Bible Strands
Psalms 64:8
They will be made to stumble, their own tongues turned against them. All who see will shake their heads.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The psalmist describes God's judicial action against wicked conspirators who plotted in secret. This declaration follows God's sudden strike with arrows and precedes the universal recognition of His sovereign work.
The words — The Hebrew verb יִ֝תְנֹדֲד֗וּ (yit.no.da.Du) literally means "they will shudder" or "shake," describing the physical reaction of observers. The phrase עָלֵ֣י/מוֹ לְשׁוֹנָ֑/ם ('a.Lei./mov le.sho.Na/m) translates to "on them their tongue," indicating the weapon of their own speech is turned against them.
The thread — This pattern of self-inflicted ruin through speech appears in Proverbs 18:7 and Proverbs 12:13, while the image of onlookers reacting to divine judgment echoes the plea in Psalms 140:9.
Why it lands — The text demands acknowledgment that human schemes collapse under divine intervention and that observers must recognize God's hand in the downfall of the wicked.
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
So they shall make their own tongue to fall upon themselves: all that see them shall flee away.
Cross-references
- Proverbs 18:7 A fool’s mouth is his ruin, and his lips are a snare to his soul.
- Proverbs 12:13 An evil man is trapped by his rebellious speech, but a righteous man escapes from trouble.
- Psalms 140:9 May the heads of those who surround me be covered in the trouble their lips have caused.
- Job 15:6 Your own mouth, not mine, condemns you; your own lips testify against you.
- Psalms 22:7 All who see me mock me; they sneer and shake their heads:
- Psalms 31:11 Among all my enemies I am a disgrace, and among my neighbors even more. I am dreaded by my friends—they flee when they see me on the street.
- Jeremiah 18:16 They have made their land a desolation, a perpetual object of scorn; all who pass by will be appalled and shake their heads.
- Jeremiah 48:27 Was not Israel your object of ridicule? Was he ever found among thieves? For whenever you speak of him you shake your head.
- Nahum 3:7 Then all who see you will recoil from you and say, ‘Nineveh is devastated; who will grieve for her?’ Where can I find comforters for you?”
- Matthew 21:41 “He will bring those wretches to a wretched end,” they replied, “and will rent out the vineyard to other tenants who will give him his share of the fruit at harvest time.”