Psalms 140 Study Notes: A Prayer for Rescue From Violent Men
David asks the LORD to protect him from violent, slanderous enemies who set hidden traps for him. He confesses God as his protector in battle, prays that their own harm would fall back on them, and ends confident that God defends the poor and keeps the upright near Him.
General
What does David repeatedly ask for the wicked in 140:9-11?
Answer: That the trouble they caused would fall back on them
David asks God not to give wicked men what they crave or let their plans succeed (140:8). Then he prays that the trouble their own lips stirred up would cover them, that they would fall under burning coals and into deep pits, and that the slanderer and the violent man would not last (140:9-11). The pattern is justice in kind: their harm returns on their own heads. Another psalm describes the wicked falling into the pit they dug (Psalm 7:15-16) and God raining fiery coals on them (Psalm 11:6). David hands this judgment to God rather than acting himself, as Paul teaches believers to leave vengeance to God (Romans 12:19), while Jesus calls His followers to love and pray for enemies (Matthew 5:44). Christians have understood how these relate in different ways.
- Psalm 140:9-11 (BSB)“May the heads of those who surround me be covered in the trouble their lips have caused. May burning coals fall on them; may they be thrown into the fire, into the miry pits, never to rise again. May no slanderer be established in the land; may calamity hunt down the man of violence.”David asks that the trouble the wicked planned would come back on them.
- Psalm 7:15-16 (BSB)“He has dug a hole and hollowed it out; he has fallen into a pit of his own making. His trouble recoils on himself, and his violence falls on his own head.”The wicked man falls into the pit he dug, and his violence comes back on his own head.
- Psalm 11:6 (BSB)“On the wicked He will rain down fiery coals and sulfur; a scorching wind will be their portion.”God rains down fiery coals on the wicked.
- Romans 12:19 (BSB)“Do not avenge yourselves, beloved, but leave room for God’s wrath. For it is written: “Vengeance is Mine; I will repay, says the Lord.””Paul tells believers to leave vengeance to God, who will repay.
- Matthew 5:44 (BSB)“But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,”Jesus commands His followers to love their enemies and pray for their persecutors.
Theological
What do David's imprecations in 140:9-11 request for the wicked?
Answer: That the trouble they caused would fall back on them
After asking God to frustrate the cravings of the wicked (140:8), David prays that the mischief of their lips would overwhelm them, that fiery judgment and the pit would be their end, and that slanderer and violent man would not endure (140:9-11). The principle is retributive justice in kind, the same pattern found in Psalm 7:15-16 and Psalm 11:6. The prayer commits vengeance to God, consistent with Romans 12:19, and it stands alongside Christ's command to love and pray for enemies (Matthew 5:44); Christians have related the two in different ways.
- Psalm 140:9-11 (BSB)“May the heads of those who surround me be covered in the trouble their lips have caused. May burning coals fall on them; may they be thrown into the fire, into the miry pits, never to rise again. May no slanderer be established in the land; may calamity hunt down the man of violence.”David asks that the trouble the wicked planned would come back on them.
- Psalm 7:15-16 (BSB)“He has dug a hole and hollowed it out; he has fallen into a pit of his own making. His trouble recoils on himself, and his violence falls on his own head.”The wicked man falls into the pit he dug, and his violence comes back on his own head.
- Psalm 11:6 (BSB)“On the wicked He will rain down fiery coals and sulfur; a scorching wind will be their portion.”God rains down fiery coals on the wicked.
- Romans 12:19 (BSB)“Do not avenge yourselves, beloved, but leave room for God’s wrath. For it is written: “Vengeance is Mine; I will repay, says the Lord.””Paul tells believers to leave vengeance to God, who will repay.
- Matthew 5:44 (BSB)“But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,”Jesus commands His followers to love their enemies and pray for their persecutors.
General
What do the snare, net, and lures in 140:5 stand for?
Answer: The hidden schemes of proud men to trip him up
David asks God to guard him from wicked, violent men who plan to make him stumble (140:4). He pictures their plots as a hunter's traps: the proud have concealed a trap, spread a net, and set lures along his path (140:5). The images stand for secret schemes meant to bring him down. David uses the same picture in other prayers (Psalm 141:9; Psalm 142:3), and another psalm promises that God rescues His people from the fowler's snare (Psalm 91:3).
- Psalm 140:4-5 (BSB)“Guard me, O LORD, from the hands of the wicked. Keep me safe from men of violence who scheme to make me stumble. The proud hide a snare for me; the cords of their net are spread along the path, and lures are set out for me. Selah”David asks protection from men who have hidden traps, nets, and lures along his path.
- Psalm 141:9 (BSB)“Keep me from the snares they have laid for me, and from the lures of evildoers.”David prays to be kept from the traps and lures of evildoers.
- Psalm 142:3 (BSB)“Although my spirit grows faint within me, You know my way. Along the path I travel they have hidden a snare for me.”David says his enemies hid a snare along the path he travels.
- Psalm 91:3 (BSB)“Surely He will deliver you from the snare of the fowler, and from the deadly plague.”God rescues His people from the fowler's snare.
Theological
What do the hunting images of 140:5 represent?
Answer: The hidden schemes of proud men to trip him up
Following the plea for protection from the violent who plot his fall (140:4), David depicts their designs as concealed traps, nets, and lures set by the proud along his way (140:5). The metaphor signifies covert malice. The same figure recurs in David's prayers in Psalm 141:9 and 142:3, and God's deliverance from the fowler's snare is promised in Psalm 91:3.
- Psalm 140:4-5 (BSB)“Guard me, O LORD, from the hands of the wicked. Keep me safe from men of violence who scheme to make me stumble. The proud hide a snare for me; the cords of their net are spread along the path, and lures are set out for me. Selah”David asks protection from men who have hidden traps, nets, and lures along his path.
- Psalm 141:9 (BSB)“Keep me from the snares they have laid for me, and from the lures of evildoers.”David prays to be kept from the traps and lures of evildoers.
- Psalm 142:3 (BSB)“Although my spirit grows faint within me, You know my way. Along the path I travel they have hidden a snare for me.”David says his enemies hid a snare along the path he travels.
- Psalm 91:3 (BSB)“Surely He will deliver you from the snare of the fowler, and from the deadly plague.”God rescues His people from the fowler's snare.
General
True or False: Psalm 140 closes with David's confidence that the LORD defends the rights of the poor and needy.
Answer: True
This is true. After his petitions, David ends with certainty: he knows that the LORD maintains the rights of the poor and takes up the case of the needy (140:12). Those who do right will give thanks to God's name, and the upright will live in His presence (140:13). God promises elsewhere to arise for the oppressed and needy (Psalm 12:5) and to plead the case of the poor (Proverbs 22:22-23), and another psalm says that the LORD loves justice and that upright people will behold Him (Psalm 11:7).
- Psalm 140:12-13 (BSB)“I know that the LORD upholds justice for the poor and defends the cause of the needy. Surely the righteous will praise Your name; the upright will dwell in Your presence.”David closes with confidence that the LORD defends the poor and that the upright will live in His presence.
- Psalm 12:5 (BSB)““For the cause of the oppressed and for the groaning of the needy, I will now arise,” says the LORD. “I will bring safety to him who yearns.””The LORD promises to arise for the oppressed and needy.
- Proverbs 22:22-23 (BSB)“Do not rob a poor man because he is poor, and do not crush the afflicted at the gate, for the LORD will take up their case and will plunder those who rob them.”The LORD takes up the case of the poor and afflicted.
- Psalm 11:7 (BSB)“For the LORD is righteous; He loves justice. The upright will see His face.”The LORD loves justice, and the upright will see His face.
Theological
True or False: The closing verses of Psalm 140 express confidence that God maintains the right of the poor and needy.
Answer: True
This is true. The lament resolves into assurance: the LORD maintains the claim of the afflicted and the right of the needy (140:12), and the righteous will give thanks and dwell before Him (140:13). God's commitment to the oppressed is stated in Psalm 12:5 and Proverbs 22:22-23, and Psalm 11:7 promises the upright the vision of God's face.
- Psalm 140:12-13 (BSB)“I know that the LORD upholds justice for the poor and defends the cause of the needy. Surely the righteous will praise Your name; the upright will dwell in Your presence.”David closes with confidence that the LORD defends the poor and that the upright will live in His presence.
- Psalm 12:5 (BSB)““For the cause of the oppressed and for the groaning of the needy, I will now arise,” says the LORD. “I will bring safety to him who yearns.””The LORD promises to arise for the oppressed and needy.
- Proverbs 22:22-23 (BSB)“Do not rob a poor man because he is poor, and do not crush the afflicted at the gate, for the LORD will take up their case and will plunder those who rob them.”The LORD takes up the case of the poor and afflicted.
- Psalm 11:7 (BSB)“For the LORD is righteous; He loves justice. The upright will see His face.”The LORD loves justice, and the upright will see His face.
General
How does David describe the LORD in 140:6-7?
Answer: As his own God, who guards his head in battle
In the middle of the danger, David makes a personal confession: he tells the LORD that He is his God and asks Him to hear his cry (140:6). He calls the Lord the strong source of his salvation, who protects his head when battle comes (140:7). David makes the same confession of trust in Psalm 31:14 and calls God his shield and fortress in Psalm 18:2. Paul uses a similar picture when he tells believers to take salvation as their helmet (Ephesians 6:17).
- Psalm 140:6-7 (BSB)“I say to the LORD, “You are my God.” Hear, O LORD, my cry for help. O GOD the Lord, the strength of my salvation, You shield my head in the day of battle.”David confesses the LORD as his God, the strength of his salvation who shields his head in battle.
- Psalm 31:14 (BSB)“But I trust in You, O LORD; I say, “You are my God.””David makes the same confession of trust elsewhere: You are my God.
- Psalm 18:2 (BSB)“The LORD is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer. My God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.”David calls the LORD his rock, fortress, shield, and the horn of his salvation.
- Ephesians 6:17 (BSB)“And take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”Paul tells believers to take salvation as their helmet.
Theological
As what does David address the LORD in 140:6-7?
Answer: As his own God, who guards his head in battle
The turning point of the psalm is a covenantal confession that the LORD is his own God (140:6), followed by the address to the Lord as the strength of his salvation who covers his head in battle (140:7). The same confession appears in Psalm 31:14, and Psalm 18:2 multiplies such titles of protection. Paul's image of salvation as a helmet (Ephesians 6:17) draws on the same picture of God's saving protection.
- Psalm 140:6-7 (BSB)“I say to the LORD, “You are my God.” Hear, O LORD, my cry for help. O GOD the Lord, the strength of my salvation, You shield my head in the day of battle.”David confesses the LORD as his God, the strength of his salvation who shields his head in battle.
- Psalm 31:14 (BSB)“But I trust in You, O LORD; I say, “You are my God.””David makes the same confession of trust elsewhere: You are my God.
- Psalm 18:2 (BSB)“The LORD is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer. My God is my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.”David calls the LORD his rock, fortress, shield, and the horn of his salvation.
- Ephesians 6:17 (BSB)“And take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”Paul tells believers to take salvation as their helmet.
General
Which New Testament passage takes up the words of 140:3?
Answer: Romans 3, on all people being under sin
In 140:1-3 David asks to be rescued from evil, violent men who plan harm and stir up conflict. Their tongues are sharpened like a snake's, with viper's poison on their lips (140:3). Paul uses this very line in Romans 3:13 as part of a chain of Old Testament quotations showing that Jews and Gentiles alike are under sin, a chain that begins with the charge that no one is righteous (Romans 3:10). What David saw in his enemies, Paul shows to be true of all humanity apart from God's grace. James likewise says the untamed tongue is a deadly poison (James 3:8).
- Psalm 140:3 (BSB)“They sharpen their tongues like snakes; the venom of vipers is on their lips. Selah”David describes violent men whose words are like a snake's poison.
- Romans 3:13 (BSB)““Their throats are open graves; their tongues practice deceit.” “The venom of vipers is on their lips.””Paul quotes this line among the passages proving all people are under sin.
- Romans 3:10 (BSB)“As it is written: “There is no one righteous, not even one.”Paul's chain of quotations begins with the charge that no one is righteous.
- James 3:8 (BSB)“but no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.”James says the untamed tongue is full of deadly poison.
Theological
Where does the New Testament take up the imagery of 140:3?
Answer: Romans 3, on all people being under sin
David's enemies are violent schemers whose speech is venomous (140:1-3). Paul incorporates 140:3 into the catena of Romans 3:10-18, set beside Psalm 5:9, to establish universal human sinfulness: none is righteous (Romans 3:10), and the lips of fallen humanity carry viper's poison (Romans 3:13). The psalm's description of the wicked thus becomes Scripture's testimony to total depravity. James 3:8 adds that the tongue remains untamed and deadly.
- Psalm 140:3 (BSB)“They sharpen their tongues like snakes; the venom of vipers is on their lips. Selah”David describes violent men whose words are like a snake's poison.
- Romans 3:13 (BSB)““Their throats are open graves; their tongues practice deceit.” “The venom of vipers is on their lips.””Paul quotes this line among the passages proving all people are under sin.
- Romans 3:10 (BSB)“As it is written: “There is no one righteous, not even one.”Paul's chain of quotations begins with the charge that no one is righteous.
- James 3:8 (BSB)“but no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.”James says the untamed tongue is full of deadly poison.