The Meaning of Psalms 6:10 Explained

Psalms 6:10

KJV: Let all mine enemies be ashamed and sore vexed: let them return and be ashamed suddenly.

YLT: Ashamed and troubled greatly are all mine enemies, They turn back -- ashamed in a moment!

Darby: All mine enemies shall be ashamed and tremble exceedingly; they will turn, they will be ashamed suddenly.

ASV: All mine enemies shall be put to shame and sore troubled: They shall turn back, they shall be put to shame suddenly.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Let all mine enemies  be ashamed  and sore  vexed:  let them return  [and] be ashamed  suddenly. 

What does Psalms 6:10 Mean?

Context Summary

Psalms 6:1-10 - Deliverance In Trouble
This is the first of the Penitential Psalms, the other six being Psalms 32:1-11; Psalms 38:1-22; Psalms 51:1-19; Psalms 102:1-28; Psalms 130:1-8; Psalms 143:1-12. The earliest verses are a wail, but the psalm ends in a song. It is like a day of rain which clears at evening. Sheminith is a musical term signifying "octave."
The elements of the psalmist's sorrow are given in Psalms 6:1-7. The pressure of God's displeasure, soul-anguish, sickness, soul-depression, an enemy's opposition-all these were ingredients in his cup of bitterness. How touching the plea-I am weak! How expressive the broken sentence, so often on Calvin's lips-How long! And that prayer, O Lord, heal me, includes the mental as well as the physical.
The certainty of deliverance looms in sight in Psalms 6:8-10. The consciousness of having been heard steals over the soul as a glint of light in the hospital ward. The answer may not be at hand, but it is sure, 1 John 5:15. Weeping has a voice: God interprets sighs. The r.v. turns the imprecation of Psalms 6:10 into prediction. When God returns to us, because we return to Him, our enemies turn back. [source]

Chapter Summary: Psalms 6

1  David's complaint in his sickness
8  He triumphs over his enemies

What do the individual words in Psalms 6:10 mean?

Let be ashamed and troubled greatly all my enemies let them turn back [and] be ashamed suddenly
יֵבֹ֤שׁוּ ׀ וְיִבָּהֲל֣וּ מְ֭אֹד כָּל־ אֹיְבָ֑י יָ֝שֻׁ֗בוּ יֵבֹ֥שׁוּ רָֽגַע

יֵבֹ֤שׁוּ ׀  Let  be  ashamed 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: בֹּושׁ 
Sense: to put to shame, be ashamed, be disconcerted, be disappointed.
וְיִבָּהֲל֣וּ  and  troubled 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Nifal, Conjunctive imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: בָּהַל  
Sense: to disturb, alarm, terrify, hurry, be disturbed, be anxious, be afraid, be hurried, be nervous.
מְ֭אֹד  greatly 
Parse: Adverb
Root: מְאֹד  
Sense: exceedingly, much subst.
אֹיְבָ֑י  my  enemies 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine plural construct, first person common singular
Root: אֹיֵב  
Sense: (Qal) enemy.
יָ֝שֻׁ֗בוּ  let  them  turn  back 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: שׁוּב  
Sense: to return, turn back.
יֵבֹ֥שׁוּ  [and]  be  ashamed 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: בֹּושׁ 
Sense: to put to shame, be ashamed, be disconcerted, be disappointed.
רָֽגַע  suddenly 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: רֶגַע  
Sense: a moment adv.