Psalm 7:15 - Printer Friendly

ESV: He makes a pit, digging it out, and falls into the hole that he has made.

NIV: Whoever digs a hole and scoops it out falls into the pit they have made.

NASB: He has dug a pit and hollowed it out, And has fallen into the hole which he made.

CSB: He dug a pit and hollowed it out but fell into the hole he had made.

NLT: They dig a deep pit to trap others, then fall into it themselves.

KJV: He made a pit, and digged it, and is fallen into the ditch which he made.

NKJV: He made a pit and dug it out, And has fallen into the ditch which he made.

David expresses his assurance that his enemies will meet with retribution. The prior verse imagined sinful impulses like a perverse form of pregnancy: they are conceived in evil and lead to even more trouble (Psalm 7:14). Here, the theme continues by emphasizing how those who plan evil will eventually suffer from their own schemes (Proverbs 6:12–15; 11:17). In a symbolic sense, the slanderer (Psalm 7:3–5) or the plotter is digging a trap for others, only to fall in it himself (Psalm 7:16).

Scripture includes specific examples of this "poetic justice." An Egyptian Pharaoh issued an order to drown all the Hebrew infants in the Nile, but Egypt's own cavalry drowned in the Red Sea (Exodus 1:22; 14:26–28). King Saul was David's bitter and relentless foe. At one time he hurled a spear at David, hoping to pin him to the wall, but David escaped. He hunted David in the wilderness with intent to kill him, but David escaped. Ultimately, Saul was wounded by an arrow and then died by his own sword (1 Samuel 31:3–4). Haman, the wicked enemy of the Jews in Persia, constructed gallows that he intended for Mordecai, but it was Haman who was hanged (Esther 7). Herod planned to kill the apostle Peter, but the Lord delivered Peter, and struck Herod, causing Herod to die a horrible death (Acts 12).

Psalm 7:12–17 is the closing section of this psalm. David expresses confidence in God's inevitable punishment of the wicked. David's enemies would be defeated by God, whom David describes as a warrior prepared for battle. The psalm began with a prayer for deliverance and concludes with thanks for answered prayer.

David takes refuge in God and asks to be rescued from those seeking his life. He boldly defends himself from accusations of fraud or plunder. Rather than seek his own revenge, David calls on the Lord to execute judgment. The wicked man plots evil, is full of mischief, and gives birth to lies. However, trouble will come back to strike such a person. His sin and violence will lead to a sinful, violent end. David concludes this psalm by giving thanks and praise to the Lord.

This psalm was written by David. He prays to the Lord, the righteous Judge of the universe, to judge his wicked enemies. David may have written this psalm when he was being pursued by Saul's forces (1 Samuel 24:1–2). Themes expressed by David in 1 Samuel chapter 24 resemble those found in Psalm 7. The accusations he responds to may have come from Cush, mentioned in the psalm's title.

The book of Psalms is composed of individual songs, hymns, or poems, each of which is a ''Psalm'' in and of itself. These works contain a wide variety of themes. Some Psalms focus on praising and worshipping God. Others cry out in anguish over the pain of life. Still other Psalms look forward to the coming of the Messiah. While some Psalms are related, each has its own historical and biblical context.