ambushing the innocent in seclusion, shooting suddenly, without fear.
Parallel translations
- WEB to shoot innocent men from ambushes. They shoot at him suddenly and fearlessly.
- KJV That they may shoot in secret at the perfect: suddenly do they shoot at him, and fear not.
- NKJV That they may shoot in secret at the blameless; Suddenly they shoot at him and do not fear.
- NASB To shoot from concealment at the innocent; Suddenly they shoot at him, and do not fear.
- NLT They shoot from ambush at the innocent, attacking suddenly and fearlessly.
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
The enemies ambush the innocent, striking suddenly and without fear of consequences. It exposes the boldness and treachery of those who do evil.
Overview
David describes attackers who fire on the blameless from concealment, acting suddenly and presuming they will not be caught. Their fearlessness reveals hearts that disregard God's justice. Yet the psalm will show that the One who sees in secret will repay, a justice ultimately secured at the cross and the final judgment.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 12
- 1 Pet 2:22–23“He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in His mouth.”
- Ps 55:19God will hear and humiliate them—the One enthroned for the ages—Selah because they do not change and they have no fear of God.
- Ps 10:8–9He lies in wait near the villages; in ambush he slays the innocent; his eyes watch in stealth for the helpless.
- Ps 11:2For behold, the wicked bend their bows. They set their arrow on the string to shoot from the shadows at the upright in heart.
- John 19:6As soon as the chief priests and officers saw Him, they shouted, “Crucify Him! Crucify Him!” “You take Him and crucify Him,” Pilate replied, “for I find no basis for a charge against Him.”
- Neh 4:11And our enemies said, “Before they know or see a thing, we will come into their midst, kill them, and put an end to the work.”
- 1 Sam 19:10Saul tried to pin him to the wall with his spear. But the spear struck the wall and David eluded him, ran away, and escaped that night.
- Ps 64:7But God will shoot them with arrows; suddenly they will be wounded.
- 1 Sam 18:11and he hurled it, thinking, “I will pin David to the wall.” But David eluded him twice.
- Ps 59:3–4See how they lie in wait for me. Fierce men conspire against me for no transgression or sin of my own, O LORD.
- 2 Sam 15:14And David said to all the servants with him in Jerusalem, “Arise and let us flee, or we will not escape from Absalom! We must leave quickly, or he will soon overtake us, heap disaster on us, and put the city to the sword.”
- Hab 3:14With his own spear You pierced his head, when his warriors stormed out to scatter us, gloating as though ready to secretly devour the weak.
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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 64:4 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.