1 Strive thou, O Jehovah, with them that strive with me:
Fight thou against them that fight against me.
2 Take hold of shield and buckler,
And stand up for my help.
3 Draw out also the spear, and stop the way against them
that pursue me:
Say unto my soul, I am thy salvation.
4 Let them be put to shame and brought to dishonor that
seek after my soul:
Let them be turned back and confounded that devise
my hurt.
5 Let them be as chaff before the wind,
And the angel of Jehovah driving them on.
6 Let their way be dark and slippery,
And the angel of Jehovah pursuing them.
1-3. In these passages by fighting, taking hold of shield and buckler, and drawing out the spear is not signified to use those arms of war, since they are spoken of concerning Jehovah. It is so said, because all the arms of war signify such things as appertain to spiritual war. By a shield, since it defends the head, is signified defence against falses which destroy the understanding of truth. By a buckler, since it defends the breast, is signified defence against the falses which destroy charity, which is the will of good. By a spear, since it defends all parts of the body, is signified defence in general. By reason of such things it is added, “say to my soul, I am thy salvation.” E. 734-
1-9. The combats of the Lord against the hells, and their subjugation and overthrow. P. P.
2, 3. See Psalm v. 13. R. 436.
7 For without cause have they hid for me their net in a
pit;
Without cause have they digged a pit for my soul.
7, 8, 17. The state of consummation of the Israelitish church is described in both the historical and prophetic parts of the Word. The vastation, desolation and consummation of that church are still further mentioned in Isaiah ix. 12-20; xxii. 4-14: Jeremiah vii. 31-34: Psalm lxxiii. 17-19; lxxiv. 3, etc. Coro. 59.
The last of the consummation was accomplished when the Lord cried out upon the cross, ” It is consummated” —finished. D. P.
8 Let destruction come upon him unawares;
And let his net that he hath hid catch himself:
With destruction let him fall therein.
9 And my soul shall be joyful in Jehovah:
It shall rejoice in his salvation.
8, 17. Let destruction come upon him at unawares, and into destruction let him fall. Lord rescue my soul from destruction. D. P., Page 32.
10 All my bones shall say, Jehovah, who is like unto thee,
Who deliverest the poor from him that is too strong for
him,
Yea, the poor and the needy from him that robbeth
him?
11 Unrighteous witnesses rise up;
They ask me of things that I know not.
12 They reward me evil for good,
To the bereaving of my soul.
9, 10. It is manifest that bones in the spiritual sense are the intellectual proprium. A. 3812.
10 In the Word the proprium, and indeed a proprium vivified by the Lord, is signified by bones. A. 149.
Bones stand for scientific truths. The needy in this passage mean those who are in little truth, and the poor those who are in little of good, and are infested by evil and falses. From those infestations also the needy are called afflicted in the original tongue, for to be afflicted is to be infested by falses. A. 9209.
See Psalm ix. 19. R. 209.
See Psalm ix. 19. E. 238.
10-16. They purpose putting Him to death for desiring their good, which causes Him grief. P. P.
13 But as for me, when they were sick, my clothing was
sackcloth:
I afflicted my soul with fasting;
And my prayer returned into mine own bosom.
14 I behaved myself as though it had been my friend or
my brother:
I bowed down mourning, as one that bewaileth his
mother.
15 But in mine adversity they rejoiced, and gathered themselves
together:
The abjects gathered themselves together against me,
and I knew it not;
They did tear me, and ceased not:
13 The bosom is man’s very self, thus his proprium, and hence appropriation and conjunction by love. My prayer shall return unto mine own bosom, meaning that it would return to himself. A. 6960.
See Psalm xxx. 12. R. 492.
See Psalm xxx. 12. E. 637.
13, 25. Soul is used to denote the life of the spirit of man, which is called his spiritual life. E. 750.
14, By the lame in the Word are also signified those who are in no good, and thence in no truth. A. 4302.
In the churches before the advent of the Lord, which were representative churches, mourning represented spiritual grief of mind arising from the want of truth and good, for mourning was on account of oppression by an enemy, for the death of a father or mother, and other things of a similar nature. E. 372.
16 Like the profane mockers in feasts,
They gnashed upon me with their teeth.
17 Lord, how long wilt thou look on?
Rescue my soul from their destructions,
My darling from the lions.
15, 16. Since sensual men do not see any truth in its light, but argue and wrangle about everything as to whether it is so, and these altercations in the hells are heard out of them as gnashings of teeth, which in themselves are the collisions of falsity and truth, it is manifest what is meant by gnashing of teeth. R. 435.
16 By gnashing of teeth are understood the effort and act of destroying truths by falsities, for the teeth signify falsities in the extremes, and gnashing signifies the vehemence of combating for them. This effort and act are also from correspondences. E. 556.
18 I will give thee thanks in the great assembly:
I will praise thee among much people.
17, 18. Real confession of the heart, because it is from celestial love, is in a genuine sense confession. The man who is in this confession acknowledges that all good is from the Lord, and that all evil is from himself. I will confess to thee — give thee thanks — in the great congregation. A. 3880.
Prayer that He may be preserved from them, whence He will have joy. P. P.
19 Let not them that are mine enemies wrongfully rejoice
over me;
Neither let them wink with the eye that hate me without
a cause.
20 For they speak not peace,
But they devise deceitful wTords against them that are
quiet in the land.
21 Yea, they opened their mouth wide against me;
They said, Aha, aha, our eye hath seen it.
22 Thou hast seen it, O Jehovah; keep not silence:
O Lord, be not far from me.
23 Stir up thyself, and awake to the justice due unto me,
Even unto my cause, my God and my Lord.
24 Judge me, O Jehovah my God, according to thy
righteousness;
And let them not rejoice over me.
25 Let them not say in their heart, Aha, so would we have
it:
Let them not say, We have swallowed him up.
26 Let them be put to shame and confounded together that
rejoice at my hurt:
Let them be clothed with shame and dishonor that
magnify themselves against me.
27 Let them shout for joy, and be glad, that favor my
righteous cause:
Yea, let them say continually, Jehovah be magnified,
Who hath pleasure in the prosperity of his servant.
19 See John xv. 25 — where the sense is the same. A. 6752.
That all things of the Word are meant by the law in the widest sense may be evident from John xv. 25 ” they hated me without a cause.” This is written in Psalm xxxv. 19. L. 10.
That the Lord fulfilled all things of the Word is manifest from the passages where it is said that the Law and the Scripture were fulfilled by Him, and that all things were finished, as from John xv. 25, this is written in Psalm xxxv. 19. T. 262.
By the law in the broadest sense is meant the whole Word. See previous paragraph under T. 262. T. 288.
19-21, 25. They blaspheme Him. P. P.
See Psalm xvii. 1. R. 624.
See Psalm xvii. 1. E. 866.
From His Divine He will overcome them. P. P.
See Psalm xxvii. 9. E. 409.
Hence the justice of the Lord will be praised in P. P.
28 And my tongue shall talk of thy righteousness
And of thy praise all the day long.
28 Here also by the tongue is signified confession from the doctrine of the church, for it is said that it meditates — speaks, — righteousness is predicated of the good, and praise of the truth thereof. E. 455.
Author: EMANUEL SWEDENBORG (1688-1772)
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