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PSALM 64

STROPHE DIVISIONS OF MODERN TRANSLATIONS

READING CYCLE THREE (see "Bible Interpretation Seminar")

FOLLOWING THE ORIGINAL AUTHOR'S INTENT AT PARAGRAPH LEVEL

This is a study guide commentary, which means that you are responsible for your own interpretation of the Bible. Each of us must walk in the light we have. You, the Bible, and the Holy Spirit are priority in interpretation. You must not relinquish this to a commentator.

Read the chapter in one sitting. Identify the subjects (reading cycle #3). Compare your subject divisions with the five translations above. Paragraphing is not inspired, but it is the key to following the original author's intent, which is the heart of interpretation. Every paragraph has one and only one subject.

CONTEXTUAL INSIGHTS

1. The psalmist is distressed by secret adversaries. This implies fellow Israelites. They are called
   1. the enemy, Ps. 64:1 (BDB 33, KB 38, Qal PARTICIPLE)
   2. evildoers, Ps. 64:2 (BDB 949, KB 1269, Hiphil PARTICIPLE)
   3. those who do iniquity, Ps. 64:2 (BDB 821, KB 950, Qal PARTICIPLE)
      
      

      For notes on the names of the adversaries, see Ps.1:5; 5:10

2. Their actions are (Ps. 64:2-6) listed.
   1. they cause dread (BDB 808), cf. Ps. 91:5
   2. they conduct secret councils
   3. they do iniquity
   4. they have sharpened tongues like a sword
   5. they aim their speech as arrows
   6. they attack from ambush
   7. they do not fear (i.e., God)
   8. they are firm in their evil plans
   9. they plan to lay snares secretly
   10. they think they are hidden (i.e., from God)
   11. they devise injustices
   12. they have a well-conceived plot
   13. they are evil in thought and heart
   
   
3. God's actions against them are delineated (Ps. 64:7-10).
   1. He will wound them with an arrow
   2. He will make them stumble
   3. He will use their own words against them in judgment
   4. He will cause them to be ashamed
   5. His actions toward them will cause all men to
      1. fear/revere
      2. declare His work
      3. consider His actions
   6. His actions will cause the righteous man to
      1. be glad in His actions
      2. take refuge (i.e., trust) in Him
      3. glory in their hearts
   
   
4. Human Speech can be a blessing or a curse (see SPECIAL TOPIC: HUMAN SPEECH).
   
   
5. Although it is impossible to ascertain the historical setting or identity of the psalmist, it is interesting how many military images are used.
   1. sword
   2. arrow
   3. ambush

WORD AND PHRASE STUDY

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: PSALM 64:1-6
 ¹Hear my voice, O God, in my complaint;
 Preserve my life from dread of the enemy.
 ²Hide me from the secret counsel of evildoers,
 From the tumult of those who do iniquity,
 ³Who have sharpened their tongue like a sword.
 They aimed bitter speech as their arrow,
 ⁴To shoot from concealment at the blameless;
 Suddenly they shoot at him, and do not fear.
 ⁵They hold fast to themselves an evil purpose;
 They talk of laying snares secretly;
 They say, "Who can see them?"
 ⁶They devise injustices, saying,
 "We are ready with a well-conceived plot";
 For the inward thought and the heart of a man are deep.

64:1 "Hear" Many strophes in the Psalms are introduced with the IMPERATIVE (cf. Ps. 17:1; 27:7; 28:2; 30:10; 39:12; 54:2; 61:1; 64:1; 84:8; 102:1; 119:149; 130:2; 143:1; see SPECIAL TOPIC: SHEMA). The Psalms are often prayers to God beseeching Him to act for His people or a righteous follower.

Prayer is a wonderful privilege to the people of God. It releases a power into the world that was not present before (cf. James 4:2).

SPECIAL TOPIC: EFFECTIVE PRAYER

SPECIAL TOPIC: INTERCESSORY PRAYER

SPECIAL TOPIC: PRAYER, UNLIMITED YET LIMITED

The NOUN (BDB 967) is used often in poetry for a "complaint."

1. Job 7:11; 9:27; 10:1; 21:4; 23:2
2. Psalm 55:2; 142:2
3. Proverbs 23:29

The psalmist is addressing God about the unfairness of life related to the attacks of fellow covenant people.

▣ "Preserve my life from dread of the enemy" The VERB (BDB 665 I, KB 718, Qal IMPERFECT, which may function as a JUSSIVE, prayer request) is used with the PREPOSITION "from" in Ps. 12:7; 32:7; 140:1,4. It is used of God keeping, guarding, or preserving in Deut. 32:10; Ps. 25:20; 31:23; 40:11; Isa. 26:3; 42:6; 49:8. God's people can trust that He is protecting them. This is not meant to imply a life without problems, but the sure presence of God and His gracious mercy toward those who seek Him. A book that has encouraged me in this area is Hannah Whithall Smith, The Christian's Secret of a Happy Life.

▣ "the enemy" The word is SINGULAR but used in a collective sense (cf. Ps. 64:2-6). This Book of Psalms (Psalm 42-72) is dominated by pleas for God to deal with the psalmist's enemies. It is often difficult to identify them.

64:2 The VERB "hide" (BDB 711, KB 771, Hiphil IMPERFECT) is parallel to "preserve" in Ps. 64:1. The psalmist feels threatened by other covenant partners who secretly plan his demise.

Notice the psalmist asks YHWH to hide him but in contrast, the wicked hide their secret plans of how to destroy him (cf. Ps. 64:5).

This root (BDB 921, KB 1189) occurs only three times in the OT. It is understood as

1. Ps. 2:1 ‒ "in a restless uproar"
2. Ps. 55:14 ‒ "in the large crowd at the temple"
3. Ps. 64:2 ‒ "noisy crowd of the wicked"

64:3-4 Human speech can be militarized. It can hurt and maim. Here, military weapons are used to describe these wicked speakers (cf. Ps. 57:4; 59:7; Prov. 30;14). This same military imagery is used of Jesus in eschatological judgment (i.e., a two edged sword in His mouth (cf. Isa. 49:2; Rev. 1:16; 19:15,21; and in Heb. 4:12 this imagery is used of God's word).

64:4 "blameless" The term (BDB 1070) denotes a moral innocense, not a sinless person (i.e., no known, intentional sin). It was used of Job (cf. Job 1:1,8; 2:3; 8:20; 9:20-22; Ps. 37:37).

SPECIAL TOPIC: BLAMELESS, INNOCENT, GUILTLESS, WITHOUT REPROACH

SPECIAL TOPIC: UNINTENTIONAL SINS

▣ "and do not fear" The implication of the context is these evil enemies do not fear God. They believe He is an absent deity and the idols of the nations. These are practical atheists among the covenant people.

The UBS Text Project, p. 281, mentions two ways to understand this Hebrew phrase.

1. "and they are not afraid" ‒ ירא, BDB 431, KB 432
2. "and they are not seen" ‒ יאור, BDB 383, assumed root based on a better parallel with vv. 5-6 (REB)

The UBS Text Project gives option #1 a "B" rating.

The NIDOTTE, vol. 2, p. 72, lists several possible meanings/connotations for the Piel form of this VERB (BDB 304, KB 302).

1. hold fast
2. they strengthen for themselves (i.e., mutual support)
3. they make firm for themselves (i.e., confirm their evil intents)

▣ "Who can see them" This phrase refers to

1. the secret plans to snare the psalmist
2. the disbelief that God knows and will act on the psalmist's behalf (cf. Job 22:13; Ps. 10:11; 59:7; 94:7; Isa. 29:15; Ezek. 8:12)

64:6 In Ps. 64:6 there are three words that share the Hebrew letters, חפש (BDB 344, KB 341).

1. search out (NASB, "devise") ‒ Qal IMPERECT
2. plot ‒ NOUN
3. well conceived ‒ Pual PARTICIPLE

This is an uncertain verse with several possibilities (JPSOA).

▣ "the inward thought and the heart of a man are deep" In context this refers to the evil motives of the psalmist's enemies. BDB defines "deep" (BDB 771) as

1. "unsearchable" (cf. Job 12:22; Eccl. 7:24 [twice])
2. "mysterious"
3. The NJB and the Anchor Bible translate it so as to describe YHWH's knowledge of their actions. However, it seems Ps. 64:1-6 is about the enemies' activities and Ps. 64:7-9 is about YHWH's response.

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: PSALM 64:7-10
 ⁷But God will shoot at them with an arrow;
 Suddenly they will be wounded.
 ⁸So they will make him stumble;
 Their own tongue is against them;
 All who see them will shake the head.
 ⁹Then all men will fear,
 And they will declare the work of God,
 And will consider what He has done.
 ¹⁰The righteous man will be glad in the Lord and will take refuge in Him;
 And all the upright in heart will glory.

64:7 This is a typical role reversal imagery. What the wicked did to the righteous (cf. Ps. 64:3-4) is now done to them.

This same type of imagery may explain Ps. 64:7-8. The evil planners who used hateful words against the psalmist now have their own words used against themselves.

The MT has "they will bring to ruin him." The VERB (BDB 505, KB 502, Hiphil IMPERFECT with waw) means "to stumble," "to stagger" (cf. Prov. 4:16). This is imagery of "The Two Ways" (cf. Leviticus 26; Deuteronomy 28; 30:15,19; Psalm 1). The faithful follower walked on a clear, level, unobstructed path.

SPECIAL TOPIC: THE PATH, THE WAY

▣ "shake the head" This is an idiom of surprise and rejection (cf. Ps. 22:7; 44:14; Jer. 18:16; 48:27; Lam. 2:15).

There is a disagreement on which VERB root is in this line of poetry.

1. נדד ‒ BDB 622, "flee away in horror or disgust"
2. נוד ‒ KB 678, "shudder dismisively"

64:9 Notice the ultimate purpose of YHWH's actions in the world (i.e., blessing or judgment, cf. Ps. 58:11; 65:8) is for all men to know Him.

Psalm 64:9 is surely hyperbolic and reflects what will happen to those in Israel but, like so many verses, it states a larger truth (cf. Ps. 46:10).

SPECIAL TOPIC: YHWH'S ETERNAL REDEMPTIVE PLAN)

64:10 This verse is a unique concluding statement. Usually the concluding statement in the Psalms is

1. a praise to God
2. a sacrifice of thanksgiving

▣ "righteous man" See SPECIAL TOPIC: RIGHTEOUSNESS

▣ "will be glad" There may be a word play between

1. hear, Ps. 64:1 ‒ שׁמע (BDB 1033)
2. be glad, Ps. 64:10 ‒ שמח (BDB 970)

This would be a form of inclusio.

▣ "refuge" See notes at Psalm 2:12 and 5:11-12; see SPECIAL TOPIC: REFUGE.

▣ "will glory" The NRSV sees the VERBS "will be glad" (BDB 970, KB 1333) and "will glory" (BDB 237, KB 248) as IMPERFECTS used in a JUSSIVE sense. Most English translations have them as ongoing statements IMPERFECTS.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

This is a study guide commentary which means that you are responsible for your own interpretation of the Bible. Each of us must walk in the light we have. You, the Bible, and the Holy Spirit are priority in interpretation. You must not relinquish this to a commentator.

These discussion questions are provided to help you think through the major issues of this section of the book. They are meant to be thought-provoking, not definitive.

1. Why are there so many individual laments recorded in the Psalter?
2. Explain in your own words the last line of Ps. 64:6.
3. Explain the literary concept of "reversal," which is so common in the OT.
4. Does Ps. 64:9 refer to Israel or the world?

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