I., Psalms 17:1-2, The Prayer of Righteousness. Stanza II., vers,...

  • Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible

    _THEY HAVE NOW COMPASSED US IN OUR STEPS: THEY HAVE SET THEIR EYES BOWING DOWN TO THE EARTH;_ They have now compassed us in our steps. So the Qeri' reads х_ CªBAABUWNUW_ (H5437)]. But the harder read...

  • Darby's translation notes (1890)

    17:11 us (h-5) Or 'me.' earth. (i-18) Or 'they set their eyes to cast [us] down to the earth.'...

  • Dummelow's Commentary on the Bible

    The Psalmist makes his appeal to the justice of God (Psalms 17:1), and supports his prayer by an assertion of his conscious innocence (Psalms 17:3) and an account of the eager cruelty of his enemies ...

  • Dummelow's Commentary on the Bible

    US] The Psalmist mentions his companions along with himself. BOWING DOWN] RV 'to _cast us_ down.'...

  • 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...

  • ETCBC data on Hebrew bible

    אַ֭שֻּׁרֵינוּ עַתָּ֣ה _סְבָב֑וּנוּ_† עֵינֵיהֶ֥ם יָ֝שִׁ֗יתוּ לִ...

  • Expositor's Bible Commentary (Nicoll)

    Psalms 17:1 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; lat...

  • Frederick Brotherton Meyer's Commentary

    GOD'S TRUE SERVANTS SAFELY KEPT Psalms 17:1 This also dates from the Sauline persecutions. In the earlier verses David protests his innocence, pleads for deliverance from his foes, and ends with glad...

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

    This psalm is generally conceded to be closely linked with the preceding one. There is an evident similarity of outlook. In each case the singer declares his abstention from complicity with ungodly me...

  • George Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary

    Winds. God mounts his chariot, as it were, (Ezechiel i. 4., &c.) to come speedily to David's assistance. \'c6scylus, and other pagan authors, seem to have imitated his description. (Eusebius, præp. ev...

  • Hawker's Poor man's commentary

    It is impossible to read these verses but with an eye to Christ. For though his people, as his people, do partake in the afflictions which the enemies of their salvation excite, yet eminently so in th...

  • John Calvin's Bible Commentary

    11._They have now compassed me round about in our steps. _The Psalmist confirms what he has said before concerning the furious passion for doing mischief with which his enemies were inflamed. He says...

  • John Darby's Synopsis

    The key to Psalms 16 was in the words, "In thee do I put my trust"; to Psalms 17, "Hear the right." In Psalms 16 we have seen the blessed path and working of that spirit of confidence. It is, though t...

  • John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible

    THEY HAVE NOW COMPASSED US IN OUR STEPS,.... The sense is, they could not stir a step but they were at their heels, surrounding them on every side. This was true of David, when he was pursued by Saul,...

  • John Trapp Complete Commentary

    They have now compassed us in our steps: they have set their eyes bowing down to the earth; Ver. 11. _They have now compassed us in our steps_] i.e. Me and my company; so that we cannot stir any whit...

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

    _They have compassed us in our steps_ In all our ways. We go from place to place: we flee for safety to rocks, caves, and woods; but whithersoever we go they are at hand, and ready to surround us. See...

  • Kretzmann's Popular Commentary of the Bible

    They have now compassed us in our steps, so that the believers cannot make a move without their knowledge; THEY HAVE SET THEIR EYES BOWING DOWN TO THE EARTH, they were eagerly watching in order to tak...

  • Kretzmann's Popular Commentary of the Bible

    DAVID CALLS UPON GOD FOR HELP...

  • Matthew Henry Commentary on the Whole Bible

    8-15 Being compassed with enemies, David prays to God to keep him in safety. This prayer is a prediction that Christ would be preserved, through all the hardships and difficulties of his humiliation,...

  • Matthew Poole's Concise Commentary On The Bible

    IN OUR STEPS, i. e. in all our ways. We go from place to place, to rocks, and caves, and woods; but wheresoever we go they are at hand, and ready to surround us; of which see an example, 1 SAMUEL 23:2...

  • Patchworkid's Personal Study Bible Notes

    Psalms 17:11 surrounded H5437 (H8804) steps H838 set H7896 (H8799) eyes H5869 down H5186 (H8800) earth...

  • Peter Pett's Commentary on the Bible

    ‘They are enclosed in their own fat (midriff?), With their mouth they speak proudly. They have now encompassed us in our steps, They set their eyes to cast us down to the earth.' It may be that he...

  • Spurgeon's Bible Commentary

    Psalms 17:1. _Hear the right, O LORD, attend unto my cry, give ear unto my prayer, that goeth not out of feigned lips._ Good men are often slandered and misunderstood; and, at such times, the first v...

  • Summarized Bible Commentary

    CONTENTS: David prays for relief from the pressure of enemies. CHARACTERS: God, David. CONCLUSION: If we are abused and misrepresented, we have a righteous God to go to whose judgment is according t...

  • Sutcliffe's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

    Psalms 17:3. _Thou hast tried me._ Vulgate, _Igne me examinâsti,_ Thou hast proved or tested me with fire, referring to the test of metals. Psalms 17:14. _Men which have their portion in this life,_ a...

  • The ESV Global Study Bible's Study Notes

    PSALM PSALM—NOTE ON PSALMS 17:1. This is an individual lament, dealing especially with cases in which a person considers himself unjustly accused of wrong (compare Psalms 7:1

  • The Preacher's Complete Homiletical Commentary

    INTRODUCTION “David pours forth to God in this psalm an earnest prayer for deliverance from his inveterate enemies, who were bent on taking away his life. We find in it his opinion of the character of...

  • The Pulpit Commentaries

    EXPOSITION THIS psalm is termed "a prayer"—"a Prayer of David." It consists, no doubt, mainly of a series of petitions (Psalms 17:1, Psalms 17:2, Psalms 17:6,...

  • Through The Bible C2000 Serie by Chuck Smith

    The seventeenth psalm is another prayer of David. And it is, again, one of those prayers where David is sort of pleading his own cause, his own righteousness before the Lord. Hear the right, O LORD,...

  • Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

    1 Samuel 23:26; 1 Samuel 24:2; 1 Samuel 24:3; 1 Samuel 26:2; 1 Samue

  • Wesley's Explanatory Notes

    Steps — In all our ways. We go from place to place, to rocks, and caves, and woods; but wheresoever we go they are at hand, and ready to surround us. Eyes — They keep their eyes fixed upon us. Bowing...

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