Psalms 64:8

8 He will destroy them because of those words; all who see them will shake their heads.

Psalms 64:8 Meaning and Commentary

Psalms 64:8

So shall they make their own tongue to fall upon themselves,
&c.] The evil things they have wished for, threatened unto, and imprecated on others, shall come upon themselves; the curses they have cursed others with shall come upon themselves; the pit they have dug for others, they fall into. So Haman, to whom some apply the psalm, was hanged on the gallows he made for Mordecai; and the accusers of Daniel, to whom others apply it, were cast into the same den of lions they procured for him; and Babylon, who has been drunk with the blood of the saints, shall have blood given her to drink.

all that see them shall flee away;
not being able to help them, nor to bear the horrible sight, and fearing the same judgments should fall on themselves; see ( Numbers 16:34 ) ( Revelation 18:10 Revelation 18:15 ) . Or, "they shall move themselves" F4; shake their heads in a way of derision, as Jarchi interprets it; or skip for joy, as the word is rendered in ( Jeremiah 48:27 ) ; and then it must be understood of the righteous; who, seeing the vengeance on the wicked, rejoice, as in ( Psalms 52:6 ) ( 58:10 ) ; though, as they are afterwards particularly mentioned, others seem to be designed. The word is used for lamenting and bemoaning one's self, in ( Jeremiah 31:18 ) ; and so may be applied to the friends of the wicked lamenting and bemoaning their ruin, and their being bereaved of them, ( Revelation 18:9 Revelation 18:11 ) .


FOOTNOTES:

F4 (wrdwnty) "amovebunt se", Montanus; "commovebuntur", Vatablus.

Psalms 64:8 In-Context

6 They make evil plans and say, "We have planned a perfect crime." The human heart and mind are a mystery.
7 But God shoots his arrows at them, and suddenly they are wounded.
8 He will destroy them because of those words; all who see them will shake their heads.
9 They will all be afraid; they will think about what God has done and tell about his deeds.
10 All righteous people will rejoice because of what the Lord has done. They will find safety in him; all good people will praise him.

Footnotes 1

  • [a]. [Probable text] He will destroy them because of those words; [Hebrew] They will destroy him, those words are against them.
Scripture taken from the Good News Translation - Second Edition, Copyright 1992 by American Bible Society. Used by Permission.