Psalms 37:14 (YLT)

Passage

A sword have the wicked opened, And they have trodden their bow, To cause to fall the poor and needy, To slaughter the upright of the way.

Nearby Context

Psalms 37:12 The wicked is devising against the righteous, And gnashing against him his teeth.

Psalms 37:13 The Lord doth laugh at him, For He hath seen that his day cometh.

Psalms 37:14 A sword have the wicked opened, And they have trodden their bow, To cause to fall the poor and needy, To slaughter the upright of the way.

Psalms 37:15 Their sword doth enter into their own heart, And their bows are shivered.

Psalms 37:16 Better <FI>is<Fi> the little of the righteous, Than the store of many wicked.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "sword", "wicked", "opened", "trodden", "cause", "fall", "poor", and "needy". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "sword" and "wicked", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 13's "The Lord doth laugh at him For..." into verse 15's "Their sword doth enter into their own...", so "sword" and "wicked" 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 "sword" and "wicked" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.