Psalms Chapter 52

“Why boastest thou thyself in mischief? etc.] Or “in evil” f697; in that which is sinful; to glory in riches, wisdom, and strength, which are not in themselves evil, is wrong; and to rejoice in such boastings, all such rejoicing is evil; to be a doer of mischief, or sin, is bad; to make a sport of it, worse; but to glory in it, and boast of it when done, is worse still: to be boasters of evil things, is the character of antichrist and his followers, (<550302>2 Timothy 3:2); who not only boast of their merit, their good works, and works of supererogation, and of their riches, and honour, and grandeur, saying, “I…”

“Compare Sa1 21:1-10; Sa1 22:1-10, for the history of the title. Psa 52:1 gives the theme; the boast of the wicked over the righteous is vain, for God constantly cares for His people. This is expanded by describing the malice and deceit, and then the ruin, of the wicked, and the happy state of the pious. (Psa 52:1-9) mighty man--literally, "hero." Doeg may be thus addressed, ironically, in respect of his might in slander.”

“Why boastest thou thyself in Mischief? - Why dost thou “exult” in that which is wrong? Why dost thou find pleasure in evil rather than in good? Why dost thou seek to triumph in the injury done to others? The reference is to one who prided himself on schemes and projects which tended to injure others; or who congratulated himself on the success which attended his efforts to wrong other people. O mighty man - DeWette and Luther render this, “tyrant.” The original word would be properly applied to one of rank or distinction; a man of “power” - power derived either from office, from talent, or from wealth. It is a…”

“Continually - God is continually doing good: thou art continually doing mischief. O mighty - He speaks ironically. O valiant captain! To kill a few weak and unarmed persons. Psalms 52:2”

“Ps 52 Wicked people use words to destroy relationships and communities. They foolishly think that they can be heroes by their words (52:1-4), but their fate suddenly overtakes them (52:5-7). In contrast, the godly renew their commitment to the Lord (52:8-9) and find their future secure in him. 52:title This psalm refers to an incident in 1 Sam 21:1-10; 22:9-10. The accuser, Doeg the Edomite, is a paradigm of evil. 52:1-4 Liars foolishly deceive themselves by thinking that they can be heroes by their words. They believe themselves innocent of any charges of evildoing, though they love evil and cause destruction.…”

“told: Psa 59:7; Jer 9:8; Exo 22:9 boastest: Psa 10:2, Psa 10:3, Psa 94:4; Rom 1:30; Ti2 3:2 mischief: Psa 7:14, Psa 10:7, Psa 36:3-6; Pro 6:14, Pro 6:18; Isa 59:4; Mic 7:3 O mighty: Gen 6:4, Gen 6:5, Gen 10:8, Gen 10:9; Sa1 21:7 goodness: Psa 103:17, Psa 107:1, Psa 137:1, Psa 137:2; Jo1 4:7, Jo1 4:8 Psalms 52:2”

“It is bad enough to behave wickedly, but bad in the extreme to boast of it at the same time as an heroic act. Doeg, who causes a massacre, not, however, by the strength of his hand, but by the cunning of his tongue, does this. Hence he is sarcastically called גּבּור (cf. Isa 5:22). David's cause, however, is not therefore lost; for it is the cause of God, whose loving-kindness endures continually, without allowing itself to be affected, like the favour of men, by calumny. Concerning הוּות vid., on Psa 5:10. לשׁון is as usual treated as fem; עשׂה רמיּה (according to the Masora with Tsere) is consequently addressed…”