Psalms 69:9

For the zeal of thine house hath eaten me up,.... Of the house of the sanctuary, as the Targum; that is, the temple, which was Christ's Father's house, where he was worshipped and dwelt; and zeal for

O God, thou knowest my foolishness; and my sins are not hid from thee.

For: this is the reason of that alienation of my brethren and others from me, because there is a vast difference and contrariety in our tempers. They mind not the concerns of God and of religion, but are wholly intent upon wealth, and honour, and worldly greatness. The zeal of thine house; that fervent passion which I have for thy house, and service, and glory, and people. Eaten me up; exhausted and wasted my natural moisture and vital spirits, which is oft effected by grief and anger, and fervent love and desire; of which passions zeal is composed. That reproached thee: that speak contemptuously or wickedly of thy name, or providence, or truth, or worship and service. Fallen upon me; either, 1. By imputation. They reflect upon me, because I am engaged in the defence of thy cause and glory, which wicked men oppose and despise, and therefore must needs suffer in it, and with it. Or, 2. By choice and affection. I have been as deeply affected with thy reproaches as with mine own. This whole verse, though truly belonging to David, yet was also directed by him, at least by the Spirit of God in him, to a higher use, to represent the disposition and condition of Christ, in whom this was more truly and fully accomplished than in David; to whom therefore it is applied in the New Testament, the first part of it, , and the latter, .

Psalms 69:9 For the zeal of thine house hath eaten me up; and the reproaches of them that reproached thee are fallen upon me.Ver. 9. For the zeal of thine house hath eaten me up] Non amat qui non zelat. David’ s love to God (much less the Lord Christ’ s) would not suffer him to bear with God’ s dishonour and the contempt of his ordinances. And this was it that procured him so much ill-will, and such a general alienation from nearest friends and allies. And the reproaches of them that reproached thee] Wicked men soon set their mouths against heaven, and fall foul upon God himself. This David (and the Son of David) could not endure, nec aliter amare didicit, as Basil once answered those that blamed him for appearing so far for his friend, to his own great danger (Chrysost. lib. 2, de Sacerdot.).

(9) Of thine house—i.e., for thine house. Hosea 8:1, shows that house might stand for congregation, but very probably we are to understand zeal for the restoration or repair of the Temple, or more likely regard for its purity and honour. So at least one applied the words long after, John 2:17 (where see Note in New Testament Commentary).And the reproaches.—See St. Paul’s application of these words Romans 15:3. If the author had been thinking chiefly of his sin as the cause of the reproach of God, surely he would have said “the reproaches of these that reproach me are fallen upon Thee.” The intention seems to be that though in his own eyes a very insignificant and unworthy member of the community, yet being one who burnt with zeal for it, he felt as personally directed against himself all the taunts aimed at Jehovah and His religion.

Verse 9. The zeal of thine house hath eaten me up] The strong desire to promote thy glory has absorbed all others. All the desires of my body and soul are wrapped up in this. This verse is very properly applied to our Lord, John 2:17, who went about doing good; and gave up his life, not only for the redemption of man, but to "magnify the law, and make it honourable."

9. His jealousy for the honour of God’s house was like a consuming fire within him. Cp. Psalms 119:139; Psalms 39:3; Jeremiah 20:9. It is difficult to determine whether ‘thine house’ means the Temple only, or as in Numbers 12:7, Hosea 8:1, bears the wider meaning of the land or the people of Israel. (1) In the former case the reference may be to the burning indignation which was stirred by the sight of abominations such as those which Ezekiel describes as polluting the Temple (ch. 8); and it is noteworthy that he particularly mentions “the image of jealousy which provoketh to jealousy,” i.e. some image or symbol which was a direct challenge of the “jealous God” who could brook no rival, and which must have stirred the grief and indignation of His faithful servants. (2) In the latter case it is the general condition of the nation, the contrast between its calling to be a holy nation and the universal corruption prevalent, which stirs his deepest emotion. This alternative gains some support from Jeremiah’s usage (Jeremiah 11:15; Jeremiah 12:7; Jeremiah 23:11). The zeal of Christ for His Father’s desecrated house recalled these words to the minds of His disciples (John 2:17 : the reading of the true text follows the LXX (B), shall eat me up). the reproaches &c.] Better as R.V., the reproaches of them that reproach thee are fallen upon me. On the one hand their blasphemies against God wound and crush the spirit of His servant; and on the other hand they shew their contempt for God by their mockery of His servant. Such was Jeremiah’s experience: his contemporaries mocked God’s message, and mocked him for delivering it (ch. Psalms 6:10; Psalms 20:8): such too was the experience of Christ Himself, to whom St Paul applies these words in Romans 15:3.

For the zeal of thine house hath eaten me up - My zeal - my ardor - in the cause of religion (that is, of thy pure worship) has been so great as to consume me. It has been like a devouring fire within me.

9. The zeal of thine house hath eaten me up—Hath consumed or devoured me; absorbed my faculties and my being. This is directly applied to Christ, John 2:17.