Psalms 141:5

Let the righteous smite me; it shall be a kindness: and let him reprove me; it shall be an excellent oil, which shall not break my head: for yet my prayer also shall be in their calamities. LET THE RIGHTEOUS SMITE ME; (IT SHALL BE) A KINDNESS. It is real kindness on the part of God to cause me to be smitten by the righteous, and not to let me be 'inclined to practice' wickedness with the workers of iniquity (Psalms 141:4), allured by their prosperity. I had rather be associated by God with the righteous when they smite me, than with the wicked, though they offer me dainties. Hengstenberg makes God to be meant by "the Righteous:" as some take Isaiah 24:16. But there is no article here, which is against this view; and the antithesis is better as explained...

5._Let the righteous smite me_, _etc_. While Satan tempts the wicked by his allurements, they, at the same time, deceive one another by flattery, which leads David to declare, that he would much rather be awakened to his duty by the severe rod of reproof, than be seduced through pleasing falsehoods. Among those who hold religion in contempt no reproof is administered to one who has contracted any sin, and, therefore, if we have any concern for our spiritual safety we will connect ourselves with good men, who restore such as have fallen by upright admonition, and bring back those who have erred to the right way. It is not agreeable to corrupt nature to be reproved when we sin, but, David had brought himself to that degree of docility and self-denial which led him to consider no reproof distasteful which he knew to proceed from the spirit of kindness. As there is some ambiguity in the word...

5-10 We should be ready to welcome the rebuke of our heavenly Father, and also the reproof of our brethren. It shall not break my head, if it may but help to break my heart: we must show that we take it kindly. Those who slighted the word of God before, will be glad of it when in affliction, for that opens the ear to instruction. When the world is bitter, the word is sweet. Let us lift our prayer unto God. Let us entreat him to rescue us from the snares of Satan, and of all the workers of iniquity. In language like this psalm, O Lord, would we entreat that our poor prayers should set forth our only hope, our only dependence on thee. Grant us thy grace, that we may be prepared for this employment, being clothed with thy righteousness, and having all the gifts of thy Spirit planted in our hearts...

Verse Psalms 141:5. _LET THE RIGHTEOUS SMITE ME_] This verse is extremely difficult in the original. The following translation, in which the _Syriac, Vulgate, Septuagint, AEthiopic_, and _Arabic_ nearly agree, appears to me to be the best: "Let the righteous chastise me in mercy, and instruct me: but let not the oil of the wicked anoint my head. It shall not adorn (יני _yani_, from נוה _navah_) my head; for still my prayer shall be against their wicked works." The oil of the wicked may here mean his _smooth flattering_ _speeches_; and the psalmist intimates that he would rather suffer the _cutting_ reproof of the righteous than the _oily talk_ of the flatterer. If this were the case, how few are there now-a-days of his mind! On referring to Bishop _Horsley_, I find his translation is something similar to my own: -...

LET THE RIGHTEOUS SMITE ME - This verse is exceedingly difficult and obscure (compare the margin); and there have been almost as many different opinions in regard to its meaning as there have been commentators on the psalm. A large number of these opinions may be seen in Rosenmuller _in loc_. DeWette explains it, “I gladly suffer anything that is unpleasant from my friends, that may be for my good; but the wickedness of my enemies I cannot endure.” The Septuagint and Latin Vulgate render it, “Let a righteous man correct me with mercy, and he will work convictions in me; but let not the oil of a sinner (for this shall still be my prayer) anoint my head at their pleasure.” “Thompson’s translation.” According to this, the sense would be, “If the righteous smite me with severity of words I shall take it as an act of kindness and benevolence; on the other hand, the bland words of a sinner, sm...

EXPOSITION ALMOST wholly a psalm of supplication. David is again in danger, and needs a prompt deliverance (Psalms 141:1). This time the danger seems to be that he may fall away, and be absorbed into the company of the wicked. He therefore prays: 1. That prayer may be with him a settled institution (Psalms 141:2). 2. That he may be saved from sins of the tongue (Psalms 141:3). 3. That he may be saved from sins of thought or act (Psalms 141:4). 4. That he may be given grace to welcome reproof ...

LET THE RIGHTEOUS SMITE ME, [IT SHALL BE] A KINDNESS,.... Or, "smite me in kindness" a. In love; in a loving and friendly manner, which makes reproofs the more agreeable and effectual. Not the righteous God, as Arama; though he does sometimes smite his people for their sins, Isaiah 57:17; that is, reproves, corrects, and chastises them, and that in love and for their good; and therefore such smitings and corrections should be taken in good part by them, and received as fatherly chastisements, and as instances of his paternal care of them, and love to them; but rather righteous and good men; who, when there is occasion for it, should reprove and rebuke one another; but then it should be in a kind and tender manner, and with the spirit of meekness; and such reproofs should be as kindly received: "for faithful are the wounds of a friend, but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful",...

Psalms 141:1. _LORD, I cry unto thee: make haste unto me; give ear unto my voice, when I cry unto thee._ You see how a child of God prays when he is in trouble. David says, «I cry unto thee,» and then the second time, «I cry unto thee.» And he cried for God as well as to him: «Make haste unto me.» The very best thing you can do, when you cannot help yourself, is to cry unto God, for he will help you. Psalms 141:2. _Let my prayer be set forth before thee as incense; and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice._ David was probably far away from the tabernacle, and he could not join in presenting the morning or the evening sacrifice there; but he prayed God to let his prayer be such a sacrifice: «Let it be sweet as the perfume of the smoking spices of the m

PSALM 140-142 These three Psalms are Psalms of David. The third one in this series, 142 is another Maschil, the last Maschil Psalm, being a prayer when David was in the cave. In these Psalms the distress of Israel, the godly remnant of Israel, is again remembered. In Psalms 140:1 we see prophetically the evil and violent man, that man of sin of the last days. And therefore have we one more imprecatory prayer for the destruction of the wicked (verse 10). The last verses look forward to the overthrow of the wicked and the exaltation of the righteous. In Psalms 141:1 the righteous are seen in separation from the wicked, and the prayer for preservation. Psalms 142:1 contains continued prayer for deliverance

CXLI. FOR LOYALTY TO GOD AND HIS SAINTS. Psalms 141:1 f. The Psalmist begs Yahweh to hear his prayer. He utters this prayer in his house, and in true prophetic spirit hopes that it will be as acceptable as the incense or the evening sacrifice offered by the priest in the Temple. For similar instances of the same spiritual view, see Psalms 40, 51, Psalms 69:31. Observe that the Decalogue prescribes no ritual observance except the rest on the Sabbath. PSALMS 141:3. A petition to be saved from rash words. He prefers to the dainties of the wicked the rebukes of the righteous. The words here condemned may refer to disloyal speech occasioned by the prosperity of the wicked, always a puzzle to pious Jews.