Psalter. Interpretation of the books of the Old Testament. Psalm Psalm 51 interpretation

1 Head of the choir. David's teaching

2 after Doeg the Edomite came and reported to Saul and told him that David had come to the house of Ahimelech.

3 Why do you boast of wickedness, mighty one? God's grace is always with me;

4 your tongue invents destruction; like a sharp razor, he at your place, insidious!

5 you love evil more than good, more lying than telling the truth;

6 you love all sorts of disastrous speeches, deceitful tongue:

7 therefore God will crush you to the end, tear you down, and pluck you out of your dwelling your and your root is from the land of the living.

8 The righteous will see and be afraid, they will laugh at him and say:

9 “Behold, a man who did not build his strength in God, but trusted in the abundance of his wealth, was strengthened in his wickedness.”

10 But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God, and I hope in the mercy of God forever and ever,

11 I will praise you forever for what you have done, and I will put my trust in your name, for it is good in the sight of your saints.

Psalm 51: Exposing the Betrayer

The historical context for this psalm can be found in 1 Samuel 21, 22. Doeg the Edomite was King Saul's chief shepherd. He saw how the fugitive David received food and the sword of Goliath from the priest Ahimelech. Shortly thereafter, he went to Saul and told him about it, and Saul sent him as a reward to kill Ahimelech and eighty-four other priests of the Lord. He killed not only the priests in Nob, but women, children, and even animals, and destroyed the village.

Doeg's character is described in verses 3-6, and his death is described in verses 7-9. We see the opposition of the character of the author of the psalm in verses 10 and 11.

51:3-6 First of all, David accuses the traitor of boasting of villainy and "all the time falsely accusing the faithful servant of God" (NAB). This traitor, the prototype of the Antichrist, had a razor-sharp tongue and harmed people with his slander. He loved more evil than good, and preferred to lie rather than tell the truth. The embodiment of deceit, he ruined the lives of other people with his speeches.

51:7 The author of the psalm predicts the fate that awaits Doik and all his assistants, according to God's and human justice. God will crush it, destroy it like a building. The Almighty will uproot him from his dwelling and completely eradicate him from the land of the living.

51:8, 9 Pious people will one day see how the terrible judgment of God will overtake him, and will rejoice at this, saying: “Behold, a man who did not build his strength in God, but hoped for his abundance of wealth, was strengthened in his villainy.”

"... a tree that yields olive oil, which symbolizes God's Spirit, is green in its eternal life. It is "in the house of God", as opposed to the "dwelling" from which sinners will be uprooted. Unlike Doeg, who does not trust in God, David chose to trust in the mercy of God forever and ever.

He will also thank the Lord forever for all that He has done—namely, that God punishes sinners and avenges the righteous.

Finally, he will praise the name of the Lord before His saints, because His name is good, and everything He does is also good.

1 Head of the choir. David's teaching

2 After Doeg the Edomite came and reported to Saul and told him that David had come to the house of Ahimelech.

3 Why do you boast of wickedness, mighty one? God's grace is always with me;

4 your tongue invents destruction; like a sharp razor, he at your place, insidious!

5 you love evil more than good, more lying than telling the truth;

6 you love all sorts of disastrous speeches, deceitful tongue:

7 For this God will crush you utterly, will tear you down and uproot you from your dwelling place and your root from the land of the living.

8 The righteous will see and be afraid, they will laugh at him [and say]:

9 “Behold, a man who did not build his strength in God, but trusted in the abundance of his wealth, was strengthened in his wickedness.”

10 But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God, and I hope in the mercy of God forever and ever,

11 I will praise you forever for what you have done, and I will put my trust in your name, for it is good in the sight of your saints.

From the book New Bible Commentary Part 2 (Old Testament) author Carson Donald

Psalm 144. Alphabetical psalm: a great doxology This psalm is alphabetic, in the Hebrew text there is only one couplet, starting with the letter "nun". It has been suggested that it has been lost, and most commentators welcome the additional

From the book of the Old Testament (ill. Dore) the author Old Testament

Psalm 77 Teachings of Asaph. 1 Heed, my people, to my law, incline your ear to the words of my mouth. 2 I will open my mouth in a parable and pronounce divination from ancient times. from their children, proclaiming to the generation to come the glory of the Lord, and

From the author's book

Psalm 98 [Psalm of David.] 1 The Lord reigns: let the nations tremble! He sits on Cherubim: let the earth tremble!2 The Lord is great in Zion, and He is high above all peoples.3 Let them praise Your great and terrible name: holy is it!4 And the power of the king loves judgment. You have established justice;

From the author's book

Psalm 99 [David's] psalm of praise.1 Shout out to the Lord, all the earth!2 Serve the Lord with joy; go before him with an exclamation!3 Know that the Lord is God, that he created us, and we are his, his people and the sheep of his flock.4 Enter into his gates with praise, into the courts

From the author's book

Psalm 100 Psalm of David.1 I will sing mercy and judgment; To you, O Lord, I will sing. I will walk in the integrity of my heart in the midst of my house.3 I will not put things indecent before my eyes; I hate criminal business: not

From the author's book

Psalm 101 1 The prayer of the afflicted, when he loses heart and pours out his sorrow before the Lord.2 Lord! hear my prayer, and let my cry come to you.3 Do not hide your face from me; in the day of my affliction, incline your ear to me; on the day [when] I call [to you], hear soon

From the author's book

Psalm 102 Psalm of David.1 Bless, my soul, the Lord, and all my inwardness is His holy name.2 Bless, my soul, the Lord and do not forget all His good deeds.3 He forgives all your iniquities, heals all your diseases;4 delivers from the grave your life crowns you

From the author's book

Psalm 103 [Psalm of David about the creation of the world.]1 Bless the Lord, my soul! Oh my God! You are wonderfully great, You are clothed with glory and majesty; 2 You are clothed with light as a garment; You stretch out the heavens like a tent; 3 You build Your heavenly chambers over the waters; You make Your clouds

From the author's book

Psalm 104 1 Praise the Lord; call upon his name; proclaim his works among the nations; 2 sing to him and sing to him; tell of all his wonders.3 Boast in his holy name; let the heart of those who seek the Lord rejoice.4 Seek the Lord and His strength, seek His face always.5 Remember miracles

From the author's book

Psalm 105 Alleluia. 1 Praise the Lord, for He is good, for His mercy endures forever. 2 Who will speak the power of the Lord, proclaim all His praises? yours; visit me with salvation

From the author's book

Psalm 106 [Hallelujah.]1 Praise the Lord, for He is good, for His mercy endures forever!2 So say those who are redeemed by the Lord, whom He delivered from the hand of the enemy,3 and gathered from the countries, from the east and west, from the north and the sea.4 They wandered in the desert along a deserted path and did not find an inhabited

From the author's book

Psalm 107 1 Song. Psalm of David.2 My heart is ready, O God, [my heart is ready]; I will sing and sing in my glory.3 Arise, psalter and harp! I will rise early.4 I will praise You, O Lord, among the nations; I will sing to you among the nations, 5 for your mercy is above the heavens and

From the author's book

Psalm 109 Psalm of David.1 God of my praise! do not be silent, 2 for the mouth of the ungodly and the lips of deceit have been opened upon me; they speak to me with a lying tongue; 3 they surround me with words of hatred from everywhere, they arm themselves against me without reason; 4 for my love they are at enmity with me, and I

From the author's book

Psalm 109 Psalm of David.1 The Lord said to my Lord: sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool. from the womb before

From the author's book

Psalm 110 Alleluia.1 I glorify [Thee], O Lord, with all [my] heart in the council of the righteous and in the assembly.2 Great are the works of the Lord, desirable to all who love them.3 His work is glory and beauty, and His righteousness endures forever. 4 He made his miracles memorable; merciful and generous

From the author's book

Psalm 111 Hallelujah.1 Blessed is the man who fears the Lord and strongly loves His commandments.2 His seed will be strong on earth; the generation of the upright will be blessed.3 Abundance and riches are in his house, and his righteousness endures forever.4 In the darkness light arises for the upright; he is good and merciful and righteous.

PSALM 51

Of course, David grieved greatly when he said to Aviathar: “... I am guilty of all the souls of your father's house” (1 Sam. 22:22), who died because of the malicious denunciation of Doik the Edomite. In order to pour out his grief and find at least a little peace for the mind, burdened with the consciousness of guilt, he composes this psalm, in which, as a prophet, and therefore with sovereignty, as if he already sits as a ruler on the throne,

(I) blames Doick for his act (v. 3).

(II) Convicts Doeg of sin and aggravates his guilt (v. 4-6).

(III) Sentences him (v. 7).

IV. Predicts the triumph of the righteous in the execution of this sentence (v. 8, 9).

(V) He comforts himself with the grace of God and the assurance that he will still glorify him (v. 10, 11). Singing this psalm, we must feel disgust for the sin of lying, foresee the destruction of those who persist in it, and please ourselves with the confidence that God will preserve His people and His Church, despite the evil designs of the descendants of Satan, this father of lies.

Choir leader. Teaching. Psalm of David, after Doik of Edom the Nin came and reported to Saul, and told him that David had come to the house of Ahimelech.

Verses 3-7

The beginning of the psalm is a brief retelling of the event to which this psalm refers. Finally, David saw that for his own safety and fear of Saul, he had to leave the royal palace and run, as the king was again trying to kill him. Lacking weapons and provisions, he came by ruse to the priest's house in order to provide himself with what he needed. It so happened that Doeg the Edomite was there at that time, and he went to Saul to testify against Ahimelech, presenting him as a man who had colluded with a traitor. This information was the basis for a monstrous bloodshed when Saul killed the priests, and Doeg himself was the executor of this commission (1 Sam. 22:9, etc.) In these verses:

I. David dispassionately discusses the deed done by this proud, powerful man (v. 3). Perhaps Doeg was considered courageous due to his physical strength, but an easy victory over the unarmed priests of the Lord did not add glory to him, since it is a dishonor for those who bear weapons to offend those who wear an ephod. Nevertheless, he was a powerful man by position, for he was placed in charge of the servants of Saul, managing the royal house. He boasted not only of his power, which made it possible to commit evil, but also of the evil he had done. Note, It is bad to do evil, but it is worse still to boast and seek glory in doing it; not only not to be ashamed of bad deeds, but also to justify them, not only to justify them, but also to exalt and exalt oneself. He who boasts of his sin boasts of his shame, and for this sin deserves more condemnation. Strong men are often malicious and boast of the lust of their souls (Ps. 9:24). It is not clear how the following words are connected with the previous ones: "God's mercy endures forever"27. Some think it's the wicked's answer to question asked. The patience and longsuffering of God, these great proofs of His mercy, are misused by sinners and harden the hearts of those who stand in the way of the wicked. Since the sentence for their evil deeds is not immediately carried out, and, moreover, God continues to do good for them, they boast of their crimes, as if their prosperity were a proof that their villainy contained no harm. But rather it testifies against them to show

(1.) The wickedness of their sin. But sinners are constantly committing evil deeds, and therefore they are opposed to Him, although they boast of themselves.”

(2.) The folly of their behavior: “You think that the evil deeds you boast of (so skillfully conceived and carried out) will crush and destroy the people of God, but you will see that you are deeply mistaken, for the mercy of God endures forever to protect the children of God, and they need not be afraid of what man may do to them.” Our enemies boast in vain of their evil deeds, while we boast of the mercy of God.

II. David calls the intruder to account before the high court of heaven, just as he called Ahimelech to account at the judgment of Saul (v. 4-6). He accuses him of the wickedness of the tongue (this uncontrollable evil filled with deadly poison) and the wickedness of the heart, to which he testified. David accuses him of four vices:

(1) malice. His tongue conjures up doom, not only penetrating like a needle, but also cutting like a sophisticated razor. Contemptuous and deceitful words do not satisfy him; he loves destructive words that can destroy the priests of the Lord, whom he hates.

(2) Lies. The language with which he does evil is deceitful (v. 6), he loves lies more (v. 5); this sophisticated razor is treacherous (v. 4). Before there was an opportunity to show his hatred for the priests, Doick behaved towards them very decently. Although he was an Edomite, he came to the altar, offered sacrifices and showed respect to the priests, like any worthy Israelite. Thus, he committed violence against himself, for he was in that day before the Lord. And then he got the opportunity to do them great harm. Or, perhaps, this refers to the information he reported against Ahime-leh, since although its essence was correct, it was incorrectly presented and dressed in false colors. Therefore, it is quite possible to say about this man that he loved lies and had a deceitful tongue. He told the truth, but not the whole truth, as a witness should do. If he had said that David assured Achimelech that he was following Saul's command, then the kindness shown to him would not indicate betrayal of the king, but respect for him. By distorting the truth and presenting it in a different light, we will not be saved from the accusation of a lie if we can only say: "There was a little truth in our words."

(3) Cunning when sinning: "Destruction invents your tongue, that is, it speaks the evil that the heart conceives." The more cunning and ingenuity is present in evil, the more diabolical essence is in it.

(4) Love of sin: “You love evil more than good, that is, you love evil, and you do not have the slightest love for good. You like to lie and you don't try to do the right thing. You would rather try to please Saul by lying than to please God by telling the truth.” The spirit of Doik lives in those people who never use the opportunity to do good and please a person, whether for the flesh, property or good name, but take pleasure in using any opportunity to do evil. It means loving evil more than good. It is very bad to speak disastrous speeches, but it is even worse to love them when others or ourselves speak.

III. David predicts the death of Doik and the judgments of God that will fall upon him for the crimes he has committed (v. 7): “You destroyed the priests of the Lord, killed them with your sword, and for this God will crush you completely.” Destruction will come upon the sons at whose hands others perish, as was the case with Judas and the man of sin. The destroyers will be destroyed, and those who zealously hated, persecuted and killed the priests of the Lord, His servants and His people, who for us became the priests of God, the royal priesthood, will be crushed by instant and eternal destruction. In these verses Doeg is condemned, he will

(1) expelled from the Church: “God will tear you down and cast you out of the tabernacle, not only from your dwelling, but from God's (perhaps this is how many understand this place). You will be cut off from the favor of God, from His presence, from fellowship with Him, and will not have the privilege of offering sacrifice or listening to prophecy.” He was quite rightly deprived of all the privileges of the house of God, as a man who had done much evil to His servants. Sometimes Doick would come to the tabernacle of God and visit the courts of the house of God, but he would grow weary there and tired of the service. Therefore, he was looking for an opportunity to slander the priest's family. The villain fully deserved his exile and was expelled from there. We must also close the doors of our house to the person who does so. Note that we forfeit the privileges of ordinances if we misuse them.

(2) Banished from this world: "He will uproot you from the land of the living, where you thought you were so rooted." Dying, godly people are transplanted from the land of the living, this nursery of the plantings of righteousness, to heaven - to the garden of the Lord, where they will take root forever. But when the wicked die, they are uprooted from the land of the living to perish forever as fuel for the fire of divine wrath. Such will be the fate of those who oppose God.

Verses 8-11

David was in great trouble at that time. The evil done to him by Doik was only the beginning of all the troubles, but at the same time, here we see his exultation during his grief, which exceeds ordinary joy. The blessed Paul, surrounded on every side by troubles, triumphed (2 Cor. 2:14). And here David triumphs,

I. Seeing the fall of Doick. But in order not to look like a personal revenge, he speaks about it not as a fact that concerns him, but on behalf of other righteous people. By the example of Doik, they should observe the judgments of God and speak about them.

(1.) To the glory of God: "The righteous shall see and be afraid" (v. 8), that is, they shall stand in awe of the righteousness of God, and tremble before him, as before a God who has all power, before whom the proudest sinner cannot stand, but every of us must humble ourselves. Note that God's judgments on the ungodly should tremble the righteous, fearing to offend God and displease Him (Ps. 119:120; Rev. 15:3,4).

(2) Shame on Doick. They should laugh at him, but not with merriment, but with intelligent, merry laughter, as He who dwells in heaven laughs (Ps. 2:4). He deserves only ridicule. We learn how the righteous will rejoice as they see the just judgments of God upon him (v. 9): "Behold a man who did not build his strength in God." The fall and death of the powerful rich will not go unnoticed, and every person will want to speak out about it. But this is what the righteous have to say about the fall of Doeg: nothing good could come of it, since this man relied on his own fortress and wealth. When a newly erected structure falls, the question arises of what is the reason. Doik's prosperity was brought to an end on the grounds that

He did not build it on a rock and did not build his fortress in God. He did not consider that the duration of his prosperity depended on the favor of the Lord, he did not care to have Him and abide in God's love, did not try to fulfill his duty to Him, and did not even seek Him. He who believes that he can support himself with his strength and wealth without God and religion is terribly deceived.

He built it on sand. Doeg thought that his wealth would support itself, and hoped for a lot of his wealth, which he imagined had been set aside for many years. Moreover, he thought that his villainy would help and support him. He decided to stop at nothing for the sake of his own reliability and growth in honors and power. Right or wrong, he did his best to keep what he had and destroy anyone who stood in his way. He believed that this would strengthen his position. He whose conscience is not troubled can own everything. But now that the building has fallen and he himself has been buried under its ruins, look where it has led; see with what flimsy mortar he built his house.

II. Rejoicing in their own stability (vv.10,11). “The root of this mighty man has been uprooted, and I am like a green olive tree, planted and rooted, strong and prosperous. He is expelled from the habitation of God, and I am established in it. I don't get tired, like Doeg, by staying there, but everything I encounter in it satisfies me deeply." Note, Those who by faith and love abide in the house of God will be like a green olive tree. Scripture says that the wicked expands like a rooted many-branched tree (Ps. 36:35), which does not bear useful fruit, although it has a large number of leaves. But the righteous prospers like a green olive tree, which is fruitful, juicy and fresh (Ps. 91:15) and with its fat honors gods and people (Jud. 9: 9), which nourishes its roots and fat from a noble olive tree (Rom. 11: 17). What must we do to be like a green olive tree?

(1.) We must live by faith and holy trust in God and his grace. “I have seen the result of human trust in the multitude of my wealth, and therefore I trust in the mercy of God forever and ever - not in the world, but in God, not in my own merits, but in the mercy of God, which generously distributes its gifts even to the unworthy and has in itself absolute sufficiency to be our part and bliss.” This grace is forever, it is constant and unchanging, and its gifts will continue until eternity. Therefore, we must constantly trust in it and never leave its foundation.

(2) We must live with constant gratitude and holy joy in God (v. 11): “I will praise you forever for what you have done, because you avenged the blood of your priests on their bloodthirsty enemies and made them drink blood, and thus fulfilled His promise to me.” David was confident that God would fulfill His promise at the right time, as if it had already been fulfilled. As we glorify God, we add beauty to our confession, and each of our graces brings more fruit. Certainly, in that case, we will never need a reason to praise.

(3) Our lives should be filled with expectation and humble trust in God: “I will trust in Your name. I will approach You, following all the ways in which You reveal Yourself to me. I will hope that You will show me Your favor, and wait for the appointed time, for it is good in the sight of Your saints (or in the opinion and judgments of Your saints, with which David absolutely agrees)”. Communis sensus fidelium - all saints are of the opinion that

That in itself the name of God is good, that every time, revealing Himself to His people, the Lord shows mercy and kindness. We have not been given another name that could be a refuge and a strong tower.

That it is very useful for each of us to trust in this name, and nothing else can better calm our spirit when it is upset and irritated. When we are tempted to use dubious means for our own relief, then nothing can support us on the path of duty better than hope and patient expectation of salvation from the Lord (Lamentations 3:26). All believers have benefited from this, who have never come to Him in vain, who have always followed His leading, for whom all things end well, and who have never been ashamed of their trust in Him. Therefore, let us often abide in that which is good in the sight of all the saints, namely: “Turn you also to your God; watch mercy and judgment, and trust in your God always” (Hos. 12:6).

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Interpretation of Psalm 51

This psalm was written by David on the sad occasion of the treacherous denunciation of Doik the Edomite against the high priest Ahimelech because he showed hospitality to David (1 Sam. 21-22).

The explanatory inscription corresponds in the Russian text to the first two verses of the psalm.

A. Destruction awaits the villain (51:3-9)

Ps. 51:3. In vain does the traitor boast of his villainy: he does not know. that the mercy of God is always with David, and that, consequently, his denunciation will not reach the goal.

Ps. 51:4-6. Doik's villainous act was because, in his denunciation to Saul, he presented Ahimelech as deliberately helping the king's opponent, while the high priest did not know about the true motives for the appearance of the royal son-in-law with him and showed him the usual hospitality in the East. The language of a traitor who planned death for an innocent person is compared to a "sharp razor".

Ps. 51:7. For what he has done, Doik will die soon, but God ... will also uproot his offspring (root) ... from the land of the living

Ps. 51:8-9. The righteous, David foresees, although they will be horrified by the fate of the traitor, they will also laugh at her (in the sense of "they will not regret her"), for they will receive one more confirmation that bitter retribution awaits everyone who is not established in God, but hopes for his wealth and persists in his malice and deceit.

B. This is not the lot of a man of faith (51:10-11)

Ps. 51:10-11. In contrast to the wicked, who is waiting for "eradication", the psalmist likens himself to a "green olive tree" (a symbol of prosperity). In the house of God (that is, in his closeness to God who dwells in the tabernacle), in the hope of His mercy, David sees the guarantee of his well-being. And promises forever... to glorify Him.

Ps. 51 The creator of the psalm is struck by the recklessness of the wicked, for he knows that, despite all their apparent strength, they are doomed to God's punishment. The psalmist, who believes in God and trusts in Him in everything, contrasts their terrible fate with his own future. It is difficult to attribute this psalm to any one category, since the signs of psalms of hope are combined in it with calls characteristic of lamentations to judge the wicked, as well as with the use of expressions characteristic of wisdom literature.

51:1-2 The title refers to the event described in 1 Sam. 22:6-23. Its immediate meaning boils down to identifying Doik the Edomite with the boastful wicked, and David with the righteous psalmist. However, the psalm is full of meaning and regardless of this historical episode, having a direct bearing on many moments in the life of God's people.

51:3-6 The psalmist convicts the wicked of grave sins.

51:6 treacherous. More precisely: "confusing". The wisdom literature of the Bible teaches that the characteristic of evil is chaos and that of good is harmony. The source of goodness is God, who created the world harmoniously.

51:8 The righteous will see and be afraid, they will laugh at him. It may seem strange that the righteous, being afraid, do not cry, but laugh. However, this is made clear in the next verse.

51:9 Behold the man who did not build his strength in God. The Word of God consistently convinces us to rely on the Lord in everything, and not on our own strength. The wicked, on the other hand, does the opposite, not knowing or not wanting to know that a person owes all his achievements and victories only to God.

51:10 like a green olive tree. This verse clearly echoes Ps. 1. The olive tree, known for its longevity and productivity, is often a symbol of a God-blessed long and fruitful life.