תהלים 50:16

Hebrew Modern Translation

ולרשע אמר אלהים מה לך לספר חקי ותשא בריתי עלי פיך׃

Parallel Translations

Hebrew Aleppo Codex
אמר אלהים מה-לך לספר חקי ותשא בריתי עלי-פיך

Biblia Hebrica Stuttgartensia (1967/77)
וְלָ֤רָשָׁ֨ע ׀ אָ֘מַ֤ר אֱלֹהִ֗ים מַה־לְּ֭ךָ לְסַפֵּ֣ר חֻקָּ֑י וַתִּשָּׂ֖א בְרִיתִ֣י עֲלֵי־פִֽיךָ ׃

Westminster Leningrad Codex
וְלָרָשָׁע ׀ אָמַר אֱלֹהִים מַה־לְּךָ לְסַפֵּר חֻקָּי וַתִּשָּׂא בְרִיתִי עֲלֵי־פִֽיךָ ׃

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

wicked: Isaiah 48:22, Isaiah 55:6, Isaiah 55:7, Ezekiel 18:27

What: Proverbs 26:7, Isaiah 1:11-15, Isaiah 48:1, Isaiah 48:2, Isaiah 58:1-7, Jeremiah 7:4-7, Matthew 7:3-5, Matthew 7:22, Matthew 7:23, John 4:24, Acts 19:13-16, Romans 2:17-24, 1 Corinthians 9:27, 2 Peter 2:15

thou shouldest: Psalms 25:14, Psalms 78:36-38, Ezekiel 20:37, Ezekiel 20:38, Hebrews 8:9

Reciprocal: 1 Samuel 4:4 - Hophni 1 Samuel 15:14 - What meaneth 1 Samuel 20:24 - the king 2 Samuel 15:12 - while he offered Psalms 2:5 - Then Psalms 119:43 - take not Proverbs 1:29 - that Proverbs 17:7 - Excellent speech Jeremiah 6:20 - To what Jeremiah 7:9 - steal Jeremiah 11:15 - to do Jeremiah 29:23 - and have Jeremiah 44:26 - that my name Ezekiel 33:26 - and shall Ezekiel 44:9 - General Matthew 23:3 - for Mark 1:25 - rebuked Luke 4:35 - Jesus Luke 6:42 - cast John 8:7 - He that John 12:6 - because Romans 2:21 - therefore 1 Corinthians 5:11 - fornicator 2 Thessalonians 2:12 - but Hebrews 13:4 - God James 3:10 - of

Gill's Notes on the Bible

But unto the wicked God saith,.... By whom are meant, not openly profane sinners; but men under a profession of religion, and indeed who were teachers of others, as appears from the following expostulation with them: the Scribes, Pharisees, and doctors among the Jews, are designed; and so Kimchi interprets it of their wise men, who learnt and taught the law, but did not act according to it. It seems as if the preceding verses respected the truly godly among the Jews, who believed in Christ, and yet were zealous of the law; and retained legal sacrifices; as such there were, Acts 21:20; and that these words, and what follow, are spoken to hypocrites among them, who sat in Moses's chair, and said, and did not; were outwardly righteous before men, but inwardly full of wickedness, destitute of the grace of God and righteousness of Christ;

what hast thou to do to declare my statutes; the laws of God, which were given to the people of Israel; some of which were of a moral, others of a ceremonial, and others of a judicial nature; and there were persons appointed to teach and explain these to the people, as the priests and Levites: now some of these were abrogated, and not to be declared at all in the times this psalm refers to; and as for others, those persons were very improper to teach and urge the observance of them, when they themselves did not keep them; and especially it was wrong in them to declare them to the people, for such purposes as they did, namely, to obtain life and righteousness by them;

or [that] thou shouldest take my covenant in thy mouth? which is to be understood, not of the covenant of works made with Adam, and now broke; nor of the pure covenant of grace, as administered under the Gospel dispensation, of which Christ is the Mediator, and the Gospel a transcript, since both were rejected by these persons; but the covenant at Mount Sinai, which was a typical one; and being in some sense faulty, was now antiquated, and ought to have ceased; and therefore these men are blamed for taking it in their mouths, and urging it on the people: and besides, they had no true sight of and faith in the thing exhibited by it; and moreover were not steadfast, nor did they continue in it, like their fathers before them, Psalms 78:37 Hebrews 8:7.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

But unto the wicked God saith - This commences a second part of the subject. See the introduction. Thus far the psalm had reference to those who were merely external worshippers, or mere formalists, as showing that such could not be approved and accepted in the day of judgment; that spiritual religion - the offering of the “heart” - was necessary in order to acceptance with God. In this part of the psalm the same principles are applied to those who actually “violate” the law which they profess to receive as prescribing the rules of true religion, and which they profess to teach to others. The design of the psalm is not merely to reprove the mass of the people as mere formalists in religion, but especially to reprove the leaders and teachers of the people, who, under the form of religion, gave themselves up to a course of life wholly inconsistent with the true service of God. The address here, therefore, is to those who, while they professed to be teachers of religion, and to lead the devotions of others, gave themselves up to abandoned lives.

What hast thou to do - What right hast thou to do this? How can people, who lead such lives, consistently and properly do this? The idea is, that they who profess to declare the law of a holy God should be themselves holy; that they who profess to teach the principles and doctrines of true religion should themselves be examples of purity and holiness.

To declare my statutes - My laws. This evidently refers rather to the teaching of others than to the profession of their own faith. The language would be applicable to the priests under the Jewish system, who were expected not only to conduct the outward services of religion, but also to instruct the people; to explain the principles of religion; to be the guides and teachers of others. Compare Malachi 2:7. There is a striking resemblance between the language used in this part of the psalm Psalms 50:16-20 and the language of the apostle Paul in Romans 2:17-23; and it would seem probable that the apostle in that passage had this portion of the psalm in his eye. See the notes at that passage.

Or that thou shouldest take my covenant in thy mouth - Either as professing faith in it, and a purpose to be governed by it - or, more probably, as explaining it to others. The ““covenant”” here is equivalent to the “law” of God, or the principles of his religion; and the idea is, that he who undertakes to explain that to others, should himself be a holy man. He can have no “right” to attempt to explain it, if he is otherwise; he cannot hope to be “able” to explain it, unless he himself sees and appreciates its truth and beauty. This is as true now of the Gospel as it was of the law. A wicked man can have no right to undertake the work of the Christian ministry, nor can he be able to explain to others what he himself does not understand.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Psalms 50:16. But unto the wicked — The bloodthirsty priests, proud Pharisees, and ignorant scribes of the Jewish people.