Psalm 140 is the 140th
psalm
The Book of Psalms ( or ; he, תְּהִלִּים, , lit. "praises"), also known as the Psalms, or the Psalter, is the first book of the ("Writings"), the third section of the Tanakh, and a book of the Old Testament. The title is derived f ...
of the
biblical Book of Psalms. It is part of the final Davidic collection of psalms, comprising
Psalms 138 to
145 145 may refer to:
*145 (number), a natural number
*AD 145, a year in the 2nd century AD
*145 BC, a year in the 2nd century BC
*145 (dinghy), a two-person intermediate sailing dinghy
*145 (South) Brigade
*145 (New Jersey bus) 145 may refer to:
*14 ...
, which are specifically attributed to
David
David (; , "beloved one") (traditional spelling), , ''Dāwūd''; grc-koi, Δαυΐδ, Dauíd; la, Davidus, David; gez , ዳዊት, ''Dawit''; xcl, Դաւիթ, ''Dawitʿ''; cu, Давíдъ, ''Davidŭ''; possibly meaning "beloved one". w ...
in their opening verses. It describes putting one's trust in God while threatened with evil. The
New King James Version entitles it a "Prayer for Deliverance from Evil Men".
[: NKJV]
In the slightly different numbering system used in the Greek
Septuagint
The Greek Old Testament, or Septuagint (, ; from the la, septuaginta, lit=seventy; often abbreviated ''70''; in Roman numerals, LXX), is the earliest extant Greek translation of books from the Hebrew Bible. It includes several books beyond ...
version of the Bible, and in the Latin
Vulgate
The Vulgate (; also called (Bible in common tongue), ) is a late-4th-century Latin translation of the Bible.
The Vulgate is largely the work of Jerome who, in 382, had been commissioned by Pope Damasus I to revise the Gospels u ...
, this psalm is Psalm 139.
Text
Hebrew Bible version
Following is the Hebrew text of Psalm 140:
King James Version
# Deliver me, O LORD, from the evil man: preserve me from the violent man;
# Which imagine mischiefs in their heart; continually are they gathered together for war.
# They have sharpened their tongues like a serpent; adders' poison is under their lips. Selah.
# Keep me, O LORD, from the hands of the wicked; preserve me from the violent man; who have purposed to overthrow my goings.
# The proud have hid a snare for me, and cords; they have spread a net by the wayside; they have set gins for me. Selah.
# I said unto the LORD, Thou art my God: hear the voice of my supplications, O LORD.
# O GOD the Lord, the strength of my salvation, thou hast covered my head in the day of battle.
# Grant not, O LORD, the desires of the wicked: further not his wicked device; lest they exalt themselves. Selah.
# As for the head of those that compass me about, let the mischief of their own lips cover them.
# Let burning coals fall upon them: let them be cast into the fire; into deep pits, that they rise not up again.
# Let not an evil speaker be established in the earth: evil shall hunt the violent man to overthrow him.
# I know that the LORD will maintain the cause of the afflicted, and the right of the poor.
# Surely the righteous shall give thanks unto thy name: the upright shall dwell in thy presence.
In the
Hebrew Bible
The Hebrew Bible or Tanakh (;["Tanach"](_blank)
'' David
David (; , "beloved one") (traditional spelling), , ''Dāwūd''; grc-koi, Δαυΐδ, Dauíd; la, Davidus, David; gez , ዳዊት, ''Dawit''; xcl, Դաւիթ, ''Dawitʿ''; cu, Давíдъ, ''Davidŭ''; possibly meaning "beloved one". w ...
''" is numbered as verse 1, whereas in many English Bibles this psalm has 13 verses, because the header (''To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David'' in the
NKJV
The New King James Version (NKJV) is an English translation of the Bible. The complete NKJV Bible was published in 1982 by Thomas Nelson, now HarperCollins. The NKJV is described by Thomas Nelson as being "scrupulously faithful to the origin ...
) is not generally given a verse number.
Structure
The Hebrew word
Selah
(; hbo, סֶלָה, selā) is a word used 74 times in the Hebrew Bible. Its etymology and precise meaning are unknown, though various interpretations are given.
It is probably either a liturgical-musical mark or an instruction on the reading ...
, possibly an instruction on the reading of the text, breaks the psalm after verses 3, 5 and 8. C. S. Rodd argues that the psalm's structure is unclear, but suggests:
*Verses 1-5: a prayer for help
*Verses 6-7: an expression of confidence in God
*Verses 8-11: an appeal against the psalmist's enemies
*Verses 12-13: another expression of confidence in God, which may reflect a priestly or prophetic assurance that the psalmist's prayer has been heard.
[Rodd, C. S., ''18. Psalms'' in Barton, J. and Muddiman, J. (2001)]
The Oxford Bible Commentary
p. 403
Uses
New Testament
The New Testament grc, Ἡ Καινὴ Διαθήκη, transl. ; la, Novum Testamentum. (NT) is the second division of the Christian biblical canon. It discusses the teachings and person of Jesus, as well as events in first-century Chri ...
*Verse 3b, ''The poison of
asps is under their lips'', is quoted in
Romans
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
* Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
*Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...
.
Notes
References
External links
* in Hebrew and English - Mechon-mamre
* King James Bible - Wikisource
{{Psalms
140
Works attributed to David