Ps 20:11

“"Because they turned evils against You." Now this punishment shall be recompensed to them, because the evils which they supposed to hang over them by Your reign, they turned against You to Your death. "They imagined a device, which they were not able to establish" [Psalm 21:11]. They imagined a device, saying, "It is expedient that one die for all:" [John 11:50] which they were not able to establish, not knowing what they said.”

“To divert evils that loom over some people, we mean to push them aside to another place where there is no iniquity to punish. This is exactly what happened with the suffering of the Lord. For when the Jews believed that Roman power would be a threat to them if they had accepted the Lord Savior as King, it seemed right to them to divert those evils upon him which they believed would befall them when the Romans took up the role of avengers. "They came up with a plan" saying, "It is expedient that one man die for all." "But this they were not able to establish," that is, to complete according to their vow. For without knowing it, they spoke the truth. It was necessary that one should die for all. The truth was indeed uttered, but with an evil vow. Therefore they will suffer punishment for such a deed, because they did not have a pure conscience.”

“"For." Here the guilt of sinners is set forth, and it is described in two respects. First, as to the endeavor of their work; and as to this he says here: "For they have turned," etc.: because although they cannot accomplish it, still they endeavor as much as they can to inflict evils. Ps. 34: "They repaid me evil." Or, "they have turned," because the evils threatening them they wish to inflict on others. For a twofold evil was threatening the Jews: namely, the evil of punishment: and they tried to turn this upon Christ, when, lest the Romans take away their dominion, they killed Christ. Second, the evil of guilt was threatening them. Jn. 8: "You are of your father the Devil"; and they twisted this against Christ when they said, Jn. 8: "Do we not say rightly," etc. They themselves were possessed by demons, and they imputed sin to Christ. Second, the guilt of the Jews or of sinners is described as to the endeavor of thought: hence he says, "They devised plans," etc., that is, they planned to destroy his faith. Jer. 11: "They devised a plan," etc. Of this wood it is said in Wis. 14: "Blessed is the wood through which justice is done": but "they did not establish it," that is, they could not bring their plan to completion. Is. 8: "Take counsel together, and it shall be brought to nothing," etc. Why? "Because there is no counsel against the Lord," Prov. 21.”

“Another evil counselor is one who turns good things into evil. The Psalm says: 'For they turned evils against you; they devised counsels which they were unable to establish; for you shall make them turn their back.' It is evil when someone says something by which the counsel of Christ could be considered evil — as when someone condemns the counsel of entering holy religious life. It is foolish, dangerous, pernicious, and reckless to turn into evil that which Christ declared good.”

“Fruit of the womb, or all their possessions. The family of Herod was presently extirpated. (Berthier) — The works of the wicked must burn. (St. Augustine) — The severity shewn to the Ammonites was perhaps without example, ver. 10. (Calmet) — But this will be more fully verified in the judgment of the wicked, whose schemes against Christ and his Church will fail. (Worthington)”

“(Heb.: 21:12-13) And this fate is the merited frustration of their evil project. The construction of the sentences in Psa 21:12 is like Psa 27:10; Psa 119:83; Ew. 362, b. נטה רעה is not to be understood according to the phrase נטה רשׁת (= פּרשׁ), for this phrase is not actually found; we have rather, with Hitzig, to compare Psa 55:4, Sa2 15:14 : to incline evil down upon any one is equivalent to: to put it over him, so that it may fall in upon him. נטה signifies "to extend lengthwise," to unfold, but also to bend by drawing tight. שׁית שׁכם to make into a back, i.e., to make them into such as turn the back to you, is a more choice expression than נתן ערף, Psa 18:41, cf. Sa1 10:9; the half segolate form שׁכם, (= שׁכם) becomes here, in pause, the full segolate form שׁכם. חצּים must be supplied as the object to תּכונן, as it is in other instances after הורה, השׁליך, ידה; כּונן חץ, Psa 11:2, cf. Psa 7:14, signifies to set the swift arrow upon the bow-string (מיתר = יתר) = to aim. The arrows hit the front of the enemy, as the pursuer overtakes them.”