Matthew Poole's Commentary To the chief Musician upon Mahalath, Maschil, A Psalm of David. The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. Corrupt are they, and have done abominable iniquity: there is none that doeth good. THE ARGUMENT This Psalm, some few words excepted, is wholly the same with Psalm 14, and therefore the reader must resort thither for the interpretation of it. And it is repeated, partly because the matter of it is so important and necessary to be known and considered; and partly because there arose some new and suitable occasion which made David sing it a second time, and that with some small alterations. And the compiler or compilers of David’s Psalms had so great a reverence for their composer, whom they knew to be guided by Divine inspiration, that they would not lose any of his fragments, and therefore repeated this Psalm with the variations which he had made. Mahalath seems to be the name of a musical instrument, or tune; wherein, as in the rest of them, it is better to confess our ignorance, as the Hebrew doctors themselves do, than to give way to vain and groundless conjectures about them. David describeth the atheism and corruption of men, &c. See Psalm 10 Psa 14. No text from Poole on this verse. God looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, that did seek God. No text from Poole on this verse. Every one of them is gone back: they are altogether become filthy; there is none that doeth good, no, not one. No text from Poole on this verse. Have the workers of iniquity no knowledge? who eat up my people as they eat bread: they have not called upon God. No text from Poole on this verse. There were they in great fear, where no fear was: for God hath scattered the bones of him that encampeth against thee: thou hast put them to shame, because God hath despised them. Where no fear was, i.e. where there was no great nor sufficient cause of fear. See Leviticus 26:36 Deu 28:65 Job 15:21 Proverbs 28:1. They who designed to secure themselves from all fear and danger by their contempt of God, and by the persecution of good men, and by other wicked courses, were by those means filled with the terrors which they sought to avoid. Hath scattered the bones; hath not only broken their bones, i.e. their strength and force, which is oft noted by the bones, as Psalm 6:2 31:10 51:8, but also dispersed them hither and thither, so as there is no hopes of a reunion and restoration. Against thee, i.e. against my people, expressed, Psalm 53:4, or Israel, or Zion, as it is in the next verse. Thou, O Zion, or Jerusalem, which they besiege, hast put them to shame, for the great and strange disappointment of their hopes and confidence. It was a great reproach to them, for such numerous and mighty forces to be baffled and conquered by those whom they thought to swallow up at a morsel. Despised them; or, rejected them; cursed them. Therefore it is no wonder if they could not stand before thee. Oh that the salvation of Israel were come out of Zion! When God bringeth back the captivity of his people, Jacob shall rejoice, and Israel shall be glad. No text from Poole on this verse. |
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