Psalms 64

David cries to God for protection from enemies who attack with slander and secret plots. He sees them confident that no one is watching. Then he declares that God will turn their own weapons on them, and the psalm ends with the righteous rejoicing and taking refuge in the LORD.

Psalms 64:1

David begins with honest complaint. He does not hide his fear but brings it to God. He asks to be kept safe, not only from the enemy but from the dread that the enemy stirs up in his heart.

BSA: complaint (“lament, meditation”): His complaint is a pouring out of his troubled thoughts before God, not a grumbling against Him. preserve (“keep, protect”): He asks God to guard his life like a watchman, not just to rescue him afterward.

See also: Psalm 142:2.

Psalms 64:2

David asks to be hidden, as in a shelter, from two threats: plots made in secret and a noisy crowd gathered for evil. Quiet scheming and open uproar both come against him, and God can cover him from either.

BSA: mob (“tumult, insurrection, noisy crowd”): The wicked gather as a restless, rowdy crowd, strong in numbers and loud in their hostility.

Hebrew: סוֹד (sod, H5475) — “secret counsel, a close circle of conspirators.” The Hebrew word for the scheming (sod) pictures a huddle of people whispering together. The danger is a plot hatched behind closed doors.

Psalms 64:3

Words are the enemy’s weapons. Their tongues are sharpened like swords and their cruel speech is shot like arrows. Slander, lies and cutting talk can wound deeply, and David describes them with military pictures.

BSA: sharpen (“whet, make sharp”): They work at it carefully, preparing their speech to cut as deeply as possible. bitter (“poisonous, cruel”): Their words are not careless; they are meant to hurt like poison.

See also: Psalm 57:4; Proverbs 12:18.

Psalms 64:4

The enemy hides in ambush and strikes the blameless without warning. The victim has done nothing to deserve it, and the attackers feel no fear, either of people or of God. Hidden cruelty is often the hardest to bear.

BSA: innocent (“upright, perfect ones”): The target is a person of integrity, which shows how unjust the attack is. suddenly (“without warning, unexpectedly”): The strike comes with no warning, so the victim cannot prepare.

Psalms 64:5

The wicked encourage one another in their plans and talk about how to hide their traps. Their confidence rests on one thought: nobody sees. They forget that God sees everything.

BSA: hold fast (“encourage themselves, strengthen their resolve”): They urge each other on, making their wickedness stronger by sharing it. snares (“traps, secret nets”): Their schemes are traps laid out of sight, meant to catch someone unaware.

See also: Psalm 10:11; Psalm 94:7-9.

Psalms 64:6

The plotters think their scheme is flawless and well hidden. The last line says the human heart is deep and hard to search. That is true of them, and it is a warning, because only God can see through such depth.

BSA: perfected (“accomplished, completed”): They are proud of how thorough the plan is and believe it cannot fail. mysterious (“deep, profound”): The human heart has depths that other people cannot reach, but God can.

See also: Jeremiah 17:9-10.

Psalms 64:7

Now the story turns. The wicked shot arrows from hiding, but God shoots, and He does not miss. What they did suddenly to others comes suddenly on them. God’s justice answers their secrecy.

BSA: suddenly (“all of a sudden, in an instant”): The verse deliberately repeats verse 4, so their surprise attack is met with a surprise of their own.

Hebrew: פִּתְאֹם (pit’om, H6597) — “suddenly, in a moment.” The same word is used of the wicked’s attack in verse 4 and of God’s judgment here. The ambushers become the ones caught off guard.

Psalms 64:8

Their own tongues bring them down. Words they used against others now ruin them, and onlookers shake their heads at their fall. Evil often carries its own consequence, and God lets it work.

BSA: stumble (“trip and fall, caused to fail”): Their plans collapse and they fall in the very traps they set. shake their heads (“in disgust, with contempt, in ridicule”): Shaking the head was a sign of shock and scorn at their downfall.

See also: Psalm 7:15-16; Proverbs 26:27.

Psalms 64:9

God’s judgment is a lesson for everyone. People will be struck with holy awe, speak about what God has done, and think it over. Seeing evil answered teaches the world that God is real and just.

BSA: fear (“be in awe, have reverence”): This is reverence before a God who acts, not just terror. ponder (“wisely consider, reflect on”): People do not just glance at God’s work. They think about it carefully and learn from it.

Psalms 64:10

The psalm ends in joy. The righteous will be glad in the LORD, because He is a refuge. Those who began in fear end in celebration, because their trust was in the One who sees what is hidden.

BSA: take refuge (“go to for protection, safety”): Refuge means running to God as a shelter, the same hiding place David asked for in verse 2. exult (“glory, praise”): Their joy overflows into praise of God.

See also: Psalm 32:11; Psalm 5:11.