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Selected Verse: Psalms 55:4 - King James
| Verse |
Translation |
Text |
| Ps 55:4 |
King James |
My heart is sore pained within me: and the terrors of death are fallen upon me. |
Summary Of Commentaries Associated With The Selected Verse
| A Commentary, Critical, Practical, and Explanatory on the Old and New Testaments, by Robert Jamieson, A.R. Fausset and David Brown [1882] |
| express great alarm. |
| Notes on the Bible, by Albert Barnes, [1834] |
My heart is sore pained within me - Heavy and sad; that is, I am deeply afflicted. The word rendered is "sore pained," means properly to turn round; to twist; to dance in a circle; to be whirled round; and then to twist or writhe with pain, especially applied to a woman in travail, Isa 13:8; Isa 23:4; Isa 26:18. Here the idea is, that he was in deep distress and anguish. It is easy to see that this would be so, if the psalm refers to the revolt of Absalom. The ingratitude and rebellion of a son - the fact of being driven away from his throne - the number of his enemies - the unexpected news that Ahithophel was among them - and the entire uncertainty as to the result, justified the use of this strong language.
And the terrors of death are fallen upon me - The Septuagint, the Vulgate, and Luther, render this "the fear of death," as if he were afraid for his life, or afraid that the result of all this would be his death. A more natural construction, however, is to suppose that the reference is to the ordinary pains of death, and that he means to say that the pangs which he endured were like the pangs of death. The words "are fallen" suggest the idea that this had come suddenly upon him, like a "horror of great darkness" (compare Gen 15:12), or as if the gloomy shadow of death had suddenly crossed his path. Compare the notes at Psa 23:4. The calamities had come suddenly upon him; the conspiracy had been suddenly developed; and he had been suddenly driven away. |
| Explanatory Notes on the Whole Bible, by John Wesley [1754-65] |
| The terrors - Deadly terrors; such as seize upon men in the agonies of death. |
| Adam Clarke Commentary on the Whole Bible - Published 1810-1826 |
| The terrors of death are fallen upon me - I am in hourly expectation of being massacred. |
4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
12 And when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and, lo, an horror of great darkness fell upon him.
18 We have been with child, we have been in pain, we have as it were brought forth wind; we have not wrought any deliverance in the earth; neither have the inhabitants of the world fallen.
4 Be thou ashamed, O Zidon: for the sea hath spoken, even the strength of the sea, saying, I travail not, nor bring forth children, neither do I nourish up young men, nor bring up virgins.
8 And they shall be afraid: pangs and sorrows shall take hold of them; they shall be in pain as a woman that travaileth: they shall be amazed one at another; their faces shall be as flames.