New English Translation
Psalms 140:9
9As for the heads of those who surround me – may the harm done by their lips overwhelm 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 sovereign Lord, my strong deliverer, you shield my head in the day of battle. 8O Lord, do not let the wicked have their way! Do not allow their plan to succeed when they attack! (Selah) As for the heads of those who surround me – may the harm done by their lips overwhelm them! 10May he rain down fiery coals upon them! May he throw them into the fire! From bottomless pits they will not escape. 11A slanderer will not endure on the earth; calamity will hunt down a violent man and strike him down.
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 7:16He becomes the victim of his own destructive plans and the violence he intended for others falls on his own head.
- Psalms 64:8Their slander will bring about their demise. All who see them will shudder,
- Psalms 94:23He will pay them back for their sin. He will destroy them because of their evil; the Lord our God will destroy them.
- Esther 5:14Haman’s wife Zeresh and all his friends said to him, “Have a gallows seventy-five feet high built, and in the morning tell the king that Mordecai should be hanged on it. Then go with the king to the banquet contented.” It seemed like a good idea to Haman, so he had the gallows built.
- Esther 7:10So they hanged Haman on the very gallows that he had prepared for Mordecai. The king’s rage then abated.
- Proverbs 10:6Blessings are on the head of the righteous, but the speech of the wicked conceals violence.
- Proverbs 12:13The evil person is ensnared by the transgression of his speech, but the righteous person escapes out of trouble.
- Proverbs 18:7The mouth of a fool is his ruin, and his lips are a snare for his life.
- Matthew 27:25In reply all the people said, “Let 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
New English Translation — © 1996-2016 Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C.
Commentaries