Psalms 55:20

“He hath put forth his hands, etc.] The psalmist returns and describes, in this verse (<195503>Psalm 55:3), the cruelty, perfidy, and hypocrisy of his false friend; who had stretched forth his hands against such as be at peace with him, or he pretended to be at peace with. So Ahithophel put forth his hands against David, by whom he had been admitted into his privy council, and there had taken sweet counsel together, by entering into a conspiracy and rebellion against him, and by forming a scheme to smite the king only, (<101701>2 Samuel 17:1,2); and Judas, though he did not lay hands on Christ himself, yet he gave his enemies a sign by which they might know him, and seize him, and hold him…”

“The treachery is aggravated by hypocrisy. The changes of number, Psa 55:15, Psa 55:23, and here, enliven the picture, and imply that the chief traitor and his accomplices are in view together.”

“He hath put forth his hands against such as be at peace with him - Against those who were his friends, or who had given him no occasion for war. The Septuagint and Vulgate render this, “He hath put forth his hands in recompensing;” that is, in taking vengeance. The Hebrew would bear this construction, but the more correct rendering is that in our common version. The “connection” here would seem to indicate that this is to be referred to God, as God is mentioned in the previous verse. But evidently the design is to refer to the enemies, or the principal enemy of the psalmist - the man whom he had particularly in his eye in the composition of the psalm; and the language is that of one who was…”

“He - They, the persons last mentioned. Psalms 55:22”

“put: Sa1 22:17, Sa1 24:10; Sa2 18:12; Act 12:1 at peace: Psa 7:4, Psa 109:5, Psa 120:6, Psa 120:7 broken: Heb. profaned, Psa 89:28, Psa 89:34, Psa 89:38; Sa2 2:4, Sa2 5:3, Sa2 14:32, Sa2 14:33, Sa2 15:10-12; Ecc 8:2; Eze 17:16-19 Psalms 55:21”