WEB
They encourage themselves in evil plans. They talk about laying snares secretly. They say, “Who will see them?”
BSB
They hold fast to their evil purpose; they speak of hiding their snares. “Who will see them?” they say.
KJV
They encourage themselves in an evil matter: they commune of laying snares privily; they say, Who shall see them?
Matthew Henry
Hebrew interlinear
H2388
v — fasten, seize, be strong, courageous, strengthen, cure, help, repair, fortify, obstinate, bind, restrain, conquer
Derivation: a primitive root;
to fasten upon; hence, to seize, be strong (figuratively, courageous, causatively strengthen, cure, help, repair, fortify), obstinate; to bind, restrain, conquer
KJV: aid, amend, × calker, catch, cleave, confirm, be constant, constrain, continue, be of good (take) courage(-ous, -ly), encourage (self), be established, fasten, force, fortify, make hard, harden, help, (lay) hold (fast), lean, maintain, play the man, mend, become (wax) mighty, prevail, be recovered, repair, retain, seize, be (wax) sore, strengthen (self), be stout, be (make, shew, wax) strong(-er), be sure, take (hold), be urgent, behave self valiantly, withstand.
vb — be firm
חָזַק 291 vb. be or grow firm, strong, strengthen
Qal
I. intrans. be or grow strong
II. transit. only strengthened him not
Pi.
1. make strong (physically)
2. strengthen the hands (acc.) of anyone, sustain, encourage
3. make strong = bold, encourage
4. make firm
5. make rigid, hard, i.e. perverse, obstinate, harden
Hiph.
1.
a. make strong, strengthen
b. make firm, the kingdom
c. display strength
2. make severe, of battle
3. support
4. = repair
5. prevail
6. esp. take or keep hold of, seize, grasp
Hithp.
1. strengthen oneself
2. put forth strength, use one's strength
3. withstand
4. hold strongly with
H1697
n-m — word, matter, spoken, thing, cause
Derivation: from 1696;
a word; by implication, a matter (as spoken of) or thing; adverbially, a cause
KJV: act, advice, affair, answer, × any such (thing), because of, book, business, care, case, cause, certain rate, chronicles, commandment, × commune(-ication), concern(-ing), confer, counsel, dearth, decree, deed, × disease, due, duty, effect, eloquent, errand, (evil favoured-) ness, glory, harm, hurt, iniquity, judgment, language, lying, manner, matter, message, (no) thing, oracle, × ought, × parts, pertaining, please, portion, power, promise, provision, purpose, question, rate, reason, report, request, × (as hast) said, sake, saying, sentence, sign, so, some (uncleanness), somewhat to say, song, speech, × spoken, talk, task, that, × there done, thing (concerning), thought, thus, tidings, what(-soever), wherewith, which, word, work.
n.m — speech
דָּבָר 1439 n.m. speech, word
I. sg. speech, discourse, saying, word, as the sum of that which is spoken
II. sg. saying, utterance, sentence, as a section of a discourse
III. sg. a word, words
IV. sg. matter, affair, thing about which one speaks
H7451
a n-m n-f — bad, evil
Derivation: from 7489;
bad or (as noun) evil (natural or moral)
KJV: adversity, affliction, bad, calamity, displease(-ure), distress, evil((-favouredness), man, thing), exceedingly, × great, grief(-vous), harm, heavy, hurt(-ful), ill (favoured), mark, mischief(-vous), misery, naught(-ty), noisome, not please, sad(-ly), sore, sorrow, trouble, vex, wicked(-ly, -ness, one), worse(-st), wretchedness, wrong. (Incl. feminine raaah; as adjective or noun.).
n.m — evil
רַע 126 n.m. evil, distress, misery, injury, calamity
1. evil, distress, adversity
2. evil, injury, wrong
3. ethical evil
adj — bad
רַע 228 adj. bad, evil
1. bad, disagreeable, malignant
2. bad, unpleasant, giving pain, unhappiness, misery
3. evil, displeasing
4. bad of its kind
5. bad, , i.e. of low value
6. מִן comp., worse than
7. sad, unhappy
8. devise evil (hurtful) device
9. bad, unkind, vicious in disposition or temper
10. ethically bad, evil, wicked
n.f — evil
רָעָה 310 n.f. evil, misery, distress, injury
1. evil, misery, distress
2. evil, injury, wrong
3. ethical evil
H5608
v n-m — score, inscribe, enumerate, recount, celebrate
Derivation: a primitive root;
properly, to score with a mark as a tally or record, i.e. (by implication) to inscribe, and also to enumerate; intensively, to recount, i.e. celebrate
KJV: commune, (ac-) count; declare, number, penknife, reckon, scribe, shew forth, speak, talk, tell (out), writer.
vb — count
סָפַר 107 vb. count, Pi. recount, relate
Qal 27
1. count things, to learn their number
2. number = take account of, carefully observe and consider, reckon
Niph. be counted, numbered
Pi. 67 recount, rehearse, declare
Pu. be recounted, related, rehearsed
n.m — enumerator
סֹפֵר, סוֹפֵר n.m. enumerator, muster-officer, secretary, scribe
H2934
v — hide, covering
Derivation: a primitive root;
to hide (by covering over)
KJV: hide, lay privily, in secret.
vb — hide
טָמַן vb. hide, conceal
Qal
1. hide
2. often of hiding, concealing, secretly laying a snare
3. that which is darkened = darkness
Niph. hide thyself in the dust
Hiph. and they went and hid (it)
H4170
n-m — noose, hook
Derivation: or מֹקֵשׁ; from 3369;
a noose (for catching animals) (literally or figuratively); by implication, a hook (for the nose)
KJV: be ensnared, gin, (is) snare(-d), trap.
n.m — a bait
מוֹקֵשׁ n.m. prop. a bait or lure in a fowler's net; then fig. a snare
H559
v — say
Derivation: a primitive root;
to say (used with great latitude)
KJV: answer, appoint, avouch, bid, boast self, call, certify, challenge, charge, (at the, give) command(-ment), commune, consider, declare, demand, × desire, determine, × expressly, × indeed, × intend, name, × plainly, promise, publish, report, require, say, speak (against, of), × still, × suppose, talk, tell, term, × that is, × think, use (speech), utter, × verily, × yet.
vb — utter
אָמַר 5287 vb. utter, say
Qal
1. Say
2. Say in the heart (= think)
3. Promise
4. Command (esp. late)
Niph. be said, told
Hiph. avow, avouch (lit. cause to declare)
Hithp. act proudly, boast
H4310
i — who?, whoever
Derivation: an interrogative pronoun of persons, as 4100 is of things,
who? (occasionally, by a peculiar idiom, of things); also (indefinitely) whoever; often used in oblique construction with prefix or suffix
KJV: any (man), × he, × him, O that! what, which, who(-m, -se, -soever), would to God.
pron.interrog — who?
מִי 423 pron.interrog. who? of persons
a. מִי is rarely used of things, and usually where persons are understood or implied
b. in the gen. whose
c. in an indirect qu.
d. מִי ב׳ who among … ?
e. strengthened and emph. forms of interrog.
f. various rhetorical uses whose
g. מִי may sometimes be rendered whosoever, though, as the examples will shew, it does not really mean it
h. once, following a verb, any one
H7200
v — see
Derivation: a primitive root;
to see, literally or figuratively (in numerous applications, direct and implied, transitive, intransitive and causative)
KJV: advise self, appear, approve, behold, × certainly, consider, discern, (make to) enjoy, have experience, gaze, take heed, × indeed, × joyfully, lo, look (on, one another, one on another, one upon another, out, up, upon), mark, meet, × be near, perceive, present, provide, regard, (have) respect, (fore-, cause to, let) see(-r, -m, one another), shew (self), × sight of others, (e-) spy, stare, × surely, × think, view, visions.
vb — see
רָאָה 1315 vb. see
Qal 1141
1.
a. see, subj.
b. see, c. acc. rei
2. see, sq. acc. cl. or phr. of closer design
3. see, so as to learn to know
4. abs. see, have (power of) vision
5. see = perceive
6. look at, see, by direct volition
7. of mental observation
8.
a. c. ב, lit., look into, hence look at with interest
b. see, c. acc. rei
Niph.
1. appear
2. be seen
3. be visible
Pu. appar. his bones are not detected
Hithp. recipr. look at each other
Hiph.
1.
a. cause one to see something, shew
b. cause to experience something
2. cause to look intently at, to behold
Hoph.
1. be caused to see, be shewn
2. be exhibited to
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Verses 1–6
Psalms 64:1–6
David, in these verses, puts in before God a representation of his own danger and of his enemies' character, to enforce his petition that God would protect him and punish them.
I. He earnestly begs of God to preserve him (Psa 64:1, Psa 64:2): Hear my voice, O God! in my prayer; that is, grant me the thing I pray for, and this is it, Lord, preserve my life from fear of the enemy, that is, fro the enemy that I am in fear of. He makes request for his life, which is, in a particular manner, dear to him, because he knows it is designed to be very serviceable to God and his generation. When his life is struck at it cannot be thought he should altogether hold his peace, Est 7:2, Est 7:4. And, if he plead his fear of the enemy, it is no disparagement to his courage; his father Jacob, that prince with God, did so before him. Gen 32:11, Deliver me from the hand of Esau, for I fear him. Preserve my life from fear, not only from the thing itself which I fear, but from the disquieting fear of it; this is, in effect, the preservation of the life, for fear has torment, particularly the fear of death, by reason of which some are all their life-time subject to bondage. He prays, "Hide me from the secret counsel of the wicked, from the mischief which they secretly consult among themselves to do against me, and from the insurrection of the workers of iniquity, who join forces, as they join counsels, to do me a mischief." Observe, The secret counsel ends in an insurrection; treasonable practices begin in treasonable confederacies and conspiracies. "Hide me from them, that they may not find me, that they may not reach me. Let me be safe under thy protection."
II. He complains of the great malice and wickedness of his enemies: "Lord, hide me from them, for they are the worst of men, not fit to be connived at; they are dangerous men, that will stick at nothing; so that I am undone if thou do not take my part."
1. They are very spiteful in their calumnies and reproaches, Psa 64:3, Psa 64:4. They are described as military men, with their sword and bow, archers that take aim exactly, secretly, and suddenly, and shoot at the harmless bird that apprehends not herself in any danger. But, (1.) Their tongues are their swords, flaming swords, two-edged swords, drawn swords, drawn in anger, with which they cut, and wound, and kill, the good name of their neighbours. The tongue is a little member, but, like the sword, it boasts great things, Jam 3:5. It is a dangerous weapon. (2.) Bitter words are their arrows - scurrilous reflections, opprobrious nicknames, false representations, slanders, and calumnies, the fiery darts of the wicked one, set on fire to hell. For these their malice bends their bows, to send out these arrows with so much the more force. (3.) The upright man is their mark; against him their spleen is, and they cannot speak peaceably either of him or to him. The better any man is the more he is envied by those that are themselves bad, and the more ill is said of him. (4.) They manage it with a great deal of art and subtlety. They shoot in secret, that those they shoot at may not discover them and avoid the danger, for in vain is the net spread in the sight of any bird. And suddenly do they shoot, without giving a man lawful warning or any opportunity to defend himself. Cursed be he that thus smites his neighbour secretly in his reputation, Deu 27:24. There is no guard against a pass made by a false tongue. (5.) Herein they fear not, that is, they are confident of their success, and doubt not but by these methods they shall gain the point which their malice aims at. Or, rather, they fear not the wrath of God, which they will be the portion of a false tongue. They are impudent and daring in the mischief they do to good people, as if they must never be called to an account for it.
2. They are very close and very resolute in their malicious projects, Psa 64:5. (1.) They strengthen and corroborate themselves and one another in this evil matter, and by joining together in it they make one another the more bitter and the more bold. Fortiter calumniari, aliquid adhaerebit - Lay on an abundance of reproach; part will be sure to stick. It is bad to do a wrong thing, but worse to encourage ourselves and one another in doing it; this is doing the devil's work for him. It is a sign that the heart is hardened to the highest degree when it is thus fully set to do evil and fears no colours. It is the office of conscience to discourage men in an evil matter, but, when that is baffled, the case is desperate. (2.) They consult with themselves and one another how to do the most mischief and most effectually: They commune of laying snares privily. All their communion is in sin and all their communication is how to sin securely. They hold councils of war for finding out the most effectual expedients to do mischief; every snare they lay was talked of before, and was laid with all the contrivance of their wicked wits combined. (3.) They please themselves with an atheistical conceit that God himself takes no notice of their wicked practices: They say, Who shall see them? A practical disbelief of God's omniscience is at the bottom of all the wickedness of the wicked.
3. They are very industrious in putting their projects in execution (Psa 64:6): "They search out iniquity; they take a great deal of pains to find out some iniquity or other to lay to my charge; they dig deep, and look far back, and put things to the utmost stretch, that they may have something to accuse me of;" or, "They are industrious to find out new arts of doing mischief to me; in this they accomplish a diligent search; they go through with it, and spare neither cost nor labour." Evil men dig up mischief. Half the pains that many take to damn their souls would serve to save them. They are masters of all the arts of mischief and destruction, for the inward thought of every one of them, and the heart, are keep, deep as hell, desperately wicked, who can know it? By the unaccountable wickedness of their wit and of their will, they show themselves to be, both in subtlety and malignity, the genuine offspring of the old serpent.
Cross-references: Ps 64:1 · Ps 64:2 · Esth 7:2 · Esth 7:4 · Gen 32:11 · Ps 64:3 · Ps 64:4 · Jas 3:5 · Deut 27:24 · Ps 64:5 · Ps 64:6