The Meaning of Psalms 140:5 Explained

Psalms 140:5

KJV: The proud have hid a snare for me, and cords; they have spread a net by the wayside; they have set gins for me. Selah.

YLT: The proud hid a snare for me -- and cords, They spread a net by the side of the path, Snares they have set for me. Selah.

Darby: The proud have hidden a snare for me, and cords; they have spread a net by the way-side; they have set traps for me. Selah.

ASV: The proud have hid a snare for me, and cords; They have spread a net by the wayside; They have set gins for me. Selah

KJV Reverse Interlinear

The proud  have hid  a snare  for me, and cords;  they have spread  a net  by the wayside;  they have set  gins  for me. Selah. 

What does Psalms 140:5 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 140:5 mean?

Have hidden the proud a snare for me and cords they have spread a net by the wayside traps they have set for me Selah
טָֽמְנֽוּ־ גֵאִ֨ים ׀ פַּ֡ח לִ֗י וַחֲבָלִ֗ים פָּ֣רְשׂוּ רֶ֭שֶׁת לְיַד־ מַעְגָּ֑ל מֹקְשִׁ֖ים שָֽׁתוּ־ לִ֣י סֶֽלָה

טָֽמְנֽוּ־  Have  hidden 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person common plural
Root: טָמַן  
Sense: to hide, conceal, bury.
גֵאִ֨ים ׀  the  proud 
Parse: Adjective, masculine plural
Root: גֵּאֶה  
Sense: proud.
פַּ֡ח  a  snare 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: פַּח 
Sense: bird trap, trap, snare.
לִ֗י  for  me 
Parse: Preposition, first person common singular
וַחֲבָלִ֗ים  and  cords 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, masculine plural
Root: חֶבֶל 
Sense: a cord, rope, territory, band, company.
פָּ֣רְשׂוּ  they  have  spread 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person common plural
Root: פָּרַשׂ  
Sense: to spread, spread out, stretch, break in pieces.
רֶ֭שֶׁת  a  net 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular
Root: רֶשֶׁת  
Sense: net.
מַעְגָּ֑ל  the  wayside 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: מַעְגָּל 
Sense: entrenchment, track.
מֹקְשִׁ֖ים  traps 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural
Root: מֹוקֵשׁ  
Sense: bait, lure, snare.
שָֽׁתוּ־  they  have  set 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person common plural
Root: שִׁית  
Sense: to put, set.
לִ֣י  for  me 
Parse: Preposition, first person common singular
סֶֽלָה  Selah 
Parse: Interjection
Root: סֶלָה  
Sense: to lift up, exalt.