Psalms 37:13 (DRB)

Passage

And they that sought my soul used violence. And they that sought evils to me spoke vain things, and studied deceits all the day long.

Nearby Context

Psalms 37:11 My heart is troubled, my strength hath left me, and the light of my eyes itself is not with me.

Psalms 37:12 My friends and my neighbours have drawn near, and stood against me. And they that were near me stood afar off:

Psalms 37:13 And they that sought my soul used violence. And they that sought evils to me spoke vain things, and studied deceits all the day long.

Psalms 37:14 But I, as a deaf man, heard not: and as a dumb man not opening his mouth.

Psalms 37:15 And I became as a man that heareth not: and that hath no reproofs in his mouth.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "sought", "soul", "used", "violence", "evils", "spoke", and "vain". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "sought" and "soul", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 12's "My friends and my neighbours have drawn..." into verse 14's "But I as a deaf man heard...", so "sought" and "soul" 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 "sought" and "soul" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.