Psalms 58:1

Do ye indeed speak righteousness, O congregation?.... Of the mighty, as in Psalms 82:1; the judges of the land, who were many, and therefore called a congregation, as it is necessary they should;

Do ye indeed speak righteousness, O congregation? do ye judge uprightly, O ye sons of men?

Psalms 58 THE This Psalm was composed, as very many others were, upon the occasion of those wicked calumnies, and unjust censures and sentences, which were passed upon him by Saul and his courtiers. David, reproving wicked judges, describeth their nature, ; and prayeth God to punish and destroy them, , for his own glory, and the joy of the righteous, ,11. Do ye indeed speak righteousness? the question implies a denial. You censure me freely, without any regard to truth or justice. Congregation: the word signifies a band or company of men, and seems to point at Saul’ s judges and counsellors; who met together to consult what they should do against David, and probably passed a sentence upon him, as guilty of treason and rebellion. Sons of men; so he calls them, either, 1. In contempt and opposition to the sons of God, or good men. Or, 2. By way of admonition, to mind them that they also were men, and must give an account to God for all their hard speeches and unrighteous decrees against him.

Psalms 58:1 « To the chief Musician, Altaschith, Michtam of David. » Do ye indeed speak righteousness, O congregation? do ye judge uprightly, O ye sons of men?Ver. 1. Do ye indeed speak righteousness, O congregation?] Or, O council; you that are gathered together on a knot, under a pretence of doing justice, and promoting the public good by giving faithful advice to the king. Una ligati, ut Genesis 37:7, vel ab àìí Mutus quia congregatio ante oratorem est quasi mutus (Aben Ezra). Colloquitur Abnero et reliquis, saith Kimchi, David here talketh to Abner and the rest, who, to please Saul, pronounced David a rebel, and condemned him absent for an enemy to the state. And forasmuch as there is no greater injury than that which passeth under the name of right, he sharply debateth the matter with them whom he knew of old to be very corrupt; painting them out in their colours, and denouncing God’ s heavy judgments against them for their unjust dealings with him. The word rendered congregation is not found elsewhere in that sense. It signifieth dumbness; and is by the Spanish translators rendered, O audientia by antiphrasis, ut lucus, quia non lucet. Do ye judge uprightly, O ye sons of men?] i.e. O ye carnal profane persons that savour not the things of the Spirit; q.d. ye are fit persons to make counsellors of state. Sedes prima et vita ima agree not. Dignitas in indigno est ornamentum in luto, saith Salvian. You do much misbecome your places.

(1) Congregation.—This rendering comes of a mistaken derivation of the Hebrew word êlem, which offers some difficulty. As pointed, it must mean silence (comp. Psalms 56 title, the only other place it occurs); and some, regardless of sense, would render, “do ye truly in silence speak righteousness.” Of the many conjectures on the passage, we may choose between reading elim (short for elîm = gods), and here, as in Exodus 21:6; Exodus 22:8; Psalms 82:6, applied to the judges) and ulam (with the LXX., Syriac, and Arabic, in the sense of but. To speak righteousness is, of course, to pronounce a just judgment. If we prefer the former of these (with most modern scholars), it is best to take sons of men in the accusative rather than the vocative, do ye judge with equity the sons of men.

PSALM LVIII David reproves wicked counsellors and judges, who pervert justice, and stir up the strong against the weak and innocent, 1-5. He foretells their destruction, and describes the nature of it, 6-9. The righteous, seeing this, will magnify God's justice and providence, 10, 11. NOTES ON PSALM LVIII The title seems to have no reference to the subject of the Psalm. See the introduction to the preceding. Psalms 57:1 Saul having attempted the life of David, the latter was obliged to flee from the court, and take refuge in the deserts of Judea. Saul, missing him, is supposed by Bishop Patrick to have called a council, when they, to ingratiate themselves with the monarch, adjudged David to be guilty of treason in aspiring to the throne of Israel. This being made known to David was the cause of this Psalm. It is a good lesson to all kings, judges, and civil magistrates; and from it they obtain maxims to regulate their conduct and influence their decisions; and at the same time they may discern the awful account they must give to God, and the dreadful punishment they shall incur who prostitute justice to serve sinister ends. Verse 1. Do ye indeed speak righteousness] Or, O cabinet seeing ye profess to act according to the principles of justice, why do ye not give righteous counsels and just decisions, ye sons of men? Or, it may be an irony: What excellent judges you are! well do ye judge according to law and justice, when ye give decisions not founded on any law, nor supported by any principle of justice! To please your master, ye pervert judgment; and take part against the innocent, in order to retain your places and their emoluments. Saul's counsellors appear to have done so, though in their consciences they must have been satisfied of David's innocence.

1, 2. An indignant remonstrance with those in authority, who, instead of condemning crime, are themselves the most guilty criminals.

Do ye indeed speak righteousness, O congregation? - Luther renders this, “Are you then dumb, that you will not speak what is right, and judge what is proper, ye children of men?” The meaning of the

1. Do ye indeed speak righteousness, O congregation—Much perplexity and doubt attend the rendering of this clause.