Psalms 55:9 (WEB)

Passage

Confuse them, Lord, and confound their language, for I have seen violence and strife in the city.

Nearby Context

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

Psalms 55:8 “I would hurry to a shelter from the stormy wind and storm.”

Psalms 55:9 Confuse them, Lord, and confound their language, for I have seen violence and strife in the city.

Psalms 55:10 Day and night they prowl around on its walls. Malice and abuse are also within her.

Psalms 55:11 Destructive forces are within her. Threats and lies don’t depart from her streets.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "confuse", "lord", "confound", "language", "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 hurry to a shelter from..." into verse 10's "Day and night they prowl around on...", 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.