Psalms 140:10
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May burning coals fall on them; may they be thrown into the fire, into the miry pits, never to rise again.
Commentaries
Excerpts gathered from published commentaries to ground the reading.
This and the four following psalms are much of a piece, and the scope of them the same with many that we met with in the beginning and middle of the book of Psalms, though with but few of late. They were penned by David (as it should seem) when he was persecuted by Saul; one of them is said to be his "prayer when he was in the cave," and it is probable that all the rest were penned about the same time. In this psalm, I. David complains of the malice of his enemies, and prays to God to preserve him from them (Psa 140:1-5). II. He encourages himself in God as his God (Psa 140:6, Psa 140:7). III. He prays for, and prophesies, the destruction of his persecutors (Psa 140:8-11). IV. He assures all God's afflicted people that their troubles would in due time end well (Psa 140:12, Psa 140:13), with which assurance we must comfort ourselves, and one another, in singing this psalm. To the chief musician. A psalm of David.
Open source ↗140:10 The psalmist wants fire to descend on his enemies, and he wants them thrown into pits so they can never attack again. The language foreshadows the New Testament teaching on hell (Matt 5:22, 29-30; 10:28; 18:9; Mark 9:43-47; Luke 12:5; Jas 3:6; 2 Pet 2:4).
Open source ↗Original language
The Hebrew and Greek words behind this passage, with Strong's numbers — from openscriptures (CC BY-SA).
Cross-references
Other passages the community most often connects to this one. Tap to read.
On the wicked He will rain down fiery coals and sulfur; a scorching wind will be their portion.
You will place them in a fiery furnace at the time of Your appearing. In His wrath the LORD will engulf them, and the fire will consume them.
But to the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and sexually immoral and sorcerers and idolaters and all liars, their place will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur. This is the second death.”
And if anyone was found whose name was not written in the Book of Life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.
And they will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
and throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
A man burdened by bloodguilt will flee into the Pit; let no one support him.
Then the LORD rained down sulfur and fire on Sodom and Gomorrah—from the LORD out of the heavens.
But You, O God, will bring them down to the Pit of destruction; men of bloodshed and deceit will not live out half their days. But I will trust in You.
He who leads the upright along the path of evil will fall into his own pit, but the blameless will inherit what is good.