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The arrogant rise against me, O God; a band of ruthless men seeks my life, with no regard for You.
Psalms 86:14 · Berean Standard Bible
Parallel translations
  • WEB God, the proud have risen up against me. A company of violent men have sought after my soul, and they don’t hold regard for you before them.
  • KJV O God, the proud are risen against me, and the assemblies of violent men have sought after my soul; and have not set thee before them.
  • NKJV O God, the proud have risen against me, And a mob of violent men have sought my life, And have not set You before them.
  • NASB ¶God, arrogant men have risen up against me, And a gang of violent men have sought my life, And they have not set You before them.
  • NLT O God, insolent people rise up against me; a violent gang is trying to kill me. You mean nothing to them.

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

Proud and violent men rise against David, men who disregard God. The threat of the godless drives him to seek the Lord.

Overview

David describes ruthless enemies who have no regard for God, contrasting their arrogance with his humble dependence. Their disregard for God marks the root of their hostility. This conflict between the godless and the trusting servant points to the opposition Christ faced and the trials His followers endure.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 19

  • Ps 54:3For strangers rise up against me, and ruthless men seek my life—men with no regard for God. Selah
  • Ps 14:4Will the workers of iniquity never learn? They devour my people like bread; they refuse to call upon the LORD.
  • Ps 36:1For the choirmaster. A Psalm of David, the servant of the LORD. An oracle is in my heart regarding the transgression of the wicked man: There is no fear of God before his eyes.
  • Matt 26:3–4At that time the chief priests and elders of the people assembled in the courtyard of the high priest, whose name was Caiaphas,
  • Matt 27:1–2When morning came, all the chief priests and elders of the people conspired against Jesus to put Him to death.
  • Ezek 9:9He replied, “The iniquity of the house of Israel and Judah is exceedingly great. The land is full of bloodshed, and the city is full of perversity. For they say, ‘The LORD has forsaken the land; the LORD does not see.’
  • Ps 10:11He says to himself, “God has forgotten; He hides His face and never sees.”
  • Ps 119:69Though the arrogant have smeared me with lies, I keep Your precepts with all my heart.
  • Ps 119:51The arrogant utterly deride me, but I do not turn from Your law.
  • Ezek 8:12“Son of man,” He said to me, “do you see what the elders of the house of Israel are doing in the darkness, each at the shrine of his own idol? For they are saying, ‘The LORD does not see us; the LORD has forsaken the land.’”
  • Ps 140:5The proud hide a snare for me; the cords of their net are spread along the path, and lures are set out for me. Selah
  • Acts 4:27–28In fact, this is the very city where Herod and Pontius Pilate conspired with the Gentiles and the people of Israel against Your holy servant Jesus, whom You anointed.
  • 2 Sam 17:14Then Absalom and all the men of Israel said, “The advice of Hushai the Archite is better than that of Ahithophel.” For the LORD had purposed to thwart the good counsel of Ahithophel in order to bring disaster on Absalom.
  • Ps 119:85The arrogant have dug pits for me in violation of Your law.
  • Ps 10:13Why has the wicked man renounced God? He says to himself, “You will never call me to account.”
  • 2 Sam 16:20Then Absalom said to Ahithophel, “Give me counsel. What should we do?”
  • Ps 36:11Let not the foot of the proud come against me, nor the hand of the wicked drive me away.
  • Ps 10:4In his pride the wicked man does not seek Him; in all his schemes there is no God.
  • 2 Sam 15:1–12Some time later, Absalom provided for himself a chariot with horses and fifty men to run ahead of him.

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (2)

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 86:14YouTube · 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 86:14 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.