Amplified Bible
Psalms 140:9
9“Those who surround me raise their heads; May the mischief of their own lips come upon them.
Psalms 140:9 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)As for the head of those that compass me about, let the mischief of their own lips cover them.
- New International Version (NIV)Those who surround me proudly rear their heads; may the mischief of their lips engulf them.
- English Standard Version (ESV)As for the head of those who surround me, let the mischief of their lips overwhelm them!
- New King James Version (NKJV)“As for the head of those who surround me, Let the evil of their lips cover them;
Context of Psalms 140:9
7O God the Lord, the strength of my salvation, You have covered my head in the day of battle. 8Do not grant, O Lord, the desires of the wicked; Do not further their evil device, that they not be exalted. Selah. “Those who surround me raise their heads; May the mischief of their own lips come upon them. 10Let burning coals fall upon them; Let them be thrown into the fire, Into deep [water] pits from which they cannot rise. 11Do not let a slanderer be established in the earth; Let evil quickly hunt the violent man [to overthrow him and stop his evil acts].”
Read all of Psalms 140Psalms 140:9 word by word
רֹ֥אשׁ מְסִבָּ֑י עֲמַ֖ל שְׂפָתֵ֣ימוֹ יְכַסֵּֽמוֹ׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for Psalms 140:9
- Psalms 7:16His mischief will return on his own head, And his violence will come down on the top of his head [like loose dirt].
- Psalms 64:8So they will be caused to stumble; Their own tongue is against them; All who gaze at them will shake the head [in scorn].
- Psalms 94:23He has turned back their own wickedness upon them And will destroy them by means of their own evil; The Lord our God will wipe them out.
- Esther 5:14Then his wife Zeresh and all his friends said to him, “Have a gallows fifty cubits high made, and in the morning ask the king to have Mordecai hanged on it; then go joyfully to the banquet with the king.” And the advice pleased Haman, so he had the gallows made.
- Esther 7:10So they hanged Haman on the gallows that he had prepared for Mordecai. Then the king’s anger subsided.
- Proverbs 10:6Blessings are on the head of the righteous [the upright, those in right standing with God], But the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.
- Proverbs 12:13An evil man is [dangerously] ensnared by the transgression of his lips, But the righteous will escape from trouble.
- Proverbs 18:7A fool’s mouth is his ruin, And his lips are the snare of his soul.
- Matthew 27:25And all the people answered, “Let [the responsibility for] His blood be on us and on our children!”
Commentaries on Psalms 140:9
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 9As for the head of those that compass me about - Luther renders this, “The calamity which my enemies design against me must fall upon their own heads.” The passage stands in contrast with Psalm 140:7: “Thou hast covered my head,” etc. As for his own head, it had been protected in the day of battle. In reference now to the heads of his enemies - of those that compassed him about - he prays that what they had designed for “his” head might come by a just…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 8-13Verses 8-13 Believers may pray that God would not grant the desires of the wicked, nor further their evil devices. False accusers will bring mischief upon themselves, even the burning coals of Divine vengeance. And surely the righteous shall dwell in God's presence, and give him thanks for evermore. This is true thanksgiving, even thanks-living: this use we should make of all our deliverances, we should serve God the more closely and cheerfully. Those…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 9-11The psalmist prays for God’s judgment on the wicked.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 99. Contrasts his head covered by God (Psa 140:7) with theirs, or (as "head" may be used for "persons") with them, covered with the results of their wicked deeds (Psa 7:16).Read the comment
- Rashi on Tanakh · v. 9the desires of the wicked The wicked Esau.Read the comment
Topics related to Psalms 140:9
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Psalms 140
- 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
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
Amplified Bible — © 2015 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, CA 90631
Commentaries