“Let them not say in their hearts, Ah, so would we have it: let them not say, We have swallowed him up.”
The psalmist begs that the enemies not say 'Aha! We have what we desired!' and not claim to have swallowed him up. The vivid language of 'swallowed him up' suggests that the enemies aim at complete destruction and the erasure of the psalmist. The psalmist's urgent prayer is that the moment of enemy triumph not be allowed to occur, that God will intervene before the enemies achieve their goals. This verse articulates the desperation of one who faces imminent destruction and depends entirely on God's intervention.
Church Fathers on Psalms 35:25
1. ...The title of it causes us no delay, for it is both brief, and to be understood not difficult, especially to those nursed in the Church of God. For so it is, “To David himself.” The Psalm then is to David himself: now David is interpreted, Strong in hand, or Desirable. The Psalm then is to the Strong in hand, and Desirable, to Him who for us has overcome death, who unto us has promised life: for in this is He Strong in hand, that He has overcome death for us; in this is…
Nicene & Post-Nicene / Ante-Nicene Fathers translations · public domain
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