Psalms — Chapter 140

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1For the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. Rescue me, O LORD, from evil men. Protect me from men of violence,

2who devise evil in their hearts and stir up war all day long.

3They sharpen their tongues like snakes; the venom of vipers is on their lips. Selah

4Guard me, O LORD, from the hands of the wicked. Keep me safe from men of violence who scheme to make me stumble.

5The proud hide a snare for me; the cords of their net are spread along the path, and lures are set out for me. Selah

6I say to the LORD, “You are my God.” Hear, O LORD, my cry for help.

7O GOD the Lord, the strength of my salvation, You shield my head in the day of battle.

8Grant not, O LORD, the desires of the wicked; do not promote their evil plans, lest they be exalted. Selah

9May the heads of those who surround me be covered in the trouble their lips have caused.

10May burning coals fall on them; may they be thrown into the fire, into the miry pits, never to rise again.

11May no slanderer be established in the land; may calamity hunt down the man of violence.

12I know that the LORD upholds justice for the poor and defends the cause of the needy.

13Surely the righteous will praise Your name; the upright will dwell in Your presence.

1Deliver me, O LORD, from the evil man: preserve me from the violent man;

2Which imagine mischiefs in their heart; continually are they gathered together for war.

3They have sharpened their tongues like a serpent; adders’ poison is under their lips. Selah.

4Keep me, O LORD, from the hands of the wicked; preserve me from the violent man; who have purposed to overthrow my goings.

5The proud have hid a snare for me, and cords; they have spread a net by the wayside; they have set gins for me. Selah.

6I said unto the LORD, Thou art my God: hear the voice of my supplications, O LORD.

7O GOD the Lord, the strength of my salvation, thou hast covered my head in the day of battle.

8Grant not, O LORD, the desires of the wicked: further not his wicked device; lest they exalt themselves. Selah.

9As for the head of those that compass me about, let the mischief of their own lips cover them.

10Let burning coals fall upon them: let them be cast into the fire; into deep pits, that they rise not up again.

11Let not an evil speaker be established in the earth: evil shall hunt the violent man to overthrow him.

12I know that the LORD will maintain the cause of the afflicted, and the right of the poor.

13Surely the righteous shall give thanks unto thy name: the upright shall dwell in thy presence.

1Deliver me, O Jehovah, from the evil man; Preserve me from the violent man:

2Who devise mischiefs in their heart; Continually do they gather themselves together for war.

3They have sharpened their tongue like a serpent; Adders` poison is under their lips. Selah

4Keep me, O Jehovah, from the hands of the wicked; Preserve me from the violent man: Who have purposed to thrust aside my steps.

5The proud have hid a snare for me, and cords; They have spread a net by the wayside; They have set gins for me. Selah

6I said unto Jehovah, Thou art my God: Give ear unto the voice of my supplications, O Jehovah.

7O Jehovah the Lord, the strength of my salvation, Thou hast covered my head in the day of battle.

8Grant not, O Jehovah, the desires of the wicked; Further not his evil device, [lest] they exalt themselves. Selah

9As for the head of those that compass me about, Let the mischief of their own lips cover them.

10Let burning coals fall upon them: Let them be cast into the fire, Into deep pits, whence they shall not rise.

11An evil speaker shall not be established in the earth: Evil shall hunt the violent man to overthrow him.

12I know that Jehovah will maintain the cause of the afflicted, And justice for the needy.

13Surely the righteous shall give thanks unto thy name: The upright shall dwell in thy presence. Psalm 141 A Psalm of David.

1For the music director, a psalm of David. O Lord, rescue me from wicked men. Protect me from violent men,

2who plan ways to harm me. All day long they stir up conflict.

3Their tongues wound like a serpent; a viper’s venom is behind their lips. (Selah)

4O Lord, shelter me from the power of the wicked. Protect me from violent men, who plan to knock me over.

5Proud men hide a snare for me; evil men spread a net by the path. They set traps for me. (Selah)

6I say to the Lord, “You are my God.” O Lord, pay attention to my plea for mercy.

7O Sovereign Lord, my strong deliverer, you shield my head in the day of battle.

8O Lord, do not let the wicked have their way. Do not allow their plan to succeed when they attack. (Selah)

9As for the heads of those who surround me— may the harm done by their lips overwhelm them.

10May he rain down fiery coals upon them. May he throw them into the fire. From bottomless pits they will not escape.

11A slanderer will not endure on the earth; calamity will hunt down a violent man and strike him down.

12I know that the Lord defends the cause of the oppressed and vindicates the poor.

13Certainly the godly will give thanks to your name; the morally upright will live in your presence.

1Deliver me, Yahweh, from the evil man. Preserve me from the violent man;

2those who devise mischief in their hearts. They continually gather themselves together for war.

3They have sharpened their tongues like a serpent. Viper’s poison is under their lips. Selah.

4Yahweh, keep me from the hands of the wicked. Preserve me from the violent men who have determined to trip my feet.

5The proud have hidden a snare for me, they have spread the cords of a net by the path. They have set traps for me. Selah.

6I said to Yahweh, “You are my God.” Listen to the cry of my petitions, Yahweh.

7Yahweh, the Lord, the strength of my salvation, you have covered my head in the day of battle.

8Yahweh, don’t grant the desires of the wicked. Don’t let their evil plans succeed, or they will become proud. Selah.

9As for the head of those who surround me, let the mischief of their own lips cover them.

10Let burning coals fall on them. Let them be thrown into the fire, into miry pits, from where they never rise.

11An evil speaker won’t be established in the earth. Evil will hunt the violent man to overthrow him.

12I know that Yahweh will maintain the cause of the afflicted, and justice for the needy.

13Surely the righteous will give thanks to your name. The upright will dwell in your presence.

Summary
Authorship & Background
Commentary
Videos
Articles
Reflection

Summary

David prays for deliverance from violent men who plot evil and gather for war, their tongues sharp as serpents with poison on their lips (vv. 1-3). He asks the LORD to guard him from the wicked who have hidden snares and nets for his steps (vv. 4-5), affirming his trust in God as his strength and shield in battle (vv. 6-8). He prays that the trouble his enemies planned would fall back on their own heads, like burning coals or a pit they dug themselves (vv. 9-11), closing with confidence that the LORD upholds the cause of the afflicted and that the righteous will give thanks in his presence (vv. 12-13).

Authorship & Background

Author: Multiple authors — primarily David (73 psalms attributed), plus Asaph (12), Sons of Korah (11), Solomon (2), Moses (1), Heman (1), Ethan (1), and anonymous. The Psalter was compiled over approximately 1000 years and served as Israel's hymnal and prayer book. The book is divided into five 'books' (1-41, 42-72, 73-89, 90-106, 107-150), paralleling the five books of Moses.
Classification: Individual Lament / Imprecatory Psalm
Attributed Author: David (superscription: "To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David")
Key Themes: Protection from violent and deceitful enemies, the tongue as a weapon, God as defender of the afflicted, imprecation against the wicked, confidence in God's justice
Historical Context: Psalm 140 begins a cluster of five Davidic laments (140-144) that share common themes: enemies, danger, prayer for protection, and confidence in God's deliverance. These may reflect David's years fleeing Saul or later court intrigues. The enemies here are specifically verbal: tongues sharp as serpents, lips hiding adder's poison (v.3). The psalm moves from desperate plea through imprecation to confident declaration that God will maintain the cause of the afflicted.
Adders' Poison Is Under Their Lips (vv.1-3): Deliver me, O LORD, from the evil man: preserve me from the violent man. The danger is described first as intention, which imagine mischiefs in their heart, and then as speech, they have sharpened their tongues like a serpent; adders' poison is under their lips. Paul quotes that last clause in Romans 3:13 as part of his case that everyone is implicated, which turns a psalm about other people into a psalm about the reader.
They Have Set Gins for Me (vv.4-5): Keep me, O LORD, from the hands of the wicked; preserve me from the violent man. The request is repeated from verse 1, and what is added is the method of the attack: a snare, cords, a net by the wayside, and gins, which is an old English word for a spring trap. Every image is of something hidden on a path, so the psalm is about walking somewhere and not about being besieged.
Thou Hast Covered My Head in the Day of Battle (vv.6-7): I said unto the LORD, Thou art my God: hear the voice of my supplications. The psalm stops describing the enemy and states a relation, which is the turn. O GOD the Lord, the strength of my salvation, thou hast covered my head in the day of battle. The evidence offered is past protection in the one place a head most needs it, and it is offered as ground for expecting more.
Let the Mischief of Their Own Lips Cover Them (vv.8-11): Grant not, O LORD, the desires of the wicked: further not his wicked device. The first request is that a prayer be refused, and the reason given is not the speaker's safety, lest they exalt themselves. Then the imprecation, and it is the mirror kind, let the mischief of their own lips cover them, so the poison of verse 3 is asked to return to its source. Let burning coals fall upon them: let them be cast into the fire; into deep pits, that they rise not up again. The severity is real, and the one restraint in it is that every clause asks God to do it.
The Cause of the Afflicted (vv.12-13): I know that the LORD will maintain the cause of the afflicted, and the right of the poor. The psalm ends by widening from its own case to a class of people, and what it claims is a legal habit rather than a rescue. Surely the righteous shall give thanks unto thy name: the upright shall dwell in thy presence. Dwelling is the reward named, which after five verses of traps is a promise about staying still.

Commentary

  • Enduring Word (David Guzik): enduringword.com Verse-by-verse commentary on this chapter, written for the everyday reader and freely available online.
  • Jamieson-Fausset-Brown (1871): blueletterbible.org A critical and explanatory commentary on the whole Bible, more concise than Matthew Henry and closer to the Hebrew and Greek, with attention to historical and geographical detail. Public domain.
  • Matthew Henry's Exposition (1710): blueletterbible.org A devotional verse-by-verse commentary in the Puritan tradition, still among the most widely read three centuries on. Public domain.

Videos

Psalm 140 - The Cry and Confidence of a Slandered Soul
David Guzik

Psalm 140 | Crushing the Serpent's Lies | Bible Study
Spoken Gospel

Articles

  • GotQuestions.org: gotquestions.org On the whole book: an overview of Psalms -- who wrote it, when, why, and how it fits the rest of Scripture.

Links open on the publisher's own site. Nothing here is reproduced on this page.

Reflection

  • Naming the Danger of Words (vv.1-3) — David asks for deliverance from violent men whose tongues are sharp as serpents and whose lips hide poison. Do you take the damage of gossip, slander, or cutting words as seriously as physical harm, both when you receive it and when you're tempted to give it?
  • Asking God to Guard Against Hidden Traps (vv.4-5) — David prays specifically against snares and hidden nets set by proud men trying to trip him up. What hidden trap — a temptation, a manipulative relationship, a recurring sin — are you asking God to protect your steps from?
  • God as Shelter in the Day of Battle (v.7) — David calls God the strength of his salvation who covers his head in the day of battle. In your current conflict, are you looking to God to cover your most vulnerable point, or trying to armor yourself alone?
  • Trusting God to Uphold the Afflicted (vv.12-13) — The psalm ends in confidence that the Lord will maintain the cause of the afflicted and the needy. When you feel powerless against injustice, do you actually trust that God is your advocate, or does it feel like you're on your own?