Psalms 38:12 · Bible study
Psalms 38:12 Commentary: Adversaries in Suffering
Hebrew · 11 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Study of Psalms 38:12 on enemies exploiting the psalmist's weakness. Covers snares, deceitful words, and the believer's response of silence and trust.
Research Summary
- Meaning: Enemies exploit the psalmist's weakness, laying traps and speaking destructive words while constantly plotting deceit.
- Key words: Snares (traps set for prey), mischievous (destruction), deceits (treacherous schemes).
- Main debate: Whether the attacks are literal (Absalom's rebellion) or figurative (any adversary of the righteous); both views are supported in the commentaries.
- Theological theme: Trusting God alone when human allies fail and enemies use suffering as an opportunity.
- Best use: Comfort and guidance for believers who face betrayal or false accusation during times of personal weakness.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
Those who seek my life lay snares; those who wish me harm speak destruction, plotting deceit all day long.
WEB World English Bible 2000
They also who seek after my life lay snares. Those who seek my hurt speak mischievous things, and meditate deceits all day long.
KJV King James Version 1769
They also that seek after my life lay snares for me: and they that seek my hurt speak mischievous things, and imagine deceits all the day long.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
They also that seek after my life lay snares for me; And they that seek my hurt speak mischievous things, And meditate deceits all the day long.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
And those seeking my soul lay a snare, And those seeking my evil Have spoken mischievous things, And they do deceits meditate all the day.
Darby Darby Bible 1890
And they that seek after my life lay snares [for me]; and they that seek my hurt speak mischievous things, and meditate deceits all the day long.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
Thou hast corrected man for iniquity. And thou hast made his soul to waste away like a spider: surely in vain is any man disquieted.
Translations in other languages (10 available)
Y los que buscaban mi alma armaron lazos; y los que procuraban mi mal hablaban iniquidades, y meditaban fraudes todo el día.
Os que procuram matar a minha alma me armam laços; e os que procuram o meu mal falam insultos e todo o dia planejam maldades.
Mes amis et mes connaissances s’ éloignent de ma plaie,
Und die mir nach dem Leben trachten, stellen mir nach; und die mir übelwollen, reden, wie sie Schaden tun wollen, und gehen mit eitel Listen um.
Mijn liefhebbers en mijn vrienden staan van tegenover mijn plage, en mijn nabestaanden staan van verre.
Quelli che cercan la mia vita mi tendono reti, e quelli che procurano il mio male proferiscon cose maligne e tutto il giorno meditano frodi.
Którzy mię miłują, i przyjaciele moi, stronią od ran moich, a powinowaci moi z daleka stoją.
Если Ты обличениями будешь наказывать человека за преступления, то рассыплется, как от моли, краса его. Так, суетен всякий человек!
那尋索 我命 的設下網羅；那想要 害我的 口出 惡言，終 日 思想 詭計。
Those who have a desire to take my life put nets for me; those who are designing my destruction say evil things against me, all the day their minds are full of deceit.
Verse in Context
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators across traditions agree that this verse describes enemies taking malicious advantage of the psalmist's vulnerable condition. Barnes notes that they saw his sickness as an opportunity to accomplish their purposes with better hopes of success. Matthew Henry emphasizes their subtlety: they lay snares, imagine deceits, and are restless in their cruelty. Gill compares their actions to Satan laying snares for souls. Keil and Delitzsch observe that the enemies plan 'utter destruction' and that their words are 'destruction' and 'deceit upon deceit.' The Cambridge Bible calls them 'pitiless enemies.' Calvin, reading the psalm as a penitential prayer, sees the verse as part of David's acknowledgment that his affliction, including enemy attack, is tied to God's chastening. The consensus is clear: the adversaries are not merely hostile but are actively plotting ruin, using the psalmist's physical and social weakness as their opening.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Medium
Main views:
- Literal historical (Absalom's rebellion): Cross-references to 2 Samuel 16-17; David's isolation and the conspiracies of Ahithophel fit the details in the psalm.
- Typological (Christ's suffering): The New Testament portrays Jesus surrounded by enemies who lay snares and speak deceitfully (Matthew 22:15); the psalm is quoted in contexts of Christ's passion.
- General righteous sufferer: The language is generalized enough to apply to any believer facing malicious attacks during personal weakness; the psalm's penitential frame also allows this reading.
What is clear: Enemies exploit vulnerability with deceitful words and plots, and the proper response is to trust God rather than retaliate.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Cause of the psalmist's suffering | All traditions read this psalm as penitential, David confesses sin and understands his affliction as tied to God's discipline (verses 3-5). | Some (Calvin, Puritan streams) see a direct causal link between specific sin and sickness; others (Lange, Keil) emphasize that the suffering also includes unjust enemy attack, which is not directly caused by his sin. |
| Nature of the enemies' actions | The enemies are malicious, plotting, and deceitful. They use words as weapons and lay snares (all commentators agree). | Whether this refers to specific historical conspirators (Barnes, Matthew Henry: Absalom and Ahithophel) or is a general description of wicked people who oppose the godly (Calvin, Cambridge Bible). |
| Proper response to false accusation | The psalmist models silence and trust in God rather than self-defense (verses 13-15). This is commended as a godly posture. | Whether this silence is a universal command for every situation or is context-specific, for example, when the accusation involves sin in the community, some traditions see a role for self-defense or church discipline (different readings of Proverbs 18:17). |
| Timing of deliverance | God will answer the psalmist's cry (verse 15). The psalm is a prayer for help, and the end expresses confidence. | Whether deliverance comes in this life or only in the eschatological resurrection. The immediate context of David's historical experience suggests temporal rescue, but the psalm is also used typologically of Christ, who rose after suffering. |
Historical & Cultural Context
The psalm is titled 'to bring to remembrance' (Calvin sees it as David's memorial of God's chastening). It is one of the seven Penitential Psalms, used by the early church in seasons of repentance. Many commentators, based on the severity of the language and the isolation described in verses 10-11, connect the setting to David's flight from Absalom (2 Samuel 16-17). Cross-references such as Psalms 35:4 and 35:20 echo this pattern: enemies who 'seek my soul' and 'devise deceitful words.'
In the ancient Near East, serious illness was widely understood as a sign of divine displeasure. David acknowledges this in verses 3-5. His enemies weaponized that cultural belief. As Barnes explains, they could charge him with guilt precisely because he was afflicted, just as Job's friends did. They stood at a distance (verse 11) and then moved closer to lay snares. The psalms often use hunting imagery (Psalms 10:9) for the malicious plans of the wicked.
The specific terms matter. The enemies 'speak mischievous things', the Hebrew word is often rendered 'destructions' (Cambridge Bible). They 'meditate deceits all day long,' suggesting constant, premeditated scheming. David is not exaggerating; the conspiracy against him was real and organized, as the story of Ahithophel's counsel (2 Samuel 17) confirms. This historical anchor shows that the verse is not abstract theological complaint but the cry of a man cornered by both illness and human treachery.
Textual Notes
The supplied translations (WEB, KJV, ASV, BSB, YLT, Darby) show minor differences in phrasing, 'lay snares for me' (KJV, ASV) versus 'lay snares' (WEB, BSB), but these do not alter the meaning. The Hebrew text is well established, and the consulted commentaries note no significant variants for this verse. The Douay Rheims text in the supplied data differs substantially, but that appears to reflect a different numbering or translation tradition and is not used in this study.
Reception History
Psalms 38 has been received primarily as one of the seven Penitential Psalms, used in both private devotion and public liturgy since early church times. According to Calvin's commentary, Galileo was forced to recite these psalms weekly as penance for advocating the Copernican system. The early church fathers, including Athanasius, commended these psalms for those seeking repentance. Verse 12 specifically has been read as a picture of Christ's suffering, the Gospels record enemies plotting against Jesus, laying snares with words (Matthew 22:15), and standing aloof at his crucifixion. Medieval commentators saw in this verse the malice of the world against the righteous soul. Protestant expositors such as Matthew Henry applied it to the experience of believers facing betrayal and slander while under God's disciplining hand. Across traditions, the verse has comforted those who are both weak and attacked.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- The malice of the wicked in weakness. Enemies wait for vulnerability, physical, social, or spiritual. They 'lay snares' (verse 12), exploiting what should be a time for compassion.
- The discipline of deliberate silence. The psalmist does not defend himself (verses 13-14). He chooses not to answer accusation with accusation. This silence is not passivity but trust.
- The anchor of hope in God alone. In verses 15-22, David pivots from complaint to confidence. 'For I hope in you, Yahweh.' His enemies are many; his defender is one, but sufficient.
Five-point outline
- Vulnerability is exposed. The psalmist's sickness and isolation invite attack (verse 11-12).
- Words are weapons. Enemies speak 'mischievous things', destruction dressed as accusation (verse 12).
- Plotting is relentless. They 'meditate deceits all day long,' showing that their hostility is not impulsive but calculated.
- The righteous choose silence. David becomes 'as a deaf man, as a mute' (vv.13-14), refusing to engage his accusers on their terms.
- God answers in the end. The final verses turn to prayer and confidence: 'Make haste to help me, O Lord my salvation' (verse 22).
Illustration hooks
- A person on medical leave who receives critical emails from a colleague implying their illness is due to stress they brought on themselves.
- A church member whose chronic pain is met with whispers that they lack faith, while others quietly take advantage of their absence to push a divisive agenda.
- A leader who, during a season of personal failure and repentance, is publicly exposed by those who once claimed to be friends, not to restore but to destroy.
Questions your congregation is asking
- When people use my suffering against me, is it ever right to defend myself, or must I always stay silent like David?
- How do I know whether my suffering is a result of my own sin (as David confesses in verses 3-4) or simply the attack of evil people?
- If God is my refuge, why does he let my enemies succeed when I am already weak?
Leading a Discussion
This verse sits at a turning point in the psalm. David has described his physical and spiritual collapse. Now he names a new kind of pain: his enemies are using his low state to close in. The group can explore how this dynamic appears in their own lives, times when the worst accusations come at the worst moments.
Discussion questions
- What specific actions do the enemies take in verse 12? List each verb from the translation you are using.
- The enemies 'speak mischievous things', the Hebrew word means 'destructions.' How does naming their words as destructive change how you hear them?
- Why do you think David describes their plotting as 'all day long'? What does that tell you about their focus and his endurance?
- In verses 13-14, David says he became like a deaf and mute man. Was he literally unable to hear, or was that a deliberate choice? What does that response reveal about his spiritual strategy?
- What is the relationship between David's silence (verses 13-14) and his hope in God (verse 15)? How does one lead to the other?
- Can you think of a situation where staying silent in the face of false accusation was the right thing? When might silence be wrong?
- How does this verse challenge the common belief that if we are faithful, everyone will speak well of us?
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| II Samuel 16:7 | Shimei said when he cursed, “Be gone, be gone, you man of blood, and wicked fellow! |
| II Samuel 16:8 | Yahweh has returned on you all the blood of Saul’s house, in whose place you have reigned! Yahweh has delivered the kingdom into the hand of Absalom your son! Behold, you are caught by your own mischief, because you are a man of blood!” |
| II Samuel 17:1 | Moreover Ahithophel said to Absalom, “Let me now choose twelve thousand men, and I will arise and pursue after David tonight. |
| II Samuel 17:3 | and I will bring back all the people to you. The man whom you seek is as if all returned. All the people shall be in peace.” |
| Psalms 10:9 | He lurks in secret as a lion in his ambush. He lies in wait to catch the helpless. He catches the helpless when he draws him in his net. |
| Psalms 35:4 | Let those who seek after my soul be disappointed and brought to dishonor. Let those who plot my ruin be turned back and confounded. |
| Psalms 35:20 | For they don’t speak peace, but they devise deceitful words against those who are quiet in the land. |
| Psalms 54:3 | For strangers have risen up against me. Violent men have sought after my soul. They haven’t set God before them. Selah. |
Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
Read the devotional page — prayer, application, and "for families"
What the Commentators Say
10 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes highlights how the psalmist's enemies deliberately exploit his sickness and weakness, seizing the moment when he is helpless and abandoned by friends to attack with better hope of success. They take advantage of his vulnerability to lay snares, speak slander, and invent false accusations, constantly plotting his ruin.
Calvin's Commentaries Reformed 1564
Calvin argues that David wrote this psalm as a personal and public memorial, intended to prevent himself and others from quickly forgetting the chastening hand of God. The title "to bring to remembrance" signals this deliberate purpose, not a musical cue. Human nature easily lets divine discipline slip from memory, so David fixed it in song.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
Pitiless enemies beset him. Comp. Psa_35:4 ; Psa_35:26 . mischievous things ] Lit. destructions . See note on Psa_5:9 . imagine ] Lit. meditate . Contrast Psa_37:26 ; Psa_37:30 .
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
They also, that seeke after my life, laye snares, and they that go about to do me euil, talke wicked things and imagine deceite continually.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill identifies these enemies as implacable, intent on nothing less than the psalmist's life. He specifically compares their actions to Satan's snares for souls, the Jews' plots against Christ, and the constant schemes wicked people devise against believers.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
JFB draws attention to the repeated pattern of Saul's hostility by cross-referencing two other passages where David expresses the same fear. The commentator highlights that this is not an isolated accusation but a consistent thread throughout David's flight from Saul.
Keil & Delitzsch OT Commentary Protestant 1876
Keil-Delitzsch stresses that the psalmist does not speak to inform God of his suffering, since God already knows it perfectly. Instead he speaks to stir God's compassion, then falls silent in conscious guilt, abandoning all self-defense and leaving his cause entirely to God.
Lange's Commentary Reformed 1857
Lange insists this psalm is the real cry of an individual, not a symbolic picture of Israel's suffering. He argues the sickness is an actual physical affliction God sent as punishment for sin, and the enemies exploit this weakness rather than cause it. The psalmist’s silence toward his accusers and his hope in God alone show true repentance at work.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Henry observes that David's enemies took advantage of his physical weakness and mental distress, using his low point as their opportunity to attack. They were not merely insulting him but actively plotting against his life, showing the cruel and calculating nature of the serpent's seed against the righteous.
Wesley's Explanatory Notes Methodist/Wesleyan 1754
Deceit - They design mischief, but cover it with fair pretences.