¶“As for the head of those who surround me, May the harm of their lips cover them.
Parallel translations
- WEB As for the head of those who surround me, let the mischief of their own lips cover them.
- KJV As for the head of those that compass me about, let the mischief of their own lips cover them.
- BSB May the heads of those who surround me be covered in the trouble their lips have caused.
- NKJV “As for the head of those who surround me, Let the evil of their lips cover them;
- NLT Let my enemies be destroyed by the very evil they have planned for me.
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 that the mischief of his enemies' own lips would fall back on their heads. It asks that their evil words recoil upon them in just retribution.
Overview
This imprecation requests that the harm plotted by the wicked return upon themselves, a principle of fitting justice. David leaves judgment to God rather than retaliating. Scripture affirms that sin reaps its own consequences, while the gospel offers escape for those who turn from evil to Christ (Galatians 6:7).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 10
- Ps 7:16The trouble he causes shall return to his own head. His violence shall come down on the crown of his own head.
- Prov 18:7A fool’s mouth is his destruction, and his lips are a snare to his soul.
- Prov 12:13An evil man is trapped by sinfulness of lips, but the righteous shall come out of trouble.
- Ps 94:23He has brought on them their own iniquity, and will cut them off in their own wickedness. Yahweh, our God, will cut them off.
- Prov 10:11The mouth of the righteous is a spring of life, but violence covers the mouth of the wicked.
- Esth 7:10So they hanged Haman on the gallows that he had prepared for Mordecai. Then was the king’s wrath pacified.
- Ps 64:8Their own tongues shall ruin them. All who see them will shake their heads.
- Prov 10:6Blessings are on the head of the righteous, but violence covers the mouth of the wicked.
- Esth 5:14Then Zeresh his wife and all his friends said to him, “Let a gallows be made fifty cubits high, and in the morning speak to the king about hanging Mordecai on it. Then go in merrily with the king to the banquet.” This pleased Haman, so he had the gallows made.
- Matt 27:25All the people answered, “May his blood be on us, and on our children!”
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 140:9 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.