Bible Strands
Psalms 59:8
But You, O LORD, laugh at them; You scoff at all the nations.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The psalmist addresses Yahweh directly, contrasting the arrogant boasting of enemies in the preceding verse with divine response. This declaration occurs mid-complaint as the speaker shifts from describing human threats to affirming God's sovereign oversight.
The words — The Hebrew verbs תִּשְׂחַק (tis.chak) and תִּלְעַג (til.'Ag) literally mean you laugh and you mock, directed toward the nations. These terms describe active divine contempt for human arrogance rather than passive observation.
The thread — This motif of divine mockery appears in Psalms 2:4, where the enthroned One laughs at rebellious nations, and Proverbs 1:26, where Yahweh sneers at impending calamity. The same theme resurfaces in Psalms 37:13, contrasting human plotting with God's sovereign dismissal of their schemes.
Why it lands — The verse demands recognition that human threats and boasts are ultimately subject to divine dismissal. It requires the reader to trust God's sovereign perspective over immediate circumstances rather than relying on personal retaliation.
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
But thou, O Lord, shalt laugh at them; thou shalt have all the heathen in derision.
Cross-references
- Psalms 37:13 but the Lord laughs, seeing that their day is coming.
- Proverbs 1:26 in turn I will mock your calamity; I will sneer when terror strikes you,
- Psalms 2:4 The One enthroned in heaven laughs; the Lord taunts them.
- Psalms 59:5 O LORD God of Hosts, the God of Israel, rouse Yourself to punish all the nations; show no mercy to the wicked traitors. Selah
- Matthew 18:17 If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, regard him as you would a pagan or a tax collector.
- 1 Samuel 19:15 But Saul sent the messengers back to see David and told them, “Bring him up to me in his bed so I can kill him.”