Deliver me, O LORD, from the evil man: preserve me from the violent man;
Parallel translations
- WEB For the Chief Musician. A Psalm by David. Deliver me, Yahweh, from the evil man. Preserve me from the violent man;
- BSB For the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. Rescue me, O LORD, from evil men. Protect me from men of violence,
- NKJV Deliver me, O Lord, from evil men; Preserve me from violent men,
- NASB Rescue me, Lord, from evil people; Protect me from violent men
- NLT O Lord, rescue me from evil people. Protect me from those who are violent,
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 prays for deliverance from evil and violent men. It opens a psalm of trust amid hostile, dangerous opposition.
Overview
This Davidic psalm cries out for rescue from those who plot harm, setting the tone for a prayer that moves from danger to confident hope in God. David models taking persecution directly to the Lord rather than retaliating. The righteous Sufferer Jesus likewise entrusted Himself to the One who judges justly (1 Peter 2:23).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 8
- Ps 18:48He delivereth me from mine enemies: yea, thou liftest me up above those that rise up against me: thou hast delivered me from the violent man.
- Ps 71:4Deliver me, O my God, out of the hand of the wicked, out of the hand of the unrighteous and cruel man.
- Ps 140:4Keep me, O LORD, from the hands of the wicked; preserve me from the violent man; who have purposed to overthrow my goings.
- Hab 1:2–3O LORD, how long shall I cry, and thou wilt not hear! even cry out unto thee of violence, and thou wilt not save!
- Ps 140:11Let not an evil speaker be established in the earth: evil shall hunt the violent man to overthrow him.
- Ps 17:13Arise, O LORD, disappoint him, cast him down: deliver my soul from the wicked, which is thy sword:
- Ps 43:1Judge me, O God, and plead my cause against an ungodly nation: O deliver me from the deceitful and unjust man.
- Ps 59:1–3Deliver me from mine enemies, O my God: defend me from them that rise up against me.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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 140:1 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.