Psalms 55:11 (DBY)

Passage

Perversities are in the midst thereof; and oppression and deceit depart not from its streets.

Nearby Context

Psalms 55:9 Swallow [them] up, Lord; divide their tongue: for I have seen violence and strife in the city.

Psalms 55:10 Day and night they go about it upon the walls thereof; and iniquity and mischief are in the midst of it.

Psalms 55:11 Perversities are in the midst thereof; and oppression and deceit depart not from its streets.

Psalms 55:12 For it is not an enemy that hath reproached me then could I have borne it; neither is it he that hateth me that hath magnified [himself] against me then would I have hidden myself from him;

Psalms 55:13 But it was thou, a man mine equal, mine intimate, my familiar friend.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "perversities", "midst", "thereof", "oppression", "deceit", "depart", and "streets". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "perversities" and "midst", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 10's "Day and night they go about it..." into verse 12's "For it is not an enemy that...", so "perversities" and "midst" 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 "perversities" and "midst" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.