Bible Strands
Psalms 13:4
lest my enemy say, “I have overcome him,” and my foes rejoice when I fall.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The psalmist addresses the LORD directly, pleading for immediate intervention to prevent death. This request follows a demand for God to "consider" him and "give light to my eyes" to avoid sleeping in death.
The words — The Hebrew פֶּן (pen) translates literally as "lest," introducing a conditional fear of imminent defeat. יְכָלְתִּי (yekhal-ti) means "I have prevailed over," describing the enemy's anticipated verbal claim of victory.
The thread — This fear of enemy triumph appears in Psalm 25:2, where the psalmist prays that foes do not exult over him. It aligns with the divine guarantee in Jeremiah 1:19 that opponents will fight but never overcome.
Why it lands — The text states that survival hinges on God's response rather than human endurance. It requires the reader to acknowledge dependence on divine intervention before expecting a reversal of defeat.
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
Lest mine enemy say, I have prevailed against him; and those that trouble me rejoice when I am moved.
Cross-references
- Psalms 25:2 in You, my God, I trust. Do not let me be put to shame; do not let my enemies exult over me.
- Jeremiah 1:19 They will fight against you but will never overcome you, since I am with you to deliver you,” declares the LORD.
- Proverbs 12:3 A man cannot be established through wickedness, but the righteous cannot be uprooted.
- Psalms 62:6 He alone is my rock and my salvation; He is my fortress; I will not be shaken.
- Joshua 7:9 When the Canaanites and all who live in the land hear about this, they will surround us and wipe out our name from the earth. Then what will You do for Your great name?”
- Psalms 38:16 For I said, “Let them not gloat over me—those who taunt me when my foot slips.”
- Lamentations 1:16 For these things I weep; my eyes flow with tears. For there is no one nearby to comfort me, no one to revive my soul. My children are destitute because the enemy has prevailed.
- Psalms 9:19 Rise up, O LORD, do not let man prevail; let the nations be judged in Your presence.
- Psalms 10:11 He says to himself, “God has forgotten; He hides His face and never sees.”
- Psalms 35:19 Let not my enemies gloat over me without cause, nor those who hate me without reason wink in malice.