Commentary on Psalms Volume 2 John Calvin (continued)
JOHN CALVIN
and confound their infatuated machinations. Shall we place him on a level with mortal man, and measure his probable success by the numbers which are set against him? "But how," may it be asked, "are we to account for this sudden change in the exercise of David? A moment before, he was expressing his dread of destruction, and now he bids defiance to the collected strength of his enemies." I reply, that there is nothing in his words which insinuate that he was absolutely raised above the influence of fear, and every sense of the dangers by which he was encompassed. They imply no more than that he triumphed over his apprehensions, through that confident hope of salvation with which he was armed. Men he terms in this verse flesh, to impress the more upon his mind the madness of their folly in attempting a contest so infinitely above their strength.
Psalm 56:5-8
5. Every day my words vex me; all their thoughts are against me for evil. 6. They gather themselves together, they hide themselves, they watch my heels, because they seek my soul. 331 7. After their mischief they think to escape: in thine anger cast down the peoples, O God! 8. Thou hast taken account of my wandering; put thou my tears into thy bottle: are they not in thy register?
5 Every day my words vex me The first part of this verse has been variously rendered. Some understand my words to be the nominative in the sentence, and with these I agree in opinion. Others suppose a reference to the enemies of David, and translate, they calumniate my words, or, they cause me grief on account of my words. Again,,יעצבוyeatsebu, has been taken in the neuter sense, and translated, my words are troublesome. Butעצב332 , atsab, commonly signifies to afflict with grief, and in Pihel is always taken transitively; nor does there seem any reason in this place to depart from the
"Ou, ne demandent qu'a m'oster la vie." — Fr. marg. "Or, they want only to take away my life."
Horsley observes, that the primary meaning of the verb,עצבatsab, is "perhaps to do a thing with great labor, to take pains about it; if, indeed, its primary meaning be not to distort Hence it may signify to affect the mind with any unpleasing passion or sensation, grief, vexation, anger; for every perturbation is a sort of distortion of the mind.רברי ' — עלי יעצבוtorquent contra me verba mea,' — 'torquent, i e., labouriose fingunt in mentem alienam et sensum alienum.' — Pagninus after Aben Ezra and R.D." — Horsley Hammond, after stating that,עזבatsab, signifies primarily to grieve, or be in pain, and that by metonomy it is used for the laborious framing or forming of any thing, says, "Here, being applied to another's words or speeches, it seems to denote the depraving them, laboring and using great art and diligence to put them into such a form as may be most for the disadvantage of the speaker, turning and winding them to his hurt, in putting some odious gloss upon them, and so, according to sense, may most fully be rendered depraving."