The Meaning of Psalms 140:4 Explained

Psalms 140:4

KJV: Keep me, O LORD, from the hands of the wicked; preserve me from the violent man; who have purposed to overthrow my goings.

YLT: Preserve me, Jehovah, from the hands of the wicked, From one of violence Thou keepest me, Who have devised to overthrow my steps.

Darby: Keep me, O Jehovah, from the hands of the wicked man, preserve me from the violent man, who devise to overthrow my steps.

ASV: Keep me, O Jehovah, from the hands of the wicked; Preserve me from the violent man: Who have purposed to thrust aside my steps.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Keep  me, O LORD,  from the hands  of the wicked;  preserve  me from the violent  man;  who have purposed  to overthrow  my goings. 

What does Psalms 140:4 Mean?

Context Summary

Psalms 140:1-13 - Confidence In God's Protection
Here is a picture of a man who is beset by foes. Around are slander and hatred; at his feet stratagems and traps. There is no help save in Him who alone can cover the head in the day of battle. Similar experiences befall God's people still. Some are hunted by earthly enemies; others are stung by the fiery darts of the wicked. In Psalms 140:1-5 life is like a path through a forest, where adders hide and where gins are laid. At any moment the foe may break from his ambush. In Psalms 140:6-7 faith discovers God, at such a time, as strength, salvation, and protection.
There follows, in Psalms 140:8-12, a terrible outburst. Instead of the let of the imperative, many read the shall of prediction. We belong to the kingdom of Christ, the teachings of which are given in Matthew 5:1-48. The only coals of fire that we can deal with are those of love and mercy, which we heap on the heads of our enemies. The least in the kingdom of love stands on a higher plane than the greatest in the kingdom of law. But let the wicked remember Romans 2:5. The psalm ends in a gladder strain, Psalms 140:13. There is an inner sanctuary where we shall be safe! [source]

Chapter Summary: Psalms 140

1  David prays to be delivered from Saul and Doeg
8  He prays against them
12  He comforts himself by confidence in God

What do the individual words in Psalms 140:4 mean?

Keep me Yahweh from the hands of the wicked from men violent Preserve me who have purposed to make stumble my steps
שָׁמְרֵ֤נִי יְהוָ֨ה ׀ מִ֘ידֵ֤י רָשָׁ֗ע מֵאִ֣ישׁ חֲמָסִ֣ים תִּנְצְרֵ֑נִי אֲשֶׁ֥ר חָ֝שְׁב֗וּ לִדְח֥וֹת פְּעָמָֽי

שָׁמְרֵ֤נִי  Keep  me 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperative, masculine singular, first person common singular
Root: שָׁמַר  
Sense: to keep, guard, observe, give heed.
יְהוָ֨ה ׀  Yahweh 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: the proper name of the one true God.
מִ֘ידֵ֤י  from  the  hands 
Parse: Preposition-m, Noun, fdc
Root: יָד  
Sense: hand.
רָשָׁ֗ע  of  the  wicked 
Parse: Adjective, masculine singular
Root: רָשָׁע  
Sense: wicked, criminal.
מֵאִ֣ישׁ  from  men 
Parse: Preposition-m, Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: אִישׁ 
Sense: man.
חֲמָסִ֣ים  violent 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural
Root: חָמָס  
Sense: violence, wrong, cruelty, injustice.
תִּנְצְרֵ֑נִי  Preserve  me 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, second person masculine singular, first person common singular
Root: נְצוּרִים 
Sense: to guard, watch, watch over, keep.
חָ֝שְׁב֗וּ  have  purposed 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person common plural
Root: חָשַׁב 
Sense: to think, plan, esteem, calculate, invent, make a judgment, imagine, count.
לִדְח֥וֹת  to  make  stumble 
Parse: Preposition-l, Verb, Qal, Infinitive construct
Root: דָּחָה 
Sense: to push, thrust, chase, overflow, totter, sore, drive away or out, be outcast, be cast down.
פְּעָמָֽי  my  steps 
Parse: Noun, feminine plural construct, first person common singular
Root: פַּעַם  
Sense: stroke, beat, foot, step, anvil, occurrence.