Psalms 37:14

Psa 37:14 The wicked have drawn out the sword, and have bent their bow, to cast down the poor and needy, [and] to slay such as be of upright conversation.

Ver. 14. The wicked have drawn out the sword, and have bent their bow] That they may assault the righteous, both cominus, nearer hand, and eminus, at a distance; for which purpose they come against him (like a walking armoury) with sword, bow, and other instruments of death; as resolved to kill and slay. "We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter," Rom 8:36.

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. 14. The wicked have drawn out the sword. They hold their weapon out of its sheath, and watch for a time to use it. And have bent their bow. One weapon is not enough, they carry another ready for action. They carry so strong a bow that they have trodden upon it to bend itthey will lose nothing for want of force or readiness. To cast down the poor and needy. These are their game, the objects of their accursed malice. These cowards attack not their equals, but seek out those excellent ones who, from the gentleness of their spirits and the poverty of their estates, are not able to defend themselves. Note how our meek and lowly Lord was beset by cruel foes, armed with all manner of weapons to slay him. And to slay such as be of upright conversation. Nothing short of the overthrow and death of the just will content the wicked. The sincere and straightforward are hated by the crafty schemers who delight in unrighteousness. See, then, the enemies of the godly doubly armed, and learn how true were our Lord's words, "If ye were of the world, the world would love its own: but because ye are not of this world, but I have chosen you our of the world, therefore the world hateth you."

Ver. 14-15. The tongue is a sword and a bow, which shooteth its arrows, even bitter words, against the humble and upright, Jesus and his disciples. But these are not the only weapons that have been drawn against them. How the malice of the Jews returned upon their own heads no one is ignorant, though few lay it to heart, and consider them as set forth for an example. George Horne.

Ver. 14-15. When the wicked are most near to do a mischief to the Lord's people, then is a mischief most near unto them. David Dickson.

Ver. 14. Upright conversation.

1. What it excludes. The horizontal or earthly, the crooked or crafty, the slanting or sinister.

2. What it includes. Motive, object, language, action.

3. What it achieves. It stands like a pillar; it supports like a column; it ascends like a tower; it adorns like a monument; it illuminates like a Pharos.

Psalms 37:15*

Ver. 14-15. See Psalms on "Ps 37:14" for further information.

Ver. 14-15. When the wicked are most near to do a mischief to the Lord's people, then is a mischief most near unto them. David Dickson.

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

Psa 37:14-15. The wicked have drawn out the sword, &c. — They are furnished with all sorts of arms, and are ready to give the deadly blow. To slay such as be of upright conversation — Those against whom they have no quarrel, for any injury they have done them; but only for their integrity and righteousness, or because they are better than themselves, and will not comply with their wicked counsels and courses. Their sword shall enter into their own heart — God will not only defend the upright from their mischievous designs, but will make those designs to fall upon their own heads. “I cannot but think,” says a writer quoted here by Dr. Dodd, “that David understood by these weapons, with which he has furnished the ungodly, their bitter and malicious invectives, their false and foul reproaches, &c. These were the arms, in the use of which, as he frequently complains, they were admirably well skilled.” Thus, (Psa 57:4,) speaking of wicked men, he says, Whose teeth are spears and arrows, and their tongue a sharp sword. And if so, then Psa 37:15 “will mean that their intention will be frustrated; they shall not do the mischief they intended; their bows shall be broken — And their invectives and calumnies shall recoil and do themselves hurt; their sharp sword, their false and malicious tongues, shall pierce through their own soul. And that this was the psalmist’s meaning, who can doubt, after reading Psa 64:3, where the wicked doers are said to have whet their tongue like a sword, and to shoot out their arrows, even bitter words.”

Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

That which corresponds to the "treading" or stringing of the bow is the drawing from the sheath or unsheathing of the sword: פּתח, Eze 21:28, cf. Psa 55:22. The combination ישׁרי־דּרך is just like תמימי־דוך, Psa 119:1. The emphasis in Psa 37:14 is upon the suffix of בלבּם: they shall perish by their own weapon. קשּׁתותם has (in Baer) a Shebג dirimens, as also in Isa 5:28 in correct texts.

Keil & Delitzsch — Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament (1861–1891) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API. (Old Testament only.)

14. (Psa 37:14) The sword, put for all offensive weapons, and indeed for all destruclive agents. See above, on Psa 22:21 (20).—They have opened, i.e. loosened or uncovered, drawn.—The wicked, the whole class of evil-doers, whose destruction he had just foretold.—And have trodden, i.e. bent by treading on it. See above, on Psa 7:13 (12).—Their bow, often coupled with the sword, both in prose, as being literally the other most familiar implement of ancient warfare, and in poetry, as a parallel figure for destructive hostility.—To make fall, cast down, overthrow, the sufferer, the afflicted. See above, on Psa 9:13 (12).—And the poor, the destitute or needy one, a more specific term, often added to the generic one, which here precedes it. In all such cases, it is implied that the sufferers are the suffering righteous, the afflicted people of Jehovah.—To slay, or slaughter. The original expression is a very strong one, being properly applied to the slaughtering of cattle. See Exo 22:1, 1Sa 25:11. So in English a sanguinary battle is described as a great slaughter.—The straight, straightforward, upright, or sincere, (in) way, a common figure for the course of life or the habitual conduct. See above, on Psa 1:1. The mention of this moral quality confirms the explanation just given of the suffering, and needy, not as such considered, but as sufferers in the cause of truth and and righteousness, as suffering for God and from the malice of his enemies., the sword of these malignant foes, shall go into their heart, their own heart. They shall be destroyed by the very means which they prepared for the destruction of their betters. This idea of a providential lex talionis is one repeatedly expressed under various figurative forms. See above, Psa 7:16-17 (15, 16), Psa 9:16-17 (15, 16), and below, Psa 57:7 (6), and compare the imitation in Pro 26:27, and the historical example afforded by the case of Haman, Est 7:10.—And their bows, the parallel expression, as in ver. 14, for their implements of warfare and destruction, shall be broken, rendered useless. The substitution of the plural for the singular, and of a single verb for the expected repetition of the first clause, adds greatly to the force and beauty of the passage.

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

37:14-15 The weapons of the wicked will turn against them (cp. 7:12-13).

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

sword, and . . . bow--for any instruments of violence.

slay--literally, "slaughter" (Sa1 25:11).

poor and needy--God's people (Psa 10:17; Psa 12:5). The punishment of the wicked as drawn on themselves--often mentioned (compare Psa 7:15-16; Psa 35:8).

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 14. The wicked have drawn out the sword] There is an irreconcilable enmity in the souls of sinners against the godly; and there is much evidence that the idolatrous Babylonians whetted their tongue like a sword, and shot out their arrows, even bitter words, to malign the poor captives, and to insult them in every possible way.

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

14. The wicked draw their sword, and bend their bow. David now goes on to say, that the ungodly, being armed with sword and bow, threaten with death the children of God; and this he does in order to meet the temptation which would otherwise overwhelm them. The promises of God do not have place in a time of quietness and peace, but in the midst of severe and terrible conflicts. And, therefore, David now teaches us that the righteous are not deprived of that peace of which he had spoken a little before, although the wicked should threaten them with instant death. The sentence ought to be explained in this way: Although the wicked draw their swords and bend their bows to destroy the righteous, yet all their efforts shall return upon their own heads, and shall tend to their own destruction. But it is necessary to notice the particular terms in which the miserable condition of the righteous is here described, until God at length vouchsafe to help them. First, they are called poor and needy; and, secondly, they are compared to sheep devoted to destruction, because they have no power to withstand the violence of their enemies, but rather lie oppressed under their feet. Whence it follows, that a uniform state of enjoyment here is not promised to them in this psalm, but there is only set before them the hope of a blessed issue to their miseries and afflictions, in order to console them under them. But as it often happens that the wicked are hated and treated with severity for their iniquity, the Psalmist adds, that those who thus suffered were those who were of upright ways; meaning by this, that they were afflicted without cause. Formerly he described them as the upright in heart, by which he commended the inward purity of the heart; but now he commends uprightness in the conduct, and in fulfilling every duty towards our neighbor; and thus he shows not only that they are unjustly persecuted, because they have done no evil to their enemies, and have given them no cause of offense, but also, that though provoked by injuries, they nevertheless do not turn aside from the path of duty.

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.

14. Sword and bow are not merely figurative expressions for any means of inflicting injury. The Psalm deals with a state of society in which the poor and defenceless were in constant danger of actual violence (Psa_37:32). Cp. Pro_1:10 ff.

the poor and needy] Or, the afflicted and needy. See notes on Psa_9:12; Psa_9:18 : and cp. Amo_8:4; Isa_32:7; Jer_22:16.

such as be of upright conversation] Lit. the upright of way: those whose life and conduct are upright. Cp. Psa_119:1. The LXX however reads upright in heart (Psa_36:10, and often).

conversation, as in Psa_50:23, has the obsolete sense of manner of life, behaviour.

14, 15. Stanza of Cheth. The machinations of the wicked recoil upon themselves. Cp. Psa_7:15 ff.; Psa_9:15 ff.

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.

Their sword shall enter into their own heart,.... As Saul's did into his, Sa1 31:4;

and their bows shall be broken; the meaning is, that their efforts shall be fruitless, and their attempts in vain; the mischief they have contrived and designed for others shall fall upon themselves; see Psa 7:15; and therefore the saints should not be fretful and envious.

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

The wicked have drawn out the sword - That is, they have prepared themselves with a full purpose to destroy the righteous.

And have bent their bow - literally, “have trodden the bow,” in allusion to the method by which the bow was bent: to wit, by placing the foot on it, and drawing the string back.

To cast down the poor and needy - To cause them to fall.

And to slay such as be of upright conversation - Margin, as in Hebrew: “the upright of way.” That is, those who are upright in their manner of life, or in their conduct.

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

They are furnished with all sorts of arms, and are ready to give the deadly blow.

Such as be of upright conversation; such against whom they have no quarrel for any injury they have done them, but only for their integrity and righteousness, or because they are better than themselves, and will not comply with their wicked counsels and courses.

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

14. Drawn out the sword… bent their bow—Two acts preparatory to immediate destruction; but in Psa_37:15 the lex talionis—the law of universal justice—is seen to recoil these death weapons upon themselves.

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

The wicked have drawn out the sword, and bent their bow, to cast down the poor and needy. David is perhaps thinking especially of his own persecutors, Saul and Absalom, who pursued after him with armed men, and sought his life. (1Sa_23:8, 1Sa_23:14, 26 24:2 26:2 2Sa_17:24-26 2Sa_18:6-8) But he may also have in his mind the raids that powerful chiefs made upon their weak and peaceful neighbours. (Job_24:5-12) And to slay such as be of a right conversation; or, such as are upright in way; i.e. such as lead a righteous.

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

The wicked

This refers to the wicked people. AT: "The wicked people" (See: Nominal Adjectives)

have drawn out their swords ... have bent their bows

Both "swords" and "bows" are weapons used to attack people. The fact that they are "drawn" and "bent" means they are ready to start attacking. AT: "have prepared their weapons in order to attack" (See: Synecdoche)

to cast down

This destruction of the needy people is spoken of as if they were clay pots that would break into pieces when thrown down on the ground. AT: "to destroy" (See: Metaphor)

the oppressed and needy

These terms both refer to people who are powerless to defend themselves. AT: "people who are not able to resist them" (See: Doublet)

Their swords will pierce their own hearts

Swords are examples of weapons and "hearts" represent the people. To "pierce the heart" is an idiom that means "to kill." AT: "Their weapons will be turned against them and they will kill themselves" (See: Synecdoche and Idiom)

translationWords

evil

oppress

sword

heart

bow and arrow

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

initiated war the wicked initiated quarrel and strife without previous provocation.

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.