Bible Strands
Psalms 17:11
They have tracked us down, and now surround us; their eyes are set to cast us to the ground,
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — David addresses God, describing enemies who have hardened their hearts and are now actively closing in on him. The psalmist speaks at a moment of immediate peril, framing the encounter as a plea for deliverance from coordinated hostility.
The words — The verb סְבָב֑וּ/נוּ (se.va.vu./ni) means "they have surrounded us," marking the encirclement described in the text. The verb יָ֝שִׁ֗יתוּ (ya.Shi.tu) translates as "they set," indicating the deliberate placement of the adversaries' eyes to bring the psalmist down.
The thread — Psalms 10:8 describes the wicked lying in ambush with eyes watching the helpless, while Psalms 37:14 notes the wicked bending bows to bring down the poor. Proverbs 6:13 parallels this physical posture of threat through gestures like winking eyes and pointing feet.
Why it lands — The text requires acknowledgment of the psalmist's vulnerability and the calculated intent of his pursuers without offering immediate comfort. It asks the reader to confront the reality of coordinated opposition before any resolution is presented.
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 have now compassed us in our steps: they have set their eyes bowing down to the earth;
Cross-references
- Psalms 37:14 The wicked have drawn the sword and bent the bow to bring down the poor and needy, to slay those whose ways are upright.
- Proverbs 6:13 winking his eyes, speaking with his feet, and pointing with his fingers.
- Psalms 10:8 He lies in wait near the villages; in ambush he slays the innocent; his eyes watch in stealth for the helpless.
- 1 Samuel 23:26 Saul was proceeding along one side of the mountain, and David and his men along the other side. Even though David was hurrying to get away, Saul and his men were closing in on David and his men to capture them.
- 1 Samuel 24:2 So Saul took three thousand chosen men from all Israel and went to look for David and his men in the region of the Rocks of the Wild Goats.
- 1 Samuel 26:2 So Saul, accompanied by three thousand chosen men of Israel, went down to the Wilderness of Ziph to search for David there.
- Psalms 88:17 All day long they engulf me like water; they enclose me on every side.