The Meaning of Psalms 139:20 Explained

Psalms 139:20

KJV: For they speak against thee wickedly, and thine enemies take thy name in vain.

YLT: Who exchange Thee for wickedness, Lifted up to vanity are Thine enemies.

Darby: For they speak of thee wickedly, they take thy name in vain, thine enemies.

ASV: For they speak against thee wickedly, And thine enemies take thy name in vain.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

For they speak  against thee wickedly,  [and] thine enemies  take  [thy name] in vain. 

What does Psalms 139:20 Mean?

Context Summary

Psalms 139:14-24 - God's Thoughts And Ours
God's creative power, Psalms 139:14-18. The psalmist goes back to the beginning of life and describes the weaving of our physical nature. Here we may discover a suggestive analogy; for the Church, which is the Body of Christ, has been wrought in secret from its earliest beginnings, and its development continues preparatory to the manifestation in complete beauty and glory at the Lord's coming. "When He shall be manifested, we shall be manifested with Him in glory," Colossians 3:1-4. Remember, also, that the Christ-life in our hearts is subject to the same secret processes.
The psalm closes with the saints' antagonism to evil, Psalms 139:19-24. The more they meditate on the precious thoughts of God, the more they desire to be freed from the tyranny of evil, whether it shows itself in the ways of evil men or in the inward evil of the heart. Our one cry should be that God would lead us in the way, which is based on eternal principles and which winds ever upward from the lowland valleys, where we have dwelt too long, to those glorious uplands, where God Himself is Sun. [source]

Chapter Summary: Psalms 139

1  David praises God for his all-seeing providence
17  And for this infinite mercies
19  He defies the wicked
23  He prays for sincerity

What do the individual words in Psalms 139:20 mean?

For they speak against You wickedly take [Your name] in vain Your enemies
אֲשֶׁ֣ר יֹ֭אמְרֻךָ לִמְזִמָּ֑ה נָשֻׂ֖א לַשָּׁ֣וְא עָרֶֽיךָ

יֹ֭אמְרֻךָ  they  speak  against  You 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine plural, second person masculine singular
Root: אָמַר 
Sense: to say, speak, utter.
לִמְזִמָּ֑ה  wickedly 
Parse: Preposition-l, Noun, feminine singular
Root: מְזִמָּה  
Sense: purpose, discretion, device, plot.
נָשֻׂ֖א  take  [Your  name] 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person common plural
Root: נָשָׂא  
Sense: to lift, bear up, carry, take.
לַשָּׁ֣וְא  in  vain 
Parse: Preposition-l, Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: שָׁוְא  
Sense: emptiness, vanity, falsehood.
עָרֶֽיךָ  Your  enemies 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct, second person masculine singular
Root: עָר  
Sense: enemy, adversary, foe.