lest my enemy say, “I have overcome him,” and my foes rejoice when I fall.
Parallel translations
- WEB Lest my enemy say, “I have prevailed against him”; Lest my adversaries rejoice when I fall.
- KJV Lest mine enemy say, I have prevailed against him; and those that trouble me rejoice when I am moved.
- NKJV Lest my enemy say, “I have prevailed against him”; Lest those who trouble me rejoice when I am moved.
- NASB And my enemy will say, “I have overcome him,” And my adversaries will rejoice when I am shaken.
- NLT Don’t let my enemies gloat, saying, “We have defeated him!” Don’t let them rejoice at my downfall.
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
He fears his enemy boasting of victory and his foes rejoicing at his fall. David's concern is for God's honor as well as his own deliverance.
Overview
David's plea is sharpened by the prospect of his enemies gloating over his defeat. His vindication and God's reputation are intertwined, for the enemy's triumph would seem to deny God's faithfulness. This appeal to God's own honor is a frequent and fitting ground for prayer in the Psalms.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 16
- Ps 25:2in You, my God, I trust. Do not let me be put to shame; do not let my enemies exult over me.
- Jer 1:19They will fight against you but will never overcome you, since I am with you to deliver you,” declares the LORD.
- Prov 12:3A man cannot be established through wickedness, but the righteous cannot be uprooted.
- Ps 62:6He alone is my rock and my salvation; He is my fortress; I will not be shaken.
- Lam 1:16For these things I weep; my eyes flow with tears. For there is no one nearby to comfort me, no one to revive my soul. My children are destitute because the enemy has prevailed.
- Josh 7:9When the Canaanites and all who live in the land hear about this, they will surround us and wipe out our name from the earth. Then what will You do for Your great name?”
- Ps 38:16For I said, “Let them not gloat over me—those who taunt me when my foot slips.”
- Ps 55:22Cast your burden upon the LORD and He will sustain you; He will never let the righteous be shaken.
- Ps 10:11He says to himself, “God has forgotten; He hides His face and never sees.”
- Ps 35:25Let them not say in their hearts, “Aha, just what we wanted!” Let them not say, “We have swallowed him up!”
- Ps 9:19Rise up, O LORD, do not let man prevail; let the nations be judged in Your presence.
- Ps 121:1–3A song of ascents. I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come?
- Ps 62:2He alone is my rock and my salvation. He is my fortress; I will never be shaken.
- Ezek 35:12–15Then you will know that I, the LORD, have heard every contemptuous word you uttered against the mountains of Israel when you said, ‘They are desolate; they are given to us to devour!’
- Ps 112:6Surely he will never be shaken; the righteous man will be remembered forever.
- Ps 35:19Let not my enemies gloat over me without cause, nor those who hate me without reason wink in malice.
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
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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 13:4 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.