Psalm 35 7

Psalm 35:7 kjv

For without cause have they hid for me their net in a pit, which without cause they have digged for my soul.

Psalm 35:7 nkjv

For without cause they have hidden their net for me in a pit, Which they have dug without cause for my life.

Psalm 35:7 niv

Since they hid their net for me without cause and without cause dug a pit for me,

Psalm 35:7 esv

For without cause they hid their net for me; without cause they dug a pit for my life.

Psalm 35:7 nlt

I did them no wrong, but they laid a trap for me.
I did them no wrong, but they dug a pit to catch me.

Psalm 35 verses

Psalm 35 7 Meaning

Psalm 35:7 expresses the psalmist's deep distress over the unprovoked malice of his adversaries. Despite David offering them no justifiable reason for hostility, his enemies meticulously plan his downfall, employing deceitful and hidden traps, akin to a hunter laying a net in a pit. Their intent is to destroy his very life, highlighting the malicious, deliberate, and entirely gratuitous nature of their actions.

Psalm 35 7 Context

Psalm 35 is a fervent prayer of David, classified as a psalm of lament and imprecation. David cries out to God, pleading for divine intervention against powerful and treacherous enemies who have unjustly attacked him. The psalmist requests God to "contend with those who contend with me" and to "fight against those who fight against me" (Psa 35:1). He describes his enemies as having repaid him evil for good, seeking his destruction while he was compassionate towards them (Psa 35:12-14). Verse 7, in particular, exposes the unprovoked and deceptive nature of their attacks. Historically, this psalm likely reflects David's experiences during periods of intense persecution, such as by King Saul (e.g., when Saul sought to capture and kill him despite David's loyalty) or later by rebellious figures like Absalom, where plots were often insidious and unmerited by David's actions. The imagery of pits and nets refers to common hunting and trapping methods of the ancient Near East, here applied to human adversaries plotting harm.

Psalm 35 7 Word analysis

• For: Hebrew kî (כִּי). A causal conjunction, indicating the reason or justification for David’s preceding pleas.

• without cause: Hebrew ḥinnām (חִנָּם). Signifies "gratuitously," "undeservedly," "for nothing," or "for no good reason." It emphasizes the utter lack of provocation from David's side, highlighting the pure maliciousness of the enemies' actions. This word is crucial to the verse's meaning of profound injustice.

• they have hidden: Hebrew ṭāman (טָמַן). To conceal, lay a snare, hide a trap. This verb suggests deliberate, premeditated, and secret plotting. It portrays the enemies as cunning and deceitful, setting up ambushes.

• for me: Hebrew lî (לִי). Emphasizes David as the direct and specific target of their machinations.

• their net: Hebrew rištām (רִשְׁתָּם), from réšeṭ (רֶשֶׁת). A fowler's net or hunting trap. This imagery denotes a device designed for capture, entanglement, and often death. It implies sophisticated planning and an intent to entrap David completely.

• in a pit: Hebrew šaḥat (שַׁחַת). Literally "a pit," but often referring to a pitfall, an abyss, or even a destructive grave. When combined with "net," it depicts a double trap: one that entangles and another that leads to destruction, implying a deadly and inescapable peril. This term is frequently associated with the underworld or places of ruin.

• without cause: Hebrew ḥinnām (חִנָּם). This is a powerful repetition of the same word, serving as a rhetorical intensifier. It doubles down on the idea that the enemies' actions and intentions were completely unfounded, unprovoked, and therefore deeply unjust and wicked.

• they have dug: Hebrew kārâh (כָּרָה). To dig, excavate, specifically to hollow out. This action indicates the labor-intensive and deliberate effort put into preparing the trap. It underscores the active and intentional nature of their harmful scheme.

• for my soul: Hebrew lĕnap̄šî (לְנַפְשִׁי). From nepeš (נֶפֶשׁ), which commonly means "soul," but also refers to one's "life," "person," "being," or "vitality." This phrase signifies that the enemies’ aim was not just to inflict harm but to destroy David’s very existence, to take his life.

• Words-group analysis:

  • "without cause... without cause": The powerful repetition of ḥinnām underscores the utter injustice of the enemies' actions. It stresses that David was not only innocent of any wrongdoing towards them, but their entire scheme was based on pure, unadulterated malevolence, providing the moral ground for David’s cry for divine justice. This resonates with the suffering of the righteous, most perfectly exemplified by Christ who was hated "without cause" (Jn 15:25, quoting Psa 69:4).
  • "hidden for me their net in a pit": This phrase paints a vivid picture of covert, sophisticated, and deadly treachery. It evokes a hunter's skill in laying a snare designed for absolute capture and destruction. The "net" signifies entanglement and capture, while the "pit" points to ultimate downfall and ruin, perhaps even death. The secrecy (hidden) amplifies the malicious intent, as the victim has no chance to defend against unseen peril.
  • "dug for my soul": This clause runs in parallel to the first part, intensifying the destructive intent. "Dug" reiterates the deliberate and active effort involved, not just a casual or accidental plot. "For my soul" confirms that the objective was to destroy David’s very life, not merely to inconvenience or lightly harm him. The plotting was aimed at his essence, his complete undoing.

Psalm 35 7 Bonus section

The Hebrew word ḥinnām (חִנָּם) for "without cause" or "gratuitously" also appears in contexts such as Satan's accusation against Job in Job 1:9, "Does Job fear God for nothing (ḥinnām)?", implying that Job's devotion was transactional, not genuine. The same word is used in Lam 3:52, "My enemies hunted me like a bird without cause (ḥinnām)," perfectly mirroring Psalm 35:7's theme of innocent suffering. Its repetition within verse 7 itself provides an extraordinary emphasis, portraying the malevolence as utterly devoid of rational or ethical foundation, a sheer act of wickedness for its own sake. The imagery used – net and pit – further demonstrates the adversaries' intent not just to inconvenience, but to utterly ensnare and destroy, leaving no avenue of escape for their target. This makes the prayer for divine reversal (as seen in subsequent verses of Psalm 35) a necessary and righteous response to such profound injustice.

Psalm 35 7 Commentary

Psalm 35:7 encapsulates the psalmist’s profound grievance against his enemies, asserting their unwarranted and calculated malevolence. The vivid imagery of hidden nets and dug pits—ancient trapping techniques—underscores the meticulous, deceitful, and deadly nature of their schemes. It highlights a pre-meditated assault aimed at David's very existence, not an impulsive act of aggression. The dual mention of "without cause" (ḥinnām) powerfully conveys the complete absence of justification for their hostility, emphasizing David's innocence and the deep moral corruption of his foes. This absence of provocation strengthens David’s plea for divine justice, as such gratuitous malice defies human understanding and cries out for God’s intervention. It illustrates how unprovoked evil seeks to entrap and destroy the innocent, setting the stage for the psalm’s imprecatory prayers where David calls for these traps to ensnare those who set them. It speaks to a fundamental principle of biblical justice: actions born of unjust hatred will ultimately boomerang upon the perpetrator.

• Practical usage:
  • Recognizing covert attacks: This verse helps believers discern and respond to subtle, unprovoked attacks or gossip aimed at discrediting them, acknowledging the insidious nature of malice.
  • Praying for justice: It offers language to articulate distress when unjustly targeted, providing a template for praying for God’s righteous judgment and deliverance.
  • Empathizing with the suffering: It fosters empathy for those who experience groundless persecution, drawing parallels to Christ’s own suffering "without cause."