Psalms 34:6 (DRB)

Passage

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

Nearby Context

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.

Psalms 34:7 For without cause they have hidden their net for me unto destruction: without cause they have upbraided my soul.

Psalms 34:8 Let the snare which he knoweth not come upon him: and let the net which he hath hidden catch him: and into that very snare let them fall.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "become", "dark", "slippery", "angel", "lord", and "pursue". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "become" and "dark", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 5's "Let them become as dust before the..." into verse 7's "For without cause they have hidden their...", so "become" and "dark" 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 "become" and "dark" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.