Psalms 34:12 (DRB)

Passage

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

Nearby Context

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.

Psalms 34:14 As a neighbour and as an own brother, so did I please: as one mourning and sorrowful so was I humbled.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "for good", "repaid", "evil", "depriving", and "soul". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "for good" and "repaid", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 11's "Unjust witnesses rising up have asked me..." into verse 13's "But as for me when they were...", so "for good" and "repaid" 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 "for good" and "repaid" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.