Psalms 140:9

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.
• 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;
• New Living Translation (NLT)Let my enemies be destroyed by the very evil they have planned for me.

Context of Psalms 140:9

7Sovereign Lord, my strong deliverer, you shield my head in the day of battle. 8Do not grant the wicked their desires, Lord; do not let their plans succeed. Those who surround me proudly rear their heads; may the mischief of their lips engulf them. 10May burning coals fall on them; may they be thrown into the fire, into miry pits, never to rise. 11May slanderers not be established in the land; may disaster hunt down the violent.

Psalms 140:9 word by word

רֹ֥אשׁ מְסִבָּ֑י עֲמַ֖ל שְׂפָתֵ֣ימוֹ יְכַסֵּֽמוֹ׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• the headרֹאשׁrô'sh · headH7218
• of those that compass me aboutמֵסַבmêsab mesibbîym mesibbôth · surroundsH4524
• let the mischiefעָמָל‛âmâl · troubleH5999
• of their own lipsשָׂפָהώâphâh ώepheth · lipsH8193
• coverכָּסָהkâsâh · to coverH3680

Cross-references for Psalms 140:9

• Psalms 7:16The trouble they cause recoils on them; their violence comes down on their own heads.
• Psalms 64:8He will turn their own tongues against them and bring them to ruin; all who see them will shake their heads in scorn.
• Psalms 94:23He will repay them for their sins and destroy them for their wickedness; the Lord our God will destroy them.
• Esther 5:14His wife Zeresh and all his friends said to him, “Have a pole set up, reaching to a height of fifty cubits, and ask the king in the morning to have Mordecai impaled on it. Then go with the king to the banquet and enjoy yourself.” This suggestion delighted Haman, and he had the pole set up.
• Esther 7:10So they impaled Haman on the pole he had set up for Mordecai. Then the king’s fury subsided.
• Proverbs 10:6Blessings crown the head of the righteous, but violence overwhelms the mouth of the wicked.
• Proverbs 12:13Evildoers are trapped by their sinful talk, and so the innocent escape trouble.
• Proverbs 18:7The mouths of fools are their undoing, and their lips are a snare to their very lives.
• Matthew 27:25All the people answered, “His blood is 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

• Afflictions and Adversities
• Prayer

In the dictionaries

• Hunt
• Manasseh
• Preserve
• Papyrus
• Poison
• Psalms, Book of

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