Let burning coals fall down on their heads. Let them be thrown into the fire or into watery pits from which they can’t escape.
Parallel translations
- WEB Let burning coals fall on them. Let them be thrown into the fire, into miry pits, from where they never rise.
- KJV Let burning coals fall upon them: let them be cast into the fire; into deep pits, that they rise not up again.
- BSB May burning coals fall on them; may they be thrown into the fire, into the miry pits, never to rise again.
- NKJV Let burning coals fall upon them; Let them be cast into the fire, Into deep pits, that they rise not up again.
- NASB “May burning coals fall upon them; May they be cast into the fire, Into bottomless pits from which they cannot rise.
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
David asks that burning coals and fire fall on the wicked, casting them into pits from which they never rise. It calls for decisive divine judgment on persistent evildoers.
Overview
The vivid images of coals, fire, and pits depict thorough and final judgment, echoing God's judgment on Sodom. David prays for God to act as the righteous Judge rather than taking matters into his own hands. Such warnings of judgment make the offer of mercy in Christ all the more urgent (2 Corinthians 5:11).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 15
- Ps 11:6On the wicked he will rain blazing coals; fire, sulfur, and scorching wind shall be the portion of their cup.
- Ps 21:9You will make them as a fiery furnace in the time of your anger. Yahweh will swallow them up in his wrath. The fire shall devour them.
- Rev 21:8But for the cowardly, unbelieving, sinners, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their part is in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.”
- Rev 20:15If anyone was not found written in the book of life, he was cast into the lake of fire.
- Rev 16:8–9The fourth poured out his bowl on the sun, and it was given to him to scorch men with fire.
- Prov 28:10Whoever causes the upright to go astray in an evil way, he will fall into his own trap; but the blameless will inherit good.
- Ps 55:23But you, God, will bring them down into the pit of destruction. Bloodthirsty and deceitful men shall not live out half their days, but I will trust in you.
- Gen 19:24Then Yahweh rained on Sodom and on Gomorrah sulfur and fire from Yahweh out of the sky.
- Exod 9:23–24Moses stretched out his rod toward the heavens, and Yahweh sent thunder, hail, and lightning flashed down to the earth. Yahweh rained hail on the land of Egypt.
- Matt 13:50and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be the weeping and the gnashing of teeth.”
- Prov 28:17A man who is tormented by life blood will be a fugitive until death; no one will support him.
- Matt 13:42and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be weeping and the gnashing of teeth.
- Ps 18:13–14Yahweh also thundered in the sky. The Most High uttered his voice: hailstones and coals of fire.
- Ps 120:4Sharp arrows of the mighty, with coals of juniper.
- Dan 3:20–25He commanded certain mighty men who were in his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and to cast them into the burning fiery furnace.
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 140:10 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.