Bible Strands
Psalms 140:7
O GOD the Lord, the strength of my salvation, You shield my head in the day of battle.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The psalmist addresses Yahweh directly during a period of imminent armed conflict, immediately following a plea for divine attention in verse 6 and preceding a petition against the wicked in verse 8.
The words — The Hebrew verb סַכֹּ֥תָה (sa.ko.tah) literally means "you cover" or "you shield," applied specifically to the speaker's head. It is paired with בְּ/י֣וֹם נָֽשֶׁק (be./yom na.shesh) to denote "in a day of weaponry" or active combat.
The thread — This protective imagery recurs in Psalms 62:7, where God is identified as a strong rock and refuge, and in Psalms 89:26, which calls Him the Rock of salvation. The psalmist also frames the entire collection in Psalms 18:1 by attributing his deliverance directly to the LORD.
Why it lands — The text demands acknowledgment that survival in direct combat rests on divine shielding rather than human defense. It requires the reader to actively trust God’s protective presence when facing immediate, violent opposition.
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
O God the Lord, the strength of my salvation, thou hast covered my head in the day of battle.
Cross-references
- Psalms 62:7 My salvation and my honor rest on God, my strong rock; my refuge is in God.
- Psalms 18:1 For the choirmaster. Of David the servant of the LORD, who sang this song to the LORD on the day the LORD had delivered him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul. He said: I love You, O LORD, my strength.
- Psalms 89:26 He will call to Me, ‘You are my Father, my God, the Rock of my salvation.’
- Deuteronomy 33:27 The eternal God is your dwelling place, and underneath are the everlasting arms. He drives out the enemy before you, giving the command, ‘Destroy him!’
- Psalms 62:2 He alone is my rock and my salvation. He is my fortress; I will never be shaken.
- Psalms 27:1 Of David. The LORD is my light and my salvation—whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life—whom shall I dread?
- Psalms 28:7 The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in Him, and I am helped. Therefore my heart rejoices, and I give thanks to Him with my song.
- Psalms 59:17 To You, O my strength, I sing praises, for You, O God, are my fortress, my God of loving devotion.
- Psalms 144:10 to Him who gives victory to kings, who frees His servant David from the deadly sword.
- 1 Samuel 17:45 But David said to the Philistine, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the LORD of Hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.