Psalms 11 (DBY)

Chapter Text

11:1 {To the chief Musician. [A Psalm] of David.} In Jehovah have I put my trust: how say ye to my soul, Flee [as] a bird to your mountain?

11:2 For behold, the wicked bend the bow, they make ready their arrow upon the string, that they may in darkness shoot at the upright in heart.

11:3 If the foundations be destroyed, what shall the righteous do?

11:4 Jehovah [is] in the temple of his holiness; Jehovah, his throne is in the heavens: his eyes behold, his eyelids try the children of men.

11:5 Jehovah trieth the righteous one; but the wicked, and him that loveth violence, his soul hateth.

11:6 Upon the wicked he shall rain snares, fire and brimstone; and scorching wind shall be the portion of their cup.

11:7 For righteous is Jehovah; he loveth righteousness, his countenance doth behold the upright.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "darkness", "chief", "musician", "psalm", "david", "jehovah", "trust", and "soul". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "darkness" and "chief", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The local DBY text gives this verse as the immediate unit, so "darkness" and "chief" carries the first interpretive weight. In The LORD as Shepherd, the local focus is trust, covenant mercy, guidance, and worship.

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