“Let their way be dark and slippery: and let the angel of the Lord persecute them.”
The psalmist desires that the path of the enemies be dark and slippery, with God's angel pursuing them. The imagery of darkness and slipperiness suggests both moral blindness and practical hazard: the enemies cannot see their way forward and cannot maintain their footing. The repetition of the angel pursuing emphasizes the relentless divine pursuit. This verse suggests that God's judgment manifests as the reversal of the enemies' plans: the path they intended to travel becomes treacherous and impassable.
Church Fathers on Psalms 35:6
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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