Bible Commentaries
Psalms 5

Verses 1-12

V. A Hymn for Morning Sacrifice in the Temple.

Psalms 5:1-3 . Solemn invocation of Yahweh. The Psalmist sets in order ( Psalms 5:3), not perhaps his prayer (RV), but his sacrifice, the victim and the kindled wood upon the altar. Laying out or ordering in this sense is a common technical use of the Heb. verb. “ Keep watch” may refer to a watch for favourable signs before or during the sacrifice.

Psalms 5:4-7 . The bloodthirsty can find no acceptance before God. Unlike them, the Psalmist approaches God “ in fear.” This word is used as a summary of Jewish religion, though, of course, men like Hosea and the Deuteronomist knew very well that Israel was bound not only to fear but also to love Yahweh. Many Psalmists placed God’ s dwelling-place in heaven, but the belief that God also dwelt “ in his holy temple “ still held its ground, at least in the popular creed.

Psalms 5:8-12 . The poet prays for Divine guidance, for the defeat of the wicked, and the triumph of the righteous, concluding with that note of absolute confidence in God, which is the most striking characteristic of the Psalter. Translate 9, “ Their inward desire is one of engulfing ruin,” i.e. the ruin of the good. Hence ( Psalms 5:10) God “ declares them guilty,” and does so by the calamities He inflicts, which are the tokens of His wrath. The “ name” of Yahweh is His revealed character; so we speak of a man as having a good or bad “ name,” i.e. reputation.