Matthew Henry's Complete Bible Commentary

Psalms 12

It is supposed that David penned this psalm in Saul’s reign, when there was a general decay of honesty and piety both in court and country, which he here complains of to God, and very feelingly, for he himself suffered by the treachery of his false friends and the insolence of his sworn enemies. I. He begs help of God, because there were none among men whom he durst trust, Psalms 12:1, 12:2. II. He foretels the destruction of his proud and threatening enemies, Psalms 12:3, 12:4. III. He assures himself and others that, how ill soever things went now (Psalms 12:8), God would preserve and secure to himself his own people (Psalms 12:5, 12:7), and would certainly make good his promises to them, Psalms 12:6. Whether this psalm was penned in Saul’s reign or no, it is certainly calculated for a bad reign; and perhaps David, in spirit foresaw that some of his successors would bring things to as bad a pass as is here described, and treasured up this psalm for the use of the church then. “O tempora, O mores!--Oh the times! Oh the manners!” MHBCC 491.1