Limitless Word
Mine enemies speak evil of me, When shall he die, and his name perish?
Psalms 41:5 · King James Version
Parallel translations
  • WEB My enemies speak evil against me: “When will he die, and his name perish?”
  • BSB My enemies say with malice: “When will he die and be forgotten?”
  • NKJV My enemies speak evil of me: “When will he die, and his name perish?”
  • NASB My enemies speak evil against me, “When will he die, and his name perish?”
  • NLT But my enemies say nothing but evil about me. “How soon will he die and be forgotten?” they ask.

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's enemies wish him dead and his name forgotten. They speak evil, longing for his complete demise.

Overview

In his illness, his foes voice their malice openly, hoping he will perish. Their words reveal hearts set against him. The righteous sufferer often endures such hostility, as Christ did from those who plotted His death.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 6

  • Prov 10:7The memory of the just is blessed: but the name of the wicked shall rot.
  • Ps 102:8Mine enemies reproach me all the day; and they that are mad against me are sworn against me.
  • Ps 38:12They also that seek after my life lay snares for me: and they that seek my hurt speak mischievous things, and imagine deceits all the day long.
  • Job 20:7Yet he shall perish for ever like his own dung: they which have seen him shall say, Where is he?
  • Ps 22:6–8But I am a worm, and no man; a reproach of men, and despised of the people.
  • Job 18:17His remembrance shall perish from the earth, and he shall have no name in the street.

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (4)

Resources, by level

Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — Psalms videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.

  • VideoWatch teaching on Psalms 41:5YouTube · Lay · Free

    Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.

  • CommentaryEnduring Word — verse-by-verseDavid Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.

  • CommentaryClassic commentaries for this verseBibleHub (20+ works) · Pastoral · Free

    Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.

  • CommentaryMatthew Henry on PsalmsMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical

    The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).

  • ReferenceInterlinear, lexicon & Strong'sBlue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free

    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 41:5 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.