Psalms 35:21

Psa 35:21 Yea, they opened their mouth wide against me, [and] said, Aha, aha, our eye hath seen [it].

Ver. 21. They opened their mouth] As if the very banks of blasphemy had been broken down.

Our eye hath seen] Eye for eyes, unless we would say that all the wicked are so conjoined, that they may seem to have but one eye, heart, head, &c., and then they say, as Hannibal did, when he saw a ditch full of man’s blood, O formosum spectaculum! O gallant sight! O rem regiam! as Valesus said, when he had slain three hundred Protestants.

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.

21. (Psa 35:21) And have widened against me their mouth; they have said, Aha, aha, our eye has seen. "They have mocked at my distress with contemptuous grimaces, and rejoiced in the fulfilment of their spiteful wishes." With the first clause compare Psa 22:8 (7) above. The Hebrew interjection in the last clause seems to be a natural expression of joyful surprise. Their success was almost too great to be real, yet attested by their senses. The verse ends with a kind of aposiopesis: "our own eyes have seen"—what we could not have believed on the report of another, to wit, the gratification of our warmest wishes. See below, Psa 35:25.

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

35:21, 25 Aha! . . . Look: Both words translate the same expression of glee (Hebrew he’akh).

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

They rejoiced as though they had now seen David overthrown.

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

On the gesture compare Psa 22:7; and on the expressions of malicious triumph, compare Psa 10:13; Psa 28:3.

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Verse 21. They opened their mouth wide] Gaped upon me to express their contempt.

And said, Aha, aha, our eye hath seen it.] They said, האח האח heach, heach, the last syllable in each word being a protracted strongly guttural sound, marking insult and triumph at the same time. It is the word which we translate Ah, Ps 35:25.

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

21. And they open … a gesture of contempt (Isa_57:4), rather than of murderous intent (Psa_35:25): they say, Aha, aha, our eye hath seen: seen its desire, seen the fall of the man whose rise excited our envy.

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.

Yea, they opened their mouth wide against me,.... In laughter, scorn, and derision; see Psa 22:7;

and said, Aha, aha: a word expressive of joy; and the doubling it shows the greatness of it;

our eye hath seen it; what their heart wished for; namely, the distress of him, whose enemies they were.

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

Yea, they opened their mouth wide against me - See the notes at Psa 22:13.

And said, Aha, aha! - See Psa 40:15; Psa 70:3. The language is that which we use when we “detect” another in doing wrong - in doing what he meant to conceal.

Our eye hath seen it - We are not dependent on the reports of others. We have seen it with our own eyes. We have found you out. We cannot be mistaken in regard to it. The reference is to some supposed “detection” of misconduct on the part of David, and the joy and triumph of such a supposed detection.

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

They opened their mouth wide against me; either,

1. To devour me. It is a metaphor taken from wild beasts, when they come within reach of their prey. Or;

2. To pour forth whole floods of scoffs, and slanders, and contumelies. Aha, aha; an expression of joy and triumph. See Poole "Job 39:25; Psa 40:15". Hath seen it, Heb. hath seen, to wit, what we have long desired and hoped for. See the same or like ellipsis Psa 54:7; 59:10; 112:8.

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

Verse 21. ["Yea, they opened their mouth wide against me."] As if they would swallow him. Uttering great lies which needed wide mouths. They set no bounds to their infamous charges, but poured out wholesale abuse, trusting that if all did not stick, some of it would. ["And said, Aha, aha, our eye hath seen it."] Glad to find out a fault or a misfortune, or to swear they had seen evil where there was none. Malice has but one eye; it is blind to all virtue in its enemy. Eyes can generally see what hearts wish. A man with a mote in his eye sees a spot in the sun. How like a man is to an ass when he brays over another's misfortunes! how like to a devil when he laughs a hyna-laugh over a good man's slip! Malice is folly, and when it holds a festival its tones and gestures far exceed all the freaks and mummeries of the lord of misrule.

[Verse] 21. ["Our eye hath seen."] [Eye] for [eyes], unless we would say that all the wicked are so conjoined, that they may seem to have but one eye, heart, head. [John Trapp.]

[Verse] 21. Yet, O ye saints, divulge not these things to wicked men; whisper them softly one to another, with fear and trembling, lest some profane wretch or other overhear you, and take that for encouragement that was only meant for caution. What is more common than for the vilest sinners to plead for their excuse, or warrant rather, the foul miscarriages of God's dearest saints? Thus the drunkard looks upon holy Noah as a pot-companion, whereby he discovers his nakedness in a worse sense than ever Cham did; and thus the unclean sensualist quotes David, and calls him in to be the patron of his debauchery. Certainly, if their be any grief that can overcast the perfect joys of the saints in heaven, it is that their names and examples should, to the great dishonour of God, be produced by wicked and sinful men, to countenance their grossest sins and wickednesses. But let such know, that God hath set up these in his church to be monuments of his mercy, to declare to humble and penitent sinners how great sins he can pardon; yet if any hereupon embolden themselves in sin, instead of being set up as monuments of mercy, God will set them up as pillars of salt. [Ezekiel Hopkins (Bishop).]

[Verse] 21. He who rejoices in another's fall rejoices in the devil's victory. [Ambrose, quoted in Nichol's Proverbs.]

[Verses] 21, 22: ---

They gape and drawe their mouthes in scornful wise.

And crie, fie, fie, wee sawe it with our eyes.

But thou their deed, (O Lord!) dost also see;

Then bee not silent soe, nor farr from mee.

None.

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

21. Aha, aha—An expression of joyful surprise.

Our eye hath seen it— “What we could not have believed on the testimony of another our eyes now see.”—Alexander. Compare this with the trial of our Lord, and Psa_22:7; Mat_27:39

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Yea, they opened their mouth wide against me, and said, Aha, aha! our eye hath seen it. They "opened their mouth wide" in scornful derision; and shouted triumphantly, "Ha, ha! our eye hath seen his downfall!"

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

Wide - To pour forth whole floods of scoffs and slanders. \Aha - An expression of joy and triumph. Our eye - What we have long desired and hoped for.

John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.

They open their mouths wide against me

The reason they open their mouths is to accuse the writer. AT: "They shout at me in order to accuse me" (See: Assumed Knowledge and Implicit Information)

Aha, Aha

This is an exclamation that is used when something is suddenly seen or understood. It emphasizes the statement that follows. (See: Exclamations)

our eyes have seen it

Here "our eyes" refers to the enemies' eyes. It is implied that they are saying they saw the writer do something wrong. AT: "we have seen it" or "we saw the wrong things that you did" (See: Synecdoche and Assumed Knowledge and Implicit Information)

You have seen it

Here "it" refers to the false accusations of the writer's enemies. AT: "You have seen how they falsely accused me" (See: Assumed Knowledge and Implicit Information)

do not be silent

"do not ignore what they did" This can be stated in positive form. AT: "judge them because of what they did" (See: Litotes)

do not be far from me

This can be stated in positive form. AT: "be very close to me" (See: Litotes)

Arouse yourself and awake

This does not mean that God is actually asleep. The writer wants God to intervene. Both words mean basically the same thing and emphasize the urgency of this request. AT: "I feel like you are sleeping! Wake up" (See: Metaphor and Doublet)

to my defense

This abstract noun "defense" can be stated as "defend." AT: "to defend me" (See: Abstract Nouns)

my cause

This refers to the writer. AT: "me" (See: Metonymy)

translationWords

Yahweh

lord

God

unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.

Aha! Aha! Heb. האח, an expression of joy of one who boasts with the lust of his heart, out of their [sic] great joy, that they see their lust gratified.

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.