For, behold, they lie in wait for my soul. The mighty gather themselves together against me, not for my disobedience, nor for my sin, Yahweh.
Parallel Translations
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For, behold, they lie in wait for my soul. The mighty gather themselves together against me, not for my disobedience, nor for my sin, Yahweh.
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For, lo, they lie in wait for my soul: the mighty are gathered against me; not for my transgression, nor for my sin, O LORD.
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(59-4) For, lo, they lie in wait for my soul; the impudent gather themselves together against me; not for my transgression, nor for my sin, O LORD.
Cross-references (16)
Passages linked to Psalms 59:3 in the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge, ordered by reader-vote popularity; verse text shown in World English Bible.
- Psalms 56:6 They conspire and lurk, watching my steps. They are eager to take my life.
- Psalms 69:4 Those who hate me without a cause are more than the hairs of my head. Those who want to cut me off, being my enemies wrongfully, are mighty. I have to restore what I didn’t take away.
- 1 Samuel 24:11 Moreover, my father, behold, yes, see the skirt of your robe in my hand; for in that I cut off the skirt of your robe, and didn’t kill you, know and see that there is neither evil nor disobedience in my hand, and I have not sinned against you, though you hunt for my life to take it.
- Proverbs 12:6 The words of the wicked are about lying in wait for blood, but the speech of the upright rescues them.
- John 15:25 But this happened so that the word may be fulfilled which was written in their law, ‘They hated me without a cause.’
- Psalms 37:32-33 The wicked watch the righteous, and seek to kill him. Yahweh will not leave him in his hand, nor condemn him when he is judged.
- Micah 7:2 The godly man has perished out of the earth, and there is no one upright among men. They all lie in wait for blood; every man hunts his brother with a net.
- 1 Samuel 19:1 Saul spoke to Jonathan his son, and to all his servants, that they should kill David. But Jonathan, Saul’s son, greatly delighted in David.
- 1 Samuel 24:17 He said to David, “You are more righteous than I; for you have done good to me, whereas I have done evil to you.
- 1 Samuel 26:18 He said, “Why does my lord pursue his servant? For what have I done? What evil is in my hand?
- Psalms 2:2 The kings of the earth take a stand, and the rulers take counsel together, against Yahweh, and against his Anointed, saying,
- Psalms 7:3-6 Yahweh, my God, if I have done this, if there is iniquity in my hands, if I have rewarded evil to him who was at peace with me (yes, I have delivered him who without cause was my adversary), let the enemy pursue my soul, and overtake it; yes, let him tread my life down to the earth, and lay my glory in the dust. Arise, Yahweh, in your anger. Lift up yourself against the rage of my adversaries. Awake for me. You have commanded judgment.
- Psalms 38:12 They also who seek after my life lay snares. Those who seek my hurt speak mischievous things, and meditate deceits all day long.
- Acts 23:21 Therefore don’t yield to them, for more than forty men lie in wait for him, who have bound themselves under a curse to neither eat nor drink until they have killed him. Now they are ready, looking for the promise from you.”
- Acts 4:26-27 The kings of the earth take a stand, and the rulers take council together, against the Lord, and against his Christ.’ “For truly, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles and the people of Israel, were gathered together against your holy servant, Jesus, whom you anointed,
- Psalms 10:9-10 He lurks in secret as a lion in his ambush. He lies in wait to catch the helpless. He catches the helpless when he draws him in his net. The helpless are crushed. They collapse. They fall under his strength.
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
Explain this verse (13 sources)
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Geneva Bible translators 1599 · Public Domain For I am innocent to themwards, and have not…
For I am innocent to themwards, and have not offended them.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain Psa 59:3 For, lo, they lie in wait for…
Psa 59:3 For, lo, they lie in wait for my soul: the mighty are gathered against me; not [for] my transgression, nor [for] my sin, O LORD.
Ver. 3. The mighty are gathered aqainst me] The seven sons of Saul, say the Rabbis, who were afterwards hanged, 2Sa 21:1-9, with a company of cut-throats attending them (R. Obad. Gaon in loc.).
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain Without any provocation or cause given them by me.…
Without any provocation or cause given them by me. I am a sinner before thee, O Lord, but I have done them no injury.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain For, lo, they lie in wait for my soul,....…
For, lo, they lie in wait for my soul,.... As the men did that watched his house, when Saul sent to kill him; so the Jews sought and lay in wait to take away the life of Christ; and very often was it the case of the Apostle Paul, that he was in danger of his life, through the lying in wait of the Jews; so Satan makes use of cunning devices, stratagems, and wiles, to ruin the souls of God's people, if possible; and false teachers lie in wait to deceive them. The emphasis lies upon the word "soul", which is so precious, and the redemption of which has cost so much, even the blood of Christ;
the mighty are gathered against me; or, "dwell by me"; see Psa 56:6; around his house, the soldiers that Saul sent; and such were the enemies of Christ, Psa 69:4; the chief priests, Scribes, and elders, men of great authority and influence among the people; the kings of the earth and rulers, Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles, and people of the Jews, Act 4:26; yea, Satan, and his principalities and powers; and who are also those against whom the saints wrestle, and would be too mighty for them, were it not that God, and Christ, and the Holy Spirit, and the holy angels, are on their side;
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not for my transgression, nor for my sin, O Lord; as the cause of such usage and treatment. David was not without original sin, in which he was conceived and born; nor without inward corruptions, of which he often complained; nor without actual transgressions, and some very gross ones, and which he owned and confessed, and prayed for the pardon of: but in the case of Saul there was no transgression nor iniquity in him, as he declared to him himself, and appeals to God for the truth of it, Sa1 24:11. One of the words here used signifies "rebellion" (m); of this he was not guilty; he never entered into any treasonable measures, nor committed any treasonable practices, nor conspired against the life and crown of his sovereign; in this respect he was quite clear and innocent. Christ, his antitype, was entirely without sin, without original or actual transgression; he had no sin in his nature, nor committed any in his life; he had none inherent in him, only the sins of his people imputed to him; and therefore the usage he met with from men was very cruel and unjust. And as for the saints, though they are not free from sin, original and actual, yet in the case for which they suffer reproach, and are persecuted by men, they are not criminal; they have done nothing to deserve such usage; they do not suffer as evildoers, but as Christians, Pe1 4:15.
(m) "rebellionem meam", Gejerus, Michaelis.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain Verse 3. For, lo, they lie in wait for…
Verse 3. For, lo, they lie in wait for my soul] For my life. See the passages referred to above.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Joseph Benson 1811 · Public Domain Psa 59:3. They lie in wait for my soul…
Psa 59:3. They lie in wait for my soul — For my life, to take it away. The mighty are gathered against me — They are all mighty, men of honour and estates, and interest in the court and country. They are in a confederacy, united by a league; and actually gathered together against me; combined both in consultation and action. Not for my transgression, nor for my sin — Without any provocation or cause given by me. I am a sinner before thee, O Lord, but I have done them no injury. It was a noble vindication of David’s innocence, in that he could, in the most private retirement, and upon the most serious and deliberate reflection, thus solemnly appeal to God, that he was not chargeable with the least perfidy, wickedness, or crime, which could excite the hatred of his enemies, and give occasion to Saul to pursue him with such eagerness and malice, to his destruction.
Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Albert Barnes 1834 · Public Domain For, lo, they lie in wait for my soul…
For, lo, they lie in wait for my soul - They lie in wait as wild beasts do for their prey, ready to spring upon it. The word used here is often employed to denote the act of lying in ambush; of watching in secret places to spring upon a victim: Jdg 9:32; Jdg 21:20; Psa 10:9. The word “soul” here means “life.” They lie in ambush that they may kill me.
The mighty are gathered against me - Strong men; hostile men; cruel men. Saul would employ on this occasion not the weak, the cowardly, the faint-hearted, but men of courage and strength; men who were unscrupulous in their character; men who would not be likely to be moved by entreaty, or turned from their purpose by compassion. It is not mere “strength” that is here referred to, but that kind of strength or courage which can be employed in a desperate enterprise, and which is suited to accomplish any scheme of wickedness, however daring or difficult.
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Not for my transgression, nor for my sin - This is done not on account of my violating the laws of the land, nor because it is alleged that I am a sinner against God. David was conscious that he did not deserve this treatment from the hand of man. He bad been guilty of no wrong against Saul that exposed him to just punishment. He carried with him the consciousness of innocence as to any crime that could have made this treatment proper; and he felt that it was all the result of unjust suspicions. It was not improper for him to refer to this in his prayer; for, however he might feel that he was a sinner in the sight of God, yet he felt that a great and grievous wrong was done him by man; and he prayed, therefore, that a righteous God would interpose. See Psa 7:8, note; Psa 17:2, note; Psa 35:24, note; Psa 43:1, note.
Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain 3. They lie in wait—It would seem that Saul…
3. They lie in wait—It would seem that Saul had sent spies through the city to watch for David, in hopes of assassinating him privately, and that this had been going on for some time before the night when they finally surrounded his house, 1Sa_19:11. David, in simplicity, tells God all the movements of the enemy.
The mighty—The strong ones; the chiefs of the nation. There is no appeal to any human power above them, therefore he carries his cause directly to God.
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Not… for my sin—I have committed no offence to cause this.
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain 3, 4. For, lo, strong ones have laid wait…
3, 4. For, lo, strong ones have laid wait for my life,
They gather themselves together against me,
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For no transgression or sin of mine, Jehovah.
For no iniquity (of mine) they run and station themselves:
Arouse thee to meet me, and behold.
Observe the tenses. Secret plots (cp. Pro_1:11; Mic_7:2) have long been going on: now they are preparing a more open attack (Psa_54:3; Psa_56:6). In this crisis he calls upon God to arouse Himself from His apparent slumber of indifference (Psa_44:23), and ‘meet him’ as with an army of relief. For ‘behold’ (lit. see) cp. Psa_10:14; Psa_25:18; Psa_31:7.
The transgression, sin, iniquity, of which he protests his innocence, might refer to offences against God, for which this persecution might have been sent as a punishment (1Sa_26:19); but more probably they refer to offences against his persecutors. Their hostility is unprovoked. Exactly the same words are used by David in protesting his innocence of treasonable designs against Saul, 1Sa_20:1; 1Sa_24:11.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain (3) For, lo, they lie in wait . .…
(3) For, lo, they lie in wait . . .—Better, for look, they have laid an ambush.
Mighty.—Perhaps with the idea of insolence in their strength.
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Not for my transgression . . .—Better, Without transgression or fault of mine, as in next verse.
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain For, lo, they lie in wait for my soul.…
For, lo, they lie in wait for my soul. The emissaries of Saul were sent to David"s house "to watch him, and to slay him in the morning". (1Sa_19:11) This seems to be the "lying in wait" intended. Warned by his wife, Michal, Saul"s daughter, David fled from his house during the night through a window, and so saved himself. (1Sa_19:12) The mighty (or, the strong ones) are gathered against me; not for my transgression, nor for my sin, O Lord. Not in consequence of any wrong that I have done. It is noted, as characteristic of David"s early psalms, that he protests his absolute innocence in them.
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Charles H. Spurgeon 1885 · Public Domain Ver. 3. For, lo, they lie in wait for…
Ver. 3. For, lo, they lie in wait for my soul. They were in ambuscade for the good man's life. He knew their design and cried to God to be rescued from it. Like wild beasts they crouched, and waited to make the fatal spring; but their victim used effectual means to baffle them, for he laid the matter before the Lord. While the enemy lies waiting in the posture of a beast, we wait before God in the posture of prayer, for God waits to be gracious to us and terrible towards our foes.
The mighty are gathered against me. None of them were absent from the muster when a saint was to be murdered. They were too fond of such sport to be away. The men at arms who ought to have been fighting their country's battles, are instead thereof hunting a quiet citizen; the gigantic monarch is spending all his strength to slay a faithful follower.
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Not for my transgression, not for my sin, O Lord. He appeals to Jehovah that he had done no ill. His only fault was, that he was too valiant and too gracious, and was, besides, the chosen of the Lord, therefore the envious king could not rest till he had washed his hands in the blood of his too popular rival. We shall always find it to be a great thing to be innocent; if it does not carry our cause before an earthly tribunal, it will ever prove the best of arguments in the court of conscience, and a standing consolation when we are under persecution. Note the repetition of his declaration of integrity. David is sure of his innocence. He dares repeat the plea.
Ver. 3. (first clause). On the expression, they lie in wait for my soul, compare 1Sa 19:11, "And Michal, David's wife, told him, saying, If thou save not thy life soul tonight, tomorrow thou shalt be slain; "and Ps 7:2, 5. E. W. Hengstenberg.
Ver. 3. The mighty are gathered against me, is rendered by Chandler, The mighty are turned aside to lay snares against me.
Ver. 3. The mighty are gathered against me. As if he would say, "But I am weak, be thou, however, my strength, and vindicate my innocence." Arnd.
Ver. 3-4. He pleads his own innocency, not as to God, but as to his persecutors. Note,
1. The innocency of the godly will not secure them from the malignity of the wicked. Those that are harmless like doves, yet for Christ's sake are hated of all men, as if they were noxious like serpents, and obnoxious accordingly.
2. Though our innocency will not secure us from troubles, yet it will greatly support and comfort us under our troubles. The testimony of our conscience for us, that we have behaved ourselves well toward those that have behaved themselves ill towards us, will be very much our rejoicing in the day of evil. If we are conscious to ourselves of our innocency, we may with humble confidence appeal to God, and beg of him to plead our injured cause which he will do in due time. Matthew Henry.
Ver. 3. (first clause). The subtleties of Satan. Watches for places, times, states, and ways in which to assail us. Errors in doctrine, practice, spirit, set forth to entrap us. "Ye are not ignorant of his devices." Or, the diabolical ambush, discovered by watchfulness, and defeated by faith.
Psalms 59:4*
Ver. 3-4. See Psalms on "Ps 59:3" for further information.
Charles H. Spurgeon's The Treasury of David (1869–1885) — public domain. Psalms only. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 they wait in ambush to take my life
they wait in ambush to take my life
David's enemies are in hiding and are waiting quietly for the time when they can attack him. (See: Idiom)
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awake
Deciding to do something and beginning to do it is spoken of as waking up. AT: "do something" or "take action" (See: Idiom)
and see
What he wants God to see can be stated clearly. AT: "and see what is happening to me" or "and see what they are doing to me" (See: Assumed Knowledge and Implicit Information)
translationWords
might
transgress
sin
Yahweh
unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.