Bible Strands
Psalms 94:13
to grant him relief from days of trouble, until a pit is dug for the wicked.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The psalmist addresses God directly, explaining the purpose of divine discipline for the afflicted believer. This declaration bridges the blessing of correction in the preceding verse and the assurance of God's enduring covenant loyalty in the following verse.
The words — שַׁחַת (sha·chat) denotes a pit or grave, and הַשְׁקִיט (ha·sh·qîṭ) means to grant quiet or relief. The text states that God delays the believer's full relief specifically until a pit is prepared for the wicked.
The thread — The motif of a divinely prepared pit for the wicked appears in Psalms 9:15 and 55:23, and is echoed in 2 Peter 2:9 regarding the Lord's knowledge of how to hold the unrighteous for punishment.
Why it lands — The passage requires a reader to endure present trouble with the factual expectation that God's justice will ultimately be executed against the oppressor. It demands patience grounded in the certainty of divine retribution rather than immediate deliverance.
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
That thou mayest give him rest from the days of adversity, until the pit be digged for the wicked.
Cross-references
- Psalms 55:23 But You, O God, will bring them down to the Pit of destruction; men of bloodshed and deceit will not live out half their days. But I will trust in You.
- 2 Peter 2:9 if all this is so, then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials and to hold the unrighteous for punishment on the day of judgment.
- Psalms 9:15 The nations have fallen into a pit of their making; their feet are caught in the net they have hidden.
- Isaiah 26:20 Go, my people, enter your rooms and shut your doors behind you. Hide yourselves a little while until the wrath has passed.
- Habakkuk 3:16 I heard and trembled within; my lips quivered at the sound. Decay entered my bones; I trembled where I stood. Yet I must wait patiently for the day of distress to come upon the people who invade us.
- 2 Thessalonians 1:7 and to grant relief to you who are oppressed and to us as well. This will take place when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels
- Revelation 14:13 And I heard a voice from heaven telling me to write, “Blessed are the dead—those who die in the Lord from this moment on.” “Yes,” says the Spirit, “they will rest from their labors, for their deeds will follow them.”
- Psalms 49:5 Why should I fear in times of trouble, when wicked usurpers surround me?
- Jeremiah 18:22 Let a cry be heard from their houses when You suddenly bring raiders against them, for they have dug a pit to capture me and have hidden snares for my feet.
- 2 Corinthians 4:17 For our light and momentary affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory that is far beyond comparison.