Psalm 7:5 - Printer Friendly

ESV: let the enemy pursue my soul and overtake it, and let him trample my life to the ground and lay my glory in the dust. Selah

NIV: then let my enemy pursue and overtake me; let him trample my life to the ground and make me sleep in the dust.

NASB: Let the enemy pursue my soul and overtake it; And let him trample my life to the ground And lay my glory in the dust. Selah

CSB: may an enemy pursue and overtake me; may he trample me to the ground and leave my honor in the dust. Selah

NLT: then let my enemies capture me. Let them trample me into the ground and drag my honor in the dust. Interlude

KJV: Let the enemy persecute my soul, and take it; yea, let him tread down my life upon the earth, and lay mine honour in the dust. Selah.

NKJV: Let the enemy pursue me and overtake me; Yes, let him trample my life to the earth, And lay my honor in the dust. Selah

These consequences are dramatic, nothing David truly expects to happen. His enemies (Psalm 7:1–2) may have accused him of terrible things (Psalm 7:3–4); these are slander. David is confident he is innocent of those crimes, so he emphasizes his innocence by accepting severe punishment "if" such things were true.

A modern person might say, "you can take me to prison if I'm lying, but I know this is the truth." In a similar sense, David was willing for God to allow enemies to overtake him and kill him. He was willing for the enemy to humiliate and humble him, even ruining his good name for all of eternity. However, he was comfortable stating his innocence; he was innocent of all the malicious charges that the enemy laid against him.

It should be the goal of every believer to be faithful to the Lord until death. The apostle Paul ran the Christian race faithfully by disciplining his body (1 Corinthians 9:25–27) and by doing the Lord's will. At the end of his life, he could declare, "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith" (2 Timothy 4:7). His honor did not lie in the dust; he would receive the crown of righteousness from the Lord (2 Timothy 4:8).

Psalm 7:1–5 sets the stage for the rest of the psalm. It reveals David's confidence in God to save him from his enemies. He believes he deserves defeat only if he has done wrong, such as by cheating or stealing. The rest of the psalm asks God to judge him according to his righteousness and his enemies according to their evil deeds. This psalm is described using an obscure term which probably refers to something musical. No information is given about Cush, or what he said.

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.