They have tracked us down, and now surround us; their eyes are set to cast us to the ground,
Parallel translations
- WEB They have now surrounded us in our steps. They set their eyes to cast us down to the earth.
- KJV They have now compassed us in our steps: they have set their eyes bowing down to the earth;
- NKJV They have now surrounded us in our steps; They have set their eyes, crouching down to the earth,
- NASB They have now surrounded us in our steps; They set their eyes to cast us down to the ground.
- NLT They track me down and surround me, watching for the chance to throw me to the ground.
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 enemies have surrounded David, intent on bringing him down to the ground. It matters because it portrays the real and pressing danger from which only God can rescue.
Overview
David's adversaries now hem in his every step, fixing their eyes to cast him down to the earth. The imagery conveys relentless, aggressive pursuit. In such danger David's only hope is God's intervention, a hope ultimately secured for the righteous through Christ's victory over every enemy.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 7
- Prov 6:13–14winking his eyes, speaking with his feet, and pointing with his fingers.
- 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 10:8–10He lies in wait near the villages; in ambush he slays the innocent; his eyes watch in stealth for the helpless.
- 1 Sam 23:26Saul was proceeding along one side of the mountain, and David and his men along the other side. Even though David was hurrying to get away, Saul and his men were closing in on David and his men to capture them.
- 1 Sam 26:2–3So Saul, accompanied by three thousand chosen men of Israel, went down to the Wilderness of Ziph to search for David there.
- Ps 88:17All day long they engulf me like water; they enclose me on every side.
- 1 Sam 24:2–3So Saul took three thousand chosen men from all Israel and went to look for David and his men in the region of the Rocks of the Wild Goats.
Resources, by level
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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 17:11 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.