Psalms 55:12 (KJV)

Passage

For it was not an enemy that reproached me; then I could have borne it: neither was it he that hated me that did magnify himself against me; then I would have hid myself from him:

Nearby Context

Psalms 55:10 Day and night they go about it upon the walls thereof: mischief also and sorrow are in the midst of it.

Psalms 55:11 Wickedness is in the midst thereof: deceit and guile depart not from her streets.

Psalms 55:12 For it was not an enemy that reproached me; then I could have borne it: neither was it he that hated me that did magnify himself against me; then I would have hid myself from him:

Psalms 55:13 But it was thou, a man mine equal, my guide, and mine acquaintance.

Psalms 55:14 We took sweet counsel together, and walked unto the house of God in company.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "enemy", "reproached", "borne", "neither", "hated", "magnify", "himself", and "against". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "enemy" and "reproached", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 11's "Wickedness is in the midst thereof deceit..." into verse 13's "But it was thou a man mine...", so "enemy" and "reproached" 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 "enemy" and "reproached" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.