And David says: “May their table become a snare and a trap, a stumbling block and a retribution to them.
Parallel translations
- WEB David says, “Let their table be made a snare, and a trap, a stumbling block, and a retribution to them.
- KJV And David saith, Let their table be made a snare, and a trap, and a stumblingblock, and a recompence unto them:
- NKJV And David says: “Let their table become a snare and a trap, A stumbling block and a recompense to them.
- NASB And David says, “May their table become a snare and a trap, And a stumbling block and a retribution to them.
- NLT Likewise, David said, “Let their bountiful table become a snare, a trap that makes them think all is well. Let their blessings cause them to stumble, and let them get what they deserve.
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
David's words are applied to unbelieving Israel: their blessings become a snare, trap, and retribution.
Overview
Paul cites Psalm 69:22-23, a psalm often read messianically and applied to Christ's sufferers. The 'table,' a symbol of provision and even religious privilege, becomes a stumbling block when received without faith. The verse warns that God's good gifts, misused or trusted apart from Christ, can turn to judgment.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 15
- Ps 69:22–23May their table become a snare; may it be a retribution and a trap.
- Luke 12:20But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be required of you. Then who will own what you have accumulated?’
- Ps 28:4Repay them according to their deeds and for their works of evil. Repay them for what their hands have done; bring back on them what they deserve.
- 1 Sam 25:36–38When Abigail returned to Nabal, there he was in the house, holding a feast fit for a king, in high spirits and very drunk. So she told him nothing until morning light.
- Isa 59:18So He will repay according to their deeds: fury to His enemies, retribution to His foes, and recompense to the islands.
- Job 20:20–23Because his appetite is never satisfied, he cannot escape with his treasure.
- Prov 1:32For the waywardness of the simple will slay them, and the complacency of fools will destroy them.
- Isa 8:13–14The LORD of Hosts is the One you shall regard as holy. Only He should be feared; only He should be dreaded.
- Luke 16:19–25Now there was a rich man dressed in purple and fine linen, who lived each day in joyous splendor.
- 1 Tim 6:17–19Instruct those who are rich in the present age not to be conceited and not to put their hope in the uncertainty of wealth, but in God, who richly provides all things for us to enjoy.
- Deut 32:35Vengeance is Mine; I will repay. In due time their foot will slip; for their day of disaster is near, and their doom is coming quickly.”
- Deut 32:13–15He made him ride on the heights of the land and fed him the produce of the field. He nourished him with honey from the rock and oil from the flinty crag,
- Isa 66:9Shall I bring a baby to the point of birth and not deliver it?” says the LORD. “Or will I who deliver close the womb?” says your God.
- Heb 2:2For if the message spoken by angels was binding, and every transgression and disobedience received its just punishment,
- Deut 6:10–12And when the LORD your God brings you into the land He swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, that He would give you—a land with great and splendid cities that you did not build,
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Christ at the center
Paul unfolds the gospel in full: Christ our righteousness received by faith, the second Adam in whom many are made righteous, in whose death and resurrection we are buried and raised.
How Romans 11:9 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 Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.