Many psalms contain a plea for protection from enemies, and more than once the psalmist appeals for heavenly intercession. But now the enemies are those who were close to him only recently.

The grief caused by this exceeds the usual anxiety of an attack by open enemies. For those who were dear, who seemed to be friends and brothers, now repay good with evil. But now ingratitude and injustice triumph. At the command of his former companions, false witnesses surround the innocent man and question him about things he knows nothing about... How many times throughout the centuries will such lawlessness be repeated, and how very long ago it began!

Yet even in the face of hypocrites who are temporarily triumphant, the Lord remains as faithful a defender as He is before hordes of armed enemies. Having passed through the bitter experience of unjust accusations, the psalmist desires not only that his own innocence prevail, but also that all who believe in his innocence may rejoice. He does not want to take pride in being right, but desires the triumph of truth, which belongs to the Lord, the source of all truth.