Psalms 139:10 (DRB)

Passage

The head of them compassing me about: the labour of their lips shall overwhelm them.

Nearby Context

Psalms 139:8 O Lord, Lord, the strength of my salvation: thou hast overshadowed my head in the day of battle.

Psalms 139:9 Give me not up, O Lord, from my desire to the wicked: they have plotted against me; do not thou forsake me, lest they should triumph.

Psalms 139:10 The head of them compassing me about: the labour of their lips shall overwhelm them.

Psalms 139:11 Burning coals shall fall upon them; thou wilt cast them down into the fire: in miseries they shall not be able to stand.

Psalms 139:12 A man full of tongue shall not be established in the earth: evil shall catch the unjust man unto destruction.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "head", "compassing", "labour", "lips", "shall", and "overwhelm". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "head" and "compassing", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 9's "Give me not up O Lord from..." into verse 11's "Burning coals shall fall upon them thou...", so "head" and "compassing" 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 "head" and "compassing" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.