Psalms 55:5 (WEB)

Passage

Fearfulness and trembling have come on me. Horror has overwhelmed me.

Nearby Context

Psalms 55:3 Because of the voice of the enemy, Because of the oppression of the wicked. For they bring suffering on me. In anger they hold a grudge against me.

Psalms 55:4 My heart is severely pained within me. The terrors of death have fallen on me.

Psalms 55:5 Fearfulness and trembling have come on me. Horror has overwhelmed me.

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

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

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "fearfulness", "trembling", "come", "horror", and "overwhelmed". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "fearfulness" and "trembling", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 4's "My heart is severely pained within me..." into verse 6's "I said Oh that I had wings...", so "fearfulness" 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 "fearfulness" and "trembling" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.