Psalms 18:25 - Coke's Commentary on the Holy Bible

With the merciful thou wilt shew thyself merciful— In this and the two next verses, David lays down the general method of the procedure of God's moral providence and government, which will be in the issue agreeable to the moral character and conduct of men themselves. With the merciful thou wilt shew thyself merciful: similar to that of our Lord: Blessed are the merciful; for they shall obtain mercy. With an upright man thou wilt shew thyself upright; an invariable friend to his integrity; just to reward it, and faithful in all thy promises to encourage it. With the pure thou wilt shew thyself pure; the lover of purity, righteousness, and truth, and ever acting towards those whose character this is, according to the perfect rectitude and unspotted purity of thy own nature. But with the froward thou wilt shew thyself froward. The word עקשׁ ikkesh, rendered, froward signifies one of a perverse disposition, who twists and twines himself just as his humour, passions, and interest lead him; or a crafty wily person, who accustoms himself to all the arts of deceit. With one of this character, the Psalmist says of God, Thou wilt shew thyself froward; as we render the original: it properly signifies to wrestle, and should be rendered, "Thou will shew that thou canst wrestle with, and supplant them too." The meaning therefore is, that God will deal with designing, crafty, perverse men according to their deserts, disappoint them in all their subtilest devices, and cause them to fall by those very wiles by which they endeavour to deceive and ruin others. See Leviticus 26:23-24. Chandler, and Schultens' Instit. Ling. Heb. 482.