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They surround me with hateful words and attack me without cause.
Psalms 109:3 · Berean Standard Bible
Parallel translations
  • WEB They have also surrounded me with words of hatred, and fought against me without a cause.
  • KJV They compassed me about also with words of hatred; and fought against me without a cause.
  • ESV They encircle me with words of hate, and attack me without cause.
  • NKJV They have also surrounded me with words of hatred, And fought against me without a cause.
  • NASB They have also surrounded me with words of hatred, And have fought against me without cause.
  • NLT They surround me with hateful words and fight against me for no reason.

Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org

Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Quick answer

They surround David with words of hatred and attack him without cause.

Overview

David is encircled by hateful speech and assaulted though he has given no reason for such enmity. The phrase 'without a cause' underscores the injustice of the attack. Jesus applied this very expression to himself, saying his enemies hated him without a cause, marking David's experience as a shadow of Christ's undeserved suffering.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 13

  • Ps 69:4Those who hate me without cause outnumber the hairs of my head; many are those who would destroy me—my enemies for no reason. Though I did not steal, I must repay.
  • Ps 35:7For without cause they laid their net for me; without reason they dug a pit for my soul.
  • Ps 35:20For they do not speak peace, but they devise deceitful schemes against those who live quietly in the land.
  • Ps 88:17All day long they engulf me like water; they enclose me on every side.
  • John 15:24–25If I had not done among them the works that no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin; but now they have seen and hated both Me and My Father.
  • Ps 17:11They have tracked us down, and now surround us; their eyes are set to cast us to the ground,
  • 1 Sam 26:18And he continued, “Why is my lord pursuing his servant? What have I done? What evil is in my hand?
  • Ps 59:3–4See how they lie in wait for me. Fierce men conspire against me for no transgression or sin of my own, O LORD.
  • Ps 22:12Many bulls surround me; strong bulls of Bashan encircle me.
  • 1 Sam 19:4–5Then Jonathan spoke well of David to his father Saul and said to him, “The king should not sin against his servant David; he has not sinned against you. In fact, his actions have been highly beneficial to you.
  • 2 Sam 16:7–8And as he yelled curses, Shimei said, “Get out, get out, you worthless man of bloodshed!
  • 2 Sam 15:12While Absalom was offering the sacrifices, he sent for Ahithophel the Gilonite, David’s counselor, to come from his hometown of Giloh. So the conspiracy gained strength, and Absalom’s following kept increasing.
  • Hos 11:12Ephraim surrounds Me with lies, the house of Israel with deceit; but Judah still walks with God and is faithful to the Holy One.

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (4)

Resources, by level

Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — Psalms videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.

  • VideoWatch teaching on Psalms 109:3YouTube · Lay · Free

    Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.

  • CommentaryEnduring Word — verse-by-verseDavid Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.

  • CommentaryClassic commentaries for this verseBibleHub (20+ works) · Pastoral · Free

    Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.

  • CommentaryMatthew Henry on PsalmsMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical

    The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).

  • ReferenceInterlinear, lexicon & Strong'sBlue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free

    Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.

Christ at the center

The Psalms are Christ's own prayer book and a gallery of his portraits — the suffering one of Psalm 22, the risen Lord of Psalm 16, the priest-king of Psalm 110, the Son to whom the nations are given.

How Psalms 109:3 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.

Original language

Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.