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

Berean Standard Bible

Study note

Setting — The psalmist addresses God, placing himself under a conditional oath of judgment if he has acted unjustly toward friends or plundered foes without cause. This statement immediately precedes his command for God to rise in anger against his pursuers.

The words — The Hebrew יִרַדֹּף (yi.ra.Dof) means "may he pursue," and כְבוֹדִי (khe.vo.Di) means "my honor," both anchoring the psalmist’s fear of total disgrace if his innocence is proven false.

The thread — The motif of trampling foes appears in Psalms 44:5 and Malachi 4:3, where the righteous or God himself crushes the wicked, contrasting with the psalmist’s current state of being hunted.

Why it lands — The text requires a reader to weigh their own conduct before demanding divine intervention, treating the threat of dishonor as a concrete standard of accountability rather than a poetic device.

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

יִֽרַדֹּ֥ףyi.ra.Dofmay he pursue אוֹיֵ֨ב׀'o.Yevan enemy נַפְשִׁ֡יnaf.Sh/ilife/ my וְיַשֵּׂ֗גve./ya.Segand/ may he overtake [it]וְיִרְמֹ֣סve./yir.Mosand/ he may trample לָאָ֣רֶץla./'A.retzto the/ earth חַיָּ֑יchai.Ya/ilife/ my וּכְבוֹדִ֓י׀u./khe.vo.D/iand/ honor/ my לֶעָפָ֖רle./'a.Farto the/ dust יַשְׁכֵּ֣ןyash.Kenmay he lay סֶֽלָה׃Se.lahSelah

King James Version

Let the enemy persecute my soul, and take it; yea, let him tread down my life upon the earth, and lay mine honour in the dust. Selah.

Cross-references

Malachi 4:3 Then you will trample the wicked, for they will be ashes under the soles of your feet on the day I am preparing,” says the LORD of Hosts.
Psalms 3:2 Many say of me, “God will not deliver him.” Selah
Psalms 44:5 Through You we repel our foes; through Your name we trample our enemies.
Psalms 49:12 But a man, despite his wealth, cannot endure; he is like the beasts that perish.
Jeremiah 17:13 O LORD, the hope of Israel, all who abandon You will be put to shame. All who turn away will be written in the dust, for they have abandoned the LORD, the fountain of living water.
Job 16:15 I have sewn sackcloth over my skin; I have buried my horn in the dust.
Job 31:5 If I have walked in falsehood or my foot has rushed to deceit,
Job 31:38 if my land cries out against me and its furrows weep together,
Job 40:12 Look on every proud man and humble him; trample the wicked where they stand.
Psalms 60:12 With God we will perform with valor, and He will trample our enemies.