When I remember thee upon my bed, and meditate on thee in the night watches.
-Second strophe. His hearty desire after God even now in his banishment, whence follows the confident hope of the destruction of his enemies who banished him.
Verse 6. When I remember thee upon my bed, (and) meditate on thee in the night watches. Thus, the English version connects this verse with Psalms 63:5. But the division of the strophes renders the following translation preferable, which, moreover, obviates the need of supplying "and:" 'Whenever I remember thee upon my bed, I meditate on thee in the night watches.' The remembrance of thee on my bed so engrosses me that I cannot draw my mind off the thought, so as to fall into the obliviousness of sleep; I often meditate on thee through the whole night watches. So Psalms 119:55; Psalms 119:148; Psalms 1:2. The Hebrew is beds, probably alluding to the fact that in his unsettled life in exile, he seldom slept for many nights in the same bed, but through fear of adversaries slept in different places. There were three night watches: the first (Lamentations 2:19); the middle (Judges 7:19); the third or morning watch (Exodus 14:24; 1 Samuel 2:11). In the New Testament the Roman usage of four prevails.
Verse 7. Because thou hast been my help. This gives the reason why he cannot divest himself of continual meditation on God.
Therefore in the shadow of thy wings will I rejoice - a favourite phrase of David's (Psalms 61:4; Psalms 17:8; Psalms 91:4).
Verse 8. My soul followeth hard after thee. Hosea 6:3 tells us the blessed effect of this - "Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the Lord." Or translate as Hengstenberg, 'my soul cleaves to thee' (as Jacob did to the angel with whom he wrestled for the blessing); and then follows, in the beautiful relation between the soul and its God,
Thy right hand upholdeth me - as it upheld Peter from sinking into the waters (Matthew 14:30-31; cf. Psalms 18:35; Psalms 60:5).
Verse 9. But those (that) seek my soul to destroy it, shall go into the lower parts of the earth. Hengstenberg, for the parallelism, translates, 'But they (shall be) for destruction (who) seek my soul; they shall go into the lower parts of the earth'-as Korah and his rebel company did of old (Psalms 55:15; Numbers 16:31-35) - literally, (shall be) 'for sudden destruction.' 'To seek the soul' needs no such addition as in the English version (2 Samuel 16:11). Moreover, the analogy of Psalms 63:10 favours the distinct declaration of the enemies' destruction, in each of the two halves of the verse.
Verse 10. They shall fall by the sword - literally, 'They shall pour out (the adversary like water) upon the hands of the sword.' The phrase is impersonal: "they" is the French on, 'The adversary shall be poured, out' -
i.e., given over 'to the power of the sword.'
They shall be a portion for foxes - or 'jackals,' which prey upon unburied carcasses. Compare for the fulfillment of David's expectation as to the rebels, 2 Samuel 18:7-8; 2 Samuel 18:14; 2 Samuel 18:17.