Psalms 86:14

Psa 86:14 O God, the proud are risen against me, and the assemblies of violent [men] have sought after my soul; and have not set thee before them.

Ver. 14. O God, the proud] The strangers, some read it (by the change of a letter in the original), who are commonly cruel.

And the assemblies of violent men] Nebulonum, some render it, sturdy varlets, fastuosi ac feroces.

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 86:14-15. O God, the proud are risen against me — Behold, O God, a new opportunity to glorify that mercy, for ambitious men have risen up against me in open rebellion, and have not only plotted against me, but endeavoured to put their plots in execution, and both to depose and destroy me. The assemblies of violent men have sought after my soul — That is, after my life: to take it away; and have not set thee before them — They have no reverence nor regard for thee, neither for thy word, which hath conferred the kingdom upon me, nor for thine all-seeing eye, which beholds all their wicked devices and practices against me, nor for thy justice, which will undoubtedly bring their mischief upon their own heads. But thou art a God full of compassion, &c. — Namely, to thy people, and to me in particular, and therefore thou wilt forgive my manifold sins, for which thou mightest justly reject me, and wilt save me from my cruel enemies. Thus, from praises, the psalmist returns again to prayer, as all the people of God are frequently compelled to do. In the opposition he met with he was a type of the Messiah, his seed according to the flesh, and his church. “We know the treatment which Christ met with, when he was upon earth, from proud and violent men, who had not set God before their eyes; from self-righteous Jews, and conceited Gentiles, who rose up, and look counsel together against him. What his church afterward suffered, at the hands of the same enemies, is likewise well known. How much more she is to undergo in the latter days we know not as yet; but this we know, that the spirit of the world stands, now and ever, in opposition to the Spirit of God; its design is always the same, although its methods of working be divers.” — Horne. So that, even from without, and from visible enemies, not to mention those within the human heart, and such as are invisible, every one, who is a Christian indeed, shall be sure to find his state on earth a warfare, and to have his portion of tribulation in this life. But, like David, he may, in the midst of all the trials and oppositions he meets with, find a place of sure refuge, and an almighty helper, in that Being who is here said to be full of compassion and gracious, long-suffering, and plenteous in goodness and truth.

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

The situation is like that in the Psalms of the time of Saul. The writer is a persecuted one, and in constant peril of his life. He has taken Psa 86:14 out of the Elohimic Psa 54:5, and retained the Elohim as a proper name of God (cf. on the other hand Psa 86:8, Psa 86:10); he has, however, altered זרים to זרים, which here, as in Isa 13:11 (cf. however, ibid. Psa 25:5), is the alternating word to עריצים. In Psa 86:15 he supports his petition that follows by Jahve's testimony concerning Himself in Exo 34:6. The appellation given to himself by the poet in Psa 86:16 recurs in Psa 116:16 (cf. Wisd. 9:5). The poet calls himself "the son of Thy handmaid" as having been born into the relation to Him of servant; it is a relationship that has come to him by birth. How beautifully does the Adonaj come in here for the seventh time! He is even from his mother's womb the servant of the sovereign Lord, from whose omnipotence he can therefore also look for a miraculous interposition on his behalf. A "token for good" is a special dispensation, from which it becomes evident to him that God is kindly disposed towards him. לטובה as in the mouth of Nehemiah, Neh 5:19; Neh 13:31; of Ezr 8:22; and also even in Jeremiah and earlier. ויבשׁוּ is just as parenthetical as in Isa 26:11.

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 86:14) O God, proud (men) have arisen against me, and an assembly of violent (men) have sought my soul, and have not set thee before them. Nearly the same words had been used by David in reference to the Sauline persecution, Psa 54:3). But instead of aliens, he here speaks of proud ones, and before the parallel term violent, oppressive, or tyrannical (Psa 37:35), inserts congregation or assembly, as if to imply organization, both which variations agree well with the hypothesis that this psalm relates to the revolt of Absalom.

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

86:14-17 The arrogant exist both inside and outside the community. The psalmist asks for a vision of God’s character; God is so great that just a glimpse of his goodness will shut the mouths of the wicked.

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

He showeth that there can be no moderation nor equity, where proud tyrants reign, and that the lack of God’s fear is as a privilege to all vice and cruelty.

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

Verse 14. The assemblies of violent men] עדת עריצים adath aritsim, the congregation of the terrible ones. Men of violent passions, violent counsels, and violent acts; and, because they have power, terrible to all.

Have not set thee before them.] Who sins that sets God before his eyes? Who does not sin that has no consciousness of the Divine presence?

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

14. O God! the proud are risen up against me. Instead of זדים, zedim, the proud, some read, זרים, zarim, strangers; and, undoubtedly, the Scriptures often employ this word to denote barbarous cruelty, so that it is the same as if it had been said, the cruel. I, however, prefer following the generally received reading. As between the Hebrew word זדים, zedim, the proud, and זרים, zarim, strangers, there is only the difference of a single letter, the one having the letter ד, daleth, where the other has the letter ר, resh, it is obvious that, from the similarity of these two letters, the former might easily have been changed into the latter. Besides, the word, proud, agrees better with the scope of the passage; for, in the same sense, the Psalmist immediately after applies the epithet, strong, to those who, with headlong impetuosity and fierceness, rushed upon him to destroy him; and we know that where pride reigns no moderation is observed. He expresses without figure what he had just now said respecting the grave. Being as a lamb in the midst of wolves, he would have been quickly swallowed up, had not God miraculously delivered him, as it were, from the jaws of death. In representing his enemies as having no regard to God, he means to set forth the extreme excess of their cruelty. The fury of our lusts, unless we are restrained by the fear of God and the sense of his judgment, will become so great as to dare any thing, however atrocious. For these calamities he seeks a remedy, in the Divine mercy, in the following verse.

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) See Note, Psa_54:3, whence the verse is taken.

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

14. Again, though the Psalmist may be referring to personal circumstances, it is not impossible that he is alluding to dangers by which the community was threatened. The verse is taken almost word for word from Psa_54:3, with perhaps a reminiscence of Psa_22:16 (‘assembly of evil doers’). The variation proud for strangers may be accidental: the consonants of the two words zçdîm and zarim are easily confused, D (ד) and R (ר) being much alike in Hebrew. It should be noted that Psalms 54. is quoted in its ‘Elohistic’ form, so that apparently the collection had already been made and edited by the Elohistic editor.

assemblies] Assembly, or congregation.

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.

O God, the proud are risen against me,.... As all men naturally are, and as all are without the grace of God; and because they are, they deal in proud wrath: as, through the pride of their heart, they seek not after God; so, through the same, they persecute his people, treating them with the utmost contempt, and as the offscouring of all things. Jarchi interprets this particularly of Doeg and Ahithophel:

and the assemblies of violent men have sought after my soul; or "terrible" (s) ones, who breathed out nothing but cruelty, threatenings, and slaughter; and who were many, and got together in bodies, and entered into combinations and conspiracies; and whom nothing would satisfy but the taking away of his life, which they sought after; see Psa 22:12.

and have not set thee before them; they did not consider the omniscience of God, that he knew and took notice of all they did; nor his omnipresence, that he was everywhere, and there was no fleeing from him; nor his omnipotence, who was able to crush them to pieces; nor his justice, which will render tribulation to them that trouble his; nor his goodness, which should lead to repentance; nor had they any fear of him, nor respect to his glory: in short, they were like the unjust judge, who neither feared God nor regarded men, Luk 18:4.

(s) "terribilium", Montanus; so some in Vatablus, Gejerus, Michaelis.

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

O God, the proud are risen against me - People who are self-confident, ambitious, haughty; who do not regard the welfare or the rights of others; who are disposed to trample down all others in order that they may accomplish their own purposes; these are the people who have opposed me and sought my life. This would apply either to the time of Saul or of Absalom. In both these cases there were men who would correspond to this description.

And the assemblies of violent men - Margin,” terrible.” The Septuagint and the Vulgate render this, “the synagogue of the wicked.” The word rendered violent means properly terrible, inspiring terror; then, violent, fierce, lawless, tyrants. The idea here is that they pursued their object by violence and not by right; they did it in a fierce and savage manner, or in such a way as to inspire terror. The word assembly here means merely that they were banded together; what was done was the result of a conspiracy or combination.

Have sought after my soul - After my life.

And have not set thee before them - They do not fear thee; they do not act as if in thy presence; they have no regard for thee, for thy law, for thy favor, for thy threatenings.

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

They have no reverence nor regard for thee, neither for thy word, which hath conferred the kingdom upon me; nor for thine all-seeing eye, which beholds all their wicked devices and practices against me; nor for thy justice, which will undoubtedly bring their mischief upon their own heads.

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

Ver. 14. O God, the proud are risen against me. They could not let God's poor servant alone, his walk with God was as smoke to their eyes, and therefore they determined to destroy him. None hate good men so fiercely as do the high minded and domineering.

And the assemblies of violent men have sought after my soul. Unitedly oppressors sought the good man's life; they hunted in packs, with keen scent, and eager foot. In persecuting times many a saint has used these words in reference to Papal bishops and inquisitors.

And have not set thee before them. They would not have molested the servant if they had cared one whit for the master. Those who fear not God are not afraid to commit violent and cruel acts. An atheist is a misanthrope. Irreligion is akin to inhumanity.

Psalms 86:15*

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

14. Proud… violent… have not set thee before them—A threefold description of David’s enemies.

Proud—The fundamental idea is contempt of all authority, restraint, or obligation.

Violent—One who inspires terror by his power and his contempt of the rights of men—a tyrant. The word is always translated terrible, terrible ones, in the prophets, in our common version, conformably to its radical sense.

Assemblies—Must be understood of the bands or companies of conspirators, as in Psa_22:16; Num_16:6.

And have not set thee before them—This clause gives at once their character and the cause of it. Humanity shudders when such men rule. In this verse David repeats himself from Psa_54:3, which is not a rare practice.

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

O God, the proud are risen against me. (comp. Psa_119:51, Psa_119:69, Psa_119:85, Psa_119:122; and also Psa_54:3) And the assemblies of violent men have sought after my soul; rather, a crew of violent ones have sought after my soul, or "plotted against my life". (comp. Psa_7:1, 2 17:13 35:3, 4, etc.) And have not set thee before them; i.e. "have given no thought to God, or how he would act, whether he would allow their wickedness or prevent it."

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

willful transgressors have risen against me Doeg and Ahithophel.

and they did not place You before themselves They did not remember what they saw, that Samuel anointed me on Your orders.

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.