Psalms 119:23 - John Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

Bible Comments

Princes also did sit [and] speak against me,.... The princes in the court of Saul, who suggested to him that David sought his hurt; the princes of his own court, Absalom, his own son, a prince of the blood, and Ahithophel, a counsellor of state: or the princes of the Gentiles, as Jarchi; so the princes of the Philistines spake against him in a very disdainful manner, "make this fellow return to his place again", 1 Samuel 29:4. Such as these might speak against him, as they sat and rode in their chariots; when at their tables, conversing together; or at their council boards, forming schemes against him: the phrase denotes their constant practice, as Kimchi observes; see Psalms 50:20; herein David was a type of Christ, whom the princes of this world conspired against, and whose life they took away, Psalms 2:2;

[but] thy servant did meditate in thy statutes; what the princes did or said against him did not divert his mind, or take off his thoughts from the word of God, and the ordinances of it; he thought of them, he spoke and discoursed of them; he declared them, as the word w sometimes signifies, and so the Targum takes it here; he was not afraid nor ashamed to profess his regard unto them: as Daniel, when he knew that the presidents and princes had obtained a royal decree, and the writing was signed; yet went into his chamber, as at other times, and kneeled down and prayed to God, Daniel 6:10.

w ישיח "disserit", Tigurine version, Vatablus, Musculus; "loquitur", Piscator, Gejerus.

Psalms 119:23

23 Princes also did sit and speak against me: but thy servant did meditate in thy statutes.