Psalm 17 (16):11Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

After casting Me out of the city, they encircled Me upon the cross. They chose to focus their gaze on the ground. Following the desires of their hearts, they resolved to abandon worldly pursuits, convinced that the One who was slain would endure terrible anguish, while they themselves, the perpetrators of His death, would escape unscathed.

They fixated on worldly matters. He states that they aimed solely to focus their attention on earthly pursuits and gravitate towards secular knowledge.

They have cast me out of my own territory, and once more they move about in haste, intent on capturing me; for they refuse to gaze directly forward, instead their gaze is diverted. Simmachus likewise translated it in this manner: ‘have made a decision for themselves; turning their eyes aside, toward the ground.’

Those who have expelled me now encircle me. My adversaries were not content with merely casting me out of my home; they now surround me, intent on taking my very life. They have directed their gaze downward. They have resolved, he observes, to avert their eyes from You, O God, who dwell in the heavens, and from Your sacred commandments that urge everyone to protect the innocent. Instead, they have looked away from You and turned their eyes to earthly desires, which signifies a refusal to act in accordance with the reasonable imperatives of righteousness. Alternatively, it can be said that they have focused their attention on the ground, eagerly awaiting an opportunity to strike me down and ultimately bring about my demise.

He continues to portray the evil of his adversaries, lamenting that without God reaching out to him from the heavens, he will find no place of safety. Those who had previously exiled him from his homeland and community were now actively chasing him, intent on his complete destruction. In the Hebrew text, this sentiment is captured by the phrase: in my processions they have already overtaken me. This indicates that he is not merely in imminent peril, but faces daily anxieties, as he encounters foes at every turn. In the subsequent phrase, "They set their eyes on the ground," David likens his enemies to fishermen who, with their gaze fixed upon their target, strive silently to bring it down to the earth. He reinforces this idea with another metaphor in the next verse.

Before the arrival of Christ, the Jewish leaders rejected Him from their gatherings, plotting among themselves on how to conquer the One who is immortal. They conspired to bring Him low, seeking to lead Him to the grave.