Psalms 35
Prayer for God, the Divine Warrior 1–10
The Complaint: Betrayal by False Witnesses 11–18
Final Petition for Justice and Vindication 19–28
Bible text: King James Version (1769 Blayney text) · Public domain
Study Notes for Psalm 35
Verse 1
Plead my cause — Riv, to contend in a suit, and ‘them that strive with me’ is from the same root: he asks the LORD to contend with those who contend with him. The verb then changes to war, ‘fight’ (lacham) twice. The LORD takes up a cause in Jer 51:36, ‘I will plead thy cause, and take vengeance for thee’.
Verse 3
say unto my soul, I am thy salvation — He asks for the spoken assurance as well as the spear. ‘Salvation’ is yeshuah, from yasha, to save, and the LORD is called ‘my salvation’ in Isa 12:2. ‘Stop the way’ is to shut it against them; ‘persecute’ is radaph, to pursue, the verb used of the angel in v.6.
Verse 5
chaff before the wind — The image of the ungodly in Ps 1:4, ‘like the chaff which the wind driveth away’. The verb ‘chase’ (dachah) is to push down or drive off. ‘The angel of the LORD’ is the one who ‘encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them’ (Ps 34:7), here asked to drive the pursuers off.
Verse 6
dark and slippery — Chalaqlaqqah is something very smooth, a treacherous footing, and the way is in darkness as in Jer 23:12, ‘slippery ways in the darkness’. ‘Persecute’ is radaph, the word used of the enemies in v.3: the pursuers are pursued, now by the angel of the LORD.
Verse 7
without cause — Chinnam is used twice in the verse, once of the net and once of the pit, and again of the hatred in v.19. The net hidden in a pit is the hunter’s trap; Ps 9:15 has it turned on its makers, ‘in the net which they hid is their own foot taken’.
Verse 8
his net that he hath hid catch himself — The verse answers v.7 line for line: the net they ‘hid’ (taman) is the one that catches, and the ‘destruction’ (sho’ah) falls on him ‘at unawares’, literally without his knowing it. Prov 26:27 says it in general, ‘Whoso diggeth a pit shall fall therein’.
Verse 10
who is like unto thee — The words of Moses’ song at the Red Sea, ‘Who is like unto thee, O LORD’ (Ex 15:11), here said of the one ‘which deliverest the poor’. ‘Poor’ is ani, the afflicted, and ‘needy’ is evyon, the one in want; ‘spoileth’ is gazal, to rob. Even ‘all my bones’ are to speak.
Verse 11
False witnesses did rise up — Chamas, here ‘false’, is elsewhere ‘violence’, and Ps 27:12 joins the two ideas: ‘false witnesses are risen up against me, and such as breathe out cruelty’. ‘Laid to my charge’ is literally ‘asked me’ things ‘that I knew not’. False witnesses came against Christ also (Matt 26:59–60).
Verse 13
my prayer returned into mine own bosom — Tsom is fasting, and ‘humbled’ (anah) is the verb of Lev 16:29, ‘afflict your souls’. The last clause is read two ways: the prayer came back unanswered, or the good he asked for them came back on himself, as in Matt 10:13, ‘let your peace return to you’.
Verse 15
in mine adversity they rejoiced — ‘Adversity’ is tsela, a limp or stumble, the word of Ps 38:17, ‘I am ready to halt’, and Jer 20:10, ‘watched for my halting’. Prov 24:17 forbids what they did: ‘Rejoice not when thine enemy falleth’. ‘Abjects’ (nekim) is from the verb to smite, so smiters; ‘I knew it not’ recalls v.11.
Verse 17
how long wilt thou look on? — ‘Lord’ is Adonai, and the question is put to the one who sees. ‘Darling’ is yachid, one only, an only life, as in Ps 22:20, ‘my darling from the power of the dog’. ‘Destructions’ is sho’ah, the word of v.8, and ‘lions’ recalls the roaring lion of Ps 22:13.
Verse 18
the great congregation — Qahal, the assembled people, and ‘give thanks’ (yadah) is to confess openly. The ‘great congregation’ is also where Ps 22:25 and 40:9–10 place his praise. ‘Praise’ (halal) is the verb of Hallelujah, and ‘much people’ (atsum) is a mighty or numerous throng.
Verse 19
without a cause — Chinnam again, as in v.7. Christ says of those who hated him, ‘They hated me without a cause’ (John 15:25); Ps 69:4 has the same words. To ‘wink’ (qarats) is the gesture of malice in Prov 6:13, ‘He winketh with his eyes’. ‘Rejoice’ (samach) is the enemies’ act in vv.15, 19 and 24.
Verse 21
Aha, aha — He’ach is a cry of gloating, repeated in Ps 40:15 and 70:3, and spoken against the sanctuary in Ezek 25:3. They ‘opened their mouth wide’ (rachav), as in Ps 22:13, ‘They gaped upon me with their mouths, as a ravening and a roaring lion’, and say ‘our eye hath seen it’.
Verse 24
according to thy righteousness — In Ps 7:8 the plea is ‘according to my righteousness’, and here the standard is the LORD’s own (tsedeq). He addresses him as ‘LORD my God’. The enemies’ rejoicing (samach) is again what he asks not to see, and v.27 turns the same word to those who favour his cause.
Verse 27
my righteous cause — ‘Favour’ and ‘hath pleasure’ are one verb, chaphets, to delight, so the ones who delight in his righteous cause say that the LORD delights in his servant’s peace (shalom). ‘Let the LORD be magnified’ is said again in Ps 40:16: ‘let such as love thy salvation say continually, The LORD be magnified’.