Psalms 11:2
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For behold, the wicked bend their bows. They set their arrow on the string to shoot from the shadows at the upright in heart.
Commentaries
Excerpts gathered from published commentaries to ground the reading.
In this psalm we have David's struggle with and triumph over a strong temptation to distrust God and betake himself to indirect means for his own safety in a time of danger. It is supposed to have been penned when he began to feel the resentments of Saul's envy, and had had the javelin thrown at him once and again. He was then advised to run his country. "No," says he, "I trust in God, and therefore will keep my ground." Observe, I. How he represents the temptation, and perhaps parleys with it, (Psa 11:1-3). II. How he answers it, and puts it to silence with the consideration of God's dominion and providence (Psa 11:4), his favour to the righteous, and the wrath which the wicked are reserved for (Psa 11:5-7). In times of public fear, when the insults of the church's enemies are daring and threatening, it will be profitable to meditate on this psalm. To the chief musician. A psalm of David.
Open source ↗11:2-3 In the inevitable battle between the evil and the godly, the wicked cannot tolerate the righteous, so they victimize them. This seems to leave the godly with nothing but questions. 11:2 The wicked live in the shadows and create gloom for the godly (82:5; 139:11; 143:3; Prov 4:19).
Open source ↗Original language
The Hebrew and Greek words behind this passage, with Strong's numbers — from openscriptures (CC BY-SA).
Cross-references
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For You will put them to flight when Your bow is trained upon them.
The wicked have drawn the sword and bent the bow to bring down the poor and needy, to slay those whose ways are upright.
“They bend their tongues like bows; lies prevail over truth in the land. For they proceed from evil to evil, and they do not take Me into account,” declares the LORD.
Although my spirit grows faint within me, You know my way. Along the path I travel they have hidden a snare for me.
“I will give her to David,” Saul thought, “so that she may be a snare to him, and the hand of the Philistines may be against him.” So Saul said to David, “For a second time now you can be my son-in-law.”
In pride the wicked pursue the needy; let them be caught in the schemes they devise.
When David learned that Saul was plotting evil against him, he said to Abiathar the priest, “Bring the ephod.”
and they conspired to arrest Jesus covertly and kill Him.
Let the righteous rejoice in the LORD and take refuge in Him; let all the upright in heart exult.
Do good, O LORD, to those who are good, and to the upright in heart.