Psalms 11:2

For, behold, the wicked bend their bows. They set their arrows on the strings, that they may shoot in darkness at the upright in heart.

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Other translations

WEBBE

For, behold, the wicked bend their bows. They set their arrows on the strings, that they may shoot in darkness at the upright in heart.

BSB

For behold, the wicked bend their bows. They set their arrow on the string to shoot from the shadows at the upright in heart.

KJV

For, lo, the wicked bend their bow, they make ready their arrow upon the string, that they may privily shoot at the upright in heart.

ASV

For, lo, the wicked bend the bow, They make ready their arrow upon the string, That they may shoot in darkness at the upright in heart;

BBE

See, the bows of the evil-doers are bent, they make ready their arrows on the cord, so that they may send them secretly against the upright in heart.

Original Hebrew

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כִּי ki for H3588 הִנֵּה hi·neh there H2009 הָרְשָׁעִים ha·re·sha·'im the wicked H7563 יִדְרְכוּן yid·re·khun they bend H1869 קֶשֶׁת ke·shet a bow H7198 כּוֹנְנוּ ko·nu they have prepared H3559 חִצָּם chi·tzam arrow their H2671 עַל־ 'al- on H5921 יֶתֶר ye·ter [the] string H3499 לִירוֹת li·rot to shoot H3384 בְּמוֹ־ be·mov- in H1119 אֹפֶל 'o·fel darkness H652 לְיִשְׁרֵי־ le·yish·rei- to [people] upright of H3477 לֵב lev heart H3820

The early church

"For, lo, sinners have bent the bow, they have prepared their arrows in the quiver, that they may in the obscure moon shoot at the upright in heart" [Psalm 11:2]. These be the terrors of those who threaten us as touching sinners, that we may pass over to them as the righteous. "Lo," they say, "the sinners have bent the bow:" the Scriptures, I suppose, by carnal interpretation of which they emit envenomed sentences from them. "They have prepared their arrows in the quiver:" the same words, that is, which they will shoot out on the authority of Scripture, they have prepared in the secret place of the heart. "That they may in the obscure moon shoot at the upright in heart:" that when they see, from the Church's light being obscured by the multitude of the unlearned and the carnal, that they cannot be convicted, they may corrupt good manners by evil communications. [1 Corinthians 15:33] But against all these terrors we must say, "In the Lord I trust."

Augustine of Hippo · d. 430Expositions on the Psalms

Commentary

Spurgeon · Verse 2

How forcibly the case is put! The bow is bent, the arrow is fitted to the string: "Flee, flee, thou defenceless bird, thy safety lies in flight; begone, for thine enemies will send their shafts into thy heart; haste, haste, for soon wilt thou be destroyed!" David seems to have felt the force of the advice, for it came home to his soul; but yet he would not yield, but would rather dare the danger than exhibit a distrust in the Lord his God. Doubtless the perils which encompassed David were great and imminent; it was quite true that his enemies were ready to shoot privily at him.

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Cross-references

Topics

Persecution Arrow

Cross-references: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge. Hebrew and Greek data from STEPBible.org (Tyndale House, Cambridge), CC BY 4.0. Library: sources.