Psalms 52:3

Thou lovest evil more than good,.... Indeed not good at all; such comparatives being strong negatives; see Psalms 118:8; a wicked man loves evil, and nothing else; his carnal mind being enmity to all

Thou lovest evil more than good; and lying rather than to speak righteousness. Selah. Thou lovest evil more than good ... lying ... than ... righteousness - or justice: in direst defiance of Deu 16:20, margin. Selah.

Evil and good may be here taken, either, 1. Morally; Thou lovest wickedness and not goodness; for so comparative passages are oft meant, as , It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man, i.e. It is good to trust God, but it is not good to trust man; for this is absolutely forbidden, . Or, 2. Physically. Thou lovest to speak or act to the hurt and ruin of others, rather than to their benefit. Thou mightest, without any danger to thyself, have been silent concerning Ahimelech’ s fact, or have put a favourable construction upon it; but thou hast chosen rather to misrepresent and aggravate it. He saith, thou lovest, to imply that he did this not by any constraint or necessity, but by choice, and with complacency, and out of a love to mischief. Lying, whereof Doeg was guilty, partly in reporting that he (i.e. Ahimelech) inquired of the Lord for him, (David,) , which he did not, 1 Samuel 21$, where all that history is recorded; and partly in putting a false interpretation upon what he did, in giving him victuals and a sword, as if he had done it knowingly, and in conspiracy with David, and against Saul, as appears by comparing Doeg’ s answer with Saul’ s inquiry, ,8. Righteousness, i.e. the whole and naked truth, without any such lying or malicious comment upon it, which was but an act of justice due from thee to any man, and much more on the behalf of so innocent and sacred a person.

Psalms 52:3 Thou lovest evil more than good; [and] lying rather than to speak righteousness. Selah.Ver. 3. Thou lovest evil more than good] Indeed, evil only, and not at all good, whatever thou pretendest. Thy heart is naught, and thence it is that thy tongue is so mischievous, as stinking breath cometh from corrupt inwards. And lying, rather than to speak righteousness] For thou hast cunningly insinuated, for thine own base ends and against thine own conscience, that those innocent and faithful priests were of the combination; and so hast built thyself upon their ruins, thou false sycophant, artifex doli. Selah.

Verse 3. Thou lovest evil] This was a finished character. Let us note the particulars: 1. He boasted in the power to do evil. 2. His tongue devised, studied, planned, and spoke mischiefs. 3. He was a deceitful worker. 4. He loved evil and not good. 5. He loved lying; his delight was in falsity. 6. Every word that tended to the destruction of others he loved. 7. His tongue was deceitful; he pretended friendship while his heart was full of enmity, Psalms 52:1-4. Now behold the punishment: -

3. evil more than good] Evil rather than good, evil and not good. The meaning is not merely that he has a preference for evil, but that he chooses evil instead of good, like the nobles censured in Micah 3:2, “who hate the good and love the evil.” righteousness] Not merely truth, but truth regarded as promoting and securing justice. The aim and result of his falsehoods was injustice.

Thou lovest evil more than good - Thou dost prefer to do injury to others, rather than to do them good.

3. Evil more than good—The sense is, evil and not good, falsehood and not speaking “righteousness.” The good and the true were not loved at all.