Psalms 55:21

"He raises his hands against his friends. He has violated his covenant."

Key Reflection

In the first-century Jewish context, raising one's hand was a gesture of cursing and condemnation, often used in legal settings to swear an oath. When Psalms 55:21 speaks of someone raising their hands against friends who have violated a covenant, it evokes imagery of betrayal and solemn vows broken. The original audience would likely have understood this as a powerful depiction of treachery, where a friend or ally has not only betrayed trust but also publicly reneged on a formal agreement, leaving the psalmist feeling both personally wronged and publicly shamed.

From the Scholars: Barnes' Notes

The words of his mouth were smoother than butter -Prof. Alexander renders this, “Smooth are the butterings of his mouth.” This is in accordance with the Hebrew, but the general meaning is well expressed in our common version. The idea is, that he was a hypocrite; that his professions of friendship were false; that he only used pleasant words - words expressive of friendship and love - to deceive and betray. We have a similar expression when we speak of “honeyed words,” or “honeyed accents.” This would apply to Ahithophel, and it will apply to thousands of similar cases in the world. But war was in his heart -He was base, treacherous, false.

More from Psalms 55

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24

Go deeper with Bible.talk - your AI Bible study companion