Psalm 36

Introduction.—In Ps. 36 the psalmist celebrates the loving-kindness of God against a background of the depravity of the wicked. Verses 1–4 are a general description of human wickedness; vs. 5–9 give expression to the beauty of the attributes of God; and vs. 10–12 constitute a prayer of faith that God will reveal His goodness to all the upright in heart. The language of the psalm is extraordinarily beautiful.

Verses 1–4 are a succinct picture of a wicked man. Moral decline passes through three stages: (1) sin in defiance of conscience, (2) sin without condemnation of conscience, and (3) sin prompted by a conscience that has become totally depraved (Moulton).

Sin of the heart (vs. 1, 2) is followed by sin of the tongue (v. 3), and then by sin of the hand (v. 4)—a climactic analysis of wickedness.

On the superscription see p. 616. Note that the psalmist is called “his servant” in Ps. 35:27; see also the superscription to Ps. 18.

1. Saith. Heb. neХim, “an utterance.” The word occurs 361 times in all and is elsewhere used exclusively of divine utterances, generally in the expression “saith the Lord” (Gen. 22:16; etc.). Sometimes the prophet is presented as the speaker (Num 24:3, 15; Prov. 30:1). In the verse under consideration is a most unusual use of the word. Transgression is personified and presented as repeating a divine oracle. Sin comes to speak to the sinner as though it were the voice of God.

My heart. Several Hebrew manuscripts, the LXX, and the Syriac read “his heart.” This reading seems to be more in harmony with the context. The first sentence then becomes literally, “the utterance of transgression [or, “transgression saith”] to the wicked in the midst of his heart.”

Fear. Heb.pachad, “trembling,” “dread.” This is not the word for “fear” generally appearing in the expression “fear of the Lord” (see on Ps. 19:9). Pachad is not “fear” in the sense of “reverence,” or “worship,” but “fear” in the sense of “dread,” as the “fear of the enemy” (Ps. 64:1), or “fear of evil” (Prov. 1:33). Paul quotes the second sentence of Ps. 36:1 in support of his thesis on the depravity of the wicked (Rom. 3:18).

2. Be found to be hateful. The Hebrew of this verse is very obscure. It reads literally, “For he flatters himself in his eyes, to find his iniquity to hate.” Perhaps the psalmist means that the wicked deludes himself with the idea that he will not be discovered in his sin and therefore punished.

3. To be wise. Verses 3, 4 present a progression in evil: leaving off doing good, meditating evil, determining to do evil, doing evil without condemnation of conscience.

4. Mischief. Or, “vanity.”

He abhorreth not evil. For the hopelessly depraved sinner the sinfulness of sin is no deterrent to action. He does not recognize the immoral quality of the sinful act.

5. Thy mercy. Heb. chesed (see on v. 7). With startling abruptness and in striking contrast with the matter of vs. 1–4, the psalmist turns to extolling the mercy and faithfulness of God (see on Ps. 33:4). Such abrupt transition is typically Hebraic.

In the heavens. The psalmist seems to soar suddenly upward, above the depravity of humanity, to the limitless spaces where dwell the attributes of God. Because the Hebrew preposition be, “in,” may also mean “from,” as shown by Ugaritic parallels (see pp. 618, 619; see on Ps. 18:13), this passage should probably be understood as stating that God’s loving-kindness comes “from the heavens.”

6. The great mountains. Literally, “the mountains of God.”

Deep. Heb.tehom, the word used to designate the primeval ocean (see on Gen. 1:2). The psalmist is picturing God’s judgments as inexhaustible and unfathomable.

Man and beast. From man, the crowning act of God’s creation, to the wild beast. God cares for all the creatures of His hand (see Ps. 145:9). Note God’s care for dumb animals as expressed in Ps. 104 (see also Jonah 4:11). The Christian should treat dumb animals kindly (see PP 443).

7. Excellent. Heb. yaqar, “precious,” “costly.”

Lovingkindness. Heb. chesed, translated “mercy” in v. 5. See Additional Note on this psalm.

Shadow of thy wings. See on Ps. 17:8; cf. Deut. 32:11, 12.

8. They shall be abundantly satisfied. Heb. rawah, literally, “to drink one’s fill.” God’s provision for man satisfies, in that he finds in God what he needs, and finds that satisfaction in abundance (see Eph. 3:20; cf. Luke 6:38). God is the gracious Host (see on Ps. 23:5).

River. The figure was especially forceful to the dweller of Palestine, where water is often scarce.

Of thy pleasures. God’s pleasures, not those falsely esteemed by man. Barnes finds the following teachings in this verse: (1) God is happy; (2) religion makes man happy; (3) this happiness is of the same nature as God’s; (4) this happiness meets the need of the soul; (5) it leaves no soul need unsatisfied; and (6) this happiness is found especially connected with worship in God’s house. Compare PP 413.

9. The fountain of life. Life literally and spiritually; life here and hereafter. God is the source not only of life but of all that gives life meaning (see Ps. 34:12; John 1:4; 4:10; 5:26; Ed 197, 198; see on Prov. 9:11).

In thy light. As God is the source of light, only in Him can we see light. Apart from God, all our understanding is only darkness. Our prayer should be: “What in me is dark, illumine” (Milton). See John 3:19, 20; 1 John 1:5–7; 1 Peter 2:9).

10. Continue. The psalmist requests that God’s favor be perpetual.

Lovingkindness. Heb. chesed, the third time in this psalm (see on v. 7; cf. v. 5).

Know thee. God intends that a knowledge of Him shall lead to salvation (see John 17:3; see on Prov. 1:2).

11. Remove me. The psalmist prays that he may not be trampled by the proud sinner nor moved from the place in which God has established him.

12. There. The psalmist sees his prayer already answered, and draws our attention to the picture of the revelation of God’s righteousness in the complete overthrow of the wicked. The psalm begins in depression and ends in triumph.

additional note on psalm 36

Chesed is a Hebrew word most difficult to translate adequately into English. The word occurs 245 times in the Hebrew OT. The KJV renders it variously as follows: “favour” 3 times, “good deed” once, “godliness” once, “goodness” 12 times, “kindness” 38 times, “lovingkindness” 30 times, “merciful kindness” twice, “mercy” 151 times, “pity” once, “kindly” 5 times, and “merciful” once. The LXX translates chesed by eleos, “mercy,” 135 times, and in other instances by dikaiosune, “righteousness,” eleemosune, “pity” or “mercy,” elpis, “hope,” and doxa, “glory.” Hence it is evident that the translators saw in chesed a wide range of qualities.

Chesed is used (1) to describe the relationship between individuals, and (2) the relationship between God and the human family. Of the former the following examples are cited: (1) between a son and his dying father (Gen. 47:29), (2) between husband and wife (Gen. 20:13), (3) between relatives (Ruth 2:20), (4) between guests (Gen. 19:19), between friends (1 Sam. 20:8), (6) between a king and his subjects (2 Sam. 3:8). Examples of chesed describing the relationship between God and man are many, the text under consideration being one example.

In a general sense it may be observed that chesed describes: (1) when applied to God, His attitudes, relationships, and dealings with respect to men, and (2) when applied to men, the attitudes, relationships, and dealings of men with respect to one another. There appears to be no one English word that conveys to the English reader precisely the same idea that chesed conveys to the Hebrew reader. “Mercy,” “pity,” and “kindness” correctly describe different aspects of meaning, but none covers the full breadth of meaning, at least when chesed describes an attribute of God.

With respect to chesed as an attribute of God, it is observable that the word “love,” so prominently featured in the NT as a characteristic of (1 John 4:7, 8; etc.), appears only rarely in the OT (the Hebrew noun Хahabah is used of God only ten times, Deut. 7:8; 1 Kings 10:9; 2 Chron. 2:11; 9:8; Isa. 63:9; Jer. 31:3; Hosea 3:1; 9:15; 11:4; Zeph. 3:17; the verb is also rare, with two instances in the Pentateuch, Deut. 7:13; Deut. 23:5, and only sporadic occurrences elsewhere). We must not therefore conclude that this attribute of God was almost wholly unknown to OT saints and only seldom extolled. Rather, it appears that to a large degree what the NT writers described as agape, “love” (see on Matt. 5:43), the OT writers called chesed. Unfortunately the word “love” in the English language is used to cover the whole range of experiences from sensual infatuation and passion to God’s tender and beneficent relationship to His people. Hence to many the translation “love” conveys only a partial or even an incorrect idea when used to describe the character of God. Nevertheless, for lack of a better word, “love” is retained in the NT as one translation of agape (in 26 instances the KJV translates agape by “charity”; the word was suitable in its day when it included more prominently the meaning of love in its perfection; at the present time “charity” is so largely associated with good will to the poor and needy that to use it as a translation of agape is misleading). However, if by “love” we understand divine love of a nature such as Bible writers have sought to convey to us, and if we divest “love” of those undesirable ideas that are sometimes associated with it in the English, but that are not resident in the Greek word agape, we have a fairly accurate definition of chesed insofar as chesed describes an attribute of God.

When chesed is applied to the relationship between individuals, the definition “love” is less appropriate. “Love” is generally regarded as an abstract term and as a principle governing the life. When “love” translates itself into concrete experience, its varied manifestations are often no longer called “love” but are given their own peculiar definitions (see 1 Cor. 13). On the other hand, chesed is used, not only for the abstract principle of love, but also for the varied manifestations of it. Thus Joseph requested the butler to show chesed to him (Gen. 40:14). “Kindness,” a constituent of chesed, would here be a more suitable translation than “love.” Rahab’s deed of concealing the spies is described as an act of chesed (Joshua 2:12). As a reward for secret information the men of the house of Joseph offered to show chesed to the man from Bethel (Judges 1:24). The “good deeds” of Nehemiah for the house of God are called chasadim (the plural of chesed, Neh. 13:14). Job spoke of the necessity of showing chesed to one that is afflicted (Job 6:14).In antithetic parallelism the wise man set chesed over against cruelty (Prov. 11:17). Hence chesed, where used of human relationships, is usually best translated by the particular feature of the general principle of love that is being manifested. This rule is followed by the versions both ancient and modern. An example of human chesed describing a more general principle is Micah 6:8. Here the essentials of true religion are defined as consisting of upright actions, love, and humility.

The same rule may be followed when chesed describes acts of God that are manifestations of specific features of “love.” For example, when the servant of Abraham prayed for chesed, he was thinking of a particular aspect of divine chesed needed to solve the problem at hand. Hence “kindness,” or “favor,” rather than “love,” would seem to be an appropriate translation. On the other hand, when chesed is conceived of in its general aspects, the definition “love” is highly appropriate. When the psalmist said, “How excellent is thy lovingkindness [chesed] O God!” he meant, “How excellent is thy love, O God!” (Ps. 36:7, and by “his mercy [chesed] endureth for ever” (Ps. 136:1, 2, 3, etc.) he meant, “His love endureth forever.”

The adjective chasid, from the same root as chesed, literally means, “one who exercises, chesed.” It is translated “godly man” once, “good” once, “holy” 4 times, “Holy One” once, “merciful” 3 times, “saint” 19 times, “that is godly” twice, and once with the negative as “ungodly.” In 22 instances the LXX renders chasid by hosios, “holy,” or “pious.” Since chesed is an outstanding attribute of God, he who is chasid is godlike, or “a saint.” Viewed in this lightchasid becomes closely parallel to the idea expressed in agape, “love,” in the NT (1 Cor. 13; 1 John 2:5; 4:7, 8; 5:3). The adjective frequently occurs in its plural form chasidim.

In summary, we may adopt as a working principle the translation “love” for chesed when divine love is considered in its general aspects. When particular features are highlighted or when human relationships are defined the context must guide in the determination of the proper translation.

Ellen G. White comments

1 SR 109

4 EW 123

5–7MH 463

6 MB 80

7 MH 417

7–9MH 463

8, 9 PP 413

9 Ed 197; FE 415; MH 465; ML 12; 3T 433; 8T 322; 9T 41