3
They have also surrounded me with words of hatred,
And fought against me without a cause.
4
In return for my love they are my accusers,
But I give myself to prayer
My Thoughts
David, facing false accusations and hatred from those he loved, turned to prayer as his refuge, mirroring Jesus’ response under similar circumstances. Despite the unjust opposition and slander he endured, he demonstrated an unwavering commitment to prayer, illustrating true courage and reliance on God amidst adversity.……….Bill
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Charles Spurgeon
“For my love they are my adversaries.” They hate me because I love them. One of our poets says of the Lord Jesus—”Found guilty of excess of love.” Surely it was his only fault. Our Lord might have used all the language of this complaint most emphatically—they hated him without a cause and returned him hatred for love. What a smart this is to the soul, to be hated in proportion to the gratitude which it deserved, hated by those it loved, and hated because of its love. This was a cruel case, and the sensitive mind of the psalmist writhed under it.
“But give myself unto prayer.” He did nothing else but pray. He became prayer as they became malice. This was his answer to his enemies, he appealed from men and their injustice to the Judge of all the earth, who must do right. True bravery alone can teach a man to leave his traducers unanswered, and carry the case unto the Lord.
Men cannot help but reverence the courage that walketh amid calumnies un-answering.
He standeth as a gallant chief unheeding shot or shell.
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Enduring Word
Fought against me without a cause: David was confident in his own innocence in reference to his enemies. Their harsh words were spoken with a lying tongue, and their words of hatred were without a cause. (Guzik)
i. “There is nothing more easy than to wag a wicked tongue.” (Trapp)
ii. “In all Satan’s armory there are no worse weapons than deceitful tongues.” (Spurgeon)
But I give myself to prayer: David’s response was proper, even using a New Testament understanding. The following lines are filled with bitter wishes that form something of a prophecy of doom against these enemies. Yet David did nothing to bring this doom against these enemies. That was God’s work, not his own. As for David, he would give himself to prayer and leave it with the LORD. (Guzik)
i. “The Hebrew is more abrupt and therefore even stronger. It says literally, ‘But I prayer.’ That is, ‘I am all prayer or characterized by prayer. While my enemies are uttering false words about me to other people, trying to do me harm, I am speaking to God. I am praying to God always.’” (Boice)
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Barnes
They compassed me about also with words of hatred – They attacked me on every side; they assailed me, not merely in one form and direction, but in every form, and in every direction. I could turn no way – I could go nowhere – where I did not encounter these slanderous reports.
And fought against me without a cause – Contended against me, or fought against me, with “words.” They sought to do me all the harm they could. The phrase “without a cause “means that he had given them no occasion for this conduct; he had not wronged them; it was mere malignity. See Psalms 35:7; Psalms 69:4. Compare John 15:25.
For my love … – As a recompense for my love; or, this is the return which I get for all the expressions of my love to them. The enemies referred to were those whom he had treated kindly; to whom he had done good. This is not uncommon in the world. It was illustrated in an eminent degree in the life of the Savior.
But I give myself unto prayer – literally, “I – prayer;” that is, I am all prayer; I continually pray. This may mean, either, that he bore these trials with a meek spirit, and did not allow these things to disturb his devotions; or, more probably, that he prayed constantly “for them;” he desired their good and sought it from above.
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John Gill
They compassed me about also with words of hatred,…. They surrounded him as he hung on the cross, and expressed their malice and hatred against him; then was he enclosed with these spiteful snarling dogs, and encompassed by them as with so many bees, who everyone left their sting in him, Psalm 22:16.
But I give myself unto prayer; or “I am a man of prayer”; as Aben Ezra and Kimchi supply it; so he was in the days of his flesh, Hebrews 5:7, he was constant at it, and fervent in it; sometimes a whole night together at it: his usual method was, when at Jerusalem, to teach in the temple in the daytime, and at night to go to the mount of Olives, and there abide and pray, Luke 6:12. This was the armor he alone made use of against his enemies, when they fought against him and acted the part of an adversary to him; he betook himself to nothing else but prayer; he did not return railing for railing, but committed himself in prayer to God, who judgeth righteously, 1 Peter 2:23, yea, he prayed for those his adversaries: and so Aben Ezra and Kimchi interpret it, that he was a man of prayer for them and prayed for them; as it is certain Christ did when he was encompassed by his enemies, and they were venting all their spite and malice against him, Luke 23:34.
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Matthew Henry
They were notorious liars, and lying comprehends two of the seven things which the Lord hates. “They are deceitful in their protestations and professions of kindness, while at the same time they speak against me behind my back, with a lying tongue.” They were equally false in their flatteries and in their calumnies.
They were both public and restless in their designs; “They compassed me about on all sides, so that, which way soever I looked, I could see nothing but what made against me.”
They were unjust; their accusations of him, and sentence against him, were all groundless: “They have fought against me without a cause; I never gave them any provocation.” Nay, which was worst of all,
(v. 4): For my love they are my adversaries. The more he endeavoured to gratify them the more they hated him. We may wonder that it is possible that any should be so wicked; and yet, since there have been so many instances of it, we should not wonder if any be so wicked against us.
He resolves to keep close to his duty and take the comfort of that: But I give myself unto prayer (v. 4), I prayer (so it is in the original); “I am for prayer, I am a man of prayer, I love prayer, and prize prayer, and practice prayer, and make a business of prayer, and am in my element when I am at prayer.” A good man is made up of prayer, gives himself to prayer, as the apostles, Acts 6:4. When David’s enemies falsely accused him and misrepresented him, he applied to God and by prayer committed his cause to him. Though they were his adversaries for his love, yet he continued to pray for them; if others are abusive and injurious to us, yet let not us fail to do our duty to them, nor sin against the Lord in ceasing to pray for them, 1 Sa. 12:23. Though they hated and persecuted him for his religion, yet he kept close to it; they laughed at him for his devotion, but they could not laugh him out of it. “Let them say what they will, I give myself unto prayer.” Now herein David was a type of Christ, who was compassed about with words of hatred and lying words, whose enemies not only persecuted him without cause but for his love and his good works (Jn. 10:32); and yet he gave himself to prayer, to pray for them. Father, forgive them.
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A.R. Fausset
3. They compassed me about also with words of hatred—with malicious charges. and fought against me—with their tongues as the weapons of conflict (Ps. 55:21; 57:4). without a cause—gratuitous hatred, where love was to be looked for, considering His love to them. Just as, on the contrary, where hatred was (humanly speaking) to be looked for on His part towards hating and hateful man, love was manifested (Ps. 35:7; 69:4). So John 15:25, “They hated me without a cause”—lit., gratuitously [δωρεάν]; as, on the contrary, Rom. 3:24, “Being justified freely”—lit., gratuitously, or without a cause on our part [δωρεάν]—“by His grace.” As gratuitous as was His love, so gratuitous was their hatred.
4. For my love they are my adversaries, but I (give myself unto) prayer—‘but I (am wholly engrossed in) prayer.’ This is my sole resource against them, the one thing which is my being—my life-breath. Cf. John 7:32–53; 8:1. After His enemies had plotted His destruction, as He knew by His omniscience, He retired to the mount of Olives for prayer. So His type, David, on the same mount, when he went weeping and with his head covered, was wholly prayer (2 Sam. 15:30). On the phrase, see Ps. 120:7, “I (am for) peace”—I peace; i. e., I am wholly engaged in seeking peace. Peace is my very being and element, as here prayer.
A. R. Fausset, A Commentary, Critical, Experimental, and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments: Job–Isaiah, vol. III (London; Glasgow: William Collins, Sons, & Company, Limited, n.d.), 342.
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Cross-References – NKJV
Psalm 69:4 – Those who hate me without a cause Are more than the hairs of my head; They are mighty who would destroy me, Being my enemies wrongfully; Though I have stolen nothing, I still must restore it.
Psalm 35:7 – For without cause they have hidden their net for me in a pit, Which they have dug without cause for my life.
Psalm 69:13 – But as for me, my prayer is to You, O Lord, in the acceptable time; O God, in the multitude of Your mercy, Hear me in the truth of Your salvation.
Psalm 38:20 – Those also who render evil for good, They are my adversaries, because I follow what is good.
John 15:25 – But this happened that the word might be fulfilled which is written in their law, ‘They hated Me without a cause.’
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KJV W/ STRONGS BIBLE – PSALMS 109
109:3 They compassed 5437 8804 me about also with words 1697 of hatred 8135; and fought 3898 8735 against me without a cause 2600.
109:4 For my love 160 they are my adversaries 7853 8799: but I [give myself unto] prayer 8605.
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Geneva Bible 1560
Psalm 109:3-4
3 Thei compassed me about also with words of hatred, & fought against me without a cause.
4 For my friendship thei were mine adversaries, (b) but I gave my self to praier.
(b) To declare that I had none other refuge, but you, in whom my conscience was at rest
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Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; Phil 4:6 NKJV
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