Bible Strands
Psalms 59:13
Consume them in wrath; consume them till they are no more, so it may be known to the ends of the earth that God rules over Jacob. Selah
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The psalmist petitions God to judge the hostile figures described in the surrounding verses, framing the request as a public demonstration of divine sovereignty. The speaker addresses God directly while describing the imminent destruction of his adversaries.
The words — כַּלֵּ֥ה (ka.Leh) means "make an end" and appears twice to emphasize complete termination. בְ/חֵמָה (ve./che.Mah) translates literally as "in anger," specifying the manner of this execution.
The thread — The theme of God's rule being recognized by the nations appears in Psalms 83:18 and Ezekiel 39:7, where divine judgment serves to reveal His authority to all peoples. The call for God to establish the righteous while ending the wicked's evil aligns with Psalms 7:9.
Why it lands — The text states that destruction will occur so all earth's inhabitants know God rules over Jacob. It requires the reader to accept that historical judgment functions as a public declaration of sovereignty rather than private vengeance.
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
Consume them in wrath, consume them, that they may not be: and let them know that God ruleth in Jacob unto the ends of the earth. Selah.
Cross-references
- Psalms 83:18 May they know that You alone, whose name is the LORD, are Most High over all the earth.
- Psalms 7:9 Put an end to the evil of the wicked, but establish the righteous, O righteous God who searches hearts and minds.
- Ezekiel 39:7 So I will make My holy name known among My people Israel and will no longer allow it to be profaned. Then the nations will know that I am the LORD, the Holy One in Israel.
- Psalms 59:11 Do not kill them, or my people will forget. Scatter them by Your power, and bring them down, O Lord, our shield.
- Numbers 14:34 In keeping with the forty days you spied out the land, you shall bear your guilt forty years—a year for each day—and you will experience My alienation.
- Numbers 32:13 The anger of the LORD burned against Israel, and He made them wander in the wilderness forty years, until the whole generation who had done evil in His sight was gone.
- Deuteronomy 2:14 The time we spent traveling from Kadesh-barnea until we crossed over the Brook of Zered was thirty-eight years, until that entire generation of fighting men had perished from the camp, as the LORD had sworn to them.
- Deuteronomy 7:22 The LORD your God will drive out these nations before you little by little. You will not be enabled to eliminate them all at once, or the wild animals would multiply around you.
- 1 Samuel 17:46 This day the LORD will deliver you into my hand. This day I will strike you down, cut off your head, and give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds of the air and the creatures of the earth. Then the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel.
- 1 Kings 18:36 At the time of the evening sacrifice, Elijah the prophet approached the altar and said, “O LORD, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that You are God in Israel and that I am Your servant and have done all these things at Your command.