
Text -- Psalms 53:5 (NET)




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collapse allCommentary -- Word/Phrase Notes (per phrase)
Wesley: Psa 53:5 - -- Hath not only broken their bones, their strength, and force, but also dispersed them hither and thither, so as there is no hope of a restoration.
Hath not only broken their bones, their strength, and force, but also dispersed them hither and thither, so as there is no hope of a restoration.
JFB -> Psa 53:5
JFB: Psa 53:5 - -- Instead of assurances of God's presence with the pious, and a complaint of the wicked, Psa 14:5-6 portrays the ruin of the latter, whose "bones" even ...
Instead of assurances of God's presence with the pious, and a complaint of the wicked, Psa 14:5-6 portrays the ruin of the latter, whose "bones" even "are scattered" (compare Psa 141:7), and who are put to shame as contemptuously rejected of God.
Clarke -> Psa 53:5
Clarke: Psa 53:5 - -- For God hath scattered the bones of him that encampeth against thee: thou hast put them to shame, because God hath despised them - The reader will s...
For God hath scattered the bones of him that encampeth against thee: thou hast put them to shame, because God hath despised them - The reader will see, on comparing this with the fifth and sixth verses of Psa 14:1-7, that the words above are mostly added here to what is said there; and appear to be levelled against the Babylonians, who sacked and ruined Jerusalem, and who were now sacked and ruined in their turn. The sixth verse of Psa 14:1-7, "Ye have shamed the counsel of the poor, because the Lord is his refuge,"is added here by more than twenty of Kennicott’ s and De Rossi’ s MSS.
TSK -> Psa 53:5
TSK: Psa 53:5 - -- There : Lev 26:17, Lev 26:36; Deu 28:65-67; 1Sa 14:15; 2Ki 7:6, 2Ki 7:7; Job 15:21; Pro 28:1
were they in great fear : Heb. they feared a fear, Psa 14...
There : Lev 26:17, Lev 26:36; Deu 28:65-67; 1Sa 14:15; 2Ki 7:6, 2Ki 7:7; Job 15:21; Pro 28:1
were they in great fear : Heb. they feared a fear, Psa 14:5
scattered : Psa 141:7; Eze 6:5, Eze 37:1-11
thou hast : Psa 35:4, Psa 35:26, Psa 40:14, Psa 83:16, Psa 83:17
because : Psa 2:4, Psa 73:20; Isa. 37:22-38; Jer 6:30; Lam 2:6

collapse allCommentary -- Word/Phrase Notes (per Verse)
Barnes -> Psa 53:5
Barnes: Psa 53:5 - -- There were they in great fear ... - Margin, as in Hebrew, "they feared a fear."For the general meaning of the verse, see the notes at Psa 14:5....
There were they in great fear ... - Margin, as in Hebrew, "they feared a fear."For the general meaning of the verse, see the notes at Psa 14:5. There is, however, an important change introduced here - the most important in the psalm. The general sentiment of two verses Psa 14:5-6 in Psa 14:1-7 is here compressed into one, and yet with such an important change as to show that it was by design, and apparently to adapt it to some new circumstance. The solution of this would seem to be that the original form Psa 14:1-7 was suited to some occasion then present to the mind of the writer, and that some new event occurred to which the general sentiment in the psalm might be easily applied (or which would express that as well as could be done by an entirely new composition), but that, in order to adapt it to this new purpose, it would be proper to insert some expression more particularly referring to the event.
The principal of these additions is found in the verse before us. In Psa 14:5-6, the language is, "There were they in great fear, for God is in the generation of the righteous; ye have shamed the counsel of the poor, because the Lord is his refuge."In the psalm before us, the language is, "There were they in great fear, where no fear was: for God hath scattered the bones of him that encampeth against thee: thou hast put them to shame, because God hath despised them.""Where no fear was."The reference here, as in Psa 14:5, is to the fear or consternation of the people of God on account of the designs and efforts of the wicked. They were apprehensive of being overthrown by the wicked. The design of the psalmist in both cases is to show that there was no occasion for that fear. In Psa 14:5, he shows it by saying that "God is in the congregation of the righteous."In the psalm before us fie says expressly that there was no ground for that fear - "where no fear was,"- and he adds, as a reason, that God had "scattered the bones"of them "that encamped against"them. That is, though there seemed to be occasion for fear - though those enemies were formidable in numbers and in power - yet God was their friend, and he had now showed them that they had no real occasion for alarm by dispersing those foes.
For God hath scattered the bones of him that encampeth against thee - Of the besieger. This, as already intimated, would seem to have been introduced in order to adapt the psalm to the particular circumstances of the occasion when it was revised. From this clause, as well as others, it appears probable that the particular occasion contemplated in the revision of the psalm was an attack on Jerusalem, or a siege of the city - an attack which had been repelled, or a siege which the enemy had been compelled to raise. That is, they had been overthrown, and their bones had been scattered, unburied, on the ground. The whole language of Psa 14:1-7, thus modified, would be well suited to such an occurrence. The general description of atheism and wickedness in Psa 14:1-7 would be appropriate in reference to such an attempt on the city - for those who made the attack might well be represented as practically saying that there was no God; as being corrupt and abominable; as bent on iniquity; as polluted and defiled; and as attempting to eat up the people of God as they eat bread; and as those who did not call upon God. The verse before us would describe them as discomfited, and as being scattered in slaughtered heaps upon the earth.
Thou hast put them to shame - That is, they had been put to shame by being overthrown; by being unsuccessful in their attempt. The word "thou"here must be understood as referring to God.
Because God hath despised them - He has wholly disapproved their character, and he has "despised "their attempts; that is, he has shown that they were not formidable or to be feared. They were efforts which might be looked on with contempt, and he had evinced this by showing how easily they could be overthrown.
Poole -> Psa 53:5
Poole: Psa 53:5 - -- Where no fear was i.e. where there was no great nor sufficient cause of fear. See Lev 26:36 Deu 28:65 Job 15:21 Pro 28:1 . They who designed to secur...
Where no fear was i.e. where there was no great nor sufficient cause of fear. See Lev 26:36 Deu 28:65 Job 15:21 Pro 28:1 . They who designed to secure themselves from all fear and danger by their contempt of God, and by the persecution of good men, and by other wicked courses, were by those means filled with the terrors which they sought to avoid.
Hath scattered the bones hath not only broken their bones , i.e. their strength and force, which is oft noted by the bones, as Psa 6:2 31:10 51:8 , but also dispersed them hither and thither, so as there is no hopes of a reunion and restoration.
Against thee i.e. against my people, expressed, Psa 53:4 , or Israel, or Zion, as it is in the next verse.
Thou O Zion, or Jerusalem, which they besiege,
hast put them to shame for the great and strange disappointment of their hopes and confidence. It was a great reproach to them, for such numerous and mighty forces to be baffled and conquered by those whom they thought to swallow up at a morsel.
Despised them or, rejected them ; cursed them. Therefore it is no wonder if they could not stand before thee.
Haydock -> Psa 53:5
Haydock: Psa 53:5 - -- Strangers. Barbarous, (Worthington) enemies, though of the same tribe. (Calmet) ---
Hostis dicebatur quem nunc peregrinum dicimus. (Cicero, Off....
Strangers. Barbarous, (Worthington) enemies, though of the same tribe. (Calmet) ---
Hostis dicebatur quem nunc peregrinum dicimus. (Cicero, Off. i.) ---
The devil and our passions, as well as the world, are such to us. (Berthier)
Gill -> Psa 53:5
Gill: Psa 53:5 - -- There were they in great, fear, where no fear was,.... Before; neither of God nor man, nor any dread of punishment, but the utmost security, Rev 18:7...
There were they in great, fear, where no fear was,.... Before; neither of God nor man, nor any dread of punishment, but the utmost security, Rev 18:7; also See Gill on Psa 14:5;
for God hath scattered the bones of him that encampeth against thee; either against Christ, or against his church and people; who set themselves against the person, office, and grace of Christ, and seek to distress and destroy his interest: "the bones of such God will scatter": that is, he will destroy antichrist and his armies, which are his strength, as the bones are the strength of the human body; and make such a carnage of them, that the fowls of the air shall eat their flesh, and their bones shall be scattered here and there; see Rev 19:17. So the Targum,
"for God scatters the strength of the armies of the wicked.''
Kimchi interprets it of the bones of the nations that shall encamp against Jerusalem, in the days of Gog; see Rev 20:8; and Aben Ezra observes, that "thee" respects either God or the Messiah;
thou hast put them to shame; this is either an address of the psalmist unto God, declaring what he had done; or rather of God the Father to his Son Christ Jesus; and so Kimchi and Ben Melech say this refers to the Messiah: and it may be expressive of the shame and confusion that antichrist and his followers will be thrown into, when they shall make war with the Lamb, and he shall overcome them, Rev 17:14;
because God hath despised them; or rejected them as reprobates; given them up to a reprobate mind; and being ungodly men, has before ordained them to this condemnation. The Targum is,
"for the Word of the Lord hath rejected them;''
as filthy, loathsome, and abominable, and cast them alive into the lake of fire, Rev 19:20.

expand allCommentary -- Verse Notes / Footnotes
NET Notes: Psa 53:5 Once again the perfect is used in a rhetorical manner, describing this future judgment as if it were already accomplished. As in the previous line, Go...
Geneva Bible -> Psa 53:5
Geneva Bible: Psa 53:5 There were they in great fear, [where] no ( e ) fear was: for God hath scattered the ( f ) bones of him that encampeth [against] thee: thou hast put [...

expand allCommentary -- Verse Range Notes
TSK Synopsis -> Psa 53:1-6
TSK Synopsis: Psa 53:1-6 - --1 David describes the corruption of a natural man.4 He convinces the wicked by the light of their own conscience.6 He glories in the salvation of God.
MHCC -> Psa 53:1-6
MHCC: Psa 53:1-6 - --This psalm is almost the same as the Psa 14:1. The scope of it is to convince us of our sins. God, by the psalmist, here shows us how bad we are, and ...
Matthew Henry -> Psa 53:1-6
Matthew Henry: Psa 53:1-6 - -- This psalm was opened before, and therefore we shall here only observe, in short, some things concerning sin, in order to the increasing of our sorr...
Keil-Delitzsch -> Psa 53:5
Keil-Delitzsch: Psa 53:5 - --
The last two lines of this tristich are in letters so similar to the two distichs of Psa 14:1-7, that they look like an attempt at the restoration o...
Constable: Psa 42:1--72:20 - --II. Book 2: chs. 42--72
In Book 1 we saw that all the psalms except 1, 2, 10, and 33 claimed David as their writ...

Constable: Psa 53:1-6 - --Psalm 53
This psalm is another version of the one that appears in Book 1 as Psalm 14. David wrote it, an...
