A Study by Scott Sperling
Psalm 52 -
A Psalm Against Evil
For the director of music. A maskil of David.
When Doeg the Edomite had gone to Saul and told him:
“David has gone to the house of Ahimelech.”
1
Why do you boast of evil,
you mighty man?
Why do you boast all day long,
you who are a disgrace in the eyes of God?
2
Your tongue plots destruction;
it is like a sharpened razor,
you who practice deceit.
3
You love evil rather than good,
falsehood rather than speaking the truth.
Selah
4
You love every harmful word,
O you deceitful tongue!
5
Surely God will bring you down
to everlasting ruin:
He will snatch you up
and tear you from your tent;
He will uproot you
from the land of the living.
Selah
6
The righteous will see and fear;
they will laugh at him, saying,
7
“Here now is the man
who did not make God his stronghold
But trusted in his great wealth
and grew strong by destroying others!”
8
But I am like an olive tree
flourishing in the house of God;
I trust in God’s unfailing love
for ever and ever.
9
I will praise you forever
for what you have done;
In your name I will hope,
for your name is good.
I will praise you
in the presence of your saints.
The
occasion
of
this
psalm,
as
noted
in
the
inscription,
is
“when
Doeg
the
Edomite
had
gone
to
Saul
and
told
him:
‘David
has
gone
to
the
house
of
Ahimelech.’”
When
Saul
was
looking
to
kill
David,
David
fled
with
some
of
his
men.
While
fleeing,
he
went
to
Ahimelech
the
priest
for
rest
and
sustenance.
Ahimelech
was
not
told
that
David
was
fleeing
from
Saul.
In
fact,
Ahimelech
was
led
to
believe
that
David
was
sent
on
a
mission
by
Saul.
(See
I
Sam.
21:19).
Later,
Doeg
the
Edomite,
who
was
Saul’s
head
shepherd,
told
Saul
that
Ahimelech
had
helped
David.
However,
Doeg
did
not
tell
Saul
that
Ahimelech
was
not
aware
that
David
was
fleeing
from
Saul.
Saul
had
Ahimelech
and
all
of
the
priests
put
to
death.
The
king’s
officials
would
not
slay
the
priests,
so
Doeg
himself
killed
the
eighty-five priests. (See I Sam. 22:623).
In
this
psalm,
David
rails
against
the
evildoer
Doeg:
“Why
do
you
boast
of
evil,
you
mighty
man?
Why
do
you
boast
all
day
long,
you
who
are
a
disgrace
in
the
eyes
of
God?”
(vs.
1).
There
is
a
bit
of
sarcasm
in
calling
Doeg
a
“mighty
man.”
Doeg,
no
doubt,
did
think
he
was
a
mighty
man,
a
mighty
servant
of
his
king,
as
he
killed
the
defenseless
priests.
But
his
feelings
of
“might”
would
have
evaporated
if
he had realized the implications of his being
“a disgrace in the eyes of God.”
Doeg
was
not
able
to
comprehend
these
implications,
though,
because
he
was
thoroughly
evil.
He
“boasts
of
evil…,
boasts
all
day
long.”
“One
of
the
most
decisive
evidences
of
reprobacy
is
to
glory
in
our
shame”
[Plumer,
568].
“It
is
bad
enough
to
imagine
and
to
do
mischief;
but
far
worse
to
boast
of
it”
[Slade,
in
Plumer,
569].
Such
boasting
is
short-lived.
God
is
just,
and
in
the
end,
He
will
bring justice.
David
continues:
“Your
tongue
plots
destruction;
it
is
like
a
sharpened
razor,
you
who
practice
deceit.
You
love
evil
rather
than
good,
falsehood
rather
than
speaking
the
truth”
(vss.
23).
Doeg’s
tongue
perpetrated
much
evil,
bringing
about
the
murder
of
eighty-five
priests.
Actually,
it
was
what
Doeg
didn’t
say
that
was
evil.
Doeg
knew
that
Ahimelech
was
not
aware
that
David
was
fleeing
from
Saul.
He
could
have
defended
the
priests.
Doeg’s
falsehood
came
from
what
he
omitted.
The
force
behind
Doeg’s
sin
was
his
hardened
heart,
which
loved
“evil
rather
than
good.”
“Wicked
men
have
a
real
love
of
sin.
This
is
the
secret
of
all
their
abominations.
But
for
this
they
might
easily
be
amended
by
instruction
and
example”
[Plumer,
570].
Though
we
all
sin,
God’s
people
do
not
love
evil,
even
the
evil
that
they
do.
We
feel
as
Paul
did:
“For
I
have
the
desire
to
do
what
is
good,
but
I
cannot
carry
it
out.
For
what
I
do
is
not
the
good
I
want
to
do;
no,
the
evil
I
do not want to do—this I keep on doing”
(Rom. 7:18-19).
Destruction
is
in
store
for
those
who
do
love
evil:
“You
love
every
harmful
word,
O
you
deceitful
tongue!
Surely
God
will
bring
you
down
to
everlasting
ruin:
He
will
snatch
you
up
and
tear
you
from
your
tent;
He
will
uproot
you
from
the
land
of
the
living”
(vss.
45).
Certainly
any
earthly
benefit
received
from
doing evil is not worth it, if one considers the
“everlasting ruin”
that evildoers face.
The
ultimate
fate
of
evildoers
should
be
instructive
to
us:
“The
righteous
will
see
and
fear;
they
will
laugh
at
him,
saying,
‘Here
now
is
the
man
who
did
not
make
God
his
stronghold,
but
trusted
in
his
great
wealth
and
grew
strong
by
destroying
others!’”
(vss.
67).
“The
end
of
every
sinner
teaches
us
some
good
lesson,
which
we
ought
carefully
to
ponder”
[Plumer,
571].
We
should
“see
and
fear”
what
happens
to
the
wicked.
The
temptation
is
great
for
us
to
trust
in
our
“great
wealth”
,
and
to
“grow
strong
by
destroying
others.”
If
we
“see
and
fear”
,
we may be able to withstand these temptations.
Also,
we
are
more
liable
to
withstand
these
temptations
if
we
see
and
recognize
what
God
is
doing
in
our
lives:
“But
I
am
like
an
olive
tree
flourishing
in
the
house
of
God;
I
trust
in
God’s
unfailing
love
forever
and
ever”
(vs.
8).
The
benefits
we
receive
from
God
are
far
different
than
those
received
by
those
who
“grow
strong
by
destroying
others.”
Ours
are
lasting
benefits,
not
temporal—benefits such as joy, contentment, and peace with God.
Recognizing
God’s
eternal
blessings
should
spur
us
on
to
praise
Him,
even
though
we
may
be
experiencing
temporary
affliction:
“I
will
praise
You
forever
for
what
You
have
done;
in
Your
name
I
will
hope
for
Your
name
is
good.
I
will
praise
You
in
the
presence
of
Your
saints”
(vs.
9).
Perhaps
the
greatest
difference
between
God’s
children
and
those
who
are
not
God’s
children
is
that
we
can
have
“hope”
even
in
the
direst
circumstances.
We
know
what
“God
has
done”
,
and
so
we
can
have
“hope”
in
what
God
will
do.
The
fruit
of
this
“hope”
is
the
ability
to
“praise”
Him in all circumstances.
-----------
Bibliography and Suggested Reading
Alexander,
Joseph
Addison.
The
Psalms
Translated
and
Explained
.
Edinburgh:
Andrew
Elliot,
1864.
Anonymous.
A
Plain
Commentary
on
the
Book
of
Psalms
.
Philadelphia:
Henry
Hooker
and
Co.,
1857.
Barnes, Albert.
Notes on the Book of Psalms
. New York: Harper & Brothers Publishing, 1871.
Bonar,
Andrew.
Christ
and
His
Church
in
the
Book
of
Psalms
.
New
York:
Robert
Carter
&
Brothers, 1860.
Calvin,
John.
A
Commentary
on
the
Book
of
Psalms
.
3
Vols.
Oxford:
D.
A.
Talboys,
1840.
(Originally published in Latin in 1557).
Clarke,
Adam.
The
Holy
Bible
with
a
Commentary
and
Critical
Notes
.
Vol.
III.
London:
William
Tegg & Co., 1854. (Originally published in 1831).
Cowles,
Henry.
The
Psalms
with
Notes,
Critical,
Explanatory
and
Practical
.
New
York:
D.
Appleton & Co., 1872.
Darby, John Nelson.
Practical Reflections on the Psalms
. London: Robert L. Allan, 1870.
Delitzsch,
Franz.
Biblical
Commentary
on
the
Psalms.
Edinburgh:
T
&
T
Clark,
1892.
(Originally
published in 1860).
Dickson,
David.
An
Explication
of
the
Other
Fifty
Psalms,
from
Ps.
50
to
Ps.
100.
Cornhill,
U.K.:
Ralph Smith, 1653.
Exell,
Joseph
S.
and
Henry
Donald
Spence-Jones,
eds.
The
Pulpit
Commentary
.
Vols.
17,
18,
&
19. New York: Funk & Wagnalls Company, 1884.
Hengstenberg, F. W.
Commentary on the Psalms
. Edinburgh: T & T Clark, 1864.
Henry,
Matthew.
An
Exposition
of
All
the
Books
of
the
Old
and
New
Testament
.
Vol.
II.
London:
W. Baynes, 1806. (Originally published in 1710).
Horne,
George.
A
Commentary
on
the
Book
of
Psalms.
New
York:
Robert
Carter
&
Brothers,
1854.
Jamieson,
Robert;
Fausset,
A.
R.;
Brown,
David.
A
Commentary:
Critical,
Experimental,
and
Practical on the Old and New Testaments.
Glasgow: William Collins, Queen’s Printer, 1863.
Kidner,
Derek.
Psalms
(in
2
Vols.).
Downers
Grove,
IL:
InterVarsity
Press,
2008
(first
published
in 1975).
Kirkpatrick,
A.
F.
The
Book
of
Psalms
with
Introduction
and
Notes
–
Books
II
and
III
(from
The
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges). Cambridge, UK: University Press, 1895.
Lange,
John
Peter,
ed.
and
Philip
Schaff,
trans.
A
Commentary
on
the
Holy
Scriptures:
Critical,
Doctrinal, and Homiletical
. New York: Charles Scribner & Co., 1865.
Maclaren,
Alexander.
The
Psalms
(in
3
Vols.,
from
The
Expositor’s
Bible,
ed.
by
W.
R.
Nicoll).
New York: A. C. Armstrong and Son, 1901.
Perowne,
J.
J.
Stewart.
The
Book
of
Psalms:
A
New
Translation
with
Explanatory
Notes
.
London:
George Bell & Sons, 1880.
Plumer, William S.
Studies in the Book of Psalms
. Philadelphia: J. B. Lippincott & Co., 1872.
Scott, Thomas.
Commentary on the Holy Bible
, Vol. III. London: James Nisbet, 1866.
Spurgeon, Charles.
The Treasury of David
. 6 Vols. London: Marshall Brothers, Ltd., 1885.
Tholuck,
Augustus.
A
Translation
and
Commentary
of
the
Book
of
Psalms
.
Philadelphia:
Martien,
1858.
Trapp,
John.
A
Commentary
on
the
Old
and
New
Testaments
.
Vol.
II
(Ezra
to
Psalms).
Edmonton,
Canada:
Still
Waters
Revival
Books
(www.PuritanDownloads.com).
(Originally
published c. 1660).
VanGemeren,
Willem
A.,
(Gaebelein,
Frank
E.,
ed).
Expositor’s
Bible
Commentary
,
Vol.
5
–
Psalms to Song of Songs. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1991.
--
Most
of
these
books
(those
in
the
public
domain)
can
be
downloaded,
free
of
charge,
from
the
Classic Christian Library,
at:
http://www.ClassicChristianLibrary.com
© 1994-2017, Scott Sperling
A Study by Scott Sperling
Psalm 52 -
A Psalm Against Evil
For the director of music. A maskil of David.
When Doeg the Edomite had gone to Saul and told him:
“David has gone to the house of Ahimelech.”
1
Why do you boast of evil,
you mighty man?
Why do you boast all day long,
you
who
are
a
disgrace
in
the
eyes
of
God?
2
Your tongue plots destruction;
it is like a sharpened razor,
you who practice deceit.
3
You love evil rather than good,
falsehood
rather
than
speaking
the
truth.
Selah
4
You love every harmful word,
O you deceitful tongue!
5
Surely God will bring you down
to everlasting ruin:
He will snatch you up
and tear you from your tent;
He will uproot you
from the land of the living.
Selah
6
The righteous will see and fear;
they will laugh at him, saying,
7
“Here now is the man
who did not make God his stronghold
But trusted in his great wealth
and
grew
strong
by
destroying
others!”
8
But I am like an olive tree
flourishing in the house of God;
I trust in God’s unfailing love
for ever and ever.
9
I will praise you forever
for what you have done;
In your name I will hope,
for your name is good.
I will praise you
in the presence of your saints.
The
occasion
of
this
psalm,
as
noted
in
the
inscription,
is
“when
Doeg
the
Edomite
had
gone
to
Saul
and
told
him:
‘David
has
gone
to
the
house
of
Ahimelech.’”
When
Saul
was
looking
to
kill
David,
David
fled
with
some
of
his
men.
While
fleeing,
he
went
to
Ahimelech
the
priest
for
rest
and
sustenance.
Ahimelech
was
not
told
that
David
was
fleeing
from
Saul.
In
fact,
Ahimelech
was
led
to
believe
that
David
was
sent
on
a
mission
by
Saul.
(See
I
Sam.
21:19).
Later,
Doeg
the
Edomite,
who
was
Saul’s
head
shepherd,
told
Saul
that
Ahimelech
had
helped
David.
However,
Doeg
did
not
tell
Saul
that
Ahimelech
was
not
aware
that
David
was
fleeing
from
Saul.
Saul
had
Ahimelech
and
all
of
the
priests
put
to
death.
The
king’s
officials
would
not
slay
the
priests,
so
Doeg
himself
killed
the
eighty-five
priests.
(See
I
Sam.
22:623).
In
this
psalm,
David
rails
against
the
evildoer
Doeg:
“Why
do
you
boast
of
evil,
you
mighty
man?
Why
do
you
boast
all
day
long,
you
who
are
a
disgrace
in
the
eyes
of
God?”
(vs.
1).
There
is
a
bit
of
sarcasm
in
calling
Doeg
a
“mighty
man.”
Doeg,
no
doubt,
did
think
he
was
a
mighty
man,
a
mighty
servant
of
his
king,
as
he
killed
the
defenseless
priests.
But
his
feelings
of
“might”
would
have
evaporated
if
he
had
realized
the
implications
of
his
being
“a
disgrace
in
the eyes of God.”
Doeg
was
not
able
to
comprehend
these
implications,
though,
because
he
was
thoroughly
evil.
He
“boasts
of
evil…,
boasts
all
day
long.”
“One
of
the
most
decisive
evidences
of
reprobacy
is
to
glory
in
our
shame”
[Plumer,
568].
“It
is
bad
enough
to
imagine
and
to
do
mischief;
but
far
worse
to
boast
of
it”
[Slade,
in
Plumer,
569].
Such
boasting
is
short-lived.
God
is
just, and in the end, He will bring justice.
David
continues:
“Your
tongue
plots
destruction;
it
is
like
a
sharpened
razor,
you
who
practice
deceit.
You
love
evil
rather
than
good,
falsehood
rather
than
speaking
the
truth”
(vss.
23).
Doeg’s
tongue
perpetrated
much
evil,
bringing
about
the
murder
of
eighty-five
priests.
Actually,
it
was
what
Doeg
didn’t
say
that
was
evil.
Doeg
knew
that
Ahimelech
was
not
aware
that
David
was
fleeing
from
Saul.
He
could
have
defended
the
priests.
Doeg’s
falsehood
came
from what he omitted.
The
force
behind
Doeg’s
sin
was
his
hardened
heart,
which
loved
“evil
rather
than
good.”
“Wicked
men
have
a
real
love
of
sin.
This
is
the
secret
of
all
their
abominations.
But
for
this
they
might
easily
be
amended
by
instruction
and
example”
[Plumer,
570].
Though
we
all
sin,
God’s
people
do
not
love
evil,
even
the
evil
that
they
do.
We
feel
as
Paul
did:
“For
I
have
the
desire
to
do
what
is
good,
but
I
cannot
carry
it
out.
For
what
I
do
is
not
the
good
I
want
to
do;
no,
the
evil
I
do
not
want
to
do—this
I
keep
on
doing”
(Rom. 7:18-19).
Destruction
is
in
store
for
those
who
do
love
evil:
“You
love
every
harmful
word,
O
you
deceitful
tongue!
Surely
God
will
bring
you
down
to
everlasting
ruin:
He
will
snatch
you
up
and
tear
you
from
your
tent;
He
will
uproot
you
from
the
land
of
the
living”
(vss.
45).
Certainly
any
earthly
benefit
received
from
doing
evil
is
not
worth
it,
if
one
considers the
“everlasting ruin”
that evildoers face.
The
ultimate
fate
of
evildoers
should
be
instructive
to
us:
“The
righteous
will
see
and
fear;
they
will
laugh
at
him,
saying,
‘Here
now
is
the
man
who
did
not
make
God
his
stronghold,
but
trusted
in
his
great
wealth
and
grew
strong
by
destroying
others!’”
(vss.
67).
“The
end
of
every
sinner
teaches
us
some
good
lesson,
which
we
ought
carefully
to
ponder”
[Plumer,
571].
We
should
“see
and
fear”
what
happens
to
the
wicked.
The
temptation
is
great
for
us
to
trust
in
our
“great
wealth”
,
and
to
“grow
strong
by
destroying
others.”
If
we
“see
and
fear”
,
we
may
be
able
to
withstand these temptations.
Also,
we
are
more
liable
to
withstand
these
temptations
if
we
see
and
recognize
what
God
is
doing
in
our
lives:
“But
I
am
like
an
olive
tree
flourishing
in
the
house
of
God;
I
trust
in
God’s
unfailing
love
forever
and
ever”
(vs.
8).
The
benefits
we
receive
from
God
are
far
different
than
those
received
by
those
who
“grow
strong
by
destroying
others.”
Ours
are
lasting
benefits,
not
temporal—benefits
such
as
joy,
contentment, and peace with God.
Recognizing
God’s
eternal
blessings
should
spur
us
on
to
praise
Him,
even
though
we
may
be
experiencing
temporary
affliction:
“I
will
praise
You
forever
for
what
You
have
done;
in
Your
name
I
will
hope
for
Your
name
is
good.
I
will
praise
You
in
the
presence
of
Your
saints”
(vs.
9).
Perhaps
the
greatest
difference
between
God’s
children
and
those
who
are
not
God’s
children
is
that
we
can
have
“hope”
even
in
the
direst
circumstances.
We
know
what
“God
has
done”
,
and
so
we
can
have
“hope”
in
what
God
will
do.
The
fruit
of
this
“hope”
is
the
ability
to
“praise”
Him in all circumstances.
-----------
Bibliography and Suggested Reading
Alexander,
Joseph
Addison.
The
Psalms
Translated
and
Explained
. Edinburgh: Andrew Elliot, 1864.
Anonymous.
A
Plain
Commentary
on
the
Book
of
Psalms
.
Philadelphia: Henry Hooker and Co., 1857.
Barnes,
Albert.
Notes
on
the
Book
of
Psalms
.
New
York:
Harper & Brothers Publishing, 1871.
Bonar,
Andrew.
Christ
and
His
Church
in
the
Book
of
Psalms
.
New York: Robert Carter & Brothers, 1860.
Calvin,
John.
A
Commentary
on
the
Book
of
Psalms
.
3
Vols.
Oxford:
D.
A.
Talboys,
1840.
(Originally
published
in
Latin
in 1557).
Clarke,
Adam.
The
Holy
Bible
with
a
Commentary
and
Critical
Notes
.
Vol.
III.
London:
William
Tegg
&
Co.,
1854.
(Originally published in 1831).
Cowles,
Henry.
The
Psalms
with
Notes,
Critical,
Explanatory
and Practical
. New York: D. Appleton & Co., 1872.
Darby,
John
Nelson.
Practical
Reflections
on
the
Psalms
.
London: Robert L. Allan, 1870.
Delitzsch,
Franz.
Biblical
Commentary
on
the
Psalms.
Edinburgh:
T
&
T
Clark,
1892.
(Originally
published
in
1860).
Dickson,
David.
An
Explication
of
the
Other
Fifty
Psalms,
from
Ps. 50 to Ps. 100.
Cornhill, U.K.: Ralph Smith, 1653.
Exell,
Joseph
S.
and
Henry
Donald
Spence-Jones,
eds.
The
Pulpit
Commentary
.
Vols.
17,
18,
&
19.
New
York:
Funk
&
Wagnalls Company, 1884.
Hengstenberg,
F.
W.
Commentary
on
the
Psalms
.
Edinburgh:
T & T Clark, 1864.
Henry,
Matthew.
An
Exposition
of
All
the
Books
of
the
Old
and
New
Testament
.
Vol.
II.
London:
W.
Baynes,
1806.
(Originally published in 1710).
Horne,
George.
A
Commentary
on
the
Book
of
Psalms.
New
York: Robert Carter & Brothers, 1854.
Jamieson,
Robert;
Fausset,
A.
R.;
Brown,
David.
A
Commentary:
Critical,
Experimental,
and
Practical
on
the
Old
and
New
Testaments.
Glasgow:
William
Collins,
Queen’s
Printer, 1863.
Kidner,
Derek.
Psalms
(in
2
Vols.).
Downers
Grove,
IL:
InterVarsity Press, 2008 (first published in 1975).
Kirkpatrick,
A.
F.
The
Book
of
Psalms
with
Introduction
and
Notes
–
Books
II
and
III
(from
The
Cambridge
Bible
for
Schools
and
Colleges).
Cambridge,
UK:
University
Press,
1895.
Lange,
John
Peter,
ed.
and
Philip
Schaff,
trans.
A
Commentary
on
the
Holy
Scriptures:
Critical,
Doctrinal,
and
Homiletical
.
New York: Charles Scribner & Co., 1865.
Maclaren,
Alexander.
The
Psalms
(in
3
Vols.,
from
The
Expositor’s
Bible,
ed.
by
W.
R.
Nicoll).
New
York:
A.
C.
Armstrong and Son, 1901.
Perowne,
J.
J.
Stewart.
The
Book
of
Psalms:
A
New
Translation
with Explanatory Notes
. London: George Bell & Sons, 1880.
Plumer,
William
S.
Studies
in
the
Book
of
Psalms
.
Philadelphia:
J. B. Lippincott & Co., 1872.
Scott,
Thomas.
Commentary
on
the
Holy
Bible
,
Vol.
III.
London:
James Nisbet, 1866.
Spurgeon,
Charles.
The
Treasury
of
David
.
6
Vols.
London:
Marshall Brothers, Ltd., 1885.
Tholuck,
Augustus.
A
Translation
and
Commentary
of
the
Book
of Psalms
. Philadelphia: Martien, 1858.
Trapp,
John.
A
Commentary
on
the
Old
and
New
Testaments
.
Vol.
II
(Ezra
to
Psalms).
Edmonton,
Canada:
Still
Waters
Revival
Books
(www.PuritanDownloads.com).
(Originally
published c. 1660).
VanGemeren,
Willem
A.,
(Gaebelein,
Frank
E.,
ed).
Expositor’s
Bible
Commentary
,
Vol.
5
–
Psalms
to
Song
of
Songs.
Grand
Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1991.
--
Most
of
these
books
(those
in
the
public
domain)
can
be
downloaded,
free
of
charge,
from
the
Classic
Christian
Library,
at:
http://www.ClassicChristianLibrary.com
