Psalms 55:9 (DBY)

Passage

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

Nearby Context

Psalms 55:7 Behold, I would flee afar off, I would lodge in the wilderness; Selah;

Psalms 55:8 I would hasten my escape from the stormy wind, from the tempest.

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.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "swallow", "lord", "divide", "tongue", "seen", "violence", "strife", and "city". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "swallow" and "lord", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 8's "I would hasten my escape from the..." into verse 10's "Day and night they go about it...", so "swallow" and "lord" 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 "swallow" and "lord" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.