Psalms 11 (KJV)

Chapter Text

11:1 In the LORD put I my trust: how say ye to my soul, Flee as a bird to your mountain?

11:2 For, lo, the wicked bend their bow, they make ready their arrow upon the string, that they may privily shoot at the upright in heart.

11:3 If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do?

11:4 The LORD is in his holy temple, the LORD’s throne is in heaven: his eyes behold, his eyelids try, the children of men.

11:5 The LORD trieth the righteous: but the wicked and him that loveth violence his soul hateth.

11:6 Upon the wicked he shall rain snares, fire and brimstone, and an horrible tempest: this shall be the portion of their cup.

11:7 For the righteous LORD loveth righteousness; his countenance doth behold the upright.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "lord", "trust", "soul", "flee", "bird", "mountain", "wicked", and "bend". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "lord" and "trust", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The local KJV text gives this verse as the immediate unit, so "lord" and "trust" carries the first interpretive weight. In The LORD as Shepherd, the local focus is trust, covenant mercy, guidance, and worship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "lord" and "trust" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.