They shoot from ambush at the innocent, attacking suddenly and fearlessly.
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.
- 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.
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 not sin, “neither was deceit found in his mouth.”
- Ps 55:19God, who is enthroned forever, will hear, and answer them. Selah. They never change, who don’t fear God.
- Ps 10:8–9He lies in wait near the villages. From ambushes, he murders the innocent. His eyes are secretly set against the helpless.
- Ps 11:2For, behold, the wicked bend their bows. They set their arrows on the strings, that they may shoot in darkness at the upright in heart.
- John 19:6When therefore the chief priests and the officers saw him, they shouted, saying, “Crucify! Crucify!” Pilate said to them, “Take him yourselves, and crucify him, for I find no basis for a charge against him.”
- Neh 4:11Our adversaries said, “They will not know or see, until we come in among them and kill them, and cause the work to cease.”
- 1 Sam 19:10Saul sought to pin David to the wall with the spear; but he slipped away out of Saul’s presence, and he stuck the spear into the wall. David fled, and escaped that night.
- Ps 64:7But God will shoot at them. They will be suddenly struck down with an arrow.
- 1 Sam 18:11and Saul threw the spear, for he said, “I will pin David even to the wall!” David escaped from his presence twice.
- Ps 59:3–4For, behold, they lie in wait for my soul. The mighty gather themselves together against me, not for my disobedience, nor for my sin, Yahweh.
- 2 Sam 15:14David said to all his servants who were with him at Jerusalem, “Arise, and let us flee; or else none of us will escape from Absalom. Hurry to depart, lest he overtake us quickly, and bring down evil on us, and strike the city with the edge of the sword.”
- Hab 3:14You pierced the heads of his warriors with their own spears. They came as a whirlwind to scatter me, gloating as if to devour the wretched in secret.
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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.