Psalms 86:14

The arrogant rise against me, O God; a band of ruthless men seeks my life; they have no regard for You.

Berean Standard Bible

Study note

Setting — The psalmist speaks directly to God, describing a current crisis where hostile groups have gathered to take his life. This statement follows a declaration of God’s past rescue from Sheol and immediately precedes a recitation of God’s covenant attributes.

The words — The Hebrew זֵדִים (ze.dim) literally denotes arrogant or presumptuous individuals, while עָרִיצִים ('a.ri.tzim) refers to a ruthless, terror-inducing crowd. These terms specify the aggressive nature and collective organization of the threat.

The thread — The pattern of arrogant, godless men seeking a righteous person’s life appears in Psalms 54:3 and Matthew 27:1. The same motif of hostile indifference toward God is recorded in Psalms 14:4.

Why it lands — The text requires acknowledgment that divine intervention operates within active human conspiracy. It demands that the reader fix attention on God’s established nature rather than the scale of the opposition.

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

אֱלֹהִ֤ים׀'E.lo.HimO God זֵ֘דִ֤יםze.Dimarrogant [people]קָֽמוּ־ka.mu-they have risen up עָלַ֗י'a.La/ion/ me וַעֲדַ֣תva./'a.Datand/ a company of עָ֭רִיצִים'A.ri.tzimruthless [people]בִּקְשׁ֣וּbik.Shuthey have sought נַפְשִׁ֑יnaf.Sh/ilife/ my וְלֹ֖אve./Lo'and/ not שָׂמ֣וּךָsa.Mu./khathey have set/ you לְנֶגְדָּֽם׃le./neg.Da/mto/ before/ themselves

King James Version

O God, the proud are risen against me, and the assemblies of violent men have sought after my soul; and have not set thee before them.

Cross-references

Psalms 54:3 For strangers rise up against me, and ruthless men seek my life—men with no regard for God. Selah
Matthew 27:1 When morning came, all the chief priests and elders of the people conspired against Jesus to put Him to death.
Psalms 14:4 Will the workers of iniquity never learn? They devour my people like bread; they refuse to call upon the LORD.
Psalms 36:1 For the choirmaster. A Psalm of David, the servant of the LORD. An oracle is in my heart regarding the transgression of the wicked man: There is no fear of God before his eyes.
Matthew 26:3 At that time the chief priests and elders of the people assembled in the courtyard of the high priest, whose name was Caiaphas,
2 Samuel 15:1 Some time later, Absalom provided for himself a chariot with horses and fifty men to run ahead of him.
2 Samuel 16:20 Then Absalom said to Ahithophel, “Give me counsel. What should we do?”
2 Samuel 17:14 Then Absalom and all the men of Israel said, “The advice of Hushai the Archite is better than that of Ahithophel.” For the LORD had purposed to thwart the good counsel of Ahithophel in order to bring disaster on Absalom.
Psalms 10:4 In his pride the wicked man does not seek Him; in all his schemes there is no God.
Psalms 10:11 He says to himself, “God has forgotten; He hides His face and never sees.”