That they may shoot in secret at the perfect: suddenly do they shoot at him, and fear not.
Parallel translations
- WEB to shoot innocent men from ambushes. They shoot at him suddenly and fearlessly.
- BSB ambushing the innocent in seclusion, shooting suddenly, without fear.
- 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 2:22–23Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth:
- Ps 55:19God shall hear, and afflict them, even he that abideth of old. Selah. Because they have no changes, therefore they fear not God.
- Ps 10:8–9He sitteth in the lurking places of the villages: in the secret places doth he murder the innocent: his eyes are privily set against the poor.
- Ps 11:2For, lo, the wicked bend their bow, they make ready their arrow upon the string, that they may privily shoot at the upright in heart.
- John 19:6When the chief priests therefore and officers saw him, they cried out, saying, Crucify him, crucify him. Pilate saith unto them, Take ye him, and crucify him: for I find no fault in him.
- Neh 4:11And our adversaries said, They shall not know, neither see, till we come in the midst among them, and slay them, and cause the work to cease.
- 1 Sam 19:10And Saul sought to smite David even to the wall with the javelin, but he slipped away out of Saul’s presence, and he smote the javelin into the wall: and David fled, and escaped that night.
- Ps 64:7But God shall shoot at them with an arrow; suddenly shall they be wounded.
- 1 Sam 18:11And Saul cast the javelin; for he said, I will smite David even to the wall with it. And David avoided out of his presence twice.
- Ps 59:3–4For, lo, they lie in wait for my soul: the mighty are gathered against me; not for my transgression, nor for my sin, O LORD.
- 2 Sam 15:14And David said unto all his servants that were with him at Jerusalem, Arise, and let us flee; for we shall not else escape from Absalom: make speed to depart, lest he overtake us suddenly, and bring evil upon us, and smite the city with the edge of the sword.
- Hab 3:14Thou didst strike through with his staves the head of his villages: they came out as a whirlwind to scatter me: their rejoicing was as to devour the poor secretly.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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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.