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Behold, an evil person is pregnant with injustice, And he conceives harm and gives birth to lies.
Psalms 7:14 · New American Standard Bible
Parallel translations
  • WEB Behold, he travails with iniquity. Yes, he has conceived mischief, and brought out falsehood.
  • KJV Behold, he travaileth with iniquity, and hath conceived mischief, and brought forth falsehood.
  • BSB Behold, the wicked man travails with evil; he conceives trouble and births falsehood.
  • NKJV Behold, the wicked brings forth iniquity; Yes, he conceives trouble and brings forth falsehood.
  • NLT The wicked conceive evil; they are pregnant with trouble and give birth to lies.

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 wicked man is pictured as pregnant with evil, conceiving mischief and giving birth to lies. Sin grows from inward intent into deceitful action.

Overview

Using the image of conception and birth, David traces how the wicked nurture iniquity until it issues in falsehood. Evil is shown as something deliberately conceived within and brought forth. James uses similar language to describe how desire conceives and gives birth to sin and death (James 1:15), warning of sin's destructive course.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 5

  • Jas 1:15Then the lust, when it has conceived, bears sin; and the sin, when it is full grown, produces death.
  • Job 15:35They conceive mischief, and produce iniquity. Their heart prepares deceit.”
  • Isa 33:11You will conceive chaff. You will give birth to stubble. Your breath is a fire that will devour you.
  • Job 15:20the wicked man writhes in pain all his days, even the number of years that are laid up for the oppressor.
  • Isa 59:4–5No one sues in righteousness, and no one pleads in truth. They trust in vanity, and speak lies. They conceive mischief, and give birth to iniquity.

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (1)

Resources, by level

Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — Psalms videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.

  • VideoWatch teaching on Psalms 7:14YouTube · Lay · Free

    Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.

  • CommentaryEnduring Word — verse-by-verseDavid Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.

  • CommentaryClassic commentaries for this verseBibleHub (20+ works) · Pastoral · Free

    Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.

  • CommentaryMatthew Henry on PsalmsMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical

    The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).

  • ReferenceInterlinear, lexicon & Strong'sBlue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free

    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 7:14 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.