The Meaning of Psalms 35:25 Explained

Psalms 35:25

KJV: Let them not say in their hearts, Ah, so would we have it: let them not say, We have swallowed him up.

YLT: They do not say in their heart, 'Aha, our desire.' They do not say, 'We swallowed him up.'

Darby: Let them not say in their heart, Aha! so would we have it. Let them not say, We have swallowed him up.

ASV: Let them not say in their heart, Aha, so would we have it: Let them not say, We have swallowed him up.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Let them not say  in their hearts,  Ah,  so would we have it:  let them not say,  We have swallowed him up. 

What does Psalms 35:25 Mean?

Context Summary

Psalm 35:18-28 - An Appeal To The Righteous Judge
Psalms 35:20 : "The Quiet in the Land" was the title adopted by holy men and women in Germany, during long dark days when religion was under an eclipse. It is beautifully appropriate to those whose life is "hid with Christ in God." "We are in Him that is true," Colossians 3:1-4; 1 John 5:20.
Psalms 35:24 : Judge me, O Lord! What a comfort it is to appeal from the judgments of men to the bar of God! We know that the soul's Advocate there will plead its cause with the eloquence of love. His interposition and vindication will clear us. God has seen! God will not keep silence! He is not far away!
Psalms 35:27-28 : We desire that others should join us in praise. "One seraph cried to another" in Isaiah's vision. There should be a holy emulation in thanksgiving. Oh, that the resolution of the psalmist might characterize us all; and that all our days might be full of praise, instead of the constant murmuring and complaining which are so rife even among God's children! [source]

Chapter Summary: Psalm 35

1  David prays for his own safety, and his enemies' confusion
11  He complains of their wrongful dealing
22  Thereby he incites God against them

What do the individual words in Psalms 35:25 mean?

Not let them say in their hearts Ah so we would have it let them say we have swallowed him up
אַל־ יֹאמְר֣וּ בְ֭לִבָּם הֶאָ֣ח ! נַפְשֵׁ֑נוּ יֹ֝אמְר֗וּ בִּֽלַּעֲנֽוּהוּ

יֹאמְר֣וּ  let  them  say 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
בְ֭לִבָּם  in  their  hearts 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, masculine singular construct, third person masculine plural
Root: לֵב 
Sense: inner man, mind, will, heart, understanding.
הֶאָ֣ח  Ah 
Parse: Interjection
Root: הֶאָח  
Sense: aha!.
! נַפְשֵׁ֑נוּ  so  we  would  have  it 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct, first person common plural
Root: נֶפֶשׁ  
Sense: soul, self, life, creature, person, appetite, mind, living being, desire, emotion, passion.
יֹ֝אמְר֗וּ  let  them  say 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
בִּֽלַּעֲנֽוּהוּ  we  have  swallowed  him  up 
Parse: Verb, Piel, Perfect, first person common plural, third person masculine singular
Root: בָּלַע 
Sense: to swallow down, swallow up, engulf, eat up.