Psalms 140

Prayer for Protection against the Wicked.

1 ¹Rescue me, O LORD, from evil men; Preserve me from ²violent men

2 Who ³devise evil things in their hearts; They ⁴continually * stir up wars.

3 They ⁵sharpen their tongues as a serpent; ⁶Poison of a viper is under their lips. Selah.

4 ⁷Keep me, O LORD, from the hands of the wicked; ⁸Preserve me from violent men Who have purposed to ⁹trip up my feet.

5 The proud have ¹⁰hidden a trap for me, and cords; They have spread a ¹¹net by the wayside; They have set ¹²snares for me. Selah.

6 I ¹³said to the LORD, "You are my God; ¹⁴Give ear, O LORD, to the ¹⁵voice of my supplications.

7 "O GOD the Lord, ¹⁶the strength of my salvation, You have ¹⁷covered my head in the day of battle.

8 "Do not grant, O LORD, the ¹⁸desires of the wicked; Do not promote ¹⁹his evil device, that they not be exalted. Selah.

9 "As for the head of those who surround me, May the ²⁰mischief of their lips cover them.

10 "May ²¹burning coals fall upon them; May they be ²²cast into the fire, Into deep pits from which they ²³cannot rise.

11 "May a slanderer * not be established in the earth; ²⁴May evil hunt the violent man speedily."

12 I know that the LORD will ²⁵maintain the cause of the afflicted And ²⁶justice for the poor.

13 Surely the ²⁷righteous will give thanks to Your name; The ²⁸upright will dwell in Your presence.

Psalms 140 Commentary

Chapter 140

David encourages himself in God. (1-7) He prays for, and prophesies the destruction of, his persecutors. (8-13)

Verses 1-7 The more danger appears, the more earnest we should be in prayer to God. All are safe whom the Lord protects. If he be for us, who can be against us? We should especially watch and pray, that the Lord would hold up our goings in his ways, that our footsteps slip not. God is as able to keep his people from secret fraud as from open force; and the experience we have had of his power and care, in dangers of one kind, may encourage us to depend upon him in other dangers.

Verses 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 who, though evil spoken of and ill-used by men, are righteous in the sight of God, being justified by the righteousness of Christ, which is imputed to them, and received by faith, as the effect of which, they live soberly and righteously; these give thanks to the Lord, for the righteousness whereby they are made righteous, and for every blessing of grace, and mercy of life.

Cross References

• 1. Psalms 17:13; Psalms 59:2; Psalms 71:4
• 2. Psalms 18:48; Psalms 86:14; Psalms 140:11
• 3. Psalms 7:14; Psalms 36:4; Psalms 52:2; Proverbs 6:14; Isaiah 59:4; Hosea 7:15
• 4. Psalms 56:6
• 5. Psalms 57:4; Psalms 64:3
• 6. Psalms 58:4; Romans 3:13; James 3:8
• 7. Psalms 71:4
• 8. Psalms 140:1
• 9. Psalms 36:11
• 10. Job 18:9; Psalms 35:7; Psalms 141:9; Psalms 142:3
• 11. Psalms 31:4; Psalms 57:6; Lamentations 1:13
• 12. Psalms 141:9; Isaiah 8:14; Amos 3:5
• 13. Psalms 16:2; Psalms 31:14
• 14. Psalms 143:1
• 15. Psalms 116:1; Psalms 130:2
• 16. Psalms 28:8; Psalms 118:14
• 17. Psalms 144:10
• 18. Psalms 112:10
• 19. Esther 9:25; Psalms 10:2, 3
• 20. Psalms 7:16; Proverbs 18:7
• 21. Psalms 11:6
• 22. Psalms 21:9; Matthew 3:10
• 23. Psalms 36:12
• 24. Psalms 34:21
• 25. 1 Kings 8:45, 49; Psalms 9:4; Psalms 18:27; Psalms 82:3
• 26. Psalms 12:5; Psalms 35:10
• 27. Psalms 97:12
• 28. Psalms 11:7; Psalms 16:11; Psalms 17:15

Footnotes

• [a]. "Selah" may mean: "Pause, Crescendo" or "Musical interlude"
• [b]. Or "devised"
• [c]. Lit "push violently"
• [d]. Lit "track"
• [e]. Heb "YHWH," usually rendered LORD
• [f]. Lit "weapons"
• [g]. Lit "watery"
• [h]. Lit "man of tongue"
• [i]. Lit "thrust upon thrust"

Chapter Summary

To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David. This psalm, A ben Ezra says, was composed by David before he was king; and Kimchi says, it is concerning Doeg and the Ziphites, who calumniated him to Saul; and, according to our English contents, it is a prayer of David to be delivered from Saul and Doeg. The Syriac inscription is, "said by David, when Saul threw a javelin at him to kill him, but it struck the wall; but, spiritually, the words of him that cleaves to God, and contends with his enemies." R. Obadiah says, it was made at the persecution of David by Saul, which was before the kingdom of David; as the persecution (of Gog) is before the coming of the Messiah. It is indeed before his spiritual coming, but not before his coming in the flesh; and David may be very well considered in the psalm as a type of Christ, for he was particularly so in his sufferings, as well as in other things.