Desires. — The form of the Hebrew word is anomalous, but the meaning certain. The LXX. and Vulg. give the first clause thus: “Give me not over to the enemy, by reason of their own desire;” which may possibly have been in St. Paul’s mind in Romans 1:24.
Further not. — The text of this clause has undoubtedly suffered. The Authorised Version follows the LXX. and Vulg. in inserting a negative before the last word. These versions also take the word rendered “wicked devices” as a verb, not finding a noun of the form anywhere else: “They have plotted against me: desert me not, lest they exalt themselves.” So also Symmachus, and another Greek version quoted by Origen.
As the text at present stands, we must render: his plot do not further — they lift up. Looking on to the next verse, “the head of those surrounding me,” the suggestion at once arises that the verb lift up properly belongs to this clause:
“His plot do not further.
They lift the head, these surrounding me.”
This arrangement disregards the “selah.” and also obliges us to suspect that a clause has dropped cut after the first clause of Psalms 140:9 — a suspicion confirmed by the rhythm.[20]
[20] Mr. Burgess amends to “Further not his plot to his exaltation.”