New Living Translation
Psalms 140:9
9Let my enemies be destroyed by the very evil they have planned for me.
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, the strong one who rescued me, you protected me on the day of battle. 8Lord, do not let evil people have their way. Do not let their evil schemes succeed, or they will become proud. Interlude Let my enemies be destroyed by the very evil they have planned for me. 10Let burning coals fall down on their heads. Let them be thrown into the fire or into watery pits from which they can’t escape. 11Don’t let liars prosper here in our land. Cause great disasters to fall on the violent.
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 7:16The trouble they make for others backfires on them. The violence they plan falls on their own heads.
- Psalms 64:8Their own tongues will ruin them, and all who see them will shake their heads in scorn.
- Psalms 94:23God will turn the sins of evil people back on them. He will destroy them for their sins. The Lord our God will destroy them.
- Esther 5:14So Haman’s wife, Zeresh, and all his friends suggested, “Set up a sharpened pole that stands seventy-five feet tall, and in the morning ask the king to impale Mordecai on it. When this is done, you can go on your merry way to the banquet with the king.” This pleased Haman, and he ordered the pole set up.
- Esther 7:10So they impaled Haman on the pole he had set up for Mordecai, and the king’s anger subsided.
- Proverbs 10:6The godly are showered with blessings; the words of the wicked conceal violent intentions.
- Proverbs 12:13The wicked are trapped by their own words, but the godly escape such trouble.
- Proverbs 18:7The mouths of fools are their ruin; they trap themselves with their lips.
- Matthew 27:25And all the people yelled back, “We will take responsibility for his death—we and 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
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