Amplified Bible
Psalms 120:4
4Sharp arrows of the warrior, With the burning coals of the broom tree.
Psalms 120:4 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Sharp arrows of the mighty, with coals of juniper.
- New International Version (NIV)He will punish you with a warrior’s sharp arrows, with burning coals of the broom bush.
- English Standard Version (ESV)A warrior's sharp arrows, with glowing coals of the broom tree!
- New King James Version (NKJV)Sharp arrows of the warrior, With coals of the broom tree!
Context of Psalms 120:4
2Rescue my soul, O Lord, from lying lips, And from a deceitful tongue. 3What shall be given to you, and what more shall be done to you, You deceitful tongue?— Sharp arrows of the warrior, With the burning coals of the broom tree. 5Woe to me, for I sojourn in Meshech, and I live among the tents of Kedar [among hostile people]! 6Too long my soul has had its dwelling With those who hate peace.
Read all of Psalms 120Psalms 120:4 word by word
חִצֵּ֣י גִבּ֣וֹר שְׁנוּנִ֑ים עִ֝֗ם גַּחֲלֵ֥י רְתָמִֽים׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for Psalms 120:4
- Psalms 57:4My life is among lions; I must lie among those who breathe out fire— The sons of men whose teeth are spears and arrows, And their tongue a sharp sword.
- Psalms 59:7Look how they belch out [insults] with their mouths; Swords [of sarcasm, ridicule, slander, and lies] are in their lips, For they say, “Who hears us?”
- Proverbs 11:9With his mouth the godless man destroys his neighbor, But through knowledge and discernment the righteous will be rescued.
- Proverbs 16:27A worthless man devises and digs up evil, And the words on his lips are like a scorching fire.
- Proverbs 18:8The words of a whisperer (gossip) are like dainty morsels [to be greedily eaten]; They go down into the innermost chambers of the body [to be remembered and mused upon].
- James 3:5In the same sense, the tongue is a small part of the body, and yet it boasts of great things. See [by comparison] how great a forest is set on fire by a small spark!
- Psalms 7:13He has also prepared [other] deadly weapons for Himself; He makes His arrows fiery shafts [aimed at the unrepentant].
- Psalms 52:5But God will break you down forever; He will take you away and tear you away from your tent, And uproot you from the land of the living. Selah.
- Psalms 140:9“Those who surround me raise their heads; May the mischief of their own lips come upon them.
- Deuteronomy 32:23‘I will heap misfortunes on them; I will use My arrows on them.
- Proverbs 12:22Lying lips are extremely disgusting to the Lord, But those who deal faithfully are His delight.
- Proverbs 19:5A false witness will not go unpunished, And he who breathes out lies will not escape.
- Revelation 21:8But as for the cowards and unbelieving and abominable [who are devoid of character and personal integrity and practice or tolerate immorality], and murderers, and sorcerers [with intoxicating drugs], and idolaters and occultists [who practice and teach false religions], and all the liars [who knowingly deceive and twist truth], their part will be in the lake that blazes with fire and brimstone, which is the second death.”
Commentaries on Psalms 120:4
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 4Sharp arrows - The Chaldee has, "The strong, sharp arrows are like lightning from above, with coals of juniper kindled in hell beneath." On the juniper, see the note on Job 30:4, where this passage is explained. Fiery arrows, or arrows wrapped about with inflamed combustibles, were formerly used in sieges to set the places on fire. See my notes on Ephesians 6:16; (note).Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 4Sharp arrows of the mighty - This is an answer to the question in Psalm 120:3. The consequence - the effect - of such a use of the tongue must be like sharp and piercing arrows, or like intensely burning coals. The “sharp arrows of the mighty” are the arrows of the warrior - as war was conducted mainly by bows and arrows. Those arrows were, of course, sharpened to make them piercing, penetrating, more deadly. With coals of juniper - On the word here…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 3-4The psalmist speaks with the liars around him. He feels confident that the Lord will judge them. The Divine Warrior (see Psalms 7:12–13; 11:4–6) will attack the liars with sharp arrows and burning coals.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 44. Sharp arrows of the mighty--destructive inflictions. coals of juniper--which retain heat long. This verse may be read as a description of the wicked, but better as their punishment, in reply to the question of Psa 120:3.Read the comment
Topics related to Psalms 120:4
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Psalms 120
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Calvin’s Commentaries
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- The Treasury of David
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
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