Psalms 27:4 (DRB)

Passage

Give them according to their works, and according to the wickedness of their inventions. According to the works of their hands give thou to them: render to them their reward.

Nearby Context

Psalms 27:2 Hear, O Lord, the voice of my supplication, when I pray to thee; when I lift up my hands to thy holy temple.

Psalms 27:3 Draw me not away together with the wicked; and with the workers of iniquity destroy me not: Who speak peace with their neighbour, but evils are in their hearts.

Psalms 27:4 Give them according to their works, and according to the wickedness of their inventions. According to the works of their hands give thou to them: render to them their reward.

Psalms 27:5 Because they have not understood the works of the Lord, and the operations of his hands: thou shalt destroy them, and shalt not build them up.

Psalms 27:6 Blessed be the Lord, for he hath heard the voice of my supplication.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "give", "works", "wickedness", "inventions", "hands", and "thou". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "give" and "works", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 3's "Draw me not away together with the..." into verse 5's "Because they have not understood the works...", so "give" and "works" 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 "give" and "works" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.