Bible Strands
Psalms 119:95
The wicked wait to destroy me, but I will ponder Your testimonies.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The psalmist speaks to God, contrasting the hostile posture of the wicked with his own deliberate focus on divine instruction. This statement functions as a pivot in a continuous meditation, placed immediately after a plea for preservation (Psalms 119:94) and before a declaration on the boundless scope of God's commandment (Psalms 119:96).
The words — The Hebrew verb קִוּוּ (ki.Vu) literally means "they have waited," denoting the patient anticipation of the wicked to inflict harm. The psalmist counters with אֶתְבּוֹנָֽן ('et.bo.Nan), meaning "I will consider carefully," which describes his active, sustained mental engagement with God's testimonies.
The thread — This insistence on fixing attention on God's testimonies aligns with the psalmist's repeated commitments to obey and love them greatly (Psalms 119:167), to cling to them without shame (Psalms 119:31), and to keep precepts with his whole heart despite false accusations (Psalms 119:69).
Why it lands — The text requires a reader to deliberately choose mental focus when confronted with hostility, prioritizing reflection on divine instruction over reaction to threats. It demands that attention be anchored in the written word rather than in the perceived intentions of others.
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
The wicked have waited for me to destroy me: but I will consider thy testimonies.
Cross-references
- Psalms 119:167 I obey Your testimonies and love them greatly.
- Psalms 119:31 I cling to Your testimonies, O LORD; let me not be put to shame.
- Psalms 119:69 Though the arrogant have smeared me with lies, I keep Your precepts with all my heart.
- Psalms 119:85 The arrogant have dug pits for me in violation of Your law.
- Psalms 10:8 He lies in wait near the villages; in ambush he slays the innocent; his eyes watch in stealth for the helpless.
- Acts 23:21 Do not let them persuade you, because more than forty men are waiting to ambush him. They have bound themselves with an oath not to eat or drink until they have killed him; they are ready now, awaiting your consent.”
- Acts 25:3 to grant them a concession against Paul by summoning him to Jerusalem, because they were preparing an ambush to kill him along the way.
- 1 Samuel 23:20 Now, O king, come down whenever your soul desires, and we will be responsible for delivering him into your hand.”
- Psalms 27:2 When the wicked came upon me to devour my flesh, my enemies and foes stumbled and fell.
- Psalms 37:32 Though the wicked lie in wait for the righteous, and seek to slay them,