Bible Strands
Psalms 17:9
from the wicked who assail me, from my mortal enemies who surround me.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The psalmist addresses God directly, speaking from a position of acute vulnerability immediately after requesting refuge in the preceding verse. The speaker identifies himself as actively pursued by hostile forces while seeking divine shelter.
The words — The text specifies אֹיְבַי ('oyevai) as "my enemies" and יַקּיפוּ (ya.kifu) as "they surround." These terms define the threat as personal and encircling rather than abstract.
The thread — The psalmist’s plea against hostile pursuers parallels the language of Psalms 35:4 and Psalms 35:7, which describe opponents seeking his life and laying traps. The narrative of 1 Samuel 24:11 also records a similar appeal to a sovereign to recognize the speaker’s restraint from harming a divinely appointed figure.
Why it lands — The passage requires the reader to recognize that the text describes an immediate physical threat before any theological inference about divine protection. It demands a clear distinction between the reported danger and the requested intervention.
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
From the wicked that oppress me, from my deadly enemies, who compass me about.
Cross-references
- Psalms 35:4 May those who seek my life be disgraced and put to shame; may those who plan to harm me be driven back and confounded.
- Psalms 35:7 For without cause they laid their net for me; without reason they dug a pit for my soul.
- 1 Samuel 24:11 See, my father, look at the corner of your robe in my hand. For I cut it off, but I did not kill you. Know and see that there is no evil or rebellion in my hands. I have not sinned against you, even though you are hunting me down to take my life.
- 1 Chronicles 17:9 And I will provide a place for My people Israel and will plant them so that they may dwell in a place of their own and be disturbed no more. No longer will the sons of wickedness oppress them as they did at the beginning
- Psalms 7:5 then may my enemy pursue me and overtake me; may he trample me to the ground and leave my honor in the dust. Selah
- Psalms 31:20 You hide them in the secret place of Your presence from the schemes of men. You conceal them in Your shelter from accusing tongues.
- Psalms 35:12 They repay me evil for good, to the bereavement of my soul.