Psalms 27:12 (ASV)

Passage

Deliver me not over unto the will of mine adversaries: For false witnesses are risen up against me, And such as breathe out cruelty.

Nearby Context

Psalms 27:10 When my father and my mother forsake me, Then Jehovah will take me up.

Psalms 27:11 Teach me thy way, O Jehovah; And lead me in a plain path, Because of mine enemies.

Psalms 27:12 Deliver me not over unto the will of mine adversaries: For false witnesses are risen up against me, And such as breathe out cruelty.

Psalms 27:13 [I had fainted], unless I had believed to see the goodness of Jehovah In the land of the living.

Psalms 27:14 Wait for Jehovah: Be strong, and let thy heart take courage; Yea, wait thou for Jehovah. Psalm 28 [A Psalm] of David.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "deliver", "over", "mine", "adversaries", "false", "witnesses", "risen", and "against". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "deliver" and "over", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 11's "Teach me thy way O Jehovah And..." into verse 13's "I had fainted unless I had believed...", so "deliver" and "over" belong inside that flow. In Psalms context, the local focus is worship, trust, the LORD's kingship, and covenant mercy.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "deliver" and "over" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.