Psalms 11:5
Translations
King James Version (KJV)
The LORD tries the righteous: but the wicked and him that loves violence his soul hates.
American King James Version (AKJV)
The LORD tries the righteous: but the wicked and him that loves violence his soul hates.
American Standard Version (ASV)
Jehovah trieth the righteous; But the wicked and him that loveth violence his soul hateth.
Basic English Translation (BBE)
The Lord puts the upright and the sinner to the test, but he has hate in his soul for the lover of violent acts.
Webster's Revision
The LORD trieth the righteous: but the wicked and him that loveth violence his soul hateth.
World English Bible
Yahweh examines the righteous, but the wicked and him who loves violence his soul hates.
English Revised Version (ERV)
The LORD trieth the righteous: but the wicked and him that loveth violence his soul hateth.
Clarke's Psalms 11:5 Bible Commentary
The Lord trieth the righteous - He does not abandon them; he tries them to show their faithfulness, and he afflicts them for their good.
His soul hateth - The wicked man must ever be abhorred of the Lord; and the violent man - the destroyer and murderer - his soul hateth; an expression of uncommon strength and energy: all the perfections of the Divine nature have such in abomination.
Barnes's Psalms 11:5 Bible Commentary
The Lord trieth the righteous - That is, he "proves" them, searches them, tests the reality of their piety. His dealings with them are such as to test the genuineness of their religion, and are designed to show their sincerity and the real power of their religious principles. It is not for the purpose of destroying them, or punishing them, that he deals with them as he does, but it is to show the reality of their attachment to him. This language seems here to be used to show the feeling of the persecuted and afflicted author of the psalm. He understood the reason why these calamities were suffered to come upon him - to wit, as a trial of his faith; and therefore it was his duty to remain and bear these troubles, and not to attempt to escape from them by flight. He says, therefore, that these troubles in the case of the righteous were in strong contrast with the purpose of the divine dealings toward the wicked, on whom God would "rain" snares, fire, and brimstone. In their case his judgments were for the purpose of punishing and destroying; in the case of the righteous it was to "try" them, or to test the reality of their religion.
But the wicked - The wicked in general. All the wicked.
And him that loveth violence - Referring particularly here to those who were engaged in persecuting him who was the author of this psalm. They were contemplating acts of violence toward him Psalm 11:2; he says that all such persons were the objects of the divine displeasure, and would be appropriately punished.
His soul hateth - that is, "he" hates. God is often spoken of in language appropriate to man; and he is here referred to as having a soul - as he is elsewhere as having eyes, hands, or feet. The meaning is, that all such persons were the objects of the divine abhorrence, and that the divine dealings with them were not, as with the righteous, to "try" them, but to "punish" and "destroy" them. Knowing this, the persecuted author of the psalm, instead of fleeing, calmly committed himself and his cause to God.
Wesley's Psalms 11:5 Bible Commentary
11:5 Trieth - He chastens even righteous persons, yet still he loves them, and therefore will in due time deliver them. But as for the wicked, God hates them, and will severely punish them.