Let those be ashamed and dishonored who seek my life; Let those be turned back and humiliated who devise evil against me.
Parallel translations
- WEB Let those who seek after my soul be disappointed and brought to dishonor. Let those who plot my ruin be turned back and confounded.
- KJV Let them be confounded and put to shame that seek after my soul: let them be turned back and brought to confusion that devise my hurt.
- BSB May those who seek my life be disgraced and put to shame; may those who plan to harm me be driven back and confounded.
- NKJV Let those be put to shame and brought to dishonor Who seek after my life; Let those be turned back and brought to confusion Who plot my hurt.
- NLT Bring shame and disgrace on those trying to kill me; turn them back and humiliate those who want to harm 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 those seeking his life and plotting his ruin would be turned back in shame.
Overview
David asks that his enemies' schemes be frustrated and their malice rebounded on themselves in disgrace. This is a plea for justice, leaving retribution to God. Such prayers express longing for evil's defeat, ultimately accomplished through Christ's victory over all his enemies.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 14
- Ps 70:2–3Let them be disappointed and confounded who seek my soul. Let those who desire my ruin be turned back in disgrace.
- Ps 35:26Let them be disappointed and confounded together who rejoice at my calamity. Let them be clothed with shame and dishonor who magnify themselves against me.
- Jer 46:5Why have I seen it? They are dismayed and are turned backward. Their mighty ones are beaten down, have fled in haste, and don’t look back. Terror is on every side,” says Yahweh.
- Ps 38:12They also who seek after my life lay snares. Those who seek my hurt speak mischievous things, and meditate deceits all day long.
- Ps 31:17–18Let me not be disappointed, Yahweh, for I have called on you. Let the wicked be disappointed. Let them be silent in Sheol.
- Ps 129:5Let them be disappointed and turned backward, all those who hate Zion.
- Ps 40:14–15Let them be disappointed and confounded together who seek after my soul to destroy it. Let them be turned backward and brought to dishonor who delight in my hurt.
- Ps 71:24My tongue will also talk about your righteousness all day long, for they are disappointed, and they are confounded, who want to harm me.
- 1 Sam 23:23See therefore, and take knowledge of all the lurking places where he hides himself, and come again to me with certainty, and I will go with you. It shall happen, if he is in the land, that I will search him out among all the thousands of Judah.”
- John 18:6When therefore he said to them, “I am he,” they went backward, and fell to the ground.
- Ezek 13:19You have profaned me among my people for handfuls of barley and for pieces of bread, to kill the souls who should not die, and to save the souls alive who should not live, by your lying to my people who listen to lies.’
- Isa 37:29Because of your raging against me, and because your arrogance has come up into my ears, therefore will I put my hook in your nose and my bridle in your lips, and I will turn you back by the way by which you came.
- 1 Kgs 19:10He said, “I have been very jealous for Yahweh, the God of Armies; for the children of Israel have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.”
- Matt 27:1Now when morning had come, all the chief priests and the elders of the people took counsel against Jesus to put him to death:
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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 35:4 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.