“Keep me, O LORD, from the hands of the wicked; preserve me from the violent man; who have purposed to overthrow my goings.”
My Notes
What Does Psalms 140:4 Mean?
"Keep me, O LORD, from the hands of the wicked; preserve me from the violent man; who have purposed to overthrow my goings." David's prayer for PROTECTION — with two specific threats: the HANDS of the wicked (their capacity to ACT on their evil) and the VIOLENT MAN (the person defined by CHAMAS — aggression, brutality). The enemies have PURPOSED (planned, intended, decided) to OVERTHROW David's goings — to derail his steps, to disrupt his path, to trip up his walk.
The phrase "keep me from the hands of the wicked" (shamreni YHWH miyyedei rasha — guard me, LORD, from the hands of the wicked) targets the HANDS: not the hearts (their inner evil) or the mouths (their slanderous words) but the HANDS — their capacity to DO harm. The prayer is for protection from what the wicked can EXECUTE. The hands are the action-organ. The keeping is from the doing.
The phrase "who have purposed to overthrow my goings" (asher chashevu lidchot pha'amai — who have planned/devised to push/thrust my steps) reveals PREMEDITATION: the enemies have PLANNED (chashav — calculated, devised, thought through) the overthrow. The tripping isn't accidental. It's ENGINEERED. The disruption of David's path is a SCHEME — thought out, planned, deliberately calculated. The attack on his steps is premeditated.
The 'GOINGS' (pha'amai — my steps, my walkings) makes the target David's MOVEMENT — his ability to walk, to progress, to move forward. The enemies don't just want to hurt David. They want to STOP him — to overthrow his forward movement, to trip up his progress, to make his walking impossible. The attack targets the TRAJECTORY.
Reflection Questions
- 1.What premeditated disruption of your forward movement do you need protection from?
- 2.What does praying about the wicked's HANDS (not their hearts) teach about focusing on the action-capacity?
- 3.How does the enemies having PURPOSED (planned, calculated) the overthrow describe premeditated opposition?
- 4.What STEPS — what forward movement — are under threat from someone who's planned your stumbling?
Devotional
KEEP me from their HANDS. PRESERVE me from the violent. They've PLANNED to overthrow my STEPS. The prayer is specific: protect me from what the wicked can DO (their hands), from who the violent IS (his nature), and from what they've PLANNED (the premeditated disruption of my path).
The HANDS target the action-capacity: the prayer isn't about what the wicked THINK (that's their problem). It's about what they can DO — the hands that execute the evil plan, the physical capacity that turns intention into impact. The keeping is from the DOING, not just the thinking.
The PURPOSED (planned, calculated, devised) makes the attack PREMEDITATED: the enemies aren't reacting. They're PLANNING. The disruption of David's steps has been THOUGHT THROUGH — strategy sessions, calculations, schemes. The overthrow is engineered, not impulsive. The tripping is designed, not accidental.
The GOINGS (steps, movement, trajectory) as the target makes the attack about PROGRESS: the enemies want to stop David's FORWARD MOVEMENT. Not just hurt him but HALT him. Not just wound him but overthrow his DIRECTION. The attack targets the TRAJECTORY — the path David is walking, the progress David is making, the direction David is heading.
What planned disruption of your STEPS — what premeditated overthrow of your forward movement — do you need God to protect you from?
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
Keep me, O Lord, from the hands of the wicked,.... From falling into their hands, and the weight of them); and from…
Keep me, O Lord, from the hands of the wicked ... - See the notes at Psa 71:4. This is a repetition of the prayer in Psa…
In this, as in other things, David was a type of Christ, that he suffered before he reigned, was humbled before he was…
Cross References
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