Psalms 7:15
Psalms 7:15 in Multiple Translations
He has dug a hole and hollowed it out; he has fallen into a pit of his own making.
He made a pit, and digged it, and is fallen into the ditch which he made.
He hath made a pit, and digged it, And is fallen into the ditch which he made.
He has made a hole deep in the earth, and is falling into the hole which he has made
They dig a deep hole to catch people, but then fall into it themselves.
Hee hath made a pitte and digged it, and is fallen into the pit that he made.
A pit he hath prepared, and he diggeth it, And he falleth into a ditch he maketh.
He has dug a hole, and has fallen into the pit which he made.
He made a pit, and digged it, and hath fallen into the ditch which he made.
Behold he hath been in labour with injustice; he hath conceived sorrow, and brought forth iniquity.
But when they dig a deep pit to trap others, they themselves will fall into it.
Berean Amplified Bible — Psalms 7:15
BAB
Word Study
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Amplified text is generated using scripting to tie together English translations for comparison. Always refer to the core BSB translation and original Hebrew/Greek text for accuracy. Anomalies may occur.
Psalms 7:15 Interlinear (Deep Study)
BIB
HEB
הִנֵּ֥ה
יְחַבֶּל
אָ֑וֶן
וְ/הָרָ֥ה
עָ֝מָ֗ל
וְ/יָ֣לַד
שָֽׁקֶר
הִנֵּ֥ה
hinnêh
H2009
behold
Part
יְחַבֶּל
châbal
H2254
to pledge
V-Piel-Imperf-3ms
אָ֑וֶן
ʼâven
H205
evil
N-ms
וְ/הָרָ֥ה
hârâh
H2029
to conceive
Conj | V-Qal-3ms
עָ֝מָ֗ל
ʻâmâl
H5999
trouble
N-cs
וְ/יָ֣לַד
yâlad
H3205
to beget
Conj | V-Qal-3ms
שָֽׁקֶר
sheqer
H8267
deception
N-ms
Hebrew Word Study
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Hebrew Word Reference — Psalms 7:15
הִנֵּ֥ה
hinnêh
H2009
"behold"
Part
This Hebrew word is an expression that means 'behold' or 'look', often used to draw attention to something. It appears in Genesis and Isaiah, and is translated as 'behold' or 'lo' in the KJV.
Definition: behold, lo, see, if
Usage: Occurs in 799 OT verses. KJV: behold, lo, see. See also: Genesis 1:29; Genesis 42:35; Deuteronomy 19:18.
יְחַבֶּל
châbal
H2254
"to pledge"
V-Piel-Imperf-3ms
This verb means to be in labor or to twist in pain, like a woman giving birth. It can also mean to corrupt or destroy something. In the KJV, it is translated in various ways, including 'travail' or 'corrupt'.
Definition: 1) to bind 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to bind 2) to take a pledge, lay to pledge 2a) (Qal) to hold by a pledge, take in pledge, hold in pledge 2b) (Niphal) to give a pledge, become pledged
Usage: Occurs in 23 OT verses. KJV: [idiom] at all, band, bring forth, (deal) corrupt(-ly), destroy, offend, lay to (take a) pledge, spoil, travail, [idiom] very, withhold. See also: Exodus 22:25; Proverbs 20:16; Psalms 7:15.
אָ֑וֶן
ʼâven
H205
"evil"
N-ms
This word refers to evil, wickedness, or trouble, often describing idolatry or iniquity, and is used in various KJV translations to convey a sense of wrongdoing.
Definition: 1) trouble, wickedness, sorrow 1a) trouble, sorrow 1b) idolatry 1c) trouble of iniquity, wickedness Also means: a.ven (אָ֫וֶן ": trouble" H0205H)
Usage: Occurs in 79 OT verses. KJV: affliction, evil, false, idol, iniquity, mischief, mourners(-ing), naught, sorrow, unjust, unrighteous, vain, vanity, wicked(-ness). Compare H369 (אַיִן). See also: Numbers 23:21; Psalms 94:23; Psalms 5:6.
וְ/הָרָ֥ה
hârâh
H2029
"to conceive"
Conj | V-Qal-3ms
To conceive or become pregnant, as seen in the story of Sarah and Abraham in Genesis 17, where Sarah conceives Isaac in her old age. This word is used to describe the miracle of birth and new life.
Definition: 1) to conceive, become pregnant, bear, be with child, be conceived, progenitor 1a)(Qal) to conceive, become pregnant 1b) (Pual) to be conceived 1c) (Poel) to conceive, contrive, devise
Usage: Occurs in 42 OT verses. KJV: been, be with child, conceive, progenitor. See also: Genesis 4:1; Numbers 11:12; Psalms 7:15.
עָ֝מָ֗ל
ʻâmâl
H5999
"trouble"
N-cs
This word refers to trouble or hard work that causes worry or pain, whether physical or mental, like the struggles of the Israelites in the book of Exodus.
Definition: 1) toil, trouble, labour 1a) trouble 1b) trouble, mischief 1c) toil, labour
Usage: Occurs in 54 OT verses. KJV: grievance(-vousness), iniquity, labour, mischief, miserable(-sery), pain(-ful), perverseness, sorrow, toil, travail, trouble, wearisome, wickedness. See also: Genesis 41:51; Ecclesiastes 1:3; Psalms 7:15.
וְ/יָ֣לַד
yâlad
H3205
"to beget"
Conj | V-Qal-3ms
In the Bible, this Hebrew word means to give birth or beget a child, like when Eve gave birth to Cain in Genesis 4:1. It can also mean to help someone give birth, like a midwife. This word is used in many KJV translations, including Genesis and Isaiah.
Definition: 1) to bear, bringforth, beget, gender, travail 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to bear, bring forth 1a1a) of child birth 1a1b) of distress (simile) 1a1c) of wicked (behaviour) 1a2) to beget 1b) (Niphal) to be born 1c) (Piel) 1c1) to cause or help to bring forth 1c2) to assist or tend as a midwife 1c3) midwife (participle) 1d) (Pual) to be born 1e) (Hiphil) 1e1) to beget (a child) 1e2) to bear (fig. -of wicked bringing forth iniquity) 1f) (Hophal) day of birth, birthday (infinitive) 1g) (Hithpael) to declare one's birth (pedigree)
Usage: Occurs in 403 OT verses. KJV: bear, beget, birth(-day), born, (make to) bring forth (children, young), bring up, calve, child, come, be delivered (of a child), time of delivery, gender, hatch, labour, (do the office of a) midwife, declare pedigrees, be the son of, (woman in, woman that) travail(-eth, -ing woman). See also: Genesis 3:16; Genesis 30:19; 2 Samuel 21:22.
שָֽׁקֶר
sheqer
H8267
"deception"
N-ms
This word refers to deception or falsehood, often implying a sense of betrayal or disappointment. It's used in the Bible to describe lies, false testimony, or deceitful behavior, like in Psalm 116:11, where the psalmist says all men are liars.
Definition: 1) lie, deception, disappointment, falsehood 1a) deception (what deceives or disappoints or betrays one) 1b) deceit, fraud, wrong 1b1) fraudulently, wrongfully (as adverb) 1c) falsehood (injurious in testimony) 1c1) testify falsehood, false oath, swear falsely 1d) falsity (of false or self-deceived prophets) 1e) lie, falsehood (in general) 1e1) false tongue 1f) in vain
Usage: Occurs in 109 OT verses. KJV: without a cause, deceit(-ful), false(-hood, -ly), feignedly, liar, [phrase] lie, lying, vain (thing), wrongfully. See also: Exodus 5:9; Proverbs 25:18; Psalms 7:15.
Study Notes — Psalms 7:15
Show Verse Quote Highlights
- Context
- Cross References
- Psalms 7:15 Summary
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Reflection Questions
- Gill's Exposition on Psalms 7:15
- Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Psalms 7:15
- Matthew Poole's Commentary on Psalms 7:15
- Trapp's Commentary on Psalms 7:15
- Ellicott's Commentary on Psalms 7:15
- Adam Clarke's Commentary on Psalms 7:15
- Cambridge Bible on Psalms 7:15
- Barnes' Notes on Psalms 7:15
- Whedon's Commentary on Psalms 7:15
- Sermons on Psalms 7:15
Context — I Take Refuge in You
13He has prepared His deadly weapons; He ordains His arrows with fire.
14Behold, the wicked man travails with evil; he conceives trouble and births falsehood.
15He has dug a hole and hollowed it out; he has fallen into a pit of his own making.
16His trouble recoils on himself, and his violence falls on his own head. 17I will thank the LORD for His righteousness and sing praise to the name of the LORD Most High.Cross References
| Reference | Text (BSB) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Job 4:8 | As I have observed, those who plow iniquity and those who sow trouble reap the same. |
| 2 | Psalms 141:10 | Let the wicked fall into their own nets, while I pass by in safety. |
| 3 | Proverbs 26:27 | He who digs a pit will fall into it, and he who rolls a stone will have it roll back on him. |
| 4 | Psalms 35:7–8 | For without cause they laid their net for me; without reason they dug a pit for my soul. May ruin befall them by surprise; may the net they hid ensnare them; may they fall into the hazard they created. |
| 5 | Ecclesiastes 10:8–9 | He who digs a pit may fall into it, and he who breaches a wall may be bitten by a snake. The one who quarries stones may be injured by them, and he who splits logs endangers himself. |
| 6 | Psalms 10:2 | In pride the wicked pursue the needy; let them be caught in the schemes they devise. |
| 7 | Psalms 57:6 | They spread a net for my feet; my soul was despondent. They dug a pit before me, but they themselves have fallen into it! Selah |
| 8 | Psalms 9:15–16 | The nations have fallen into a pit of their making; their feet are caught in the net they have hidden. The LORD is known by the justice He brings; the wicked are ensnared by the work of their hands. Higgaion Selah |
| 9 | Esther 7:10 | So they hanged Haman on the gallows he had prepared for Mordecai. Then the fury of the king subsided. |
| 10 | Proverbs 5:22 | The iniquities of a wicked man entrap him; the cords of his sin entangle him. |
Psalms 7:15 Summary
This verse says that when we do bad things, we can get caught in our own traps. It's like digging a hole and then falling into it. The Bible teaches that our actions have consequences, and if we do bad things, we will face the consequences, as seen in Proverbs 26:27. We should try to do good things and follow God's ways, so we don't fall into the traps of our own making, and instead, we can experience God's love and forgiveness, as promised in Psalms 32:10.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does it mean to 'dig a hole and hollow it out' in Psalms 7:15?
This phrase is a metaphor for the wicked person's actions, where they create their own troubles and ultimately fall into them, as seen in Proverbs 26:27, which says that those who dig a pit will fall into it themselves.
Is this verse saying that God causes evil people to fall into their own traps?
While God is sovereign, this verse emphasizes the wicked person's responsibility for their own actions, as stated in Galatians 6:7-8, where it says that we reap what we sow, and in Psalms 9:15-16, which describes the wicked as being caught in their own snares.
How does this verse relate to the concept of karma?
The Bible teaches that our actions have consequences, and this verse illustrates that the wicked will face the consequences of their own actions, as seen in Obadiah 1:15, which says that as we have done, it will be done to us.
What can we learn from the image of the pit in this verse?
The pit represents the destructive nature of sin, and the fact that the wicked fall into it shows that sin ultimately leads to our own downfall, as warned in Psalms 38:4, which says that our iniquities are a burden too heavy to bear.
Reflection Questions
- How have I seen the consequences of sin play out in my own life or in the lives of others?
- What are some ways that I might be 'digging a hole' for myself through my thoughts, words, or actions?
- What does this verse teach me about the nature of sin and its consequences?
- How can I apply the principle of sowing and reaping to my daily life, as described in Galatians 6:7-8?
Gill's Exposition on Psalms 7:15
He made a pit and digged it,.... That is, he digged a pit, and made it very large and capacious, to answer his purposes; and is fallen into the ditch [which] he made; so it is said of the Heathen,
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Psalms 7:15
He made a pit, and digged it, and is fallen into the ditch which he made. A pit - such as is prepared with branches and foliage over it, to entrap wild beasts in.
Matthew Poole's Commentary on Psalms 7:15
Hath brought that evil upon himself which he intended against me; which may be understood either of Saul, who whilst he plotted against David’ s life ran into apparent hazard of losing his own, 1 Samuel 24$ 1 Samuel 26$; or of some courtier or courtiers of Saul, in whom this was evidently verified, although the history and memory of it be now lost.
Trapp's Commentary on Psalms 7:15
Psalms 7:15 He made a pit, and digged it, and is fallen into the ditch [which] he made.Ver. 15. He made a pit, and digged it, &c.] This simile shows, that the wicked shall not only be frustrated, but undone by their own doing; as was Absalom, Haman, our gunpowder Papists, Pope Alexander VI, and his son Caesar Borgia (Bucholcer); who, by a mistake of the attendants at table, drank up the poisoned wine which they had prepared and set ready for some princes of Italy whom they had invited, and for whose dominions they thirsted. Hic aut Caesar ut nullus, saith Pontanus, who relateth the history.
Ellicott's Commentary on Psalms 7:15
(15) Pate.—A word retained from Coverdale’s translation, and common in the Elizabethan age. In Shakespeare it is frequent— “My invention Comes from my pate, As bird-lime does from frieze.” For the moral, comp. 1 Samuel 25:29. Psalms 7:15-16 are quoted by Eusebius of the overthrow of Maxentius by Constantine, with special reference to the fact that in preparing a bridge of boats he had prepared the means for his own destruction.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on Psalms 7:15
Verse 15. He made a pit] He determined the destruction of David. He laid his plans with much artifice; he executed them with zeal and diligence; and when he had, as he supposed, the grave of David digged, he fell into it himself! The metaphor is taken from pits dug in the earth, and slightly covered over with reeds, c., so as not to be discerned from the solid ground but the animal steps on them, the surface breaks, and he falls into the pit and is taken. "All the world agrees to acknowledge the equity of that sentence, which inflicts upon the guilty the punishment intended by them for the innocent." - Horne.
Cambridge Bible on Psalms 7:15
15. More exactly: He hath dug a pit and delved it deep, And is fallen into the ditch he was making. Another picture of the destruction of the wicked. He ‘is snared in the work of his own hands’ (Psalms 9:16). The figure is taken from the pitfalls used by hunters. See Ezekiel 19:4; and cp. Psalms 57:6; Ecclesiastes 10:8. Observe the graphic force of the tense in the last line. His schemes for the destruction of others prove his own ruin even before he has completed them.
Barnes' Notes on Psalms 7:15
He made a pit - The allusion here is undoubtedly to a method of hunting wild beasts which was common in ancient times.
Whedon's Commentary on Psalms 7:15
14-17. He travaileth—Literally, he shall bring forth with pain. The dark hearted Cush of the title now re-appears. He brings forth in his conduct, with agony, what he had already conceived in his heart.
Sermons on Psalms 7:15
| Sermon | Description | |
|---|---|---|
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A Season and a Time by Keith Daniel | In this sermon, the preacher emphasizes the importance of using words wisely and knowing when to keep silent. He shares a personal story of encountering a young man with a rebellio |
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Ransom for the Righteous by E.A. Adeboye | E.A. Adeboye emphasizes the concept of ransom in the Bible, highlighting how Jesus became the ultimate ransom for our sins, as stated in Matthew 20:28. God, out of His love, is wil |
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Genesis #18 Ch. 27-29 God's Principle of Retribution by Chuck Missler | In this sermon, the speaker emphasizes the importance of knowing the author of the Bible, just as in business, it's not what you know but who you know. The story of Jacob and Esau |
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Sowing and Reaping by Catherine Booth | Catherine Booth preaches on the universal principle of sowing and reaping, emphasizing that just as in the physical world, there is a direct correlation between what one sows and w |
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Let the Righteous Smite Me by Carter Conlon | In this sermon, the preacher emphasizes the theme of freedom in Christ. He encourages the congregation to rejoice in their freedom from the devil's influence and to boldly proclaim |
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Philippians 4:4-7 by St. John Chrysostom | John Chrysostom preaches on the importance of rejoicing in the Lord always, even in the midst of trials and suffering, emphasizing the peace that comes from prayer, supplication, a |
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God Controls Our Circumstances by Zac Poonen | Zac Poonen preaches on the story of Esther, highlighting how God orchestrated events to rescue the Jews from destruction through a series of seemingly small incidents. Despite the |