But know. — It is the privilege of true and heroic natures to rise to a consciousness of their strength and dignity in the hour of peril, and when the victims of unjust persecution. Besides his innate greatness, David has a grandeur and dignity, derived from his deep sense of the covenant between God and His anointed, and his own imperfect but sincere endeavour to act worthily the part of God’s vice-regent on earth. His selection by Jehovah is an unanswerable reply to his calumniators, and the surest proof of his own uprightness.
Hath set apart. — That is, has distinguished or honoured. So rightly the LXX. and Vulg. The Hebrew word occurs in Exodus 8:22; Exodus 9:4; Exodus 11:7, of severance between Israel and Egypt. (Comp. Psalms 17:7.)
Godly. — Heb. chasîd, properly, graced or gracious, according as it is used of Israel or of the God of Israel. The covenant relationship is more prominent in the word than a moral excellence, though this is presupposed. See Psalms 1:5, where the word appears to be defined. There is a difficulty in the construction: lô (to him) may go either with the verb or the object. By comparison with Psalms 17:7, we take it with the latter. LXX., “his holy one.”