Psalms 54:5
Translations
King James Version (KJV)
He shall reward evil to my enemies: cut them off in your truth.
American King James Version (AKJV)
He shall reward evil to my enemies: cut them off in your truth.
American Standard Version (ASV)
He will requite the evil unto mine enemies: Destroy thou them in thy truth.
Basic English Translation (BBE)
Let the evil works of my haters come back on them again; let them be cut off by your good faith.
Webster's Revision
He will reward evil to my enemies; cut them off in thy truth.
World English Bible
He will repay the evil to my enemies. Destroy them in your truth.
English Revised Version (ERV)
He shall requite the evil unto mine enemies: destroy thou them in thy truth.
Clarke's Psalms 54:5 Bible Commentary
He shall reward evil - Saul and his courtiers, instead of having God's approbation, shall have his curse.
Cut them off in thy truth - Thou hast promised to save me; these have purposed to destroy me. Thy truth is engaged in my defence; they will destroy me if permitted to live: to save thy truth, and to accomplish its promises, thou must cut them off.
Barnes's Psalms 54:5 Bible Commentary
He shall reward evil unto mine enemies - Margin, "those that observe me." The original word here means literally "to twist, to twist together;" then, to press together; then, to "oppress," or to treat as an enemy. The reference here is to those who pressed upon him as enemies, or who endeavored to crush him. The idea is that God would recompense them for this conduct, or that he would deal with them as they deserved.
Cut them off in thy truth - In thy faithfulness; in thy regard for what is right. This is simply a prayer, or an expression of strong confidence, that God would deal with them as they deserved, or that he would not suffer such conduct to pass without a proper expression of his sense of the wrong. There is no evidence that David in this prayer was prompted by private or vindictive feeling.
Wesley's Psalms 54:5 Bible Commentary
54:5 Thy truth - Whereby thou art engaged to fulfil thy promises and threatenings.