For behold, the wicked bend their bows. They set their arrow on the string to shoot from the shadows at the upright in heart.
Parallel translations
- 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.
- 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.
- NKJV For look! The wicked bend their bow, They make ready their arrow on the string, That they may shoot secretly at the upright in heart.
- NASB “For, behold, the wicked bend the bow, They have set their arrow on the string To shoot in darkness at the upright in heart.
- NLT The wicked are stringing their bows and fitting their arrows on the bowstrings. They shoot from the shadows at those whose hearts are right.
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
The wicked ready their bows to shoot the upright from the shadows. Evil schemes in secret against the righteous.
Overview
David describes the threat that prompted the advice to flee: hidden, treacherous attacks on the godly. The imagery of arrows shot 'in darkness' conveys cowardly and deceitful malice. Yet David's response will be confidence in God who reigns above such threats rather than fear of them.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 18
- Ps 37:14The wicked have drawn the sword and bent the bow to bring down the poor and needy, to slay those whose ways are upright.
- Ps 64:3–5who sharpen their tongues like swords and aim their bitter words like arrows,
- Jer 9:3“They bend their tongues like bows; lies prevail over truth in the land. For they proceed from evil to evil, and they do not take Me into account,” declares the LORD.
- Ps 21:12For You will put them to flight when Your bow is trained upon them.
- Ps 64:10Let the righteous rejoice in the LORD and take refuge in Him; let all the upright in heart exult.
- Matt 26:4and they conspired to arrest Jesus covertly and kill Him.
- Ps 10:2In pride the wicked pursue the needy; let them be caught in the schemes they devise.
- Ps 10:8–9He lies in wait near the villages; in ambush he slays the innocent; his eyes watch in stealth for the helpless.
- Ps 32:11Be glad in the LORD and rejoice, O righteous ones; shout for joy, all you upright in heart.
- Ps 97:11Light shines on the righteous, gladness on the upright in heart.
- Ps 7:10My shield is with God, who saves the upright in heart.
- Ps 142:3Although my spirit grows faint within me, You know my way. Along the path I travel they have hidden a snare for me.
- Ps 125:4Do good, O LORD, to those who are good, and to the upright in heart.
- Ps 94:15Surely judgment will again be righteous, and all the upright in heart will follow it.
- Ps 7:12If one does not repent, God will sharpen His sword; He has bent and strung His bow.
- 1 Sam 18:21“I will give her to David,” Saul thought, “so that she may be a snare to him, and the hand of the Philistines may be against him.” So Saul said to David, “For a second time now you can be my son-in-law.”
- 1 Sam 23:9When David learned that Saul was plotting evil against him, he said to Abiathar the priest, “Bring the ephod.”
- Acts 23:12–15When daylight came, the Jews formed a conspiracy and bound themselves with an oath not to eat or drink until they had killed Paul.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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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 11:2 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.