Amplified Bible
Psalms 7:12
12If a man does not repent, God will sharpen His sword; He has strung and bent His [mighty] bow and made it ready.
Psalms 7:12 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)If he turn not, he will whet his sword; he hath bent his bow, and made it ready.
- New International Version (NIV)If he does not relent, he will sharpen his sword; he will bend and string his bow.
- English Standard Version (ESV)If a man does not repent, God will whet his sword; he has bent and readied his bow;
- New King James Version (NKJV)If he does not turn back, He will sharpen His sword; He bends His bow and makes it ready.
Context of Psalms 7:12
10My shield and my defense depend on God, Who saves the upright in heart. 11God is a righteous judge, And a God who is indignant every day. If a man does not repent, God will sharpen His sword; He has strung and bent His [mighty] bow and made it ready. 13He has also prepared [other] deadly weapons for Himself; He makes His arrows fiery shafts [aimed at the unrepentant]. 14Behold, the [wicked and irreverent] man is pregnant with sin, And he conceives mischief and gives birth to lies.
Read all of Psalms 7Psalms 7:12 word by word
אִם־לֹ֣א יָ֭שׁוּב חַרְבּ֣וֹ יִלְט֑וֹשׁ קַשְׁתּ֥וֹ דָ֝רַ֗ךְ וַֽיְכוֹנְנֶֽהָ׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for Psalms 7:12
- Psalms 85:4Restore us, O God of our salvation, And cause Your indignation toward us to cease.
- Isaiah 55:6Seek the Lord while He may be found; Call on Him [for salvation] while He is near.
- Jeremiah 31:18I have surely heard Ephraim (Israel) moaning and grieving, ‘You have chastised me, and I was chastised, Like a bull unaccustomed to the yoke or an untrained calf; Bring me back that I may be restored, For You are the Lord my God.
- Ezekiel 18:30“Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, each one in accordance with his conduct,” says the Lord God. “Repent (change your way of thinking) and turn away from all your transgressions, so that sin may not become a stumbling block to you.
- Ezekiel 33:11Say to them, ‘As I live,’ says the Lord God, ‘I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn back (change your way of thinking), turn back [in repentance] from your evil ways! For why should you die, O house of Israel?’
- Matthew 3:10And already the axe [of God’s judgment] is swinging toward the root of the trees; therefore every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.
- Acts 3:19So repent [change your inner self—your old way of thinking, regret past sins] and return [to God—seek His purpose for your life], so that your sins may be wiped away [blotted out, completely erased], so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord [restoring you like a cool wind on a hot day];
- Deuteronomy 32:41If I sharpen the lightning of My sword, And My hand takes hold of judgment, I will render vengeance on My adversaries, And I will repay those who hate Me.
- Isaiah 27:1In that day the Lord will punish Leviathan the fleeing serpent With His fierce and great and mighty sword [rescuing Israel from her enemy], Even Leviathan the twisted serpent; And He will kill the dragon who lives in the sea.
- Isaiah 34:5For My sword is satiated [with blood] in heaven; Indeed, it will come down for judgment on Edom And on the people whom I have doomed for destruction.
- Ezekiel 21:9“Son of man, prophesy and say, ‘Thus says the Lord.’ Say, ‘A sword, a sword [from Babylon] is sharpened And also polished!
Commentaries on Psalms 7:12
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 12If he turn not - This clause the Syriac adds to the preceding verse. Most of the versions read, "If ye return not." Some contend, and not without a great show of probability, that the two verses should be read in connection, thus: "God is a just Judge; a God who is provoked every day. If (the sinner) turn not, he will whet his sword; he hath bent his bow, and made it ready." This, no doubt, gives the sense of both.Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 12If he turn not - If the wicked person does not repent. in the previous verse the psalmist had said that God is angry with the wicked every day; he here states what must be the consequence to the wicked if they persevere in the course which they are pursuing; that is, if they do not repent. God, he says, cannot be indifferent to the course which they pursue, but he is preparing for them the instruments of punishment, and he will certainly bring destruction…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 10-17Verses 10-17 David is confident that he shall find God his powerful Saviour. The destruction of sinners may be prevented by their conversion; for it is threatened, If he turn not from his evil way, let him expect it will be his ruin. But amidst the threatenings of wrath, we have a gracious offer of mercy. God gives sinners warning of their danger, and space to repent, and prevent it. He is slow to punish, and long-suffering to us-ward, not willing that…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 12-13sword … bow … deadly weapons … arrows with fire: As the Divine Warrior, God attacks to defend himself and his people.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 12-1312-13. They are here distinctly pointed out, though by changing the person, a very common mode of speech, one is selected as a representative of wicked men generally. The military figures are of obvious meaning.Read the comment
Topics related to Psalms 7:12
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Psalms 7
- 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
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
Amplified Bible — © 2015 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, CA 90631
Commentaries