Psalms 139:3 (DRB)

Passage

Who have devised iniquities in their hearts: all the day long they designed battles.

Nearby Context

Psalms 139:1 Unto the end, a psalm of David.

Psalms 139:2 Deliver me, O Lord, from the evil man: rescue me from the unjust man.

Psalms 139:3 Who have devised iniquities in their hearts: all the day long they designed battles.

Psalms 139:4 They have sharpened their tongues like a serpent: the venom of asps is under their lips.

Psalms 139:5 Keep me, O Lord, from the hand of the wicked: and from unjust men deliver me. Who have proposed to supplant my steps:

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "iniquities", "devised", "hearts", "long", "designed", and "battles". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "iniquities" and "devised", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 2's "Deliver me O Lord from the evil..." into verse 4's "They have sharpened their tongues like a...", so "iniquities" and "devised" 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 "iniquities" and "devised" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.