Bible Strands
Psalms 109:3
They surround me with hateful words and attack me without cause.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The psalmist addresses God, describing a moment of intense verbal assault where hostile groups encircle him. This declaration follows immediately after he notes that deceitful mouths and lying tongues are actively speaking against him.
The words — The term שִׂנְאָה (sin'ah) denotes "hatred," while חִנָּם (chinam) translates to "without cause" or "gratis." These lexical choices anchor the psalmist's factual claim that the surrounding hostility is unprovoked and rooted in pure animosity.
The thread — This pattern of unprovoked hostility recurs in Psalms 69:4, where enemies outnumber the hairs of his head, and Psalms 35:7, where foes dig pits and lay nets without reason. It also aligns with Psalms 35:20, which contrasts the psalmist's quiet life with the deceptive schemes of his accusers.
Why it lands — The text demands acknowledgment that righteous suffering frequently lacks logical justification or reciprocal provocation. It requires the reader to maintain a posture of prayerful endurance when faced with unmerited hostility.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
They compassed me about also with words of hatred; and fought against me without a cause.
Cross-references
- Psalms 69:4 Those who hate me without cause outnumber the hairs of my head; many are those who would destroy me—my enemies for no reason. Though I did not steal, I must repay.
- Psalms 35:7 For without cause they laid their net for me; without reason they dug a pit for my soul.
- Psalms 35:20 For they do not speak peace, but they devise deceitful schemes against those who live quietly in the land.
- Psalms 88:17 All day long they engulf me like water; they enclose me on every side.
- John 15:24 If I had not done among them the works that no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin; but now they have seen and hated both Me and My Father.
- 1 Samuel 19:4 Then Jonathan spoke well of David to his father Saul and said to him, “The king should not sin against his servant David; he has not sinned against you. In fact, his actions have been highly beneficial to you.
- 1 Samuel 26:18 And he continued, “Why is my lord pursuing his servant? What have I done? What evil is in my hand?
- 2 Samuel 15:12 While Absalom was offering the sacrifices, he sent for Ahithophel the Gilonite, David’s counselor, to come from his hometown of Giloh. So the conspiracy gained strength, and Absalom’s following kept increasing.
- 2 Samuel 16:7 And as he yelled curses, Shimei said, “Get out, get out, you worthless man of bloodshed!
- Psalms 17:11 They have tracked us down, and now surround us; their eyes are set to cast us to the ground,