The Meaning of Psalms 54:5 Explained

Psalms 54:5

KJV: He shall reward evil unto mine enemies: cut them off in thy truth.

YLT: Turn back doth the evil thing to mine enemies, In Thy truth cut them off.

Darby: He will requite evil to mine enemies: in thy truth cut them off.

ASV: He will requite the evil unto mine enemies: Destroy thou them in thy truth.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

He shall reward  {08675;07725:08799} evil  unto mine enemies:  cut them off  in thy truth. 

What does Psalms 54:5 Mean?

Context Summary

Psalms 54:1-7 - Sinners All-God Alone Can Help
That Psalms 53:1-6 should be a repetition of Psalms 14:1-7, with very few variations, suggests, as does the "verily, verily" of Christ, that the truths contained in these words are worthy of special attention. They supply the Apostle, in Romans 3:1-31, with his phraseology for describing the state of the ungodly before the searching eye of Omniscience.
We have here a photograph of the human heart. Jew and Gentile are alike in their innermost texture. There is nothing to choose between the Pharisee and the publican, except when either turns the balance by humble confession, as in Luke 18:9, etc.
Psalms 54:1-7 is probably founded on 1 Samuel 23:19. It is short, as if compressed by the urgency of David's need. Evidently he was in sore straits, though conscious of the rectitude of his cause. Notice how he makes his transition from prayer to praise, Psalms 54:4. He affirms, in spite of everything, that God is still his helper. He hears the approaching footsteps of those who are pledged to uphold Him, and God is with them. As he speaks thus in the confidence of faith, the storm clears away. He is delivered; his eye has seen the defeat of his foes. [source]

Chapter Summary: Psalms 54

1  David, complaining of the Ziphims, prays for salvation
4  Upon his confidence in God's help he promises sacrifice

What do the individual words in Psalms 54:5 mean?

- He will repay for their evil my enemies in Your truth Cut them off
ישוב [יָשִׁ֣יב] (הָ֭רַע) לְשֹׁרְרָ֑י בַּ֝אֲמִתְּךָ֗ הַצְמִיתֵֽם

ישוב  - 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: אֲבַגְתָא  
Sense: one of the seven eunuchs in the Persian court of Ahasuerus.
[יָשִׁ֣יב]  He  will  repay 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: שׁוּב  
Sense: to return, turn back.
(הָ֭רַע)  for  their  evil 
Parse: Article, Adjective, masculine singular
Root: רַע 
Sense: bad, evil.
לְשֹׁרְרָ֑י  my  enemies 
Parse: Preposition-l, Noun, masculine plural construct, first person common singular
Root: שֹׁורֵר  
Sense: (Qal) to be an enemy.
בַּ֝אֲמִתְּךָ֗  in  Your  truth 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, feminine singular construct, second person masculine singular
Root: אֱמֶת  
Sense: firmness, faithfulness, truth.
הַצְמִיתֵֽם  Cut  them  off 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Imperative, masculine singular, third person masculine plural
Root: צָמַת  
Sense: to put an end to, cut off, destroy, exterminate, extirpate.