Psalms 55:10

Psa 55:10 Day and night they go about it upon the walls thereof: mischief also and sorrow [are] in the midst of it.

Ver. 10. Day and night they go about it, upon the walls thereof] The ruffian soldiers do, as in garrisons is usual; or violence and strife do; so that in no place are good men in safety from rapines and robberies.

Mischief also and sorrow are in the midst of it] What work may be thought to be made the common soldiers, among the women especially, when Absalom openly defileth his father’s concubines in the sight of all Israel! 2Sa 16:22. When Tilly took Magdeburg in the late German wars, besides many other outrages, the ladies, gentlewomen, and others, like beasts and dogs, they yoked and coupled together, leading them into the woods to ravish them. Such as resisted they stripped naked, whipped them, cropped their ears, and so sent them home again.

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.

Psa 55:10-11. Day and night they — That is, the violence and strife, last mentioned; go about — Do encompass it, as it were a garrison. Upon the walls thereof — In the outward parts, as also in the very midst of it — So that all parts were horribly corrupted. Deceit and guile depart not from her streets — The places of buying and selling, and of public commerce. So their sins were both universal and impudent.

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

10. They go about it upon the walls—That is, the conspirators, or their spies, mentioned Psa_55:3. A strict watch was kept against the friends and emissaries of David, but little attention was given to the public order and peace.

Sorrow—Rather, iniquity, wrong doing, as the word more commonly denotes, (Psa_55:10-11,) describe the misrule of the city during the whirl of revolution. In the midst contrasts with “upon the walls” of the city. Sharp espionage and confusion were everywhere.

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

11. (Psa 55:10). Day and night they will surround her on her wall; and iniquity and trouble will be in the midst of her. The Violence and Strife of the preceding verse are here personified as a besieging enemy. At the same time the interior is occupied by Iniquity and Trouble, no less formidable enemies. Her walls, those of the city mentioned in the foregoing verse. Iniquity and trouble are here, and often elsewhere, put together as cause and effect, the last denoting the distress or trouble which the wickedness of one man brings upon another. See above, on Psa 7:14.

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

All laws and good orders are broken, and only vice and dissolation reigneth under Saul.

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

which is described in detail (compare Psa 7:14-16).

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 10. Day and night they go about] This and the following verse show the state of Jerusalem at this time. Indeed, they exhibit a fair view of the state of any city in the beginning of an insurrection. The leaders are plotting continually; going about to strengthen their party, and to sow new dissensions by misrepresentation, hypocrisy, calumny, and lies.

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

(10) They go.—It is quite in keeping with the Hebrew style to suppose mischief and strife personified here as the ancient versions do, and not only occupying the city as inhabitants, but prowling about its walls. So in the next verse corruption (see Psa_5:9, Note), deceit, and guile are personified. Comp. Virgil’s

“ubique

Luctus, ubique Pavor, et plurima mortis imago.”

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

10. they go about it upon the walls thereof] A metaphor from watchmen going their rounds on the city walls. But who are meant by they? Perhaps the party hostile to the Psalmist, who are ever patrolling the city, on the alert for mischief. Cp. Isa_29:20. But perhaps rather Violence and Strife personified. These he implies with a bitter irony are the watchmen who are now in charge of order and safety in the city. This explanation agrees well with the following lines:

Iniquity also and Mischief are in the midst of it,

Destruction is in the midst thereof:

Oppression and Deceit depart not from her streets.

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.

Wickedness is in the midst thereof,.... All manner of wickedness; abominable wickedness; wickedness as arrived to its highest pitch, and as having filled up its measure; see Eze 9:4;

deceit and guile depart not from her streets; where truth was fallen, and equity could not enter, Isa 59:14; for these are contrary the one to the other, and are incompatible; where the one prevails, the other must give way. This whole account shows the aboundings of sin in Jerusalem at this time, and that it was openly and publicly committed, and contains so many reasons of the imprecations in Psa 55:9.

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

Day and night they go about it, upon the walls thereof - That is, continually. The word “they” in this place probably refers to the violence and strife mentioned in the preceding verse. They are here personified, and they seem to surround the city; to be everywhere moving, even on the very walls. They are like a besieging army. Inside and outside; in the midst of the city and on the walls, there was nothing but violence and strife - conspiracy, rebellion, and crime.

Mischief also and sorrow are in the midst of it - Crime abounded, and the result was anguish or sorrow. This language would well describe the scenes when Absalom rebelled; when the city was filled with conspirators and rebels; and when crime and anguish seemed to prevail in every part of it.

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

They, i.e. the violence and strife last mentioned, Psa 55:9, go about it; do encompass it, and are as it were the garrison by which they design to defend it.

Upon the walls thereof; in the more outward parts, as also in the very midst of it, as it follows. So that all parts were horribly corrupted.

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

Ver. 10. Day and night they go about it upon the walls thereof. The city, the holy city had become a den of wickedness; conspirators met in the dark, and talked in little knots in the streets even in broad daylight. Meanwhile the country was being roused to revolt, and the traitors without threatened to environ the city, and act in concert with the rebels within. No doubt there was a smothered fire of insurrection which Absalom kindled and fanned, which David perceived with alarm some time before he left Jerusalem; and when he quitted the city it broke out into an open flame.

Mischief also and sorrow are in the midst of it. Unhappy capital to be thus beset by foes, left by her monarch, and filled with all those elements of turbulence which breed evil and trouble. Unhappy king to be thus compelled to see the mischief which he could not avert laying waste the city which he loved so well. There was another King whose many tears watered the rebellious city, and who said, "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!"

Ver. 10. Mischief also and sorrow are in the midst of it. The city, as Abenezra observes, was like a circle; violence and strife were as a line round about it, and mischief and sorrow the centre of it; and these two commonly go together: where mischief is, sorrow soon follows. John Gill.

Ver. 10. (first clause). The activity of evil.

Ver. 10. (second clause). The diabolical twins, or cause and effect.

Psalms 55:11*

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

Day and night they go about it upon the walls thereof. "It is not a siege or blockade that is described; and the persons spoken of are not foreign, but native enemies. These are compared to watchmen on the walls; only, instead of keeping watch against the enemy, they "watch for iniquity" "(Cheyne). Mischief also and sorrow are in the midst of it; rather, iniquity also and trouble. Compare the "violence and strife" of ver. 9. Society is disorganized. It is not only that wickedness prevails, but throughout the city there is violence and contention.

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

They - Violence and strife. Go about - Do encompass it, as it were a garrison. Walls - In the outward parts, as also in the very midst of it. So that all parts were horribly corrupted.

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

they go about on its walls

"violence and strife go about on her walls." (See: Psalms 55:9) Violence and strife are spoken of as if they were people. This can be expressed by telling about the people who cause violence and strife. AT: "people walk about on the city's walls, being violent and fighting" (See: Personification)

on its walls

"along the tops of the city walls." Cities had thick walls around them to protect them from enemies. People could walk along the tops of the walls to see if any enemies were coming to the city.

iniquity and mischief are in the middle of it

Iniquity and mischief are spoken of as if they were people. This can be expressed by telling about the people who do iniquity and mischief. AT: "people do iniquity and cause mischief in the middle of the city" or "people do sinful things and cause trouble in it" (See: Personification)

mischief

trouble

Wickedness is in the middle of it

Wickedness is spoken of as if it were a person. This can be expressed by telling about the people who do wicked things. AT: "People do wicked things in the middle of the city" or "people destroy things in the city" (See: Personification)

oppression and deceit do not leave its streets

Oppression and deceit are spoken of as if they were people. This can be expressed by telling about the people who oppress and deceive others. AT: "People oppress and deceive others in the city streets, and they do not leave" or "People are always oppressing and deceiving others in the city streets" (See: Personification)

its streets

This may refer to the marketplaces in the city.

translationWords

iniquity

evil

oppress

deceive

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

divide their tongue Divide it so that no one should pay them heed. And Menachem (p. 142) interpreted פלג as an expression of division.

Destroy (Defey or defay in Old French, destroy, defais in modern French,) like (Lam. 2:8): “He did not restrain his hand from destroying (מבלע).” So did Menachem interpret it [p. 46].

for I have seen violence and strife in the city through them.

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.