at the voice of the enemy, at the pressure of the wicked. For they release disaster upon me and revile me in their anger.
Parallel translations
- WEB Because of the voice of the enemy, Because of the oppression of the wicked. For they bring suffering on me. In anger they hold a grudge against me.
- KJV Because of the voice of the enemy, because of the oppression of the wicked: for they cast iniquity upon me, and in wrath they hate me.
- NKJV Because of the voice of the enemy, Because of the oppression of the wicked; For they bring down trouble upon me, And in wrath they hate me.
- NASB Because of the voice of the enemy, Because of the pressure of the wicked; For they bring down trouble upon me And in anger they hold a grudge against me.
- NLT My enemies shout at me, making loud and wicked threats. They bring trouble on me and angrily hunt me down.
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
His anguish comes from enemy voices, wicked oppression, and grudging anger against him. It names the external hostility driving his distress.
Overview
David identifies the source of his trouble: the threats of foes and the malice of the wicked who bring suffering and harbor anger. The pressure of persecution weighs on his soul. The verse legitimizes bringing the specific causes of pain to God rather than masking them.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 12
- 2 Sam 16:7–8And as he yelled curses, Shimei said, “Get out, get out, you worthless man of bloodshed!
- Ps 35:11Hostile witnesses come forward; they make charges I know nothing about.
- Ps 27:12Do not hand me over to the will of my foes, for false witnesses rise up against me, breathing out violence.
- Lam 3:34–36To crush underfoot all the prisoners of the land,
- Ps 73:8They mock and speak with malice; with arrogance they threaten oppression.
- Ps 17:9from the wicked who assail me, from my mortal enemies who surround me.
- Ps 54:3For strangers rise up against me, and ruthless men seek my life—men with no regard for God. Selah
- Ps 71:11saying, “God has forsaken him; pursue him and seize him, for there is no one to rescue him.”
- Ps 12:5“For the cause of the oppressed and for the groaning of the needy, I will now arise,” says the LORD. “I will bring safety to him who yearns.”
- Matt 26:59Now the chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin were seeking false testimony against Jesus in order to put Him to death.
- 2 Sam 19:19and said, “My lord, do not hold me guilty, and do not remember your servant’s wrongdoing on the day my lord the king left Jerusalem. May the king not take it to heart.
- 2 Sam 15:3Absalom would say, “Look, your claims are good and right, but the king has no deputy to hear you.”
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 55:3 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.