Psalms 34:11 (DRB)

Passage

Unjust witnesses rising up have asked me things I knew not.

Nearby Context

Psalms 34:9 But my soul shall rejoice in the Lord; and shall be delighted in his salvation.

Psalms 34:10 All my bones shall say: Lord, who is like to thee? Who deliverest the poor from the hand of them that are stronger than he; the needy and the poor from them that strip him.

Psalms 34:11 Unjust witnesses rising up have asked me things I knew not.

Psalms 34:12 They repaid me evil for good: to the depriving me of my soul.

Psalms 34:13 But as for me, when they were troublesome to me, I was clothed with haircloth. I humbled my soul with fasting; and my prayer shall be turned into my bosom.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "unjust", "witnesses", "rising", "asked", "things", and "knew". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "unjust" and "witnesses", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 10's "All my bones shall say Lord who..." into verse 12's "They repaid me evil for good to...", so "unjust" and "witnesses" 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 "unjust" and "witnesses" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.