Psalm 52:5 kjv
God shall likewise destroy thee for ever, he shall take thee away, and pluck thee out of thy dwelling place, and root thee out of the land of the living. Selah.
Psalm 52:5 nkjv
God shall likewise destroy you forever; He shall take you away, and pluck you out of your dwelling place, And uproot you from the land of the living. Selah
Psalm 52:5 niv
Surely God will bring you down to everlasting ruin: He will snatch you up and pluck you from your tent; he will uproot you from the land of the living.
Psalm 52:5 esv
But God will break you down forever; he will snatch and tear you from your tent; he will uproot you from the land of the living. Selah
Psalm 52:5 nlt
But God will strike you down once and for all.
He will pull you from your home
and uproot you from the land of the living. Interlude
Psalm 52 5 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Ps 7:15-16 | "He digs a pit… fall into the pit he has made. His trouble comes back…" | Wicked's schemes boomerang |
| Ps 9:15-16 | "The nations have sunk…caught in the net…" | God's justice for the wicked |
| Ps 37:9-10 | "For evildoers shall be cut off…wicked will be no more." | Righteous inherit, wicked perish |
| Ps 37:28 | "the LORD loves justice; he will not forsake his saints. They are preserved forever, but the offspring of the wicked shall be cut off." | Preservation of righteous, cutting off of wicked |
| Ps 37:34 | "Wait for the LORD…when the wicked are cut off, you will see it." | Seeing the wicked's downfall |
| Ps 55:23 | "But you, O God, will cast them down into the pit of destruction;" | Treacherous go to destruction pit |
| Ps 92:7 | "when the wicked spring up…they are doomed to be destroyed forever." | Wickedness leads to eternal ruin |
| Prov 1:26-27 | "I will laugh at your calamity…terror comes like a storm…" | God mocks those who reject wisdom |
| Prov 28:18 | "Whoever walks blamelessly will be saved, but one who is perverse in his ways will fall into a pit." | Consequence of perverse ways |
| Isa 11:1 | "There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse…" | Metaphor of "root" implying origin, hope for stump of Jesse contrasting no root/hope for wicked. |
| Jer 1:10 | "See, I have set you this day over nations…to pluck up and to break down, to destroy and to overthrow…" | Prophetic power to destroy/uproot |
| Jer 12:14 | "Concerning all my evil neighbors who touch the heritage…" | Divine promise to uproot them and return |
| Dan 7:26 | "But the court shall sit in judgment, and his dominion shall be taken away, to be consumed and destroyed forever." | Dominion of beast destroyed forever |
| Mal 4:1 | "the day is coming, burning like an oven…burn them up…" | Final destruction of wicked |
| Mt 3:10 | "Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire." | Barrenness leads to destruction |
| John 15:6 | "If anyone does not abide in me, he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and people gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned." | Unfruitful branches removed |
| Rom 1:18 | "For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men…" | God's wrath against sin |
| Rom 2:8-9 | "wrath and fury to those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth…." | Retribution for disobedience |
| 2 Thes 1:8-9 | "inflicting vengeance…on those who do not know God…suffering eternal destruction away from the presence of the Lord…" | Eternal destruction from Lord's presence |
| Heb 10:26-31 | "There remains no longer a sacrifice for sins…dreadful expectation of judgment…" | Fearsome judgment for deliberate sin |
| Rev 20:14-15 | "Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire." | Final, eternal destruction |
Psalm 52 verses
Psalm 52 5 Meaning
This verse declares the certain and complete judgment of God upon the one who trusts in wickedness, specifically foretelling Doeg’s utter destruction. God will demolish him entirely, removing his security and presence forever. This judgment is presented as absolute, violently removing him from his place of dwelling and cutting him off from life itself, signifying both physical death and complete exclusion from the community of God's people on Earth.
Psalm 52 5 Context
Psalm 52 is a Michtam of David, serving as a wisdom psalm that starkly contrasts the boastful, deceptive wicked person with the one who trusts in God's steadfast love. It directly addresses Doeg the Edomite, who betrayed the priests of Nob to King Saul (1 Sam 21-22), leading to their massacre. David laments Doeg's destructive deceit (v. 1-4) and then pronounces God's severe judgment upon him in verse 5, presenting it as an inevitable and comprehensive outcome of his wickedness. The psalm shifts from the wicked to the righteous in subsequent verses, emphasizing God's ultimate justice.
Psalm 52 5 Word analysis
- "God" (Heb. אֵל, El): This singular majestic term refers to the supreme, mighty God, emphasizing His sovereign power and absolute authority to execute such a severe judgment. It is not merely a human retaliation but a divine, righteous decree.
- "will likewise" (Heb. גַּם, gam): This adverb emphasizes reciprocity or poetic justice. It means "also" or "in the same way," indicating that God's action against the wicked will mirror, or be consistent with, the wicked person's destructive deeds (e.g., Doeg’s deceit leading to mass murder).
- "break you down" (Heb. יֶהֶרְסְךָ, yeherseteka): Derived from the root הָרַס (haras), meaning "to demolish, pull down, overthrow, destroy" (often used for tearing down buildings or walls). It signifies utter and complete ruin, implying the removal of any foundation or stability, making recovery impossible. This destruction is fundamental and total.
- "forever" (Heb. לָנֶצַח, lanetsakh): Denotes perpetuity, for eternity, never-ending. This judgment is irreversible and without appeal. It emphasizes the absolute finality of the wicked's destruction and exclusion from God’s favor or earthly existence as part of God's covenant community.
- "he will snatch you" (Heb. יַחְתְּךָ, yaḥateḵā): From חָתָה (hatah), meaning "to grasp, seize, take away." Implies a sudden, forceful, and decisive removal, leaving no opportunity for resistance or escape. It speaks of divine intervention with great speed and might.
- "and tear you" (Heb. וְיִסָּחֲךָ, v’yisaḥaka): From סָחַח (saḥaḥ), meaning "to drag out, pluck off, carry away." This word emphasizes violent dislodgment, suggesting being roughly pulled from a secure place. It intensifies the imagery of forceful removal and separation.
- "from your tent" (Heb. מֵאֹהֶל, me’ohel): A tent symbolizes a dwelling, home, place of security, family, and heritage. It can also represent nomadic livelihood or the temporal nature of human existence. To be torn from one's tent signifies being completely dispossessed of one's home, family, security, and material possessions—everything that provided a sense of belonging or stability.
- "he will uproot you" (Heb. וְיִשְׁרֶשְׁךָ, v’yishrekha): From שָׁרַשׁ (sharash), meaning "to pull up by the roots." This is a strong botanical metaphor. Just as a plant uprooted completely withers and cannot grow again, this implies absolute eradication. There is no possibility of re-establishing oneself, bearing fruit, or returning to life or prosperity. It is an image of finality and utter desolation.
- "from the land of the living" (Heb. מֵאֶרֶץ חַיִּים, me’erets ḥayyim): This phrase refers to the realm of mortal life and active participation in the community. It signifies death, being cut off from physical existence, and importantly, being removed from the fellowship and covenant promises associated with living in God's favored land and among His people. It points to a complete expulsion from meaningful existence, spiritually as well as physically.
Words-group Analysis:
- "God will likewise break you down forever": This phrase declares God's reciprocal and eternal judgment. "Likewise" points to a divine response commensurate with the wicked's destructive actions. "Break you down" suggests utter ruin, stripping away all support and stability, while "forever" emphasizes the absolute and irreversible nature of this demolition.
- "he will snatch you and tear you from your tent": This vivid imagery depicts a violent and sudden eviction. "Snatch" and "tear" imply a forceful removal, indicating no choice or gentle departure. "From your tent" symbolizes the loss of all security, possessions, and familial connection, highlighting total disinheritance.
- "he will uproot you from the land of the living": This final powerful statement is the ultimate consequence. "Uproot" is an irreversible act, symbolizing complete excision and prevention of any regrowth or return. "From the land of the living" signifies being cut off from life itself, leading to death and exclusion from the blessed community under God's favor, which ultimately speaks to eternal separation.
Psalm 52 5 Bonus section
The concept of being "uprooted from the land of the living" goes beyond mere physical death. In ancient Israel, continuance in the "land of the living" often signified blessings, fellowship with God, and participation in the covenant community. To be uprooted meant complete expulsion from all these spiritual and physical advantages. This carries echoes of Adam and Eve being cast out of the Garden of Eden (Gen 3:24), representing separation from a blessed dwelling place, and is a strong parallel to being blotted out of God's "Book of Life" (Ex 32:33; Rev 3:5), signifying a complete and irreversible deletion from any form of favored existence. This divine act demonstrates God's sovereignty over life, death, and all existence, asserting His absolute justice in dealing with wickedness that presumes upon its own power over God’s righteous order.
Psalm 52 5 Commentary
Psalm 52:5 serves as a profound declaration of God's just retribution against pervasive evil, specifically directed at Doeg the Edomite, a figure of treacherous destruction. The verse unveils a comprehensive divine judgment that is immediate, irreversible, and eternal. God's action ("break down," "snatch," "tear," "uproot") is precisely tailored to the wicked man’s self-destructive nature, applying the principle of poetic justice (Doeg’s destruction mirrors his own destructive deeds). The severity of the language emphasizes not just physical death, but total dispossession of security and the cessation of one's very existence within the community of God's people ("from the land of the living"). This ultimate removal signifies an enduring state of ruin and separation from all blessing. It serves as a stark warning to those who place their trust in malice and deceit rather than in the unchanging, steadfast love of God, highlighting that such paths lead to complete annihilation in both temporal and eternal senses.Examples: A boastful, deceitful person might enjoy temporary success, but their foundation is ultimately unstable and will be utterly dismantled by divine justice. A career built on lies will collapse completely; a family torn by internal strife due to manipulative behavior will scatter beyond repair.