1 In the LORD put I my trust: how say ye to my soul, Flee as a bird to your mountain?
2 For, lo, the wicked bend their bow, they make ready their arrow upon the string, that they may privily shoot at the upright in heart.
3 If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do?
4 The LORD is in his holy temple, the LORD's throne is in heaven: his eyes behold, his eyelids try, the children of men.
5 The LORD trieth the righteous: but the wicked and him that loveth violence his soul hateth.
6 Upon the wicked he shall rain snares, fire and brimstone, and an horrible tempest: this shall be the portion of their cup.
7 For the righteous LORD loveth righteousness; his countenance doth behold the upright.
1 [[To the chief Musician, H5329 A Psalm of David.]] H1732 In the LORD H3068 put I my trust: H2620 how say H559 ye to my soul, H5315 Flee H5110 as a bird H6833 to your mountain? H2022
2 For, lo, the wicked H7563 bend H1869 their bow, H7198 they make ready H3559 their arrow H2671 upon the string, H3499 that they may privily H652 H1119 shoot H3384 at the upright H3477 in heart. H3820
3 If the foundations H8356 be destroyed, H2040 what can the righteous H6662 do? H6466
4 The LORD H3068 is in his holy H6944 temple, H1964 the LORD'S H3068 throne H3678 is in heaven: H8064 his eyes H5869 behold, H2372 his eyelids H6079 try, H974 the children H1121 of men. H120
5 The LORD H3068 trieth H974 the righteous: H6662 but the wicked H7563 and him that loveth H157 violence H2555 his soul H5315 hateth. H8130
6 Upon the wicked H7563 he shall rain H4305 snares, H6341 fire H784 and brimstone, H1614 and an horrible H2152 tempest: H7307 this shall be the portion H4521 of their cup. H3563
7 For the righteous H6662 LORD H3068 loveth H157 righteousness; H6666 his countenance H6440 doth behold H2372 the upright. H3477
1 In Jehovah do I take refuge: How say ye to my soul, Flee `as' a bird to your mountain;
2 For, lo, the wicked bend the bow, They make ready their arrow upon the string, That they may shoot in darkness at the upright in heart;
3 If the foundations be destroyed, What can the righteous do?
4 Jehovah is in his holy temple; Jehovah, his throne is in heaven; His eyes behold, his eyelids try, the children of men.
5 Jehovah trieth the righteous; But the wicked and him that loveth violence his soul hateth.
6 Upon the wicked he will rain snares; Fire and brimstone and burning wind shall be the portion of their cup.
7 For Jehovah is righteous; he loveth righteousness: The upright shall behold his face. Psalm 12 For the Chief Musician; set to the Sheminith. A Psalm of David.
1 To the Overseer. -- By David. In Jehovah I trusted, how say ye to my soul, `They moved `to' Thy mountain for the bird?
2 For lo, the wicked tread a bow, They have prepared their arrow on the string, To shoot in darkness at the upright in heart.
3 When the foundations are destroyed, The righteous -- what hath he done?
4 `Jehovah `is' in his holy temple: Jehovah -- in the heavens `is' His throne. His eyes see -- His eyelids try the sons of men.
5 Jehovah the righteous doth try. And the wicked and the lover of violence, Hath His soul hated,
6 He poureth on the wicked snares, fire, and brimstone, And a horrible wind `is' the portion of their cup.
7 For righteous `is' Jehovah, Righteousness He hath loved, The upright doth His countenance see!'
1 {To the chief Musician. [A Psalm] of David.} In Jehovah have I put my trust: how say ye to my soul, Flee [as] a bird to your mountain?
2 For behold, the wicked bend the bow, they make ready their arrow upon the string, that they may in darkness shoot at the upright in heart.
3 If the foundations be destroyed, what shall the righteous do?
4 Jehovah [is] in the temple of his holiness; Jehovah, -- his throne is in the heavens: his eyes behold, his eyelids try the children of men.
5 Jehovah trieth the righteous one; but the wicked, and him that loveth violence, his soul hateth.
6 Upon the wicked he shall rain snares, fire and brimstone; and scorching wind shall be the portion of their cup.
7 For righteous is Jehovah; he loveth righteousness, his countenance doth behold the upright.
1 > In Yahweh, I take refuge. How can you say to my soul, "Flee as a bird to your mountain!"
2 For, behold, the wicked bend their bows. They set their arrows on the strings, That they may shoot in darkness at the upright in heart.
3 If the foundations are destroyed, What can the righteous do?
4 Yahweh is in his holy temple. Yahweh is on his throne in heaven. His eyes observe. His eyes examine the children of men.
5 Yahweh examines the righteous, But the wicked and him who loves violence his soul hates.
6 On the wicked he will rain blazing coals; Fire, sulfur, and scorching wind shall be the portion of their cup.
7 For Yahweh is righteous. He loves righteousness. The upright shall see his face.
1 <For the chief music-maker. Of David.> In the Lord put I my faith; how will you say to my soul, Go in flight like a bird to the mountain?
2 See, the bows of the evil-doers are bent, they make ready their arrows on the cord, so that they may send them secretly against the upright in heart.
3 If the bases are broken down, what is the upright man to do?
4 The Lord is in his holy Temple, the Lord's seat is in heaven; his eyes are watching and testing the children of men.
5 The Lord puts the upright and the sinner to the test, but he has hate in his soul for the lover of violent acts.
6 On the evil-doer he will send down fire and flames, and a burning wind; with these will their cup be full.
7 For the Lord is upright; he is a lover of righteousness: the upright will see his face.
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Keil & Delitzsch Commentary » Commentary on Psalms 11
Commentary on Psalms 11 Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
Refusal to Flee When in a Perilous Situation.
Psalms 11:1-7, which likewise confidently sets the all-seeing eye of Jahve before the ungodly who carry out their murderous designs under cover of the darkness, is placed after Ps 10. The life of David (to whom even Hitzig and Ewald ascribe this Psalm) is threatened, the pillars of the state are shaken, they counsel the king to flee to the mountains. These are indications of the time when the rebellion of Absolom was secretly preparing, but still clearly discernible. Although hurrying on with a swift measure and clear in the principal thoughts, still this Psalm is not free from difficult points, just as it is with all the Psalms which contain similar dark passages from the internal condition of Israel. The gloomy condition of the nation seems to be reflected in the very language. The strophic plan is not easily discernible; nevertheless we cannot go far wrong in dividing the Psalm into two seven line strophes with a two line epiphonema .
David rejects the advice of his friends to save his life by flight. Hidden in Jahve (Psalms 16:1; Psalms 36:8) he needs no other refuge. However well-meant and well-grounded the advice, he considers it too full of fear and is himself too confident in God, to follow it. David also introduces his friends as speaking in other passages in the Psalms belonging to the period of the Absolom persecution, Psalms 3:3; Psalms 4:7. Their want of courage, which he afterwards had to reprove and endeavour to restore, showed itself even before the storm had burst, as we see here. With the words “how can you say” he rejects their proposal as unreasonable, and turns it as a reproach against them. If the Chethמb , נוּדוּ , is adopted, then those who are well-disposed, say to David, including with him his nearest subjects who are faithful to him: retreat to your mountain, (ye) birds ( צפּור collective as in Psalms 8:9; Psalms 148:10); or, since this address sounds too derisive to be appropriate to the lips of those who are supposed to be speaking here: like birds ( comparatio decurtata as in Psalms 22:14; Psalms 58:9; Psalms 24:5; Psalms 21:8). הרכס which seems more natural in connection with the vocative rendering of צפור (cf. Isaiah 18:6 with Ezekiel 39:4) may also be explained, with the comparative rendering, without any need for the conjecture הר כמו צפור (cf. Deuteronomy 33:19), as a retrospective glance at the time of the persecution under Saul: to the mountains, which formerly so effectually protected you (cf. 1 Samuel 26:20; 1 Samuel 23:14). But the Kerî , which is followed by the ancient versions, exchanges נודו for גוּדי , cf שׁחי Isaiah 51:23. Even reading it thus we should not take צפור , which certainly is epicoene, as vocative: flee to your mountain, O bird (Hitz.); and for this reason, that this form of address is not appropriate to the idea of those who profer their counsel. But we should take it as an equation instead of a comparison: fly to your mountain (which gave you shelter formerly), a bird, i.e., after the manner of a bird that flies away to its mountain home when it is chased in the plain. But this Kerî appears to be a needless correction, which removes the difficulty of נודו coming after לנפשׁי , by putting another in the place of this synallage numeri .
(Note: According to the above rendering: “Flee ye to your mountain, a bird” it would require to be accented נודו הרכם צפוז (as a transformation from נודו הרכם צפור vid., Baer's Accentssystem XVIII. 2). The interpunction as we have it, נודו הרכם צפור , harmonises with the interpretation of Varenius as of Löb Spira ( Pentateuch-Comm. 1815): Fugite (o socii Davidis), mons vester (h. e. praesidium vestrum, Psalms 30:8, cui innitimini) est avis errans.)