Psalms 55:9 (LSB)

Passage

Confuse, O Lord, divide their tongues, For I have seen violence and strife in the city.

Nearby Context

Psalms 55:7 Behold, I would wander far away, I would lodge in the wilderness. Selah.

Psalms 55:8 I would hasten to my place of refuge From the stormy wind and tempest.”

Psalms 55:9 Confuse, O Lord, divide their tongues, For I have seen violence and strife in the city.

Psalms 55:10 Day and night they go around her upon her walls, And wickedness and mischief are in her midst.

Psalms 55:11 Destruction is in her midst; Oppression and deceit do not depart from her streets.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "confuse", "lord", "divide", "tongues", "seen", "violence", "strife", and "city". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "confuse" and "lord", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 8's "I would hasten to my place of..." into verse 10's "Day and night they go around her...", so "confuse" and "lord" 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 "confuse" and "lord" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.