BIBLE CHAPTER STUDY
Psalms 140 — Prayer for Deliverance from Violent Enemies
David cries to Jehovah for protection from men who plot evil, speak serpentine venom, and lay snares, and he trusts that God will defend the afflicted and silence the violent.
Scripture
1For the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David. Deliver 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.
What this passage means
Psalm 140 is structured as an individual lament, opening with an urgent plea for deliverance (vv. 1–2) and moving through vivid descriptions of the enemies' tactics. David identifies two features of his attackers: scheming hearts that gather for war, and tongues sharpened like a serpent whose lips hide viper's poison (vv. 2–4). The verbs shift from physical assault to verbal assault, suggesting slander, false accusation, and deceitful speech as weapons that can be as deadly as violence. Three Selah markers (vv. 3, 5, 8) pause the psalm at moments of escalating danger, inviting reflection on each image.
The middle section (vv. 6–8) marks a turn from petition to confession of trust. David declares, 'I said unto Jehovah, Thou art my God,' remembering past deliverance in 'the day of battle.' This confession grounds the request: the psalmist does not rely on his own cunning but on God's character as 'the strength of my salvation.' Verse 8 then asks God not to grant the wicked's desires, framing the prayer as a moral appeal rather than mere self-preservation.
The closing section (vv. 9–13) calls for the consequences of the wicked's plotting to fall back on themselves—burning coals, deep pits, and self-inflicted ruin. The psalm ends with a confession of faith: 'I know that Jehovah will maintain the cause of the afflicted, And justice for the needy.' The final beatitude promises that the righteous will give thanks and the upright will dwell in God's presence, contrasting the fate of the violent with the secure standing of the just.
Context
The chapter opens with a superscription identifying David as the author and assigning the psalm to the 'Chief Musician,' a liturgical role for the temple music director. David is presented as surrounded by enemies who both scheme violence and use weaponized speech, prompting his appeal for divine rescue. The chapter note supplied with this passage only identifies it as backfilled material from Psalms outside the P0/P1 priority set, and does not specify a historical setting for David's lament.
The cross references reinforce the themes of God's vindication of the afflicted (Psalms 9:4; 1 Kings 8:45, 49) and the self-defeating nature of the wicked's plots (Psalms 7:16; 10:2–3; 11:6). The echo of Habakkuk 1:2–3 connects this lament to the broader biblical tradition of crying out against violence, while Psalms 71:4 and 18:48 mirror David's language of rescue from 'the violent man.' No historical context beyond what is provided is introduced here.
Key words in the original
- H5542 Selah (סֶלָה) appears three times in Psalm 140 (vv. 3, 5, 8). The provided gloss marks it as 'suspension (of music), i.e. pause,' signaling a liturgical pause for reflection between the descriptions of the enemies' schemes and the psalmist's response of trust.
- H8150 The verb שָׁנַן (šānănû, 'make sharp,' H8150) is used of sharpening a tongue like a serpent (v. 4). The provided gloss notes its sense of pointing or piercing, and figuratively inculcating—here, the enemies' speech has been honed to wound.
- H5329 The superscription uses מְנַצֵּחַ (mənaṣṣēᵃḥ, 'choir director,' H5329), from the root נָצַח, glossed as relating to eminence and permanence. It identifies the psalm as part of the temple's overseen musical service.
Related verses
- Psalms 9:4 'For thou hast maintained my right and my cause; Thou sittest in the throne judging righteously' parallels Psalm 140:12, where David knows that Jehovah 'will maintain the cause of the afflicted,' affirming God's role as righteous judge.
- Psalms 11:6 'Upon the wicked he will rain snares; Fire and brimstone and burning wind shall be the portion of their cup' echoes Psalm 140:9–10, where the psalmist asks that burning coals and deep pits fall upon the violent, presenting their judgment as a divine portion.
- Psalms 7:16 'His mischief shall return upon his own head, And his violence shall come down upon his own pate' directly parallels Psalm 140:9, 'Let the mischief of their own lips cover them,' a recurring principle that the wicked are ensnared by their own devices.
Common questions
Who wrote Psalm 140, and when?
The superscription attributes the psalm to David ('A Psalm of David') and assigns it to the Chief Musician for temple music. The provided material does not specify a date or historical occasion beyond David's authorship and the liturgical context of the temple service.
Why are the enemies described with serpent imagery?
Verses 3–4 describe the enemies' tongues as sharpened 'like a serpent' with 'adders' poison' under their lips. The Hebrew word שָׁנַן (šānănû) means to make sharp or pierce, and the passage presents their words as weapons—hiss-like, venomous, and deadly—rather than as open physical violence.
Is it right to pray that the wicked fall into the pits they dug (vv. 9–10)?
Verses 9–10 ask God to turn the wicked's own devices back on them. Within the psalm itself this is framed not as personal revenge but as a plea that God not 'grant the desires of the wicked' (v. 8) and that justice be done. The closing verses affirm God's role in maintaining 'the cause of the afflicted' (v. 12), keeping the prayer oriented toward divine justice rather than private vengeance.