The interpretation timeline

Ps 40:7

How this passage has been read — the sources, oldest to newest.

From the early Church Fathers to now.

1 Patristic · 1 Jewish · 2 Catholic · 1 Reformed · 1 Lutheran

Ps 40:7 · Douay-Rheims
“And if he came in to see me, he spoke vain things: his heart gathered together iniquity to itself. He went out and spoke to the same purpose.”
Patristic before A.D. 750
430
A.D.
Augustine of Hippo Patristic
A.D. 354–430
“"All mine enemies whisper against Me unto the same thing" [Psalm 41:7]. Against Me all unto the same thing. How much better with me unto the same thing, than against me "unto the same thing." What is, "Against me unto the same thing"? With one counsel, with one conspiring. Christ then speaks unto you, You consent against Me, consent ye to Me: why against Me? Wherefore not with Me? That same thing if you had always had, you had not divided you into schisms. For, says the Apostle, "I beseech you, brethren, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no division among you." [1 Corinthians 1:10] "All mine enemies whisper against Me unto the same thing:" against Me do they "devise evil to Me." To themselves rather, for "they have gathered iniquity to themselves;" but therefore to Me, because by their intention they are to be weighed: for not because to do nothing was in their power, to do nothing was in their will. For the devil lusted to extinguish Christ, and Judas would slay Christ; yet Christ slain and rising again, we are made alive, but to the devil and to Judas is rendered the reward of their evil will, not of our salvation....The intention wherewith they spoke, not what they spoke, did He consider, who related that they spoke evil of Him, "Against Me they devised evil to Me." And what evil to Christ, to the Martyrs what evil? All has God turned to good.”
Source
675 years pass — nothing from this stretch is hosted yet
Scholastic c. 1100 – 1500
1105
A.D.
Rashi Jewish
1040–1105
“he speaks falsely He pretends to be troubled, and when he sits before me, his heart gathers thoughts of violence to himself, [of] what evil he will speak when he leaves, and when he goes outside, he speaks of it.”
169 years pass — nothing from this stretch is hosted yet
1274
A.D.
Thomas Aquinas Catholic
1225–1274
“"Against me." Here he shows their evil counsel, how they might do harm. And first he sets forth the counsel of enemies. Second he shows that in this also some good friends concurred, at "The man of my peace." And first he sets forth the order of deliberating, showing that first the counselors assemble. Second they discuss what they deliberate about. Third they determine what is to be done. And he describes these three things here. He says therefore, "All my enemies whispered against me." The Gloss says, "He went out." And after follows, "To the same effect," etc. And this is found in the text of Jerome, yet it matters not. And he says, "They whispered," that is, they spoke silently; and this is the manner especially of counselors, and especially of evil counsels and evil men, who do this in secret. Lev. 19: "You shall not be a slanderer nor a whisperer among the peoples." Sir. 28: "The whisperer and the double-tongued is accursed," etc. And he says, "Against me." And thus they are not good counsels but evil. Ps. 36: "He has meditated iniquity on his bed." And therefore "they devised evil things against me." Ps. 1: "Blessed is the man who has not gone," etc. "They determined an unjust word against me," that is, an unjust thing. This, therefore, they determined in their council. Jn. 11: "It is expedient for you that one man should die for the people." And from that hour they plotted, etc. Mt. 21: "This is the heir; come, let us kill him." Wis. 2: "Let us condemn him to a most shameful death." This unjust word is found in Jer. 18: "You know, O Lord, their counsel against me unto evil and death."”
Source
575 years pass — nothing from this stretch is hosted yet
Post-Reformation c. 1650 – 1900
1849
A.D.
1774–1849
“If he, any one among my enemies. (Haydock) — The Scriptures often pass from the plural to the singular, (Berthier) to comprise every one distinctly. (Haydock) — Yet St. Augustine, &c., read “they came,” &c., omitting if, as some of the Septuagint editions do likewise: though inaccurately, according to St. Jerome and Sun. (Calmet) — It occurs in the Roman copy, and Grabe inserts it in a smaller type. The sense is not altered. (Haydock) — The conspirators affected to shew David some marks of civility, to obtain their ends. The Jews often strove to entangle Jesus, by their questions, (Matthew xix. 3., and xxii. 17, 24., and John viii. 3.) while Judas continued in his company, to gratify his own avarice, and to betray him. (Calmet) — Such were their vain projects. (Haydock) — Those who came maliciously to hear Christ, blamed him as an enemy to the law, or as one who cast out devils by Beelzebub. (Worthington)”
Source
1871
A.D.
1875
A.D.
Keil & Delitzsch Lutheran
1861–1875
“(Heb.: 41:8-10) Continuation of the description of the conduct of the enemies and of the false friend. התלחשׁ, as in Sa2 12:19, to whisper to one another, or to whisper among themselves; the Hithpa. sometimes (cf. Gen 42:1) has a reciprocal meaning like the Niphal. The intelligence brought out by hypocritical visitors of the invalid concerning his critical condition is spread from mouth to mouth by all who wish him ill as satisfactory news; and in fact in whispers, because at that time caution was still necessary. עלי stands twice in a prominent position in the sense of contra me. רעה לּי belong together: they maliciously invent what will be the very worst for him (going beyond what is actually told them concerning him). In this connection there is a feeling in favour of בּליּעל being intended of an evil fate, according to Psa 18:5, and not according to Psa 101:3 (cf. Deu 15:9) of pernicious or evil thought and conduct. And this view is also supported by the predicate יצוּק בּו: "a matter of destruction, an incurable evil (Hitzig) is poured out upon him," i.e., firmly cast upon him after the manner of casting metal (Job 41:15.), so that he cannot get free from it, and he that has once had to lie down will not again rise up. Thus do we understand אשׁר in Psa 41:9; there is no occasion to take it as an accusative by departing from the most natural sense, as Ewald does, or as a conjunction, as Hitzig does. Even the man of his peace, or literally of his harmonious relationship (אישׁ שׁלום as in Oba 1:7, Jer 20:10; Jer 38:22), on whom he has depended with fullest confidence, who did eat his bread, i.e., was his messmate (cf. Psa 55:15), has made his heel great against him, lxx ἐμεγάλυνεν ἐπ ̓ ἐμὲ πτερνισμόν. The combination הגדּיל עקב is explained by the fact that עקב is taken in the sense of a thrust with the heel, a kick: to give a great kick, i.e., with a good swing of the foot.”
Source
Modern · 1953 →

The in-app commentary runs from the Fathers to the early-modern record, then stops — that's where the public-domain sources end, not where the reading does. For the modern reading, follow the sources directly.