Psalms 55:4 (LSB)

Passage

My heart is in anguish within me, And the terrors of death have fallen upon me.

Nearby Context

Psalms 55:2 Give heed to me and answer me; I am restless in my complaint and am surely distracted,

Psalms 55:3 Because of the voice of the enemy, Because of the pressure of the wicked; For they shake wickedness down upon me And in anger they bear a grudge against me.

Psalms 55:4 My heart is in anguish within me, And the terrors of death have fallen upon me.

Psalms 55:5 Fear and trembling come upon me, And horror has covered me.

Psalms 55:6 I said, “Oh, that I had wings like a dove! I would fly away and be at rest.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "heart", "anguish", "within", "terrors", "death", "fallen", and "upon". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "heart" and "anguish", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 3's "Because of the voice of the enemy..." into verse 5's "Fear and trembling come upon me And...", so "heart" and "anguish" 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 "heart" and "anguish" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.