Bible Commentary

Psalms 15:4

Psalms 15:4

The Pulpit Commentary · Joseph S. Exell and contributors · Public Domain

In whose eyes a vile person is contemned. So the LXX; the Vulgate, Ewald, Hupfeld, Hengstenberg, and the Revised Version. Others prefer to translate, "He is despised in his own eyes, [and] worthless" (Abort Ezra, Hitzig, Delitzsch, Kay, 'Speaker's Commentary').

Either rendering furnishes a good sense; but the law of parallelism is very decidedly in favour of the former. As the righteous man honors those who fear God, so he contemns those who are vile or worthless.

He is no respecter of persons. Men's outward circumstances are nothing to him. He awards honour or contempt according to men's moral qualities. But he honoreth them that fear the Lord. "It is no common virtue," says Calvin, "to honour pious and godly men, since in the opinion of the world they are often as the offscouring of all things (1 Corinthians 4:13)?

He that sweareth to his own hurt, and changeth not. The righteous man, if he happens to have sworn to do something which it turns out will be to his own hurt, nevertheless keeps his engagement (comp Le , where לְהָרַע is used in the same sense).

The Daily Devotional

One devotional. Every morning.

The full reading, the passage behind it, and where to go deeper — in your inbox before the day starts. No ads, ever.

We'll send one email to confirm it's really you. Unsubscribe in one tap, any time.

Continue tomorrow

Turn Bible study into a daily habit

Read today's devotional, save your progress, and receive a gentle daily reminder.

Recommended reading

More for Psalms 15:4

Continue with other commentaries and DiscipleDeck content connected to this verse, chapter, or topic.

Other commentaries

Psalms 15 — OverviewPsalms 15 · Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole BibleThe scope of this short but excellent psalm is to show us the way to heaven, and to convince us that, if we would be happy, we must be holy and honest. Christ, who is himself the way, and in whom we must walk as…Psalms 15 — OverviewPsalms 15 · Treasury of Scripture KnowledgePsalms 15:1, David describes a citizen of Zion.Psalms 15 — OverviewPsalms 15 · John Gill's Exposition of the Entire BiblePsalm of David. As in the preceding psalm, according to Theodoret, the salvation of the inhabitants of Jerusalem is foretold, and the liberty of the captives; so in this advice is given to them, and the life they ought…Psalms 15:1-5Psalms 15:1-5 · Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole BibleHere is, I. A very serious and weighty question concerning the characters of a citizen of Zion (v. 1): "Lord, who shall abide in thy tabernacle? Let me know who shall go to heaven." Not, who by name (in this…Psalms 15:1-5Psalms 15:1-5 · The Pulpit CommentaryEXPOSITION So much having been said in so many psalms of the privileges and blessings accorded to the righteous man (Psalms 1:3; Psalms 3:8; Psalms 5:11, Psalms 5:12; 4:9,12, 18; Psalms 10:17, Psalms 10:18; Psalms…Psalms 15:1-5Psalms 15:1-5 · The Pulpit CommentaryThe man in undisturbed rest. It matters little when this psalm was written, or by whom. Although there is no reason for denying its Davidic authorship, still its contents are manifestly and equally precious, whoever…