Psalms 25:19

Psa 25:19 Consider mine enemies; for they are many; and they hate me with cruel hatred.

Ver. 19. Consider mine enemies, for they are many] This was to David half a promise, and a whole reason that he should be helped; since it was to come to an extremity. If God but look out of the pillar of cloud upon the Egyptian army, it is enough for their utter confusion, Exo 14:24.

And they hate me with cruel hatred] Of their craft he had complained, Psa 25:15, now of their cruelty. These are never sundered in the Church’s enemies; as the asp, they say, never goeth without his mate. See Isa 34:16.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Ver. 19. Consider mine enemies. Watch them, weigh them, check them, defeat them. For they are many. They need the eyes of Argus to watch them, and the arms of Hercules to match them, but the Lord is more than sufficient to defeat them. The devils of hell and the evils of earth are all vanquished when the Lord makes bare his arm. They hate me with cruel hatred. It is the breath of the serpent's seed to hate; their progenitor was a hater, and they themselves must needs imitate him. No hate so cruel as that which is unreasonable and unjust. A man can forgive one who had injured him, but one whom he has injured he hates implacably. "Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves, "is still our Master's word to us.

Ver. 19. Consider mine enemies, etc. Or look upon them; but with another kind of look; so as he looked through the pillar of fire upon the Egyptians, and troubled them Ex 14:24, with a look of wrath and vengeance. The arguments he uses are taken both from the quantity and quality of his enemies, their number and their nature, For they are many; the hearts of the people of Israel, in general, being after Absalom 2Sa 15:12-13; and so the spiritual enemies of the Lord's people are many; their sins and corruptions, Satan, and his principalities and powers, and the men of this world. And they hate me with cruel hatred; like that of Simeon and Levi Ge 44:7; their hatred broke out in a cruel manner, in acts of force and cruelty; and it was the more cruel, inasmuch as it was without cause; and such is the hatred of Satan and his emissaries against the followers of Christ; who breathe out cruelty, thirst after their blood, and make themselves drunk with it; even their tender mercies are cruel, and much more their hatred. John Gill.

Ver. 19. Consider mine enemies. God needeth not hound out many creatures to punish man, he doeth that on himself. There is no kind of creature so hurtful to itself as he. Some hurt other kinds and spare their own, but mankind in all sorts of injuries destroyeth itself. Man to man is more crafty than a fox, more cruel than the tiger, and more fierce than a lion, and in a word, if he be left to himself man unto man is a devil. William Struther's "Christian Observations, "1629.

Ver. 19-20. Consider mine enemies...O keep my soul and deliver me. We may say of original concupiscence, strengthened and heightened by customary transgressions, its name is legion, for it is many. Hydra like, it is a body with many heads; and when we cut off one head, one enormous impiety, there presently sprouts up another of like monstrous nature, like venomous guilt. From the womb then it is of original sin and sinful custom, as from the belly of the Trojan horse, there does issue forth a whole army of unclean lusts, to surround the soul in all its faculties, and the body too in all its members. Robert Mossom.

Ver. 19. The spiritual enemies of the saint. Their number, malice, craft, power, etc.

Psalms 25:20*

Ver. 19-20. Consider mine enemies...O keep my soul and deliver me. See Psalms on "Ps 25:19" for further information.

Charles H. Spurgeon's The Treasury of David (1869–1885) — public domain. Psalms only. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

25:19-20 Knowing that the Lord hates violent people (see 11:5), the psalmist pleads with God to deal with these enemies.

Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

The greater that his afflictions were and the more that his enemies increased, the more near felt he God’s help.

Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain. Text via Bolls.life.

Verse 19. Consider mine enemies] Look upon them, and thou wilt see how impossible it is that I should be able to resist and overcome them. They are many, they hate me, and their hatred drives them to acts of cruelty against me.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

19. Behold mine enemies. In this verse David complains of the number and cruelty of his enemies, because the more the people of God are oppressed, the more is he inclined to aid them; and in proportion to the magnitude of the danger by which they are surrounded, he assists them the more powerfully. The words, hatred of violence, The Hebrew words literally rendered are, “With hatred of violence.”

John Calvin's Commentaries (1540-1563) — public domain. Text from the Calvin Translation Society English edition (1840s-50s) via the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (ccel.org). Calvin's coverage is partial (roughly two-thirds of the Bible); uncommented books and verses are honest gaps, never fabricated. The 19th-century editor's footnotes and remarks are omitted so the notes are faithfully Calvin's own voice.

19. Consider] Behold, the same word as in Psa_25:18.

with cruel hatred] Lit. a haired of violence, hatred inspired by and leading to cruelty. Cp. Psa_11:5; Psa_27:12.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Consider mine enemies,.... Or "look" (m) upon them; but with another kind of look; so as he looked through the pillar of fire upon the Egyptians, and troubled them, Exo 14:24; with a look of wrath and vengeance. The arguments he uses are taken both from the quantity and quality of his enemies, their number and their nature;

for they are many; the hearts of the people of Israel, in general, being after Absalom, Sa2 15:12; and so the spiritual enemies of the Lord's people are many; their sins and corruptions, Satan, and his principalities and powers, and the men of this world;

and they hate me with cruel hatred; like that of Simeon and Levi, Gen 49:7; their hatred broke out in a cruel manner, in acts of force and cruelty; and it was the more cruel, inasmuch as it was without cause: and such is the hatred of Satan and his emissaries against the faithful followers of Christ; who breathe out cruelty, thirst after their blood, and make themselves drunk with it; even their tender mercies are cruel, and much more their hatred.

(m) "vide", Pagninus, Montanus, Musculus, Cocceius, Michaelis "aspice", Junius & Tremellius, Piscator; "intuere", Gejerus.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Consider mine enemies - See Psa 25:2. It is evident that one source of the trouble referred to in the psalm was the fact that he had cruel foes, and that he was apprehensive of their designs. The train of thought seems to be, in accordance with the remarks above, that enemies actually surrounded him, and threatened him, and that this fact suggested the inquiry whether this was not permitted on account of his sins. this had led him to think of the sins of his past life, going back as far as his youth Psa 25:7, as if these calamities, even in advanced life, were on account of those early offences.

For they are many - Who and what they were, we have now no means of ascertaining. See the notes at Psa 25:16.

And they hate me with cruel hatred - Margin, as in Hebrew: “hatred of violence.” It was such hatred as tended to violence; such that they could not restrain it. It sought his destruction, and was ready to break out at any moment.

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

Consider, Heb. look upon, as Psa 25:18, to wit, with a revengeful eye, as Exo 14:24; 1Ch 12:17; Psa 104:32. For this general expression of looking upon is taken several ways in Scripture, and is to be determined by the context.

Cruel, Heb. violent or injurious, either without any cause given by me; or without any bounds, or in an implacable manner.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

Consider,nine enemies; for they are many; (comp. Psa_3:7 Psa_5:8 Psa_6:7, 10 7:1, 6 17:9 18:2, 17) and they hate me with cruel hatred. This would appear to point to domestic rather than foreign foes. (see 2Sa_16:6-8)

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

19. See my enemies, for they are many, and (with) hatred of violence have hated me. The agency of wicked foes in causing his distresses, which had been referred to in Psa 25:2; Psa 25:15; Psa 25:17, is here again brought into view. The word translated violence is very strong, including the ideas of injustice and cruelty. See above, on Psa 11:6 (5), Psa 18:49 (48).—The past tense represents the enmity as something of long standing.

Joseph Addison Alexander, The Psalms Translated and Explained (1850) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

and they hate me with unjust hatred Heb. חמס, unlawful.

Rashi on the Tanakh — English translations: “The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg” (CC BY 4.0); “Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934” (public domain); “The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J” (CC BY 4.0); and “The Book of Joshua, Metsudah Publications, 1997” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.