But You, O God, will bring them down to the Pit of destruction; men of bloodshed and deceit will not live out half their days. But I will trust in You.
Parallel translations
- WEB But you, God, will bring them down into the pit of destruction. Bloodthirsty and deceitful men shall not live out half their days, but I will trust in you.
- KJV But thou, O God, shalt bring them down into the pit of destruction: bloody and deceitful men shall not live out half their days; but I will trust in thee.
- NKJV But You, O God, shall bring them down to the pit of destruction; Bloodthirsty and deceitful men shall not live out half their days; But I will trust in You.
- NASB But You, God, will bring them down to the pit of destruction; Men of bloodshed and deceit will not live out half their days. But I will trust in You.
- NLT But you, O God, will send the wicked down to the pit of destruction. Murderers and liars will die young, but I am trusting you to save 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 affirms God will bring the bloodthirsty and deceitful to ruin, while he himself trusts in God. It ends with confident contrast between the wicked's doom and the believer's trust.
Overview
The psalm closes by declaring God's judgment: violent and deceitful men will not live out half their days. Set against this, David's final word is personal trust in the Lord. This concluding confidence shows that, whatever betrayals and dangers come, the believer's security rests wholly in God.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 16
- Prov 10:27The fear of the LORD prolongs life, but the years of the wicked will be cut short.
- Ps 5:6You destroy those who tell lies; the LORD abhors the man of bloodshed and deceit.
- Job 15:32It will be paid in full before his time, and his branch will not flourish.
- Ps 73:18Surely You set them on slick ground; You cast them down into ruin.
- Isa 38:17Surely for my own welfare I had such great anguish; but Your love has delivered me from the pit of oblivion, for You have cast all my sins behind Your back.
- Eccl 7:17Do not be excessively wicked, and do not be a fool. Why should you die before your time?
- Ps 7:15–16He has dug a hole and hollowed it out; he has fallen into a pit of his own making.
- Prov 15:11Sheol and Abaddon lie open before the LORD—how much more the hearts of men!
- Ps 59:12–13By the sins of their mouths and the words of their lips, let them be trapped in their pride, in the curses and lies they utter.
- Ps 25:2in You, my God, I trust. Do not let me be put to shame; do not let my enemies exult over me.
- Matt 27:4–5“I have sinned by betraying innocent blood,” he said. “What is that to us?” they replied. “You bear the responsibility.”
- Prov 27:20Sheol and Abaddon are never satisfied; so the eyes of man are never satisfied.
- 2 Sam 20:9–10“Are you well, my brother?” Joab asked Amasa. And with his right hand Joab grabbed Amasa by the beard to kiss him.
- 2 Sam 3:27When Abner returned to Hebron, Joab pulled him aside into the gateway, as if to speak to him privately, and there Joab stabbed him in the stomach. So Abner died on account of the blood of Joab’s brother Asahel.
- 1 Kgs 2:5–6Moreover, you know what Joab son of Zeruiah did to me—what he did to Abner son of Ner and Amasa son of Jether, the two commanders of the armies of Israel. He killed them in peacetime to avenge the blood of war. He stained with the blood of war the belt around his waist and the sandals on his feet.
- Ps 58:9Before your pots can feel the burning thorns—whether green or dry—He will sweep them away.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
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 55:23 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.