Psalms 64:7 · Bible study
Psalms 64:7 Commentary: The Reversal of the Wicked's Arrows
Hebrew · 10 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
How God's arrow in Psalm 64:7 mirrors and reverses the enemies' secret attacks of slander, bringing sudden justice and vindicating the righteous.
Research Summary
- Meaning: God's arrow of judgment reverses the secret arrows of the wicked, bringing sudden and certain justice.
- Key words: “shoot,” “arrow,” “suddenly,” “wounded”, all drawn from the language of ambush and battle.
- Main debate: The exact referent of the arrow (temporal judgments vs. eschatological judgment) and the Hebrew syntax (how to divide the clauses).
- Theological theme: Divine retribution, God deals with the wicked according to their own schemes.
- Best use: A pastoral text for those who feel unfairly attacked, reminding them that God sees and will act.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
But God will shoot them with arrows; suddenly they will be wounded.
WEB World English Bible 2000
But God will shoot at them. They will be suddenly struck down with an arrow.
KJV King James Version 1769
But God shall shoot at them with an arrow; suddenly shall they be wounded.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
But God will shoot at them; With an arrow suddenly shall they be wounded.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
And God doth shoot them with an arrow, Sudden have been their wounds,
Darby Darby Bible 1890
But God will shoot an arrow at them: suddenly are they wounded;
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
Thou who preparest the mountains by thy strength, being girded with power:
Translations in other languages (10 available)
Mas Dios los herirá con saeta; de repente serán sus plagas.
Mas Deus os atingirá com flecha de repente; e logo serão feridos.
Ils méditent des crimes: Nous voici prêts, le plan est conçu!
Aber Gott wird sie plötzlich schießen, daß es ihnen wehe tun wird.
Zij doorzoeken allerlei schalkheid; ten uiterste doorzoeken zij, wat te doorzoeken is; zelfs het binnenste eens mans, en het diepe hart.
Ma Dio scoccherà contro di essi le sue frecce, e subito saran coperti di ferite;
Szukają pilnie nieprawości; giniemy od rad zdradliwie wynalezionych. Takci wnętrzność i serce człowiecze głębokie jest.
поставивший горы силою Своею, препоясанный могуществом,
但 神 要射他們；他們 忽然 被箭 射傷。
But God sends out an arrow against them; suddenly they are wounded.
Verse in Context
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators agree that God's arrow in verse 7 is a direct reversal of the enemies' secret attacks. Barnes states that instead of the wicked carrying out their ambush, God turns the tables and shoots his own arrows against them. The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges highlights the Hebrew idiom: the perfect tense verbs make the future judgment as certain as though it had already happened. Gill describes God's arrows as his four severe judgments, famine, pestilence, sword, and wild beasts, that strike suddenly and incurably. Calvin sees the shift as the psalmist's confident hope in deliverance. Jamieson-Fausset-Brown note the contrast: God uses weapons like theirs. All agree that the sudden wounding of the wicked is both just and immediate, answering the enemies' own sudden and secret shooting.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Low
What is clear: The verse declares that God will bring sudden judgment on the wicked, reversing their own secret attacks.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Nature of the arrow | It symbolizes divine judgment and retribution. | Some see it as temporal judgment (historical events like Saul's death); others see it as eschatological judgment pointing to the final day. |
| Timing of the judgment | The judgment is certain and will come. | Whether it is immediate (as the Hebrew perfect tense may imply) or can be delayed in God's timing. |
| Applicability of the recipient | God judges those who plot against the righteous. | Whether this applies only to David's specific historical enemies or is a general principle for all persecutors. |
| Hebrew syntax of the verse | The overall meaning is that God shoots and the wicked are wounded. | Whether 'with an arrow' belongs to the first clause (God shoots with an arrow) or the second (suddenly with an arrow they are wounded). |
Historical & Cultural Context
The psalm is set in a period of David's life when he was threatened by malicious accusers and conspirators (see verse 3: "they sharpen their tongue like a sword"). In ancient Israel, the king often faced court intrigues and secret plots. David's enemies use words as weapons, shooting from ambush (verse 4). The imagery of archery would be vivid to an ancient audience: battle archers often fired from hidden positions, and a sudden arrow could bring death without warning. David prays for protection from these hidden schemes.
In verse 7, the picture shifts. God himself becomes the archer. This is a common biblical motif: Yahweh's arrows represent his judgments (Deuteronomy 32:23, 42). The surrounding verses show that the wicked thought no one saw them (verse 5). But God, who knows every hidden thing (verse 6), responds in kind. The same weapon they used in secret becomes the instrument of their downfall. The suddenness mirrors the surprise they planned for the righteous. The Cambridge Bible notes that the perfect tense verbs in the Hebrew express the certainty of the event: it is as sure as if it had already happened.
This reversal is a recurring theme in the Psalter (see Psalm 7:15-16). It brought comfort to David and later readers that God sees all and acts on behalf of the oppressed.
Textual Notes
The consulted sources note no significant textual variants for this verse. The Hebrew text is stable across manuscript traditions, and the English translations agree closely on the meaning.
Reception History
Christian readers have long seen in Psalm 64:7 a picture of God's justice in the face of false accusation. Augustine, in his Expositions on the Psalms, treats the reversal as a reminder that no secret plot is hidden from God. The verse has been cited in discussions of divine retribution and the ultimate vindication of the righteous. In the Protestant tradition, it was often used to encourage believers suffering under persecution, as in the Geneva Bible's marginal note. More broadly, the psalm's imagery of arrows has been woven into hymns about God's protection and the downfall of the wicked, especially in times of trial.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- The weapon reversed: What the wicked intended for David becomes the instrument of their own punishment. God's arrow answers their arrows of bitter words.
- Surprise turned back: Their secret, sudden attacks are met with a sudden, unexpected blow from God. The ambushers become the ambushed.
- Vindication and praise: The result is universal fear of God and rejoicing by the righteous (verses 9-10). God's justice leads to worship.
Five-point outline
- The archer: God, the righteous judge who sees all hidden things.
- The arrow: Divine judgment, famine, sword, plague or other crises (Gill).
- The target: The wicked who plotted against the innocent.
- The suddenness: Striking when they least expect it, like a trap snapping shut.
- The outcome: The righteous take refuge in the Lord and praise him (verse 10).
Illustration hooks
- A basketball player tries to block a shot but tips the ball into his own basket. The move intended to stop the opponent scores points against him.
- In court, evidence meant to convict an innocent person points back to the accuser. The trap closes on the one who set it.
- A boomerang thrown with force comes back and strikes the thrower. What you launch returns to you.
Questions your congregation is asking
- Does this mean God will punish everyone who hurts me? How do I handle it when I don't see justice?
- How should I respond when it seems like evil people are getting away with things?
- Is it right to pray for God to shoot arrows at my enemies, even in a metaphorical sense?
Leading a Discussion
This psalm shows us that God is not blind to the secret plots of the wicked. He sees, and he acts in his own time. Verse 7 pictures that action as a sudden arrow of justice. As you work through these questions, consider what it means to trust God's timing and his justice.
Discussion questions
- What are the enemies in this psalm doing to David? (Scan verses 1-6.)
- What does the image of an arrow suggest about their attacks? About God's response?
- How does verse 7 mirror verse 4? What does this reversal tell us about God's justice?
- Why is the suddenness of the judgment important? How might that encourage someone who is suffering?
- Cross-reference Deuteronomy 32:23. How does that passage help us understand God's arrows?
- In what ways might we be tempted to “shoot arrows” at others with our words? How does this passage challenge us?
- How does the ending of the psalm (verses 9-10) show the proper response to God's justice? What does it mean to be "glad in the Lord" when others are judged?
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| Deuteronomy 32:23 | “I will heap evils on them. I will spend my arrows on them. |
| Deuteronomy 32:42 | I will make my arrows drunk with blood. My sword shall devour flesh with the blood of the slain and the captives, from the head of the leaders of the enemy.” |
| I Kings 22:34 | A certain man drew his bow at random, and struck the king of Israel between the joints of the armor. Therefore he said to the driver of his chariot, “Turn around, and carry me out of the battle, for I am severely wounded.” |
| I Chronicles 10:3 | The battle went hard against Saul, and the archers overtook him; and he was distressed by reason of the archers. |
| I Chronicles 10:7 | When all the men of Israel who were in the valley saw that they fled, and that Saul and his sons were dead, they abandoned their cities, and fled; and the Philistines came and lived in them. |
| Job 6:4 | For the arrows of the Almighty are within me. My spirit drinks up their poison. The terrors of God set themselves in array against me. |
| Psalms 7:12 | If a man doesn’t repent, he will sharpen his sword; he has bent and strung his bow. |
| Psalms 7:13 | He has also prepared for himself the instruments of death. He makes ready his flaming arrows. |
Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
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What the Commentators Say
9 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes highlights the dramatic reversal: those who planned to harm others find God turning their own weapons against them. The wicked suddenly suffer the wounds they meant to inflict, because God deals with people according to the character they show toward others.
Calvin's Commentaries Reformed 1564
Calvin observes that David's detailed description of his enemies' cruelty and deceit is not mere complaint but a deliberate strategy to move God to compassion. He highlights the earnestness of David's prayer, conveyed by the word "voice," and the depth of human wickedness that only God can search out.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
The commentator highlights that the Hebrew grammar presents the wicked's punishment as already accomplished, even though it is still future, to stress its absolute certainty and immediate connection to their actions. The judgment comes suddenly, mirroring the very arrows they aimed at the righteous.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
The Geneva note emphasizes the suddenness and precision of God's judgment against the wicked. God strikes like an archer who shoots a single arrow, and the enemies find their own attacks turned back on them in an instant.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill draws a contrast between the wicked shooting their arrows at the righteous and God shooting back. God's arrows are swift, sudden judgments like famine, pestilence, sword, and wild beasts. They strike unexpectedly, pierce deeply, and inflict deadly, incurable wounds as just retaliation.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
JFB notes that the passage gains force by picturing God wielding the same kind of weapons his human opponents use. This detail sharpens the contrast: the Almighty meets them on their own terms, turning their own instruments of war back against them.
Keil & Delitzsch OT Commentary Protestant 1876
Keil-Delitzsch stresses that God will strike His enemies as suddenly as they plotted against the righteous. They discuss the difficult Hebrew phrasing, concluding the verse means God shoots them with an arrow, and their wounds instantly appear. The enemies' own malicious craftiness brings their sudden downfall.
Lange's Commentary Reformed 1857
Lange emphasizes that the wicked's secret plots and deep inner scheming are fully known to God, who turns their own tongues and devices against them. Their hidden conspiracies bring sudden ruin, and this divine judgment becomes a warning to all and a source of comfort and gladness for the righteous.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Matthew Henry highlights the poetic justice in how the persecutors' own weapons turn back on them. They shot secret, sudden arrows of bitter words, but God's arrows hit surer and fly swifter. Their tongues, meant to destroy others, become the weight that sinks them, for God makes their own words fall upon themselves.