Psalms 34:4 (DRB)

Passage

Let them be confounded and ashamed that seek after my soul. Let them be turned back and be confounded that devise evil against me.

Nearby Context

Psalms 34:2 Take hold of arms and shield: and rise up to help me.

Psalms 34:3 Bring out the sword, and shut up the way against them that persecute me: say to my soul: I am thy salvation.

Psalms 34:4 Let them be confounded and ashamed that seek after my soul. Let them be turned back and be confounded that devise evil against me.

Psalms 34:5 Let them become as dust before the wind: and let the angel of the Lord straiten them.

Psalms 34:6 Let their way become dark and slippery; and let the angel of the Lord pursue them.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "confounded", "ashamed", "seek", "after", "soul", "turned", and "back". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "confounded" and "ashamed", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 3's "Bring out the sword and shut up..." into verse 5's "Let them become as dust before the...", so "confounded" and "ashamed" 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 "confounded" and "ashamed" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.