WEB
For, behold, the wicked bend their bows. They set their arrows on the strings, that they may shoot in darkness at the upright in heart.
BSB
For behold, the wicked bend their bows. They set their arrow on the string to shoot from the shadows at the upright in heart.
KJV
For, lo, the wicked bend their bow, they make ready their arrow upon the string, that they may privily shoot at the upright in heart.
Matthew Henry
Hebrew interlinear
H3588
conj — relative conjunction
Derivation: a primitive particle (the full form of the prepositional prefix) indicating causal relations of all kinds, antecedent or consequent;
(by implication) very widely used as a relative conjunction or adverb (as below); often largely modified by other particles annexed
KJV: and, (forasmuch, inasmuch, where-) as, assured(-ly), but, certainly, doubtless, else, even, except, for, how, (because, in, so, than) that, nevertheless, now, rightly, seeing, since, surely, then, therefore, (al-) though, till, truly, until, when, whether, while, whom, yea, yet.
conj — that
כִּי conj. that, for, when
1. that
2.
a. Of time, when, of the past
b. elsewhere כִּי has a force approximating to if, though it usu. represents a case as more likely to occur than אִם
c. when or if, with a concessive force, i.e. though
3. Because, since
relative conjunction
כִּי אם־
1. each part. retaining its independent force, and relating to a different clause:
a. that if
b. for if
2. (About 140 t.) the two particles being closely conjoined, and relating to the same clause—
a. limiting the prec. clause, except
b. the if being neglected, and treated as pleonastic, so that the clause is no longer a limitation of the preceding clause but a contradiction of it: but rather, but
c. after an oath, surely
forasmuch as
כִּי עַל כֵּן forasmuch as
H2009
dp — lo!
Derivation: prolongation for 2005;
lo!
KJV: behold, lo, see.
H7563
a — wrong, bad
Derivation: from 7561;
morally wrong; concretely, an (actively) bad person
KJV: condemned, guilty, ungodly, wicked (man), that did wrong.
adj — wicked
רָשָׁע 263 adj. wicked, criminal
H1869
v — tread, walk, string
Derivation: a primitive root;
to tread; by implication, to walk; also to string a bow (by treading on it in bending)
KJV: archer, bend, come, draw, go (over), guide, lead (forth), thresh, tread (down), walk.
vb — tread
דָּרַךְ vb. tread, march
Qal
1. tread, march, march forth
2. tread upon
3. tread wine- (or oil-) press
4. tread (i.e. bend) the bow
Hiph.
1. tread, tread down
2. tread (bend) the bow
3. causat. cause to tread or march, lead
H7198
n-f — bow, strength, iris
Derivation: from 7185 in the original sense (of 6983) of bending;
a bow, for shooting (hence, figuratively, strength) or the iris
KJV: × arch(-er), arrow, bow(-man, -shot).
n.f — bow
קֶ֫שֶׁת n.f. bow
1. bow
2. rainbow
H3559
v n-m — be erect, set up, establish, fix, prepare, apply, appoint, render sure, proper, prosperous
Derivation: a primitive root;
properly, to be erect (i.e. stand perpendicular); hence (causatively) to set up, in a great variety of applications, whether literal (establish, fix, prepare, apply), or figurative (appoint, render sure, proper or prosperous)
KJV: certain(-ty), confirm, direct, faithfulness, fashion, fasten, firm, be fitted, be fixed, frame, be meet, ordain, order, perfect, (make) preparation, prepare (self), provide, make provision, (be, make) ready, right, set (aright, fast, forth), be stable, (e-) stablish, stand, tarry, × very deed.
vb — be firm
[כּוּן] 218 vb. prob. be firm, only in der. conj.
Niph.
1. be set up, established, fixed
2. in a moral sense, be directed aright, of ways
3. prepare, be ready
4. pass. be prepared, of judgments
Hiph.
1. establish, set up
2.
a. fix, so as to be ready, make ready, prepare, a gift
b. provide for, provide, furnish
3. direct one's face toward
4. arrange, order
Hoph.
1. be established, of throne
2. be prepared for
Po‛lēl.
1. set up, establish
2. constitute, make, a man (in womb)
3. fix, so as to be ready
4. direct
Po‛lal. be established
Hithpo‛l. be established
H2671
n-m — piercer, arrow, wound, bolt, shaft
Derivation: from 2686; also by interchange for 6086
properly, a piercer, i.e. an arrow; by implication, a wound; figuratively, (of God) thunder-bolt; the shaft of a spear
KJV: archer, arrow, dart, shaft, staff, wound.
n.m — arrow
חֵץ n.m. arrow, mostly poet. and proph.
H5921
prep — above, over, upon, against
Derivation: properly, the same as 5920 used as a preposition (in the singular or plural often with prefix, or as conjunction with a particle following);
above, over, upon, or against (yet always in this last relation with a downward aspect) in a great variety of applications
KJV: above, according to(-ly), after, (as) against, among, and, × as, at, because of, beside (the rest of), between, beyond the time, × both and, by (reason of), × had the charge of, concerning for, in (that), (forth, out) of, (from) (off), (up-) on, over, than, through(-out), to, touching, × with.
forasmuch as
כִּי עַל כֵּן forasmuch as
subst — above
עַל, עָ֑ל
I. subst. height
II. As prep. upon, and hence on the ground of, according to, on account of, on behalf of, concerning, beside, in addition to, together with, beyond, above, over, by, on to, towards, to, against
1. Upon, of the substratum upon which an object in any way rests, or on which an action is performed
a. —
(a). of clothing, etc., which any one wears
(b). With verbs of covering or protecting, even though the cover or veil be not over or above the thing covered, but around or before it
b. Of what rests heavily upon a person, or is a burden to him
c. Of a duty, payment, care, etc., imposed upon a person, or devolving on him
d. על is used idiom. to give pathos to the expression of an emotion, by emphasizing the person who is its subject, and who, as it were, feels it acting upon him
e. חָיָה עַל to live upon (as upon a foundation or support)
f. Of the ground or basis, on which a thing is done
2. It expresses excess
3. It denotes elevation or pre-eminence
4. It expresses addition
5. It expresses the idea of being extended, or suspended over anything, without however being in contact with it, above, over
6. From the sense of inclining or impending over, על comes to denote contiguity or proximity, Engl. by (or sts. on)
7. In connection with verbs of motion (actual or fig.)
8. By writers of the silver age, על is sts. used with the force of a dative
9. With other particles:
III. As conj.
a. עַל אֲשֶׁר because that
b. עַל כִּי similar in meaning, but less frequent
c. עַל alone:
(a). because
(b). notwithstanding that, although
IV. Compounds:
1. with כְּ (rare and late)
a. as concerning, as upon
b. the like of their deeds is the like of (that which) he will repay
2. מֵעַל from upon, from over, from by
H3499
n-m — overhanging, excess, superiority, remainder, rope
Derivation: from 3498;
properly, an overhanging, i.e. (by implication) an excess, superiority, remainder; also a small rope (as hanging free)
KJV: abundant, cord, exceeding, excellancy(-ent), what they leave, that hath left, plentifully, remnant, residue, rest, string, with.
n.m — remainder
יֶ֫תֶר 94 n.m. remainder, excellence, excess
n.m — cord
יֶ֫תֶר n.m. cord (prop. as hanging over or down)
H3384
v — flow, lay, throw, shoot, point, aiming, teach
Derivation: or (2 Chronicles 26:15) יָרָא; a primitive root;
properly, to flow as water (i.e. to rain); transitively, to lay or throw (especially an arrow, i.e. to shoot); figuratively, to point out (as if by aiming the finger), to teach
KJV: ( ) archer, cast, direct, inform, instruct, lay, shew, shoot, teach(-er,-ing), through.
vb — shoot
[יָרָא] vb. shoot, pour
Qal shoot with arrows
Hiph. and they shot at; Pt. pl. the shooters, archers
Hoph. he that watereth shall himself also be watered
vb — throw
יָרָה vb. throw, shoot
Qal
1. throw, cast
2. cast (= lay, set), corner-stone; pillar
3. shoot arrows
4. throw water, rain
Niph. shot through (with arrows)
Hiph.
1. throw, cast
2. shoot (arrows)
3. throw water, rain
4. point out, shew
5. direct, teach, instruct
H1119
prep — in, with, by
Derivation: prolongation for prepositional prefix;
in, with, by, etc.
KJV: for, in into, through.
in
בְּמוֹ poet. for בְּ
H652
n-m — dusk
Derivation: from the same as 651;
dusk
KJV: darkness, obscurity, privily.
n.m — darkness
אֹ֫פֶל n.m. darkness, gloom
1. darkness
2. esp. fig. of calamity
H3477
a — straight
Derivation: from 3474;
straight (literally or figuratively)
KJV: convenient, equity, Jasher, just, meet(-est), pleased well right(-eous), straight, (most) upright(-ly, -ness).
adj — straight
יָשָׁר adj. straight, right
1. straight, level
2. right, pleasing
3. straightforward, just, upright
4. abstr., uprightness
H3820
n-m — heart, feelings, will, intellect, centre
Derivation: a form of 3824;
the heart; also used (figuratively) very widely for the feelings, the will and even the intellect; likewise for the centre of anything
KJV: care for, comfortably, consent, × considered, courag(-eous), friend(-ly), ((broken-), (hard-), (merry-), (stiff-), (stout-), double) heart(-ed), × heed, × I, kindly, midst, mind(-ed), × regard(-ed), × themselves, × unawares, understanding, × well, willingly, wisdom.
n.m — inner man
לֵב 599 n.m. (f.) inner man, mind, will, heart
I. seldom of things in the midst of the sea
II. elsewhere of men
1. the inner man in contrast with the outer
2. the inner man, indef., soul, comprehending mind, affections and will
3. specific reference to mind
4. spec. ref. to inclinations, resolutions and determinations of the will
5. spec. ref. to conscience
6. [various]
7. for the man himself
8. as seat of appetites
9. as seat of emotions and passions
10. seat of courage
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Verses 1–3
Psalms 11:1–3
Here is, I. David's fixed resolution to make God his confidence: In the Lord put I my trust, Psa 11:1. Those that truly fear God and serve him are welcome to put their trust in him, and shall not be made ashamed of their doing so. And it is the character of the saints, who have taken God for their God, that they make him their hope. Even when they have other things to stay themselves upon, yet they do not, they dare not, stay upon them, but on God only. Gold is not their hope, nor are horses and chariots their confidence, but God only; and therefore, when second causes frown, yet their hopes do not fail them, because the first cause is still the same, is ever so. The psalmist, before he gives an account of the temptation he was in to distrust God, records his resolution to trust in him, as that which he was resolved to live and die by.
II. His resentment of a temptation to the contrary: "How say you to my soul, which has thus returned to God as its rest and reposes in him, Flee as a bird to your mountain, to be safe there out of the reach of the fowler?" This may be taken either,
1. As the serious advice of his timorous friends; so many understand it, and with great probability. Some that were hearty well-wishers to David, when they saw how much Saul was exasperated against him and how maliciously he sought his life, pressed him by all means to flee for the same to some place of shelter, and not to depend too much upon the anointing he had received, which, they thought, was more likely to occasion the loss of his head than to save it. That which grieved him in this motion was not that to flee now would savour of cowardice, and ill become a soldier, but that it would savour of unbelief and would ill become a saint who had so often said, In the Lord put I my trust. Taking it thus, the two following verses contain the reason with which these faint-hearted friends of David backed this advice. They would have him flee, (1.) Because he could not be safe where he was, Psa 11:2. "Observe," say they, "how the wicked bend their bow; Saul and his instruments aim at thy life, and the uprightness of thy heart will not be thy security." See what an enmity there is in the wicked against the upright, in the seed of the serpent against the seed of the woman; what pains they take, what preparations they make, to do them a mischief: They privily shoot at them, or, in darkness, that they may not see the evil designed, to avoid it, nor others, to prevent it, no, nor God himself, to punish it. (2.) Because he could be no longer useful where he was. "For," say they, "if the foundations be destroyed" (as they were by Saul's mal-administration), "if the civil state and government be unhinged and all out of course" (Psa 75:3, Psa 82:5), "what canst thou do with thy righteousness to redress the grievances? Alas! it is to no purpose to attempt the saving of a kingdom so wretchedly shattered; whatever the righteous can do signifies nothing." Abi in cellam, et dic, Miserere mei, Domine - Away to thy cell, and there cry, Pity me, O Lord! Many are hindered from doing the service they might do to the public, in difficult times, by a despair of success.
2. It may be taken as a taunt wherewith his enemies bantered him, upbraiding him with the professions he used to make of confidence in God, and scornfully bidding him try what stead that would stand him in now. "You say, God is your mountain; flee to him now, and see what the better you will be." Thus they endeavoured to shame the counsel of the poor, saying, There is no help for them in God, Psa 14:6; Psa 3:2. The confidence and comfort which the saints have in God, when all the hopes and joys in the creature fail them, are a riddle to a carnal world and are ridiculed accordingly. Taking it thus, the two following verses are David's answer to this sarcasm, in which, (1.) He complains of the malice of those who did thus abuse him (Psa 11:2): They bend their bow and make ready their arrows; and we are told (Psa 64:3) what their arrows are, even bitter words, such words as these, by which they endeavour to discourage hope in God, which David felt as a sword in his bones. (2.) He resists the temptation with a gracious abhorrence, Psa 11:3. He looks upon this suggestion as striking at the foundations which every Israelite builds upon: "If you destroy the foundations, if you take good people off from their hope in God, if you can persuade them that their religion is a cheat and a jest and can banter them out of that, you ruin them, and break their hearts indeed, and make them of all men the most miserable." The principles of religion are the foundations on which the faith and hope of the righteous are built. These we are concerned, in interest as well as duty, to hold fast against all temptations to infidelity; for, if these be destroyed, if we let these go, What can the righteous do? Good people would be undone if they had not a God to go to, a God to trust to, and a future bliss to hope for.
Cross-references: Ps 11:1 · Ps 11:2 · Ps 75:3 · Ps 82:5 · Ps 14:6 · Ps 3:2 · Ps 64:3 · Ps 11:3