the heart (as the most interior organ) · noun, common masculine singular absolute
depart
יָס֣וּרya.Sur
H5493
to turn off (literal or figurative) · verb, qal imperfect, 3rd person masculine singular
know
אֵדָֽע'e.Da'
H3045
to know (properly · verb, qal imperfect, 1st person common singular
wicked
רָ֝֗עRa'
H7451
bad or (as noun) evil (natural or moral) · adjective, masculine singular absolute
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).
Cross-references
Proverbs 11:20 They that are of a froward heart are abomination to the LORD: but such as are upright in their way are his delight.
Proverbs 8:13 The fear of the LORD is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate.
2 Corinthians 6:14-16 Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath li…
Psalms 119:115 Depart from me, ye evildoers: for I will keep the commandments of my God.
Proverbs 9:6 Forsake the foolish, and live; and go in the way of understanding.
Proverbs 22:24 Make no friendship with an angry man; and with a furious man thou shalt not go:
Matthew 7:23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
2 Timothy 2:19 Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the n…
Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).
Commentary
Matthew Henry on Psalms 101:1–end
David here cuts out to himself and others a pattern both of a good magistrate and a good master of a family; and, if these were careful to discharge the duty of their place, it would contribute very much to a universal reformation. Observe,
I. The chosen subject of the psalm (Psa 101:1): I will sing of mercy and judgment, that is,
1. Of God's mercy and judgment, and then it looks back upon the dispensations of Providence concerning David since he was first anointed to be king, during which time he had met with many a rebuke and much hardship on the one hand, and yet, on the other hand, had had many wonderful deliverances wrought for him and favours bestowed upon him; of these he will sing un…
A froward heart shall depart from me,.... A man of a froward heart, that devises frowardness in his heart, and speaks it out with his mouth; that which is perverse, and contrary to the law of God and Gospel of Christ, to the light of nature and the word of God; contrary to the sentiments of all good men, and repugnant to truth and good manners: such sort of persons are disagreeable companions, and good men would not choose to have anything to do with them; they are hateful to Christ, and shall be bid to depart from him; see Proverbs 8:13.
I will not know a wicked person: so as to be familiar with him, or show him any respect; have any affection for him, or take any notice of him; such Chris…
Psalm 101:1-5
A Psalm of David.
1. I will sing of mercy and of judgment: unto thee, O Jehovah! will I sing Psalm 2. I will behave myself prudently in a perfect way, till thou comest to me: [127] I will walk in the integrity of my heart in the midst of thy house. 3. I will not set a wicked thing before my eyes: I hate the work [128] of those who turn aside; it shall not adhere to me. 4. The perverse heart shall depart from me: I will not know evil [129] 5. Whoso slandereth his neighbor in secret, him will I:destroy: the man whose eyes are lofty, and whose heart is wide, I cannot endure.
1 I will sing of mercy and of judgment What David here says concerning singing must be understood by the…
The Church Fathers
A depraved heart did not cling to me. There was in me nothing difficult or anything perverse, but fairness and justice. As the malignant one turned aside from me, I did not know him: that is, if he was a friend to me or a neighbor, whether a bishop or a presbyter, or one established in any rank whatever: nevertheless, if he perverted his ways, I so fled from him that I made no mention of him at all.
"When the wicked man departed from me, I knew him not" [Psalm 101:4]. I approved him not, I praised him not, he pleased me not. For we find the word "to know" occasionally used in Scripture, in the sense of "to be pleased." For what is hidden from God, brethren? Does He know the just, and does He not know the unjust? What do you think of, that He does not know? I say not, what do you think; but what will you ever think, that He will not have seen beforehand? God knows all things, then; and yet in the end, that is in judgment after mercy, He says of some persons: "I will profess unto them, I never knew you; depart from Me, you workers of iniquity." [Matthew 7:23] Was there any one He did not know? But what means, "I never knew you"? I acknowledge you not in My rule. For I know the rule of My righteousness: ye agree not with it, you have turned aside from it, you are crooked. Therefore He said here also: "When the wicked man departed from Me, I knew him not."...Therefore, "when the wicked man departed from me," that is, when the wicked man was unlike me, and was unwilling to imitate my paths, was unwilling in his wickedness to live as I had proposed myself for his imitation; "I knew him not." What means, "I knew him not"? Not that I was ignorant of him, but that I did not approve him.
The Church Fathers: public-domain translations (Ante-Nicene and Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers), verse-indexed by SermonIndex (CC BY 4.0).
Dictionary and topics
Alliance And Society With The Enemies Of God · Saints deprecate — Saints deprecate
Company · EVIL — EVIL
Heart, Character Of The Unrenewed · Froward — Froward
Righteousness · FRUITS OF — FRUITS OF
Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).
The psalmist hates what the Lord hates (Prov 6:16-19; see Pss 5:5; 11:4-5). • Perverse ideas come from corrupt human hearts (cp. 18:26).
Spurgeon's Treasury of David on Psalms 101:4
A froward heart shall depart from me: I will not know a wicked person.
A froward heart shall depart from me. He refers both to himself and to those round about him; he would neither be crooked in heart himself, nor employ persons of evil character in his house; if he found such in his court he would chase them away. He who begins with his own heart begins at the fountain head, and is not likely to tolerate evil compamons. We cannot turn out of our family all whose hearts are evil, but we can keep them out of our confidence, and let them see that we do not approve of their ways. I will not know a wicked person. He shall not be my intimate, my bosom friend. I must know him as a man or I could…
