Psalms 7:3
in Psalms 7O LORD my God, if I have done this, if injustice is on my hands,
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
O Jehovah my God, if I have done this; If there be iniquity in my hands;
KJV
O Lord my God, if I have done this; if there be iniquity in my hands;
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This verse in Psalms 7
Commentary
12 notes on this verse'O Lord my God, if I have done this.' 'Behold, the prince of this world comes, and finds nothing in me.' 'If there be iniquity in my hands.' 'Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth.'
This site's exposition
if I have done this
on Psalms 7:3-5
If David has repaid his ally with evil or plundered his foe without cause, he asks that his enemy overtake him and leave his honor in the dust. The oath is a self-curse, asking for the very ruin his enemy intends. Selah marks the pause after it is sworn.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers3 voices
And that it might be clear that the already perfect soul, which is to be on her guard against the most insidious snares of the devil only, says this, see what follows. "O Lord my God, if I have done this" [Psalm 7:3]. What is it that he calls "this"? Since he does not mention the sin by name, are we to understand sin generally? If this sense displease us, we may take that to be meant which follows: as if we had asked, what is this that you say, "this"? He answers, "If there be iniquity in my hands." Now then it is clear that it is said of all sin, "If I have repaid them that recompense me evil" [Psalm 7:4]. Which none can say with truth, but the perfect. For so the Lord says, "Be perfect, as your Father which is in heaven; who makes His sun to rise upon the good and the evil, and rains on the just and the unjust." [Matthew 5:43, 45] He then who repays not them that recompense evil, is perfect. When therefore the perfect soul prays "for the words of Chusi, the son of Jemini," that is, for the knowledge of that secret and silence, which the Lord, favourable to us and merciful, wrought for our salvation, so as to endure, and with all patience bear, the guiles of this betrayer: as if He should say to this perfect soul, explaining the design of this secret, For you ungodly and a sinner, that your iniquities might be washed away by My blood-shedding, in great silence and great patience I bore with My betrayer; will you not imitate me, that you too may not repay evil for evil? […]
That same adversary, Absalom, as if he has been born again from ourselves, prepares the war against us. Our sound judgment concerning the matter, or rather our alliance with God, turns him who is bloodthirsty against us back. For because he attributes the cause of the good things that have been accomplished for him through "the words of Cush" to God, he composes this thanksgiving.… It would be worthwhile to apply the figures of the story to the virtuous life, how the advice that saves us becomes the strangling of the adversary; and this saving advice has been recorded, on the one hand, in the history, and on the other, in the psalm.
This must everywhere be our concern, not simply to pray but to pray in such a way as to be heard. It is not sufficient that prayer effects what is intended, unless we so direct it as to appeal to God. For the Pharisee too prayed and achieved nothing, and again the Jews prayed but God turned away from them in their prayer. They did not pray, you see, as they should have prayed. Hence we were bidden to pray the prayer most likely to be heard.… Being heard happens in this fashion: first, of course, worthiness to receive something; then, praying in accordance with God's laws; third, persistence; fourth, asking nothing earthly; fifth, seeking things to our real benefit; sixth, contributing everything of our own.
The Medieval Church1 voice
Then he alleges his innocence: "O Lord my God, if I have done this." And this can be understood in two ways: either by way of an oath or of a prediction. If by way of an oath, then it should be known that there …
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
O Lord my God, if I have done this. The crime which Saul and his courtiers charged him with, and which was made so public that every body knew it; and therefore it was needless particularly to mention it; namely, that he lay in wait for Saul, and sought his life to take it away, 1Sa 24:
5 more voices on this verse
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
His prince, who should have righted him, was his sworn enemy. But he had the court of heaven to fly to, and a righteous Judge there, whom he could call his God. And here see, (1.) What the indictment is which he pleads not guilty to.
The Nineteenth Century4 voices
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
O Lord my God - A solemn appeal to God as to the sincerity and truth of what he was about to say. If I have done this - This thing charged upon me, for it is evident that “Cush,” whoever he was, had accused him of some wrong thing - some wicked action. What that was can only be learned from what follows, and even this is not very specific.
The second part of this wandering hymn contains a protestation of innocence, and an invocation of wrath upon his own head, if he were not clear from the evil imputed to him. So far from hiding treasonable intentions in his hands, or ungratefully requiting the peaceful deeds of a friend, he had even suffered his enemy to escape when he had him completely in his power. Twice had he spared Saul's life; once in the cave of Adullam, and again when he found him sleeping in the midst of his slumbering camp: he could, therefore, with a clear conscience, make his appeal to heaven. He needs not fear the curse whose soul is clear of guilt. Yet is the imprecation a most solemn one, and only justifiable through the extremity of the occasion, and the nature of the dispensation under which the Psalmist lived. We are commanded by our Lord Jesus to let our yea be yea, and our nay, nay: "for whatsoever is more than this cometh of evil." If we cannot be believed on our word, we are surely not to be trusted on our oath; for to a true Christian his simple word is as binding as another man's oath. Especially beware, O unconverted men! of trifling with solemn imprecations. Remember the woman at Devizes, who wished she might die if she had not paid her share in a joint purchase, and who fell dead there and then with the money in her hand. Selah. David enhances the solemnity of this appeal to the dread tribunal of God by the use of the usual pause. From these verses we may learn that no innocence can shield a man from the calumnies of the wicked. David had been scrupulously careful to avoid any appearance of rebellion against Saul, whom he constantly styled "the Lord's anointed;" but all this could not protect him from lying tongues. As the shadow follows the substance, so envy pursues goodness. It is only at the tree laden with fruit that men throw stones.
The second part of this wandering hymn contains a protestation of innocence, and an invocation of wrath upon his own head, if he were not clear from the evil imputed to him. So far from hiding treasonable intentions in his hands, or ungratefully requiting the peaceful deeds of a friend, he had even suffered his enemy to escape when he had him completely in his power.
If I have done this - David was accused by Saul of affecting the kingdom; and of waiting for an opportunity to take away the life of his king, his patron, and his friend. In his application to God he refers to these charges; meets them with indignation; and clears himself of them by a strong appeal to his Judge; and an imprecation that, if he had meditated or designed any such thing, he might meet with nothing but curse and calamity either from God or man.
The words behind it
9 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| יְהוָ֣ה | yahweh | O Yahweh | H3068 → | 6520 times |
| אֱ֭לֹהַי | ʾelohai | God my | H430 → | 2601 times |
| אִם־ | ʾim- | if | H518 → | 1069 times |
| עָשִׂ֣יתִי | ʾasiti | I have done | H6213 → | 2628 times |
| זֹ֑את | zot | this | H2063 → | 603 times |
| אִֽם־ | ʾim- | if | H518 → | 1069 times |
| יֶשׁ־ | yesh- | there | H3426 → | 140 times |
| עָ֥וֶל | ʾavel | [is] unrighteousness | H5766 → | 54 times |
| בְּכַפָּֽי׃ | bekhapai | in hands my | H3709 → | 192 times |
יְהוָ֣הO Yahweh
yahwehH3068 →6520 times
אֱ֭לֹהַיGod my
ʾelohaiH430 →2601 times
אִם־if
ʾim-H518 →1069 times
עָשִׂ֣יתִיI have done
ʾasitiH6213 →2628 times
זֹ֑אתthis
zotH2063 →603 times
אִֽם־if
ʾim-H518 →1069 times
יֶשׁ־there
yesh-H3426 →140 times
עָ֥וֶל[is] unrighteousness
ʾavelH5766 →54 times
בְּכַפָּֽי׃in hands my
bekhapaiH3709 →192 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Psalms 59:3See how they lie in wait for me. Fierce men conspire against me for no transgression or sin of my own, O LORD.
it leads to
- Psalms 56:6
They conspire, they lurk, they watch my steps while they wait to take my life.
- Psalms 69:4
Those who hate me without cause outnumber the hairs of my head; many are those who would destroy me— my enemies for no reason. Though I did not steal, I must repay.
- 1 Samuel 24:11
See, my father, look at the corner of your robe in my hand. For I cut it off, but I did not kill you. See and know that there is no evil or rebellion…
- Psalms 56:6
Through
Job 11:14if you put away the iniquity in your hand, and allow no injustice to dwell in your tents,
it leads to
- Job 22:23
If you return to the Almighty, you will be restored. If you remove injustice from your tents
- Job 22:23
Through
Joshua 22:22“The LORD, the Mighty One, is God! The LORD, the Mighty One, is God! He knows, and may Israel also know. If this was in rebellion or breach of faith against the LORD, do…
it leads to
- 1 Kings 8:39
be heard by You from heaven, Your dwelling place. And may You forgive and act, and repay each man according to all his ways, since You know his heart—for You alone know the hearts…
- Deuteronomy 10:17
For the LORD your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great, mighty, and awesome God, showing no partiality and accepting no bribe.
- Psalms 44:21
would not God have discovered, since He knows the secrets of the heart?
- 1 Kings 8:39
Through
1 Samuel 24:11See, my father, look at the corner of your robe in my hand. For I cut it off, but I did not kill you. See and know that there is no evil or rebellion…
it leads to
- 1 Samuel 26:20
So do not let my blood fall to the ground far from the presence of the LORD. For the king of Israel has come out to look for a flea, like one who hunts…
- 1 Samuel 26:20
About Psalms
This page draws on 12 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes on the Book of Psalms; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Augustine of Hippo, Exposition on Psalm 7; Charles Spurgeon, The Treasury of David; Charles Spurgeon, The Treasury of David, Vol. 1; Gregory of Nyssa, INSCRIPTIONS OF THE PSALMS 2:11.148-49; Jerome, Homily 3, on Psalm 7; John Chrysostom, COMMENTARY ON THE PSALMS 7:3; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible and Thomas Aquinas, Exposition on the Psalms of David.