Psalm 140 of the Bible shows us the prayers of David, who is asking for his deliverance. That is why Psalm 140 is considered a prayer of protection in a moment of anguish. It frees us from being surrounded by ungrateful, self-interested or simply full of evil.
It seems to be set in the time of King Saul when the supposed author, David, is being persecuted among the hills by his enemies, who desire his destruction. In this situation, David turns desperately to God, putting fate in his hands, for all the Lord’s actions are right.
In this article you will find the Psalm 140 complete and later an explanation of each verse with its meaning as well as the audio version. Read on!
Psalm 140 King James Version (KJV)
1
Deliver me, O LORD, from the evil man
keep me from the violent man,
2
which plot evils in the heart
every day they provoke wars.3
They have sharpened their tongue like the serpent;
asp venom is under her lips. Selah
4
Keep me, O LORD, from the hand of the wicked;
protect me from the violent man,
who has thought to upset my steps.
5
The proud have hidden traps and ropes from me;
have laid netting next to the path;
I’ve been tied up in ribbons. Selah
6
I have said to the LORD: You are my God;
Hear, O LORD, the voice of my supplications.
7
O Jehovah, Lord, the power of my salvation,
you covered my head on the day of battle.
8
Do not grant, O LORD, to the wicked his desires;
not bring forth their evil designs, so that they may not
that you do not
become arrogant. Selah9
As for those around me,
the wickedness of their own lips cover their heads.
10
Let burning embers fall upon them;
be thrown into the fire,
into deep abysses from which they do not emerge.
11
Let not the foul-mouthed man remain on earth;
evil hunts the violent man to overthrow him.
12
I know that the LORD will sustain the cause of the afflicted.
and that of the needy.
13
Surely the righteous will praise your name;
the upright shall dwell in your presence.
Explanation and meaning Psalm 140
Let us now look at the meaning of each verse that makes up Psalm 140:
Verse 1:
Deliver me, O LORD, from the evil man and keep me from the violent man,
We must stay away from the Pharisees, for their snares, their nets and their cunning can lead us astray, away from faith and true worship of the Lord.
Verse 2:
Which devise evils in the heart, and daily stir up wars.
These wicked and ungodly men have no pity whatsoever, and they are the ones who cause the evils in the world, spreading hatred, selfishness and ingratitude. The four Gospels record these evils.
Verse 3: They have sharpened their tongue like the serpent; asp venom is under their lips. Selah
This verse can be interpreted as referring to the religious elite of Israel at the time of Christ.
Verse 4:
Keep me, O LORD, from the hands of the wicked; protect me from the violent man, who has thought to overturn my steps.
The intention of these ungodly men was none other than to put an end to the mission of Christ. They still maintain this mission today, that is why only having faith in the Lord and his acts is our salvation and help.
Verse 5: The proud have hidden snares and cords for me; they have spread a net by the path; they have laid snares for me. Selah
The evil man, the Pharisee or Sadducee will try to put impediments to our belief. But our pride always produces self-righteousness, that is, self-righteousness.
Verse 6:
I have said unto the LORD, Thou art my God: hear, O LORD, the voice of my supplications.
Messiah’s defense was His Heavenly Father, as our defense should be our Heavenly Father, showing gratitude and faith for His acts and blessings.
Verse 7:
O LORD, O Lord, the power of my salvation, thou hast covered my head in the day of battle.
To be pleasing to God means to attribute our strength to the Lord. During Calvary, the Messiah’s head was covered and protected by the Father.
Verse 8: Do not grant, O LORD, to the wicked his desires; do not bring forth his evil designs, lest he become proud. Selah
This verse refers to the false prophet and the antichrist.
Verse 9:
As for those around me, let the wickedness of their own lips cover their heads.
He may be referring to Absalom and his rebellion. If so, this verse would be fulfilled later. In the same way as with the Pharisees, who persecuted Christ.
Verse 10:
Let burning coals fall upon them; let them be cast into the fire, into deep pits from whence they shall not come up.
This passage refers to all evil men, including the antichrist and his followers not to raise their heads and thus not to turn the world and its men to hatred, selfishness and ingratitude.
Verse 11:
Let not the evil-speaking man remain in the land; let the evil hunt the violent man to overthrow him.
This verse may refer to Judas, more specifically to the antichrist. But in general, he speaks of all those who oppose the word and will of the Lord and expresses his desire to eliminate violent men.
Verse 12:
I know that the LORD will sustain the cause of the afflicted and the cause of the needy.
Once again, our faith will save good men, those who believe in the acts and word of the Lord and will help those most in need from falling into poverty.
Verse 13:
Surely the righteous shall praise your name; the upright shall dwell in your presence.
By “righteous” and “upright” he means the Messiah. It expresses that God will not maintain any cause except that of the Messiah, so our faith must be in him alone.
Psalm 140 prayer against enemies
This Psalm can have different types of reflections and be useful at very different moments. It’s really subjective and personal, so don’t hesitate to call on it when you really need it.
Even so, according to the interpretation we have made above, it can be considered a very useful sentence at this time:
- Strengthening our faith Psalm 140 can help us to reaffirm that God’s decisions are neither positive nor negative, they are simply righteous and we should not do anything else but keep the faith in their actions. In this way, we should think that the Lord’s plans are necessary.
- Protecting us from evil We all go through difficult situations in our lives, but we should not lose faith in the Lord’s actions, on the contrary. When we meet distressed or threatened by dangers or by people who wish us harm, praying this psalm will fill us with will fill us with strength and courage and courage to go forward.
What about you, when do you usually pray Psalm 140??
Remember that you can share this article with your friends and family so that they will be protected from evil and discover other Psalms.