I hate the assembly of evildoers, And I will not sit with the wicked.
Parallel translations
- WEB I hate the assembly of evildoers, and will not sit with the wicked.
- KJV I have hated the congregation of evil doers; and will not sit with the wicked.
- BSB I hate the mob of evildoers, and refuse to sit with the wicked.
- NKJV I have hated the assembly of evildoers, And will not sit with the wicked.
- NLT I hate the gatherings of those who do evil, and I refuse to join in with the wicked.
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 hates the assembly of evildoers and will not sit with the wicked. He resolutely separates from wickedness.
Overview
David expresses hatred not of persons in personal malice but of the gathered company and ways of evildoers, refusing to share in their fellowship. This reflects a holy aversion to sin that loves what God loves and rejects what he rejects. The verse calls believers to a clear separation from wickedness, a separation made wholehearted by the renewing grace of Christ.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 6
- Ps 31:6I hate those who regard lying vanities, but I trust in Yahweh.
- Ps 101:3–8I will set no vile thing before my eyes. I hate the deeds of faithless men. They will not cling to me.
- Ps 139:21–22Yahweh, don’t I hate those who hate you? Am I not grieved with those who rise up against you?
- Ps 1:1Blessed is the man who doesn’t walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor stand on the path of sinners, nor sit in the seat of scoffers;
- 1 Cor 5:9–11I wrote to you in my letter to have no company with sexual sinners;
- Matt 9:11–12When the Pharisees saw it, they said to his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?”
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 26:5 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.