Tree of Life Version
Psalms 140:9
9Grant not, Adonai, the desires of the wicked. Do not let their evil plan succeed, or they will exalt themselves. Selah
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
7I said to Adonai: “You are my God!” Hear, Adonai, the sound of my supplications. 8God my Lord, the strength of my deliverance, You shield my head in the day of battle. Grant not, Adonai, the desires of the wicked. Do not let their evil plan succeed, or they will exalt themselves. Selah 10As for the head of those surrounding me, may the mischief of their lips overwhelm them. 11Let burning coals fall upon them. May they be cast into the fire, into deep pits, never to rise again.
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 digs a pit, scrapes it out, and then falls into the hole he has made.
- Psalms 64:8But God will shoot them with an arrow— suddenly their wounds will appear.
- Psalms 94:23He will repay them for their wickedness, and will annihilate them in their evil. Adonai our God will annihilate them.
- Esther 5:14Then Zeresh his wife and all his friends said to him, “Let them set up a gallows 50 cubits high, and in the morning ask the king to have Mordecai hanged on it. Then go happily with the king to the banquet.” This idea delighted Haman and he ordered the gallows to be built.
- Esther 7:10So they hanged Haman on the gallows that he had prepared for Mordecai. Then the king’s rage subsided.
- Proverbs 10:6Blessings are on the head of the righteous, but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.
- Proverbs 12:13An evil one is ensnared by the sin of lips, but the righteous one escapes trouble.
- Proverbs 18:7A fool’s mouth is his ruin, and his lips are a snare to his soul.
- Matthew 27:25All the people answered and said, “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
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