Psalm 64:5

They encourage themselves in an evil matter: they commune of laying snares privily; they say, Who shall see them?

EXPOSITORY (ENGLISH BIBLE)

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(5) They encourage themselves.—Literally, they strengthen for themselves an evil thing (or “word,” margin, LXX., and Vulg.,) which evidently means that they take their measures carefully, and are prepared to carry them out resolutely.

They commune . . .—Better, they calculate how they may lay snares privily. The conspirators carefully and in secret go over every detail of their plot.

Who shall see them?—Literally, who shall look to them? which seems at first glance to mean, “who will see the snares?” but this is weak. It may be equivalent to, “who is likely to see us?” the question being put indirectly. But in 1Samuel 16:7, the expression, “looketh on,” implies “regard for,” which may possibly be the meaning here, “who careth for them?”

Benson Commentary

Psalm 64:5-6. They encourage themselves — Hebrew, יחזקו, jechazeku, they strengthen, or fortify themselves, by firm resolutions, by assured confidence of success, by uniting their counsels and forces together, and by mutual encouragements and exhortations. They say, Who shall see them — Their snares are so secretly laid, that they think David cannot discern, nor therefore avoid them. They search out iniquities — They study diligently and constantly to find out either matter which they may lay to my charge, or new ways and means of doing mischief. They accomplish a diligent search — They have long and accurately searched, till at last they have ripened and perfected their thoughts, and contrived a very cunning and deep plot. Or, they say, We have accomplished our accurate search. By long searching we have at last found what we desired. And the heart is deep — Deep as hell, desperately wicked, who can know it? By their unaccountable wickedness, they show themselves to be, both in subtlety and malignity, the genuine offspring of the old serpent.

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

64:1-6 The psalmist earnestly begs of God to preserve him from disquieting fear. The tongue is a little member, but it boasts great things. The upright man is the mark at which the wicked aim, they cannot speak peaceably either of him or to him. There is no guard against a false tongue. It is bad to do wrong, but worse to encourage ourselves and one another in it. It is a sign that the heart is hardened to the greatest degree, when it is thus fully set to do evil. A practical disbelief of God's knowledge of all things, is at the bottom of every wickedness. The benefit of a good cause and a good conscience, appears most when nothing can help a man against his enemies, save God alone, who is always a present help.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

They encourage themselves - literally, they strengthen themselves, or make themselves strong. That is, they take counsel; they encourage each other; they urge one another forward; they suggest to each other methods by which what they purpose may be done, and by which difficulties may be overcome. This was a part of their "secret counsel" or their consultation, Psalm 64:2.

In an evil matter - Margin, as in Hebrew, speech. The reference is to their purpose or plan. They strengthen themselves for doing what they know to be a wrong or wicked thing.

They commune - literally, they tell or speak. That is, they tell each other how it may be done, or suggest different methods by which it may be successfully accomplishled. They compare views, that they may select that which will be most likely to be successful. All this indicates plan, consultation, design.

Of laying snares privily - Margin, as in Hebrew, to hide snares. This is a figure derived from the method of taking wild beasts. See Psalm 7:15, note; Psalm 38:12, note. The reference here is to some secret plan by which they intended that the author of the psalm should be entrapped and ruined. It was not a plan of open and manly warfare, but a purpose to destroy him when he would have no opportunity of defense.

They say, Who shall see them? - That is, who will see the snares or pit-falls? Who will be aware of their existence? They sought to make the plan so secret that no one could discover it, or even suspect it; to keep it so concealed that he for whom it was intended could not be put on his guard. Compare Psalm 10:8-9.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

5. A sentiment here more fully presented, by depicting their deliberate malice.

Matthew Poole's Commentary

They encourage themselves, Heb. they strengthen or fortify themselves, by firm resolutions, by assured confidence of success, by uniting their counsels and forces together, and by mutual encouragements and exhortations.

Who shall see them? their snares are so secretly laid that David cannot discern, and therefore not avoid them.

Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

They encourage themselves in an evil matter,.... Or "strengthen him" (c); that is, Saul, by making use of arguments and reasonings to induce him to go on in his wicked persecution of David; or they strengthened and hardened themselves in their wickedness, as Saul's courtiers and the enemies of Christ did, and as all wicked men do, when they observe the sentence against them is not speedily executed, Ecclesiastes 8:11;

they commune of laying snares privily; that is, they conversed together, and consulted how to lay snares for the perfect man in the most private manner, that they might entrap him and destroy him;

they say, who shall see them? either the snares laid, or the persons that laid them? None; no, not even God himself; see Psalm 10:11.

(c) "firmant illi", Muis.

Geneva Study Bible

They {f} encourage themselves in an evil matter: they commune of laying snares privily; they say, Who shall see them?

(f) The more the wicked set God's children in misery, the more bold and impudent are they in oppressing them.

EXEGETICAL (ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)

Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

5. They encourage &c.] Lit., They make strong for themselves an evil scheme, sparing no pains to make their plot successful.

they say] Lit. they have said, i.e. to themselves; they have made up their minds that there is no retributive Providence in the world. This is the reason of their unrestrained wickedness.

Who shall see them?] An indirect form of speech in place of the direct Who will see us? More exactly the Heb. means, Who will see to them? They have persuaded themselves that there is no God who will take any account of their proceedings. Cp. Psalm 10:11; Psalm 10:13; Psalm 12:4; Psalm 59:7; Isaiah 29:15, &c.

Pulpit Commentary

Verse 5. - They encourage themselves in an evil matter; or, in an evil scheme - the plan of making David unpopular, and then raising the standard of open revolt against him (2 Samuel 15:1-12). They commune of laying snares privily. The ungodly continually set traps for the righteous, who are so simple that they often fall into them. We do not know the exact proceedings of his enemies against David at the time, the narrative of 2 Samuel 15 being so brief; but it was probably by some trickery that David was induced to quit the stronghold of Jerusalem, and so yield the seat of government, and many other advantages, to his rival. They say, Who shall see them? (comp. Psalm 10:11; Psalm 59:7; Psalm 94:7). It is an inveterate folly for men to imagine, either that God will not see their actions, or that he will pay no heed to them. A spurious humility is brought into play in the latter case - How can it be supposed that God will note the doings of such worms as men? Psalm 64:5

Keil and Delitzsch Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament

The evil speech is one with the bitter speech in Psalm 64:4, the arrow which they are anxious to let fly. This evil speech, here agreement or convention, they make firm to themselves (sibi), by securing, in every possible way, its effective execution. ספּר (frequently used of the cutting language of the ungodly, Psalm 59:13; Psalm 69:27; cf. Talmudic ספּר לשׁון שׁלישׁי, to speak as with three tongues, i.e., slanderously) is here construed with ל of that at which their haughty and insolent utterances aim. In connection therewith they take no heed of God, the all-seeing One: they say (ask), quis conspiciat ipsis. There is no need to take למו as being for לו (Hitzig); nor is it the dative of the object instead of the accusative, but it is an ethical dative: who will see or look to them, i.e., exerting any sort of influence upon them? The form of the question is not the direct (Psalm 59:8), but the indirect, in which מי, seq. fut., is used in a simply future (Jeremiah 44:28) or potential sense (Job 22:17; 1 Kings 1:20). Concerning עולת, vid., Psalm 58:3. It is doubtful whether תּמּנוּ

(Note: תּמּנוּ in Baer's Psalterium is an error that has been carried over from Heidenheim's.)

is the first person ( equals תּמּונוּ) as in Numbers 17:13, Jeremiah 44:18, or the third person as in Lamentations 3:22 ( equals תּמּוּ, which first of all resolved is תּנמוּ, and then transposed תּמּנוּ, like מעזניה equals מענזיה equals מעזּיה, Isaiah 23:11). The reading טמנוּ, from which Rashi proceeds, and which Luther follows in his translation, is opposed by the lxx and Targum; it does not suit the governing subject, and is nothing but an involuntary lightening of the difficulty. If we take into consideration, that תּמם signifies not to make ready, but to be ready, and that consequently חפשׂ מחפּשׂ is to be taken by itself, then it must be rendered either: they excogitate knavish tricks or villainies, "we are ready, a clever stroke is concocted, and the inward part of man and the heart is deep!" or, which we prefer, since there is nothing to indicate the introduction of any soliloquy: they excogitate knavish tricks, they are ready - a delicately devised, clever stroke (nominative of the result), and (as the poet ironically adds) the inward part of man and the heart is (verily) deep. There is nothing very surprising in the form תּמּנוּ for תּמּוּ, since the Psalms, whenever they depict the sinful designs and doings of the ungodly, delight in singularities of language. On ולב (not ולב) equals (אישׁ) ולב equals ולבּו, cf. Psalm 118:14.