Psalm 5:2 Komentář

The psalm is a prayer, a solemn address to God, at a time when the psalmist was brought into distress by the malice of his enemies. Many such times passed over David, nay, there was scarcely any time of his life to which this psalm may not be accommodated, for in this he was a type of Christ, that he was continually beset with enemies, and his powerful and prevalent appeals to God, when he was so beset, pointed at Christ's dependence on his Father and triumphs over the powers of darkness in the midst of his sufferings. In this psalm, I. David settles a correspondence between his soul and God, promising to pray, and promising himself that God would certainly hear him (Psa 5:1-3). II. He gives to God the glory, and takes to himself the comfort, of God's holiness (Psa 5:4-6). III. He declares his resolution to keep close to the public worship of God (Psa 5:7). IV. He prayed, 1. For himself, that God would guide him, (Psa 5:8). 2. Against his enemies, that God would destroy them (Psa 5:9, Psa 5:10). 3. For all the people of God, that God would give them joy, and keep them safe (Psa 5:11, Psa 5:12). And this is all of great use to direct us in prayer. To the chief musician upon Nehiloth. A psalm of David.

INTRODUCTION TO PSALM 5 To the chief Musician upon Nehiloth, a Psalm of David. This psalm, being written by David under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, is inscribed and sent to him who had the direction and management of the musical instruments used in religious worship in David's time, and afterwards in the temple service, called "nehiloth"; as the preceding psalm is inscribed to him who presided over those called "neginoth", Psa 4:1; and as they seem to be such instruments as were played upon with the hand, stringed instruments, so these seem to be wind instruments, such as were blown with the mouth; as the flute, cornet, pipe, trumpet, and hautboy; the word being derived from the same root as "chalil", the pipe, is, and signifies hollow, and so designs such hollow instruments as above: Rabbenu Hai (x) thinks the instrument intended was so called from the humming of bees, which its sound resembled; "nechil shel deborim", with the Rabbins (y), signifying a swarm of bees; and a word from the same root in the Arabic language is used for a bee (z); though others have thought it might be so called from the murmuring noise of a brook or river, to which the sound of it might be like; because a word from the same root this is thought to come in the Hebrew language signifies a brook or river. The Septuagint version, which is followed by the Vulgate Latin and Ethiopic versions, renders it, "for that which obtained the inheritance"; and the Arabic version, "concerning the inheritance"; and to this agrees the old Midrash (a) of the Jews; but what is the meaning is left to everyone to conjecture; the reason of these versions is because the root from whence this word is supposed to be derived signifies to "inherit": the Targum renders the whole inscription thus, "to sing upon the dances a song of David", as it does the title of the preceding psalm; Aben Ezra takes the word, as he does "neginoth", to be the first word of some song, to the tune of which this psalm was to be sung; and Jarchi interprets it "troops" or "armies", and says it is a prayer on account of the troops of enemies that came against Israel; and that the singer said this psalm on the behalf of all Israel. The Syriac interpreter calls it a prayer in the person of the church, when it went in the morning to the house of the Lord. The occasion of it seems to be the same with that of the two former: and certain it is that the psalmist was in distress by reason of wicked men when he wrote it, as appears from several passages in it; the ancient Jewish doctors (b) understood by them Doeg and Ahithophel; some think it was penned, as the preceding psalm, on account of the rebellion of Sheba, Sa2 20:1. (x) Apud Kimchi & Ben Melech in loc. So David de Pomis, Lexic. fol. 93. 1. (y) Maimon. in Misn. Bava Kama, c. 10. s. 2. (z) Alnachal, "apes", Arab. vers. Deut. i. 44. (a) Midrash Tillim apud Viccars. in loc. (b) Apud Kimchi & Arama in loc.

Hearken unto the voice of my cry,.... Which seems to intend more than groans or words, even a loud outcry, as of a person in great distress; such as the strong crying of Christ, in the days of his flesh, when on the cross, forsaken by God, deserted by his friends, and surrounded by his enemies, Heb 5:7; and such, in some measure, was the case of David. The arguments used by him, that the Lord would hearken to him, are as follow: and the first is taken from his interest in the Lord, and his relation to him, my King and my God; the Lord was David's King in a civil sense; though David was a king over others, yet the Lord, who is the King of kings, was King over him, and he owned him to be so; he was set upon the throne by him, had his kingdom from him, and was accountable to him: and he was his King in a natural sense, the kingdom of nature and providence belonging to him, as he was his Creator, preserver, protector, and defender; and in a spiritual sense, he being delivered from the dominion of other lords, sin, Satan, and the world, and brought to a subjection to him by his Spirit and grace; and so to own him as his King and Lawgiver, as well as his Saviour. And he was his God; not in a general way, as he is the God of the spirits of all flesh living; nor merely in the peculiar way in which he was the God of the people of Israel; but in a most special manner, as being his covenant God and Father in Christ. He was his God, not only as the God of nature and providence, but as the God of all grace; who had distinguished him by special and spiritual blessings and favours; and whom David loved, believed in, and worshipped as his God. And this his interest in him, and relation to him, he uses with great pertinence and propriety, as an argument that he might be heard by him; since the Lord was his King, and he his subject; the Lord was his God, and he one of his people; the Lord was his father, and he a child of his; and therefore entreats and hopes to be heard; see Isa 63:15. His next argument is taken from his resolution to pray to him, and to continue to do so: for unto thee will I pray; and only to thee: not to the gods of the Heathen, to idols, the works of men's hands, who can neither hear nor save: and to thee always; suggesting, that he would never leave off praying till he was heard; he would give him no rest, day nor night, until he received an answer.

If one grants that indeed each animal recognizes the cry of its own offspring in the largest and most crowded flocks, that though a thousand calves may cry, the mother knows the cry of her own young, that though a thousand lambs may bleat, the female runs to the voice of her own and it does not fall, how much more among a thousand sinners crying out does God know the cry of the just and recognize him as the pure voice of his own child?

"Attend to the voice of my supplication;" that is, to that voice, which he makes request that God would understand: of which what the nature is, he has already intimated, when he said, "Understand my cry. Attend to the voice of my supplication, my King, and my God" [Psalm 5:2]. Although both the Son is God, and the Father God, and the Father and the Son together One God; and if asked of the Holy Ghost, we must give no other answer than that He is God; and when the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost are mentioned together, we must understand nothing else, than One God; nevertheless Scripture is wont to give the appellation of King to the Son. According then to that which is said, "By Me man comes to the Father," [John 14:6] rightly is it first, "my King;" and then, "my God." And yet has not the Psalmist said, Attend You; but, "Attend." For the Catholic faith preaches not two or three Gods, but the Very Trinity, One God. Not that the same Trinity can be together, now the Father, now the Son, now the Holy Ghost, as Sabellius believed: but that the Father must be none but the Father, and the Son none but the Son, and the Holy Ghost none but the Holy Ghost, and this Trinity but One God. Hence when the Apostle had said, "Of whom are all things, by whom are all things, in whom are all things," [Romans 11:36] he is believed to have conveyed an intimation of the Very Trinity; and yet he did not add, to Them be glory; but, "to Him be glory."

Above, the Psalmist set forth a prayer against those who persecute openly; here he prays against the deceitful, lest he be deceived. And concerning this he does two things. First, he sets forth a petition against the deceitful, lest he be deceived. Second, that the fallen may be restored, at "Lord, not in fury," etc. This Psalm has a title in which there is something new, and it reads thus: "Unto the end, for her who obtains the inheritance." Here a figure and a mystery are touched upon. The figure can be understood in two ways. First, according to the way the Gloss explains it, and as is found in the story of Gen. 21, that when Sarah saw Ishmael playing with her son Isaac, she was troubled and said to Abraham: "Cast out this handmaid and her son, for the son of the handmaid shall not be heir with my son Isaac." Sarah indeed understood that play to be a persecution against Isaac. Abraham, however, took it hard what Sarah had said about his son Ishmael; but God said to him: "Let it not seem harsh to you concerning the boy and your handmaid; in all that Sarah says to you, heed her voice, for in Isaac shall your seed be called," etc. As if to say: Isaac shall be your heir, not Ishmael. Hence below in chapter 25, it is said: "Abraham gave all that he possessed to his son Isaac, but to the sons of his concubines he gave gifts," etc. This Psalm can therefore be referred to this: that the people of the Jews, according to the figure, obtained the inheritance promised to Abraham, whose head and king was David. But according to the mystery, the Christian people obtain it: Gal. 4: "But we, brothers, are children of the promise according to Isaac." Therefore this Psalm tends unto the end, that is, unto Christ, whom it praises for her, namely for the Church, which obtains the inheritance, the synagogue having been rejected. In another way, according to the letter of Jerome, the title is: "For the leader, for the heirs, a song of David." And so it can be understood that this Psalm was composed for the victory that David had in the literal sense. And it should be known that David, while fleeing, lost his inheritance through Absalom, as is found in 2 Kgs. 16. Hence just as the preceding Psalm was for deliverance and victory against Absalom, so he composed this one for the recovery of his inheritance, because when David returned to Jerusalem, certain others had still maliciously risen up against him. Hence in 2 Kgs. 20, David commanded Amasa to summon all the men of Judah within three days to pursue Sheba the son of Bichri, "for the son of Bichri will afflict us more than Absalom." For he had passed through all the tribes of Israel as far as Abel, and all the chosen men had gathered to him; and when he was beheaded, David reigned over all Israel. In this Psalm, therefore, according to the literal sense, three things are considered. First, he asks to be heard. Second, he shows confidence in being heard, at "In the morning you will hear." Third, he sets forth his petition, at "Lord, lead me." Concerning the first, he does two things. First, he asks to be heard. Second, he indicates the reason for being heard, at "My king." It should be noted that one who wishes to ask something of someone proceeds in this way. First, he desires what he wishes to ask. Second, he considers the words to be proposed. Third, he presents them before the hearer. And conversely, the hearer: first, perceives the words by hearing; second, grasps the meaning of the words by understanding; third, is inclined to fulfill the desire of the petitioner. David therefore speaks to God according to this likeness. And first he asks the first thing, namely that God hear his words with outward hearing, when he says, "Give ear to my words, O Lord." Second, he asks for understanding, namely the comprehension of his words, when he says, "Understand my cry" -- not an outward cry, but an inward affection: Ps. 17: "My cry before him." Jerome has: "Understand my murmuring, which I have thought to propose." And this agrees with the translation that says "meditation." Third, he asks the third thing, namely to be heard: "Attend to the voice of my prayer," that is, be willing to hear my prayer: Ps. 69: "O God, attend to my help." But does God do these things separately -- hear, attend, and answer? It must be said that he speaks metaphorically, namely that God may approve all these: the outward words, the inward meditation, and what he proposes. Second, he sets forth the reason for being heard, when he says, "My king." And this is the beginning of the verse according to the Greek. A threefold reason for being heard is given, namely on God's part. The first of these is "My king." For it belongs to a king to govern. Since therefore this pertains to God, it pertains to him to provide what is necessary: Jer. 10: "Who will not fear you, O king of nations?" The other reason is that he is God; for God is the end of our desires and our preserver: Ps. 27: "In God my heart has hoped, and I have been helped," etc. And therefore he says, "My God": Is. 8: "Shall not a people seek a vision from their God, for the living and the dead?" etc. The third reason is taken from the one praying, when he says: "For to you I will pray, O Lord"; as if to say: it is fitting, because you have promised a hearing to those who pray. Mt. 7: "Everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it shall be opened." Nor does it matter that Jerome says "I beseech," while here it says "I will pray," because this designates the continuation of prayer without ceasing; as if to say: I will so pray that nonetheless I am always beseeching: Lk. 18: "One ought always to pray and not lose heart."

Upon Nehiloth--flutes or wind instruments. The writer begs to be heard, on the ground of God's regard for His covenant-people and true worshippers as contrasted with His holy hatred to the wicked. He prays for divine guidance, on account of his watchful, malignant, and deceitful enemies; and for their destruction as being also God's enemies. At the same time he expresses his confidence that God will extend aid to His people. (Psa 5:1-12) meditation--moanings of that half-uttered form to which deep feeling gives rise--groanings, as in Rom 8:26-27.

Hearken--incline the ear (Psa 10:17; compare Psa 61:2) --give close attention. my cry--that is, for help (Psa 61:2; Jer 8:19). my King--thus by covenant relation interested in my cause.