Psalms 11
Trust in the Lord Amidst Danger 1–3
The Lord Rules from Heaven 4–7
Bible text: King James Version (1769 Blayney text) · Public domain
Study Notes for Psalm 11
Verse 1
Flee as a bird to your mountain — ‘Put I my trust’ is chasah, to take refuge, the verb of ‘Blessed are all they that put their trust in him’ (Ps 2:12) and ‘in the shadow of thy wings will I make my refuge’ (Ps 57:1). ‘Bird’ is tsippor and ‘flee’ is nud, to wander. David elsewhere spoke of himself hunted ‘as when one doth hunt a partridge in the mountains’ (1 Sam 26:20).
Verse 3
If the foundations be destroyed — ‘Foundations’ is shathoth, what is set as a base, and ‘destroyed’ is haras, to pull down. ‘Do’ is pa’al, to accomplish. Ps 82:5 describes the same loss, ‘all the foundations of the earth are out of course’, and 2 Tim 2:19 gives the answer: ‘the foundation of God standeth sure’. Vv.4–7 give the psalm’s own answer.
Verse 4
The LORD is in his holy temple — ‘Temple’ is heykal, the palace or house, as in Hab 2:20, ‘the LORD is in his holy temple: let all the earth keep silence before him’. His throne ‘in heaven’ is the one ‘prepared… in the heavens’ (Ps 103:19). ‘Behold’ is chazah and ‘try’ is bachan, to test, the verb of v.5, ‘The LORD trieth the righteous’.
Verse 6
rain snares, fire and brimstone — ‘Rain’ is matar, the verb of Gen 19:24, ‘the LORD rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire’. ‘Snares’ is pach, the fowler’s net of Ps 91:3, and ‘horrible tempest’ is zal’aphah, a scorching wind, the word of Ps 119:53. The ‘cup’ recalls Ps 75:8, whose dregs ‘all the wicked of the earth shall wring them out, and drink them’.
Verse 7
his countenance doth behold the upright — ‘Behold’ is chazah, the verb of v.4: his eyes behold men, and his face beholds the upright. ‘Loveth righteousness’ (tsedaqah) is said of Christ in Heb 1:9, ‘Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity’, quoting Ps 45:7. Ps 17:15 states the hope, ‘I will behold thy face in righteousness’, and Rev 22:4, ‘they shall see his face’.