Chapter One Hundred Forty

It is possible to relate the writing of this psalm by David to the time of persecution by Absalom. This is indicated by David’s description of himself as persecuted by enemies, and nowhere does he speak of his complete innocence before God, but only that the hostility of his enemies’ actions was not caused by deeds on his part that would justify the force of this hostility. On the contrary, his prayer to God that He preserve him from all that is bad and the words “let the righteous strike me” (Ps 140:5) make it possible to presume that David did not always follow God, and that he received rebuke from a righteous man. Such understanding of these words of the psalm points to a well-known transgression of David with Bathsheba and his rebuke by the prophet. The consequence of David’s aforesaid transgression was, as we have said before, family discord and, in particular, the rebellion of Absalom.

In Hebrew, Greek, and Latin Bibles the psalm is attributed to David.

Hasten, O Lord, to me with Your help; let my prayer be directed to You, as incense at the evening offering (1–2). Keep me from bad words and crafty thoughts; let the righteous rebuke me, but I am always against evil deeds (3–5). Enemies fiercely pursue us, as though with a plow they split the earth, while I am innocent toward them and meek (6–7). I trust in You and believe that You will protect, while the wicked enemies shall fall (8–10).

Psalm 140:2. Let my prayer be directed as incense before Your face, the lifting up of my hands as an evening sacrifice. The psalm presents a prayer to God for salvation from enemies. Let my prayer be as pleasing to You, O Lord, as the evening offering and incense, offered before You according to the law of Moses, are pleasing. David, evidently, was outside Jerusalem, when he could not offer to God the prescribed sacrifice and the place of the latter is now taken by his spoken prayer and the lifting up of his hands to the Lord.

Psalm 140:3. Set, O Lord, a guard upon my mouth, and a door of protection upon my lips; Psalm 140:4. do not let my heart turn aside to words of evil for the justification of sinful deeds together with men who do iniquity, and do I not taste of their delights. Psalm 140:5. Let the righteous strike me: it is kindness; let him rebuke me: it is the finest oil, which shall not harm my head; but my prayer is against their evil deeds. “Set, O Lord, a guard upon my mouth, and a door of protection upon my lips” – do not let me transgress Your commandments by word, give me strength for worthy use of the gift of speech, directing it toward serving You. Keep me, preserve me from turning aside to deceitful, seductive and sinful words, keep my path straight, do not permit “my heart to turn aside to words of evil for the justification of sinful deeds” – to fabricate, to resort to justifications, to shift and evade in seeking artificial excuses, as wicked people do; do not count me among their chosen ones, their accomplices. Let every deed of mine be rebuked by the righteous; this rebuke is beneficial and useful, like oil upon the head. Factual confirmation is provided by David’s rebuke by the prophet Nathan, which brought about in him deep repentance and served toward his moral renewal and reconciliation with God. – “But my prayer is against their evil deeds” – not only do I not wish to be an accomplice to evil, but I pray to You to stop, to arrest their evil deeds.

Psalm 140:6. Their rulers have been scattered over the rocks, and they hear my words, that they are gentle. Psalm 140:7. As though the earth is split and torn apart for us; our bones scatter into the jaws of the underworld. “Their rulers have been scattered over the rocks” – the rulers of my wicked enemies are everywhere watching me, they are scattered even across all the hills and cliffs. – “They hear my words, that they are gentle” – my exhortations to them are gentle and heard by them. The malice of enemies was not caused by my treatment of them: I was gentle, they sought to destroy us as they would break ground for sowing.

Psalm 140:8. But to You, O Lord, O Lord, my eyes are turned; in You do I trust, do not cast away my soul! Psalm 140:9. Keep me from the snares that are set for me, from the nets of the wicked. Psalm 140:10. The wicked shall fall into their own nets, and I shall pass through. David here points out that those who persecute him can find nothing evil or bad in him for which he should be driven as they do. Such malicious persecution of David on their part will find due punishment from God. The Lord will punish them with severe, final outcome of their life, rejection by Him. Faith in his own righteousness and awareness of the sinfulness of the enemies’ actions instill in David the confidence that they will perish in those schemes (“snares,” “nets”) which they set for him; he, David, will remain unharmed (“I shall pass through”). This faith of David, as the outcome of Absalom’s persecutions shows, was vindicated.