Psalms 64:7

My Notes

What Does Psalms 64:7 Mean?

"But God shall shoot at them with an arrow; suddenly shall they be wounded." The psalm contrasts the enemies' arrows (sharp tongues and bitter words, v. 3-4) with God's arrow. They shoot at the innocent secretly. God shoots at them suddenly. Their arrows are verbal and sneaky. God's arrow is judicial and instant. The symmetry is deliberate: those who ambush with words will be ambushed with divine judgment.

"Suddenly" is the keyword. The enemies plan carefully, choose their words precisely, and attack when the victim doesn't expect it. God's response mirrors their method: sudden, without warning, without time to prepare a defense. The ambushers are ambushed by God.

Reflection Questions

• 1.When has God's 'sudden' response to a long-running attack surprised both you and your enemies?
• 2.How does the symmetry (they shoot arrows, God shoots back) reflect divine justice?
• 3.What verbal attacks have been launched against you that you need to entrust to God's sudden arrow?
• 4.Why does God's timing (suddenly) matter as much as his action (the arrow)?

Devotional

They shot arrows in secret. God shoots back suddenly. The ambushers get ambushed. The snipers become targets. The people who carefully planned their verbal attacks discover that God has been planning a response — and his timing is sudden.

The psalm describes enemies who use words as weapons: sharp tongues, bitter speech, secret attacks on the innocent. They're not military combatants. They're talkers. Gossips. Slanderers. The kind of people who destroy from a distance, without getting their hands dirty, through carefully aimed verbal assaults.

And God's response matches their method but exceeds their power. They shoot arrows. God shoots an arrow. Theirs wound reputations. His wounds them. Theirs are delivered secretly over time. His arrives suddenly — without warning, without the gradual buildup they used.

The word "suddenly" is the justice. The slanderers had time. They planned their attacks. They chose their words carefully. They waited for the right moment to release the verbal arrow. God gives them no such luxury. His judgment arrives suddenly — in a moment they didn't see coming, at a time they weren't prepared for.

If you've been the target of verbal arrows — secret attacks, whispered slander, carefully crafted reputation destruction — this psalm says God sees the snipers. He knows where they're hiding. And his arrow is already notched. The slanderers who planned their attack over weeks will experience the consequences in a moment.

Suddenly.

Commentary

Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.

Cross References

Related passages throughout Scripture