God’s Word Translation
Psalms 120:4
4He will give you a warrior’s sharpened arrows and red-hot coals.
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
2O Lord, rescue me from lying lips and from a deceitful tongue. 3You deceitful tongue, what can the Lord give you? What more can he do for you? He will give you a warrior’s sharpened arrows and red-hot coals. 5How horrible it is to live as a foreigner in Meshech or to stay in the tents of Kedar. 6I have lived too long 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 soul is surrounded by lions. I must lie down with man-eating lions. Their teeth are spears and arrows. Their tongues are sharp swords.
- Psalms 59:7See what pours out of their mouths— swords from their lips! ⌞They think,⌟ “Who will hear us?”
- Proverbs 11:9With his talk a godless person can ruin his neighbor, but righteous people are rescued by knowledge.
- Proverbs 16:27A worthless person plots trouble, and his speech is like a burning fire.
- Proverbs 18:8The words of a gossip are swallowed greedily, and they go down into a person’s innermost being.
- James 3:5In the same way the tongue is a small part of the body, but it can brag about doing important things. A large forest can be set on fire by a little flame.
- Psalms 7:13He prepares his deadly weapons and turns them into flaming arrows.
- Psalms 52:5But God will ruin you forever. He will grab you and drag you out of your tent. He will pull your roots out of this world of the living. Selah
- Psalms 140:9Let the heads of those who surround me be covered with their own threats.
- Deuteronomy 32:23I will bring one disaster after another on them. I will use up all my arrows on them.
- Proverbs 12:22Lips that lie are disgusting to the Lord, but honest people are his delight.
- Proverbs 19:5A lying witness will not go unpunished. One who tells lies will not escape.
- Revelation 21:8But cowardly, unfaithful, and detestable people, murderers, sexual sinners, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars will find themselves in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This 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
God’s Word Translation — © 1995 God’s Word to the Nations Bible Society
Commentaries