Psalms 58:5

Which will not hearken to the voice of charmers,.... Or "that use enchantments", to enchant serpents, by muttering certain words, or by magical songs; by which means it is said that they have been

Which will not hearken to the voice of charmers, charming never so wisely. Which will not hearken to the voice of charmers - literally, the voice of those whispering in a low, sweet, and soothing tone.

This similitude doth neither justify the practice of charming, which, in the very word here used, is condemned, , no more than those which are drawn from the unjust steward, , &c.; , &c., and from a thief, ; nor yet affirm the truth of what is reported concerning the asps or adders, which are said to lay one ear close to the ground, and to cover the other with their tail, that so they may avoid the danger of enchantment; but only was taken from the common opinion, which he poetically mentions to this purpose: As they commonly say of the asps or adders, &c., such really are these men; deaf to all my counsels, and to the dictates of their own consciences, and to the voice of God’ s law. And yet of the charming or enchanting of serpents, mention is made both in other places of Scripture, as , and in all sorts of authors, ancient and modern, Hebrew, and Arabic, and Greek, and Latin of which see my Latin Synopsis. And particularly the Arabic writers (to whom these creatures were best known) name some sorts of serpents, among which the adder is one, which they call deaf, not because they are dull of hearing, but, as one of them expressly saith, because they will not be charmed.

Psalms 58:5 Which will not hearken to the voice of charmers, charming never so wisely.Ver. 5. Which will not hearken to the voice of charmers] Such there are, the devil’ s spellmen, Ecclesiastes 10:8, that can enchant some kind of serpents, and some they cannot, as Jeremiah 8:17. That the serpent here spoken of, when she beginneth to feel the charmer, clappeth one of her ears close to the ground, and stoppeth the other with her tail, is affirmed by Jerome, Austin, and Cassiodorus. Vide Plin. lib. 2, c. 7; l. 8, c. 3. Quum coeperit incantatorem suum pati, allidit unam aurem terrae et cauda obturat alteram (Aug. in loc.; Horat. Epist. 2). And that she doth this, although by hearkening to the charmer, provoking her to spit out her poison, she might renew her age, is affirmed by others; semblably, perverse people will not be persuaded to live happily, reign everlastingly. - At Paris ut vivat regnetque beatus, Cogi posse negat.

(5) Charmers.—Heb., melachashîm, a word undoubtedly formed from the sound made by the charmer in imitating the snake, in order to entice it from its hole. Lane, in Modern Egyptians, describing a snake charmer at his task, says: “He assumes an air of mystery, strikes the walls with a short palm stick, whistles, makes a clacking noise with his tongue.” The art of serpent charming, and the magic connected with it, was of great antiquity in Egypt, and passed thence to surrounding countries. Charming never so wisely.—Literally, one tying knots wisely, i.e., a most skilful charmer.

Verse 5. Which will not hearken to the voice of charmers] The old Psalter translates and paraphrases these two verses curiously: - Vulg. Furor illis secundum similitudinem serpentis; sicut aspidis surdae et obturantis aures suas: Quae non exaudiet vocem incantantium et venefici in cantantis sapienter. Trans. Wodes (madness) til thaim aftir the liking of the neddir, as of the snake doumb and stoppand her eres. Paraph. Right calles he tham wod, (mad,) for that hafe na witte to se whider that ga: for that louke thair eghen, and rennys till the are thaire wodness til clumsthed that wil noght be turned as of the snake that festis (fastens) the ta ere til the erth, and the tother ere stoppis with hir taile: Sua do thai that thai here not Godis word; that stope thair eris with luf of erthli thing that thai delite thaim in; and with thair taile, that es with all synnes, that that will noght amend. Trans. The whitk salle noght here the voyce of charmand, and of the venim in akare of charmand wisli. Paraph. This snake stopis hir eres that she be noght broth to light; for if she herd it, she come forth sone, he charmes swa wysli in his craft. Swa the wikkid men wit noght here the voyce of Crist and his lufers that are wys charmes; for thi wild (would) bring them till light of heven. Wyt ye well (know) that he (i.e., Christ) lufes noght charmars and venim makers but be (by) vices of bestes, he takes lickening of vices of men. It seems as if there were a species of snake or adder that is nearly deaf; and as their instinct informs them that if they listen to the sounds which charmers use they shall become a prey; therefore they stop their ears to prevent the little hearing they have from being the means of their destruction. To this the Old Psalter refers. We have also an account of a species of snake, which, if it cast its eye on the charmer, feels itself obliged to come out of its hole; it therefore keeps close, and takes care neither to see nor be seen. To this also the Old Psalter alludes; and of this fact, if it be one, he makes a good use.

3–5. A description of the class to which these wicked judges belong; the deliberately wicked, who are deaf to remonstrance and incapable of reformation.

Which will not hearken to the voice of charmers - The word rendered “charmers” - לחשׁ lachash - means properly “whisperers, mutterers,” and it refers here to those who made use of spells or incantations - sorcerers or magicians.

5. Charmers—From which it appears that the art of serpent charming was known in David’s day. The object was to render them tractable and harmless. See Ecclesiastes 10:11; Jeremiah 8:17.