Psalms 41:6

_AND IF HE COME TO SEE ME, HE SPEAKETH VANITY: HIS HEART GATHERETH INIQUITY TO ITSELF; WHEN HE GOETH ABROAD, HE TELLETH IT._ And if he come to see me. "He" - i:e., the wicked enemy. HE SPEAKETH VANITY - i:e., he hypocritically professes love. HIS HEART GATHERETH INIQUITY TO ITSELF. Or, as Hengstenberg, '(As for) his heart (all the time that his lips are hypocritically professing to me love), he is gathering mischief (i:e., matter for malicious calumnies against me) to himself.' WHEN HE GOETH ABROAD, HE TELLETH IT - when he has gone out from me, he spreads abroad the mischievous calumnies which he has concocted at heart while with me. Compare the exit of the traitor Judas from the holy supper, the divinely appointed pledge of love, to perpetrate the foul treachery against his Lord (John 13:30), "He then having received the sop, went imm

6._And if he come to see me, he speaketh lies. _What is contained in this verse relates to his false and treacherous friends. Those who were his professed enemies made no secret of their enmity against him, but openly persecuted him; and that he has already shown in the preceding verse. In addition to this, he now complains that many came to him with professions of attachment to him, as if they had been his friends, who, nevertheless, afterwards poured forth their malicious ill-will in secret against him. Enemies of this sort, who thus cover and conceal their malice, and insinuate themselves under the mask of a fair appearance, only for the purpose of secretly doing us mischief, are indeed much more to be feared than those who openly declare their wicked intentions. Accordingly, having complained of his open enemies, he proceeds to speak of his pretended friends, of whom he declares that...

5-13 We complain, and justly, of the want of sincerity, and that there is scarcely any true friendship to be found among men; but the former days were no better. One particularly, in whom David had reposed great confidence, took part with his enemies. And let us not think it strange, if we receive evil from those we suppose to be friends. Have not we ourselves thus broken our words toward God? We eat of his bread daily, yet lift up the heel against him. But though we may not take pleasure in the fall of our enemies, we may take pleasure in the making vain their designs. When we can discern the Lord's favour in any mercy, personal or public, that doubles it. If the grace of God did not take constant care of us, we should not be upheld. But let us, while on earth, give heartfelt assent to those praises which the redeemed on earth and in heaven render to their God and Saviour...

Verse Psalms 41:6. _AND IF HE COME TO SEE_ ME] This may relate to _Ahithophel_; but it is more likely that it was to some other person who was his secret enemy, who pretended to come and inquire after his health, but with the secret design to see whether death was _despatching his work_. WHEN _HE GOETH ABROAD, HE TELLETH_ it.] He makes several observations on my dying state; intimates that I am suffering deep remorse for secret crimes; that God is showing his displeasure against me, and that I am full of sorrow at the approach of death....

AND IF HE COME TO SEE ME - If he condescends to visit me in my sickness. The word me is not in the original; and perhaps the idea is not that he came to see the sufferer, but that he came to see “for himself,” though under pretence of paying a visit of kindness. His real motive was to make observation, that he might find something in the expressions or manner of the sufferer that would enable him to make a report unfavorable to him, and to confirm him in his impression that it was desirable such a man should die. He would come under the mask of sympathy and friendship, but really to find something that would confirm him in the opinion that he was a bad man, and that would enable him to state to others that it was desirable he should die. HE SPEAKETH VANITY - He utters no expressions of sincerity and truth; he suggests nothing that would console and comfort me; his words are all foreign t...

EXPOSITION THE forty-first psalm completes the first book of the Psalter. All the psalms contained in it are assigned to David by the titles, except Psalms 1:1; Psalms 2:1; Psalms 10:1; Psalms 33:1. The present psalm is closely connected with the other psalms of the concluding group (Psalm 38-41.), which seem to have been all composed a little before, during, or just after the revolt of Absalom. It consists of an introduction (Psalms 33:1), respecting the blessedness of those who "consider the poor;" a bitter c

AND IF HE COME TO SEE [ME],.... Meaning anyone of his enemies, when they came, as pretended, to pay him a friendly visit. A late learned writer x interprets this of Absalom, who visited his father when he had the smallpox, which he thinks, after mentioned, of which his enemies expected he would die, when Absalom pretended great concern for his life; though he, with others, were plotting against him, should he live, to destroy him; HE SPEAKETH VANITY; lies and falsehoods, in an hypocritical manner, with a double heart; his mouth and his heart not agreeing together; see Matthew 22:16; HIS HEART GATHERETH INIQUITY TO ITSELF; amasses to itself greater treasures of wickedness still, thought that itself is desperately wicked, and very wickedness: this is to be understood of the enemies of Christ observing his words and actions, and laying them

You will see, dear friends, from these holy songs, that the saints of God in those olden days were not screened from trials and troubles, but were tempted in all points like as we are. If we happen to be in similar trying circumstances, let us take comfort from their experiences; the footsteps of the flock that has gone before should make the sheep feel that it is not lost. Psalms 41:1 To the chief Musician. A Psalm of David. Psalms 41:1. _Blessed is he that considereth the poor: the Lord will deliver him in time of trouble._ David delivered others, and God will deliver him. When he is poor and needy, God will think upon him, even as he considered the poor and the needy when they cried unto him. P

Psalms 41 Faith and Unbelief in View of the Cross _ 1. Faith in Him and the Results (Psalms 41:1)_ 2. Unbelief and its hatred (Psalms 41:4) 3. The vindication of the Christ of the cross (Psalms 41:10) The poor one (literally: the miserable, exhausted one) is the Lord Jesus suffering on the cross. Blessed are they who understand as to Him, who consider Him, for it means deliverance, salvation, preservation, victory and happiness. But unbelief mocks and sneers at Him. They speak against Him, make evil devices against Him, the sin-bearer, that an evil disease (literally: a thing of Belial) is upon Him and that H

XLI. THE PRAYER OF A SICK MAN AGAINST CRUEL AND TREACHEROUS FOES. Psalms 41:1. Kindness to the poor is a favourite virtue in the OT, but seems to have no natural place at the beginning of this Ps. We gain a better connexion by reading: Blessed is he who acts circumspectly though poor. Psalms 41:3. thou makest all his bed is a rendering which the Heb. scarcely admits, and the change from the third to the second person is suspicious. A plausible conjecture is, On his couch he supporteth him in his sickness. Psalms 41:8. Follow _mg._ Psalms 41:9. lifted up his heel: read probably, Made his mouth (?) agai