Tap any verse number for what that verse means.
1Hear my voice, O God, in my prayer: preserve my life from fear of the enemy.
2Hide me from the secret counsel of the wicked; from the insurrection of the workers of iniquity:
3Who whet their tongue like a sword, and bend their bows to shoot their arrows, even bitter words:
4That they may shoot in secret at the perfect: suddenly do they shoot at him, and fear not.
5They encourage themselves in an evil matter: they commune of laying snares privily; they say, Who shall see them?
6They search out iniquities; they accomplish a diligent search: both the inward thought of every one of them, and the heart, is deep.
7But God shall shoot at them with an arrow; suddenly shall they be wounded.
8So they shall make their own tongue to fall upon themselves: all that see them shall flee away.
9And all men shall fear, and shall declare the work of God; for they shall wisely consider of his doing.
10The righteous shall be glad in the LORD, and shall trust in him; and all the upright in heart shall glory.
Understand This
Psalm 64, explained
What Psalm 64 is saying
A lament focused on the destructive power of speech, Psalm 64 describes enemies who sharpen their tongues like swords and aim bitter words like arrows at the blameless. The psalmist details a conspiracy of hidden malice, with plotters confident their schemes are undetectable. The reversal comes when God turns their own arrows against them, causing all who witness it to declare God's deeds.
The background behind it
While no specific historical event is identified, the psalm reflects a context of organized verbal persecution—slander, conspiracy, and character assassination. This fits multiple periods in Israelite history where courtly intrigue or social conflict produced such dynamics.
Themes running underneath
The psalm develops a theology of divine reversal: the weapons the wicked forge against the righteous become the instruments of their own destruction. The emphasis on God 'shooting his arrow' mirrors and overturns the enemies' arrow-tongue imagery. Public recognition of God's justice transforms individual vindication into communal testimony.
Why it still matters
Psalm 64 addresses the real harm of verbal cruelty and hidden schemes, refusing to minimize their impact while insisting that God is attentive to covert injustice. It encourages trust when the threat is invisible and the damage is reputational.
Scripture text: King James Version — public domain.