Psalms 140 (YLT)

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Chapter Text

140:1 To the Overseer. --A Psalm of David. Deliver me, O Jehovah, from an evil man, From one of violence Thou keepest me.

140:2 Who have devised evils in the heart, All the day they assemble <FI>for<Fi> wars.

140:3 They sharpened their tongue as a serpent, Poison of an adder <FI>is<Fi> under their lips. Selah.

140:4 Preserve me, Jehovah, from the hands of the wicked, From one of violence Thou keepest me, Who have devised to overthrow my steps.

140:5 The proud hid a snare for me--and cords, They spread a net by the side of the path, Snares they have set for me. Selah.

140:6 I have said to Jehovah, `My God <FI>art<Fi> Thou, Hear, Jehovah, the voice of my supplications.'

140:7 O Jehovah, my Lord, strength of my salvation, Thou hast covered my head in the day of armour.

140:8 Grant not, O Jehovah, the desires of the wicked, His wicked device bring not forth, They are high. Selah.

140:9 The chief of my surrounders, The perverseness of their lips covereth them.

140:10 They cause to fall on themselves burning coals, Into fire He doth cast them, Into deep pits--they arise not.

140:11 A talkative man is not established in the earth, One of violence--evil hunteth to overflowing.

140:12 I have known that Jehovah doth execute The judgment of the afflicted, The judgment of the needy.

140:13 Only--the righteous give thanks to Thy name, The upright do dwell with Thy presence!

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "overseer", "psalm", "david", "deliver", "jehovah", "evil", "violence", and "thou". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "overseer" and "psalm", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The local YLT text gives this verse as the immediate unit, so "overseer" and "psalm" carries the first interpretive weight. 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 "overseer" and "psalm" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.