F L 1-3. Prayer to Yahaveh.
M "For": Reason. Character of Yahaveh.
N 5,6. The lawless and their wickedness.
O 7. "But": The true worshipers.
L 8. Prayer to Yahaveh.
M 9. "For": Reason. Character of the wicked.
N 10. The wicked and their judgment.
O 11,12. "But": The true worshipers
Psalm 5)
1 Give ear to my words, O LORD,
Consider my meditation. (Connecting this Psalm with 1:2; 2:1.)
2 Hearken to the voice of my cry (the voice marks the tone of any cry. Connects this Psalm with 3:4), my King, and my God:
For to You will I pray.
3 My voice shall You hear in the morning, O LORD;
In the morning will I set in order (as the wood on the alter. Cp. Gen. 22:9. Ex. 40:4,23) my prayer to You, and will look out. (Or watch for [an answer].)
4 For You are not a GOD (Heb. El. 1st occ. in Psalms) that has pleasure in lawlessness:
Neither shall evil dwell with You.
5 The boasters shall not stand in Your sight:
You hate all workers of iniquity.
6 You shall destroy them that speak falsehood:
The LORD will abhor the bloody and deceitful man.
7 But as for me, I will come into Your house in the abundance of Your loving-kindness (or grace):
And in Your fear will I worship toward Your holy (see Ex. 3:5) palace. (I.e. heaven itself, which was the pattern for the earthly "house" or tent, as being the dwelling-place of Yehovah. Hence it is used of the Tabernacle [1 Sam. 1:9; 3:3]. Cp. Pss. 11:4; 18:6.)
8 Lead me, O LORD, in Your righteousness because of my enemies;
Make Your (not mine) way straight before my face.
9 For there is no steadfastness (or stability) in his (referring to the man of v.6) mouth;
Their (3 times repeated; refers to the "foolish" and "workers" of v.5) inward part is very wickedness;
Their throat (put for what is spoken by it) is an open sepulchre;
Their flatter with their tongue.
10 Deal with them as guilty, O God;
Let them fall by their own counsels; (Answered in Ahithophel [2 Sam. 15:31; 17:14,23]. A prayer suited for the dispensation in which David lived)
Cast them out in the multitude of their transgressions;
For they have rebelled against You.
11 But let all those that flee for refuge to You rejoice:
Let them ever shout for joy, because You cover them:
Let them also that love You Yourself be joyful in You.
12 For You, LORD, will bless the justified one; (Cp. Pss. 1:1; 2:12; 3:8.)
With favor (this is the "shield". In His favor is "life" [30:5]; Preservation" [86:2]; "security" [41:11]; "mercy" [Isa. 60:10]. Hence the prayer of 106:4) will You compass him as with a shield. (A shield of the largest size. See 1 Sam. 17:7,41. Only here, 35:2 [buckler], and 91:4 in the Psalms. In other Psalms it is smaller both in size and weight [cp. 1 Kings 10:17. 2 Chron. 9:16]. The shield is the "favor" of Yahaveh mentioned above)
(Namely true worshipers [v.7], circumcised on the 8th day = "the righteous" of v.12. Cp. the other true worshiper Psalm [Ps. 11].)