The Meaning of Psalms 7:12 Explained

Psalms 7:12

KJV: If he turn not, he will whet his sword; he hath bent his bow, and made it ready.

YLT: If one turn not, His sword he sharpeneth, His bow he hath trodden -- He prepareth it,

Darby: If one turn not, he will sharpen his sword; he hath bent his bow and made it ready,

ASV: If a man turn not, he will whet his sword; He hath bent his bow, and made it ready.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

If he turn  not, he will whet  his sword;  he hath bent  his bow,  and made it ready. 

What does Psalms 7:12 Mean?

Context Summary

Psalms 7:1-17 - Refuge In God From Evil Men
This psalm should be compared with 1 Samuel 24:1-22; 1 Samuel 25:1-44; 1 Samuel 26:1-25. Cush, or "dark-complexioned," may refer to a Benjamite who was David's calumniator with Saul. If David needed deliverance from his foes, how much more do we from Satan! 1 Peter 5:8-9.
So far from being guilty of the offense charged against him, David on two occasions had spared Saul's life, 1 Samuel 24:1-22; 1 Samuel 26:1-25. Mine honor, Psalms 7:5, is probably another word for "soul," Genesis 49:6. It seems as if, Psalms 7:6-9, God has abdicated His throne, and the suppliant is pleading with him to resume it, with no fear as to the verdict. Evil recoils, like the boomerang, on those who set it in motion. Ralph the Rover perished on the Inchcape Rock, whose warning bell he had destroyed. The hunter falls into the pit prepared in the forest track for his prey, Judges 1:7. What a noble prayer in Psalms 7:9! [source]

Chapter Summary: Psalms 7

1  David prays against the malice of his enemies, professing his innocence
10  By faith he sees his defense, and the destruction of his enemies

What do the individual words in Psalms 7:12 mean?

If not he does turn back His sword He will sharpen His bow He bends and makes it ready
אִם־ לֹ֣א יָ֭שׁוּב חַרְבּ֣וֹ יִלְט֑וֹשׁ קַשְׁתּ֥וֹ דָ֝רַ֗ךְ וַֽיְכוֹנְנֶֽהָ

יָ֭שׁוּב  he  does  turn  back 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: שׁוּב  
Sense: to return, turn back.
חַרְבּ֣וֹ  His  sword 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct, third person masculine singular
Root: חֶרֶב  
Sense: sword, knife.
יִלְט֑וֹשׁ  He  will  sharpen 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: לָטַשׁ  
Sense: to sharpen, hammer, whet.
קַשְׁתּ֥וֹ  His  bow 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct, third person masculine singular
Root: קֶשֶׁת  
Sense: bow.
דָ֝רַ֗ךְ  He  bends 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: דָּרַךְ  
Sense: to tread, bend, lead, march.
וַֽיְכוֹנְנֶֽהָ  and  makes  it  ready 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Piel, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular, third person feminine singular
Root: כּוּן 
Sense: to be firm, be stable, be established.