Psalms 55:5 (GNV)

Passage

Feare and trembling are come vpon mee, and an horrible feare hath couered me.

Nearby Context

Psalms 55:3 For the voyce of the enemie, and for the vexation of ye wicked, because they haue brought iniquitie vpon me, and furiously hate me.

Psalms 55:4 Mine heart trembleth within mee, and the terrours of death are fallen vpon me.

Psalms 55:5 Feare and trembling are come vpon mee, and an horrible feare hath couered me.

Psalms 55:6 And I said, Oh that I had wings like a doue: then would I flie away and rest.

Psalms 55:7 Beholde, I woulde take my flight farre off, and lodge in the wildernes. Selah.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "feare", "trembling", "come", "vpon", "horrible", "hath", and "couered". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "feare" and "trembling", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 4's "Mine heart trembleth within mee and the..." into verse 6's "And I said Oh that I had...", so "feare" and "trembling" 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 "feare" and "trembling" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.