Psalms 41:6

Psalms 41:6 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And if he come to see me, he speaketh vanity: his heart gathereth iniquity to itself; when he goeth abroad, he telleth it.
• New International Version (NIV)When one of them comes to see me, he speaks falsely, while his heart gathers slander; then he goes out and spreads it around.
• English Standard Version (ESV)And when one comes to see me, he utters empty words, while his heart gathers iniquity; when he goes out, he tells it abroad.
• New King James Version (NKJV)And if he comes to see me, he speaks lies; His heart gathers iniquity to itself; When he goes out, he tells it.

Context of Psalms 41:6

4“O Lord,” I prayed, “have mercy on me. Heal me, for I have sinned against you.” 5But my enemies say nothing but evil about me. “How soon will he die and be forgotten?” they ask. They visit me as if they were my friends, but all the while they gather gossip, and when they leave, they spread it everywhere. 7All who hate me whisper about me, imagining the worst. 8“He has some fatal disease,” they say. “He will never get out of that bed!”

Psalms 41:6 word by word

וְאִם־בָּ֤א לִרְא֨וֹת׀ שָׁ֤וְא יְדַבֵּ֗ר לִבּ֗וֹ יִקְבָּץ־אָ֥וֶן ל֑וֹ יֵצֵ֖א לַח֣וּץ יְדַבֵּֽר׃Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• And if he comeבּוֹאbô' · to come (in): comeH935
• to seeרָאָהrâ'âh · to see: seeH7200
• he speakethדָבַרdâbar · to speak: speakH1696
• vanityשָׁוְאshâv' shav · vanity: falseH7723
• his heartלֵבlêb · heartH3820
• gatherethקָבַץqâbats · to gatherH6908
• iniquityאָ֫וֶן'âven · evil: wickednessH205
• he goethיָצָאyâtsâ' · to come out: comeH3318
• abroadחוּץchûts chûts · outsideH2351

Cross-references for Psalms 41:6

• Psalms 12:2Neighbors lie to each other, speaking with flattering lips and deceitful hearts.
• Nehemiah 6:1Sanballat, Tobiah, Geshem the Arab, and the rest of our enemies found out that I had finished rebuilding the wall and that no gaps remained—though we had not yet set up the doors in the gates.
• Proverbs 26:24People may cover their hatred with pleasant words, but they’re deceiving you.
• Daniel 11:27Seeking nothing but each other’s harm, these kings will plot against each other at the conference table, attempting to deceive each other. But it will make no difference, for the end will come at the appointed time.
• Micah 7:5Don’t trust anyone— not your best friend or even your wife!
• Luke 11:53As Jesus was leaving, the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees became hostile and tried to provoke him with many questions.
• Luke 20:20Watching for their opportunity, the leaders sent spies pretending to be honest men. They tried to get Jesus to say something that could be reported to the Roman governor so he would arrest Jesus.
• 2 Corinthians 11:26I have traveled on many long journeys. I have faced danger from rivers and from robbers. I have faced danger from my own people, the Jews, as well as from the Gentiles. I have faced danger in the cities, in the deserts, and on the seas. And I have faced danger from men who claim to be believers but are not.
• Jeremiah 20:10I have heard the many rumors about me. They call me “The Man Who Lives in Terror.” They threaten, “If you say anything, we will report it.” Even my old friends are watching me, waiting for a fatal slip. “He will trap himself,” they say, “and then we will get our revenge on him.”

Commentaries on Psalms 41:6

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 6And if he come to see me - This may relate to Ahithophel; but it is more likely that it was to some other person who was his secret enemy, who pretended to come and inquire after his health, but with the secret design to see whether death was despatching his work. When he goeth abroad, he telleth it - He makes several observations on my dying state; intimates that I am suffering deep remorse for secret crimes; that God is showing his displeasure against…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 6And if he come to see me - If he condescends to visit me in my sickness. The word me is not in the original; and perhaps the idea is not that he came to see the sufferer, but that he came to see “for himself,” though under pretence of paying a visit of kindness. His real motive was to make observation, that he might find something in the expressions or manner of the sufferer that would enable him to make a report unfavorable to him, and to confirm him in…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 5-13Verses 5-13 We complain, and justly, of the want of sincerity, and that there is scarcely any true friendship to be found among men; but the former days were no better. One particularly, in whom David had reposed great confidence, took part with his enemies. And let us not think it strange, if we receive evil from those we suppose to be friends. Have not we ourselves thus broken our words toward God? We eat of his bread daily, yet lift up the heel against…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 5-9The psalmist’s enemies disguise themselves as friends, while his friends openly become his enemies.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 5-65-6. A graphic picture of the conduct of a malignant enemy.Read the comment

Topics related to Psalms 41:6

• Accusation, False
• Malice
• Sick, the
• Slander
• Speaking
• Vanity

In the dictionaries

• Consider
• Whisper
• Pentateuch
• Psalms, Book of
• Vanity, Vanities
• mercy, merciful

Commentaries on Psalms 41

• 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