After propounding as his theme the mercy and justice of the Lord, ver. 1, the Psalmist announces his determination to be blameless in his own walk, ver. 2-4, and so to exercise his power over others as to favour the godly and drive out the wicked, ver. 5-8.
1. By David. A Psalm. 31 Mercy and judgment will I sing; to thee, Jehovah, will I play (or make music). As such a declaration of a present purpose in the Psalms is always followed by its execution, the older interpreters suppose mercy and judgment to be those which David meant to practise, as he states more fully in the remainder of the psalm. But besides that, he says nothing in what follows of his mercy, there is no usage of the Psalms more settled than that mercy and justice are combined to denote divine not human attributes, and that to sing and make music to Jehovah never means to praise something else in an address to him, but always to sing praises to himself. See above, Ps. ix. 12 (11), xiii. 6 (5), xviii. 50 (49), XXX. 5 (4), 13 (12), xxxiii. 2, lxviii. 5 (4), lxxi. 22, 23, in all which cases the form of expression seems to be derived from Judges v. 3. But the psalm before us contains no such celebration of God’s mercy and justice beyond this first verse. The best solution of this fact appears to be the one proposed by Hengstenberg, according to which the execution of the purpose here avowed is contained in Ps. ciii., which then, together with the one before us, and of course the intervening one, compose a trilogy or series of three psalms, all by David, each complete in itself, and yet designed to be connected with the others and interpreted by them. Supposing this to be the case, we must regard them all as psalms of David, whose name is prefixed to the third and the one before us, in which he lays down a rule, as it were, for his own government, and that of his successors in the regal office. The impression made by these inspired instructions on the first of those successors may account for the remarkable coincidences of expression between this psalm and the Book of Proverbs.
2. I will act wisely in a perfect way. When wilt thou come to me? I will walk in the integrity of my heart within my house. As to the first verb, see above, on Ps. ii. 10, xiv. 2. Its form here is one expressing fixed determination. A perfect way, as in Ps. xviii. 31, 33 (30, 32). This and other figurative expressions of the same kind, Ps. xviii. 24, 26 (23, 25), XV. 2, are founded upon Gen. xvii. 1. When wilt thou come to me, and bless me, in fulfilment of thy promise? Exod. xx. 21, This interrogative ejaculation implies a sense of his dependence on divine aid for the execution of his purpose. Integrity (integritas, completeness) of my heart is an expression borrowed from Gen. xx. 5, 6. See above, on Ps. lxxviii. 72, and compare 1 Kings iii. 14, Prov. xx. 7. Way and walk are familiar figures for habitual conduct. Within, literally in the midst (or inside) of my house, i.e. at home, in private life, as distinguished from the house of God and his official conduct there, to which he afterwards adverts.
3. / urill not set before my eyes a word of Belial; the doing of apostasies I hate, it shall not cleave to me. The positive terms of the preceding verse are now exchanged for negatives. Having said what he will do, he now says what he will not do. See a similar transition, but in the inverse order, Ps. i. 1, 2. Set before my eyes, as a model to be copied, or as an object of approving contemplation. A word of Belial, as in Ps. xli. 9 (8), except that word, which there most probably relates to slander or false accusation, may here denote a proposition, and the whole phrase a worthless (i. e. wicked) plan or purpose. Apostasies, departures, deviations from the right course. See the verbal root as used in Ps. xl. 5 (4), and a cognate verb in Num. v. 12, 19. Some make the word here used a participle or verbal noun, as in the English Bible, the work of them that turn aside. But its form and the analogy of Hos. v. 2, entitle the other construction to the preference. It shall not cleave to me, I will not be concerned or implicated in it; or more emphatically still, it shall not cleave to me as a reproach or stigma. In favour of the former sense is the analogy of Deut. xiii. 18 (17), from which the expression seems to have been borrowed.
4. A crooked heart shall depart from me; evil I will not knoio. Crooked, froward, or perverse, as in Ps. xviii. 27 (26). Compare Prov. xi. 20, xvii. 20. The whole phrase might be understood to mean a person having such a heart, and the whole clause that the Psalmist would have no intercourse with such. The parallel term evil would then mean a wicked person, as translated in the English Bible. On the ground, however, that the person of the sinner seems to be reserved for the latter part of the psalm, the best interpreters take evil in the abstract sense of moral evil, wickedness, as in Ps. xxxiv. 17, lii. 5 (3). The first clause will then naturally mean, my own heart shall not be perverse or froward.
5. (One) slandering in secret his fellow—him I will destroy; (one) lofty of eyes and wide of heart—him I will not hear. Having declared what his own course of life should be, he now describes the conduct which he should require in his confidential servants. Here again the statement is both negative and positive, but in this case beginning with the former. See above, on ver. 3. It is not an improbable conjecture that in specifying slander, David had reference to his sufferings from that cause in the days of Saul. See above, on Ps. xviii. 1, lii. 4-7 (2-5), and compare Ps. XV. 3. The verb translated slandering occurs, in any of its forms, only here and Prov. xxx. 10. Wide of heart means neither magnanimous nor greedy, but proud, self-confident, as appears from Prov. xxviii. 25. Both figurative phrases here used are combined again in Prov. xxi. 4. The last verb in the sentence usually means to he able, but is here used absolutely, as in Isa. i. 13,
6. My eyes (are) on the faithful of the land, to dwell with me. (One) walking in a perfect way—he shall serve me. On the faithful, literally in ovwithihevQ.. See above, on Ps. xxxiv. 16, 17 (15, 16)), and comparePs. xxxii. 8 (7). My eyes are on them is equivalent to saying, I will seek them out to dwell with me and serve me. The word translated faithful is properly a passive participle meaning trusted, rehed upon, confided in. Another passive participle from the same root is commonly supposed to be used in the same sense, Ps. xii. 2 (1), xxxi. 24 (23). In the first words of the last clause there is manifest allusion to the form of expression in ver. 2 above. This clause is to be understood exclusively, such a person and no other. Shall serve ‘ iie, be employed by me, clothed with responsible and honourable offices.
7. Not in the inside of my house shall dwell (one) practising fraud, telling lies; not settled shall he be before my eyes. Here again the form of expression corresponds to that in the first part of the psalm. Compare in the midst of my house with ver. 2, and before my eyes with ver. 3. Shall not dwell, or still more strongly, shall not (even) sit, which is the primary meaning of the Hebrew verb. The corresponding verb in the last clause means to be established, permanently settled, as opposed to a mere temporary, transient presence. As if he had said, though they should even gain admission to my house, they shall not take up their abode there.
8. In the morning will I destroy all the wicked of the land, (so as) to cut off from the city of Jehovah all workers of iniquity. The first phrase literally means at the mornings, and may be intended to suggest the twofold idea of early and constantly, in the morning and every morning. See above, on Ps. lxxiii. 14, and compare Jer. xxi. 12. The last clause serves to shew, or to remind the reader, that this rigour was not simply prudential or political, but religious. It had reference not merely to Jerusalem as a city, but as the city of Jehovah, his earthly residence, the centre of the theocracy, the temporary seat of the true religion. See above, on Ps. xlvi. 5 (4), xlviii. 2 (1), lxxxvii. 3. Under the peculiar institutions of the old economy, the safety of the theocratic state required peculiar vigilance and rigour, in exercising even those powers which are common to all governments.
