Psalms 140:9 — Word Study
WLCרֹ֥אשׁ מְסִבָּ֑י עֲמַ֖ל שְׂפָתֵ֣ימוֹ יְכַסֵּֽמוֹ׃
BSAnotʼal to givenâthan The LordYᵉhôvâh desiremaʼăvay△ wickedrâshâʻ planzâmâm△ notʼal to promotepûwq to exaltrûwm Selahçelâh
| Greek | English | Parsing |
|---|---|---|
| רֹ֥אשׁ | [the] head of | Noun common, masculine singular construct |
| מְסִבָּ֑י | surroundings my | Noun common masculine plural construct, suffix |
| עֲמַ֖ל | [the] mischief of | Noun common, both singular construct |
| שְׂפָתֵ֣ימוֹ | lips their | Noun common feminine dual construct, suffix |
| יְכַסֵּֽמוֹ׃ | may it cover them | Verb piel imperfect third person masculine singular, suffix |
Every word in the verse. Click a row to open it in the panel on the left.
| BSB | May the heads of those who surround me be covered in the trouble their lips have caused. |
| KJV | As for the head of those that compass me about, let the mischief of their own lips cover them. |
| ASV | As for the head of those that compass me about, Let the mischief of their own lips cover them. |
| YLT | The chief of my surrounders, The perverseness of their lips covereth them. |
| WEB | As for the head of those who surround me, let the mischief of their own lips cover them. |
| BBE | As for those who come round me, let their heads be covered by the evil of their lips. |
The translations agree on the essential meaning of יְכַסֵּֽמוֹ — see How Translations Differ.
The main clause presents a direct plea, with a noun phrase as the subject and another noun phrase describing the consequences of the leaders' actions.
8 commentators on this verse
Gill, Jamieson, Poole, Trapp & more — read them ›
clause
The sentence as the grammar sees it Open the tree ›
Every word here is used elsewhere in the Old Testament.
Bars are logarithmic — אֵת, the commonest word in the Hebrew Bible, stands about 11,000 times, so a linear scale would leave everything else invisible. Click a row to open that word.
Deep Study — Psalms 140:9
Sections marked generated are written from the data on this page rather than by a named author. Everything else — the lexicon entries, the cross references, the manuscript readings, the counts — is quoted from its source unchanged.
Context — A Plea for Justicegenerated
Psalms 140:9 reflects the psalmist's deep concern for the threats posed by wicked leaders. He calls upon God to intervene and cover these leaders with the consequences of their own harmful words. This verse is part of a larger context where the psalmist seeks protection from those who plot evil, as seen in the preceding and following verses, which express a desire for justice and divine retribution against the wicked.
Cross References
| Reference | Text (BSB) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Psalm 7:16 | His trouble recoils on himself, and his violence falls on his own head. |
| 2 | Psalm 64:8 | They will be made to stumble, their own tongues turned against them. All who see will shake their heads. |
| 3 | Psalm 94:23 | He will bring upon them their own iniquity and destroy them for their wickedness. The LORD our God will destroy them. |
| 4 | Esther 5:14 | His wife Zeresh and all his friends told him, “Have them build a gallows fifty cubits high, and ask the king in the morning to have Mordecai hanged on it. Then go to the banquet with the king and enjoy yourself.” The advice pleased Haman, and he had the gallows constructed. |
| 5 | Esther 7:10 | So they hanged Haman on the gallows he had prepared for Mordecai. Then the fury of the king subsided. |
The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge — 9 references, hung on the phrase they belong to
The Key Word — יְכַסֵּֽמוֹ, ye.kha.su.movgenerated
The verb כָּסָה (kacah) means 'to cover' and conveys the idea of concealing or overwhelming. In this verse, it is in the piel stem, indicating an intensive action, suggesting that the psalmist desires that the trouble caused by the wicked be fully enveloped over them.
This form of the verb implies a strong desire for their actions to have consequences, emphasizing the psalmist's plea for justice. The third person masculine singular form indicates that the subject of this action is the heads of those surrounding him, highlighting the focus on their accountability.
How Translations Differ — measured against the Berean Standard Biblegenerated
In this study, the verse is read in the Berean Standard Bible, which uses the phrase be covered to convey the psalmist's desire for the leaders' misdeeds to have repercussions.
Sentence Structuregenerated
The main verb יְכַסֵּֽמוֹ (may it cover them) governs the structure of this verse, with a noun phrase as the subject: רֹ֥אשׁ מְסִבָּ֑י (the heads of those who surround me). The sentence is straightforward, expressing a direct plea.
The Hebrew word order places emphasis on the subject, the leaders, indicating that they are the focus of the psalmist's request for divine action.
Septuagint Backgroundgenerated
In the Septuagint, the word for 'cover' is rendered as μὴ (mē), which shows a different construction and may imply a negation or an absence of covering, suggesting a different interpretative angle.
This choice highlights a potential interpretive shift, as the Greek does not directly convey the same plea for overwhelming consequences as the Hebrew.
In plain words — the whole versegenerated
Psalms 140:9 expresses a prayer asking God to bring the consequences of trouble upon the leaders who surround the psalmist. It highlights the impact of their harmful words and seeks divine justice against those who plot evil.
Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated
The psalmist is asking for the leaders who surround him to face the consequences of their own harmful speech.
The words of the leaders can cause significant harm, leading to trouble and mischief, prompting the psalmist's plea for justice.
This verse reflects the recurring theme in the psalms of seeking divine intervention against wickedness and the desire for justice to prevail.
The verse emphasizes that words can have serious consequences, and it serves as a reminder of the responsibility that comes with speech.
Reflection Questionsgenerated
- How do I respond to harmful words spoken against me or others?
- In what ways can I seek justice in situations where I feel wronged?
- What does this verse teach me about the impact of my own words?
- How can I support others who are facing trouble caused by the words of others?
The early church on this verse — how the Fathers read it
The early church fathers, such as Augustine of Hippo, referenced this verse to discuss the consequences of wicked speech and the nature of divine justice.
"The head of their going about, the toil of their own lips shall cover them" [Psalms 140:9].Early Church Fathers on Psalms 140 →
Commentators on this verse — 8 expositors, verse by verse
Each of these wrote on Psalms 140:9 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.
John Gill1697–1771Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible[As for] the head of those that compass me about, let the, mischief of their own lips cover them.
Read John Gill on Psalms 140 →Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's CommentaryAs for the head of those that compass me about, let the mischief of their own lips cover them. As for the head of those that compass me about (namely, to destroy me), let the mischief of their own lips cover them.
Read Robert Jamieson on Psalms 140 →Matthew Poole1624–1679Matthew Poole's Commentary on the Holy BibleThe head; or, heads; the singular number put for the plural, as is frequent. By which he understands either, 1. Their politic heads, their chiefs or ringleaders, who were most malicious, and by whom all the rest were supported and stirred up: or, 2. Their proper and natural heads, as this word is used ; and this covering of their heads here is opposed to the covering of David’ s head there. Let the mischief of their own lips cover them; let the mischief which by their calumnies they design against me fall upon themselves.
Read Matthew Poole on Psalms 140 →John Trapp1601–1669Trapp's Complete Commentary on the Old and New TestamentsPsalms 140:9 [As for] the head of those that compass me about, let the mischief of their own lips cover them.Ver. 9. As for the head] The chieftain, the ringleader, Doeg, or Saul himself. Or thus, let mischief cover the heads of my besiegers, let it fall upon their pates, as Psalms 7:16 Similitudo est a sacrificiis, quorum capita execrabantur.
Read John Trapp on Psalms 140 →Charles John Ellicott1819–1905Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers(9) Head.—Ewald, who keeps to the text, takes rôsh in the sense of poison (see Psalms 69:22, Note):— “The poison of those encircling me, Let them be covered with the perdition of their lips. This brings Psalms 140:8-9 into harmony with Psalms 140:4. But the emendation given above is better.
Read Charles John Ellicott on Psalms 140 →CambridgeThe Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges9–11. May retribution overtake my enemies!
Read Cambridge on Psalms 140 →Albert Barnes1798–1870Barnes' Notes on the BibleAs for the head of those that compass me about - Luther renders this, “The calamity which my enemies design against me must fall upon their own heads.” The passage stands in contrast with Psalms
Read Albert Barnes on Psalms 140 →Daniel Denison Whedon1808–1885Whedon's Commentary on the Bible9. As for the head—Not figuratively the chiefs or leaders, but literally, as Psalms 7:16.
Read Daniel Denison Whedon on Psalms 140 →The verse in English, compared — 17 translations, and where they part company
Every translation on this page is a decision someone had to make and commit to. Read down a column and you see one translator's judgement; read across a row and you see the range the Greek actually allows. The BSB is the wording the rest of this page is measured against, so it is listed first.
Modern formal
May the heads of those who surround me be covered in the trouble their lips have caused.
As for the head of those who surround me, let the mischief of their own lips cover them.
May the heads of those who surround me be covered in the trouble their lips have caused.
As for the heads of those who surround me – may the harm done by their lips overwhelm them!
Tyndale line
As for the head of those that compass me about, let the mischief of their own lips cover them.
As for the head of those that compass me about, Let the mischief of their own lips cover them.
As for the head of those that compass me about, let the mischief of their own lips cover them.
As for the head of those that encompass me, let the mischief of their own lips cover them.
As for the chiefe of them, that compasse me about, let the mischiefe of their owne lippes come vpon them.
Strictly literal
[As for] the head of those that encompass me, let the mischief of their own lips cover them.
The chief of my surrounders, The perverseness of their lips covereth them.
The chief of my surrounders, || The perverseness of their lips covers them.
(140:10) [As for] the heads of those that encompass me about, let the mischief of their own lips cover them.
Those who surround me raise their heads; let the mischief of their own lips cover them.
From the Latin
Keep me from the snare, which they have laid for me, and from the stumblingblocks of them that work iniquity.
Simplified
May the harm spoken against me by those who surround me fall back on them,
As for those who come round me, let their heads be covered by the evil of their lips.
Counted from the translations carried on this site, not from a survey of every English Bible. A rendering shared by many versions is usually inherited rather than independently arrived at — the Tyndale line in particular runs through most of them.
The sentence as the grammar sees it — from the MACULA Hebrew treebank
This is not our own analysis: it is the scholarly syntax tree for the verse, showing how the clause actually holds together.
Boxes are the grammarian's groupings — clause, noun phrase, prepositional phrase.
The four witnesses to this verse — Masoretic, Septuagint, Samaritan, Qumran
The Masoretic Text and the Septuagint largely agree in their wording, with four out of five words matched. The Septuagint's word order, however, differs from the Hebrew text, which may affect the interpretation.
רֹ֥אשׁ מְסִבָּ֑י עֲמַ֖ל שְׂפָתֵ֣ימוֹ יְכַסֵּֽמוֹ׃
4 of the 5 words are matched. This is the word-by-word correspondence, not the Septuagint's own sentence — its word order and its articles are its own.
Four traditions, not one. “On the leather” means the letters physically survive on the scroll, as against letters an editor has supplied to fill a hole in it — a restoration is a scholar’s reading, not a reading of the manuscript. Words in [square brackets] are supplied; the notes count them apart from what survives.
The map of this verse — what each word keeps company with
This is a map of two things, both counted rather than judged. Company kept: which words stand within three words of each of these, anywhere in the Hebrew Bible — the thicker the line, the more often the pair meet compared with chance. Built from: the words a word is made out of, taken from its own Strong’s entry. It is not a map of meaning: nothing here claims two words mean the same thing. Click any circle to see the numbers behind it.
Lexicons — every word in Psalms 140:9
One dossier per word, with every reference work grouped by kind — Hebrew lexicons, morphology, Bible dictionaries, topical chains and the English of the translators themselves. The verse sits at the head of each block with the word under study lit, so you never lose your place. The panel above gives the short answer; this is the long one, and it is the part of the page worth indexing.
Every entry below is the lexicographer's own text. On the Hebrew: Brown-Driver-Briggs entire and its gloss set, Strong's Hebrew Dictionary, and Tyndale House's Translators Brief lexicon. Where a cell says a work has no entry, that work genuinely has none for this word.
רֹאשׁ (ro'sh) means 'head' and encompasses various meanings related to position and rank. It can refer to the head of a person or animal, the top of a mountain, or a chief in various contexts, such as a city or nation. The word also signifies beginnings and sums, appearing in phrases related to enumeration. Additionally, it serves as a proper noun for 'Rosh,' a title for a chief or prince.
רֹאשׁ 599 n.m.
(c. 230 t.) head, of human being
head, of animals
top (88 t.)
height, of stars
head = chief (man)
= chief (city)
chief nation
= chief (place, position)
= chief priest
= head of a family
head = front, leader's place
of time, beginning, of night watch
of things, river-heads
chief, choicest, best, of spices
head = division of army, company, band
= sum, esp. in phr. take sum of, enumerate
other phr.
base
רֹאשׁ n.pr.gent. Rôsh
base
H7218a רֹאשׁ . . (c. 230 t.) head, of human being
. head, of animals
. . top (88 t.)
. height, of stars
. . head = chief (man)
. = chief (city)
. chief nation
. = chief (place, position)
. = chief priest
. = head of a family
. . head = front, leader's place
. of time, beginning, of night watch
. of things, river-heads
. chief, choicest, best, of spices
. head = division of army, company, band
. = sum, esp. in phr. take sum of, enumerate
. other phr.
H7218b רֹאשׁ n. pr. gent. Rôsh
7218 ro'sh roshe
from an unused root apparently meaning to shake; the head (as
most easily shaken), whether literal or figurative (in many
applications, of place, time, rank, itc.):--band, beginning,
captain, chapiter, chief(-est place, man, things), company,
end, X every (man), excellent, first, forefront, ((be-))head,
height, (on) high(-est part, (priest)), X lead, X poor,
principal, ruler, sum, top.
רֹאשׁ (rosh) — head.
: head
1) head, top, summit, upper part, chief, total, sum, height, front, beginning
1a) head (of man, animals)
1b) top, tip (of mountain)
1c) height (of stars)
1d) chief, head (of man, city, nation, place, family, priest)
1e) head, front, beginning
1f) chief, choicest, best
1g) head, division, company, band
1h) sum
רֹאשׁ (rosh) — prince.
Rosh, a tite for a chief or prince
רֹאשׁ (rosh) — head: leader.
: leader
1) head, top, summit, upper part, chief, total, sum, height, front, beginning
1a) head (of man, animals)
1b) top, tip (of mountain)
1c) height (of stars)
1d) chief, head (of man, city, nation, place, family, priest)
1e) head, front, beginning
1f) chief, choicest, best
1g) head, division, company, band
1h) sum
רֹאשׁ (rosh) — head: top.
: top/best
1) head, top, summit, upper part, chief, total, sum, height, front, beginning
1a) head (of man, animals)
HNcmsc — Noun common · masculine singular constructHNcmsc
ov:
(1) In Anglo-Saxon, had the meaning "from," "away from" (as the strengthened form "off" has still), and was not used for genitive or possessive relations, these being expressed by special case-forms. In the Norman period, however, "of" was taken to represent the French de (a use well developed by the time of Chaucer), and in the Elizabethan period both senses of "of" were in common use. But after about 1600 the later force of the word became predominant, and in the earlier sense (which is now practically obsolete) it was replaced by other prepositions. In consequence the King James Version (and in some cases the Revised Version (British and American)) contains many uses of "of" that are no longer familiar--most of them, to be sure, causing no difficulty, but there still being a few responsible for real obscurities.
OF, preposition ov. [Gr.]
1. From or out of; proceeding from, as the cause, source, means, author or agent bestowing.
I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered to you. 1 Corinthians 11:1.
For it was of the Lord to harden their hearts. Joshua 11:1.
It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed.
Lamentations 3:1.
The whole disposing thereof is of the Lord. Proverbs 16:1.
Go, inquire of the Lord for me. 2 Chronicles 34:2.
That holy thing that shall be born of thee. Luke 1:1.
Hence of is the sign of the genitive case, the case that denotes production; as the son of man, the son proceeding from man, produced from man. This is the primary sense, although we now say, produced by man. 'Part of these were slain; ' that is, a number separate, for part denotes a division; the sense then is, a number from or out of the whole were slain. So also, 'some of these were slain; ' that is…
מֵסַב (mecab) refers to something that surrounds or is round, such as a divan or a round table. It can denote surroundings or places that encircle an area. The word is derived from the root meaning to encompass, and it appears in various contexts related to being around or about something.
מֵסַב n.[m.] that which surrounds, or is round
base
H4524 מֵסַב, מְסִבִּיב, מְסִבּוֹת
4524 mecab may-sab'
plural masculine mcibbiym {mes-ib-beem'}; or feminine
mcibbowth {mes-ib-bohth'}; from 5437; a divan (as enclosing
the room); abstractly (adverbial) around:--that compass
about, (place) round about, at table.
see HEBREW for 05437
מֵסַב (me.sav) — surrounds.
1) round thing, surroundings, round about, that which surrounds, that which is round
1a) environs
1a1) surrounding places
1a2) round about (adv)
1b) round table
HNcmpc/Sp1bs — Noun common masculine plural construct · suffixHNcmpc/Sp1bs
עָמָל (amal) refers to trouble, labor, or toil. It encompasses a range of meanings including physical and mental effort, as well as sorrow and mischief. The word is built from a root that conveys the idea of wearing effort and can imply grievance or wickedness. It appears in contexts related to suffering and toil.
עָמָל n.m. f. trouble, labor, toil
trouble (∥ sorrow): one’s own suffering
trouble, mischief, as done to others
toil, labour (late in Heb.)
base
H5999 עָמָל trouble, labor, toil
5999 `amal aw-mawl'
from 5998; toil, i.e. wearing effort; hence, worry, wheth. of
body or mind:--grievance(-vousness), iniquity, labour,
mischief, miserable(-sery), pain(-ful), perverseness, sorrow,
toil, travail, trouble, wearisome, wickedness.
see HEBREW for 05998
עָמָל (a.mal) — trouble.
1) toil, trouble, labour
1a) trouble
1b) trouble, mischief
1c) toil, labour
HNcbsc — Noun common · both singular constructHNcbsc
ov:
(1) In Anglo-Saxon, had the meaning "from," "away from" (as the strengthened form "off" has still), and was not used for genitive or possessive relations, these being expressed by special case-forms. In the Norman period, however, "of" was taken to represent the French de (a use well developed by the time of Chaucer), and in the Elizabethan period both senses of "of" were in common use. But after about 1600 the later force of the word became predominant, and in the earlier sense (which is now practically obsolete) it was replaced by other prepositions. In consequence the King James Version (and in some cases the Revised Version (British and American)) contains many uses of "of" that are no longer familiar--most of them, to be sure, causing no difficulty, but there still being a few responsible for real obscurities.
OF, preposition ov. [Gr.]
1. From or out of; proceeding from, as the cause, source, means, author or agent bestowing.
I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered to you. 1 Corinthians 11:1.
For it was of the Lord to harden their hearts. Joshua 11:1.
It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed.
Lamentations 3:1.
The whole disposing thereof is of the Lord. Proverbs 16:1.
Go, inquire of the Lord for me. 2 Chronicles 34:2.
That holy thing that shall be born of thee. Luke 1:1.
Hence of is the sign of the genitive case, the case that denotes production; as the son of man, the son proceeding from man, produced from man. This is the primary sense, although we now say, produced by man. 'Part of these were slain; ' that is, a number separate, for part denotes a division; the sense then is, a number from or out of the whole were slain. So also, 'some of these were slain; ' that is…
The Hebrew word שָׂפָה (*saphah*) encompasses meanings related to 'lip,' 'speech,' and 'edge.' It is derived from concepts of termination, suggesting boundaries like the edge of a vessel or the bank of a river. The word can refer to physical lips, language, or the edges of various objects, including shores.
שָׂפָה 176 n.f. lip, speech, edge
lip
language
edge: shore of sea; bank of river
base
H8193 שָׂפָה lip, speech, edge . lip
. language
. edge: shore of sea; bank of river
8193 saphah saw-faw'
or (in dual and plural) sepheth {sef-eth'}; probably from
5595 or 8192 through the idea of termination (compare 5490);
the lip (as a natural boundary); by implication, language; by
analogy, a margin (of a vessel, water, cloth, etc.):--band,
bank, binding, border, brim, brink, edge, language, lip,
prating, ((sea-))shore, side, speech, talk, (vain) words.
see HEBREW for 05595
see HEBREW for 08192
see HEBREW for 05490
שָׂפָה (sa.phah) — lips.
: lips/mouth
1) lip, language, speech, shore, bank, brink, brim, side, edge, border, binding
1a) lip (as body part)
1b) language
1c) edge, shore, bank (of cup, sea, river, etc)
שָׂפָה (sa.phah) — lip: words.
: words/language
1) lip, language, speech, shore, bank, brink, brim, side, edge, border, binding
1a) lip (as body part)
1b) language
1c) edge, shore, bank (of cup, sea, river, etc)
שָׂפָה (sa.phah) — lip: edge.
: edge/border/opening
1) lip, language, speech, shore, bank, brink, brim, side, edge, border, binding
1a) lip (as body part)
1b) language
1c) edge, shore, bank (of cup, sea, river, etc)
שָׂפָה (sa.phah) — lip: shore.
: shore/bank(of_sea/river)
1) lip, language, speech, shore, bank, brink, brim, side, edge, border, binding
1a) lip (as body part)
1b) language
1c) edge, shore, bank (of cup, sea, river, etc)
HNcfdc/Sp3mp — Noun common feminine dual construct · suffixHNcfdc/Sp3mp
The Hebrew word כָּסָה (*kacah*) primarily means to cover or conceal. It encompasses a range of meanings, including to clothe, hide, or overwhelm. The entries describe various forms of the verb, such as being covered or covering oneself, and its use in contexts like protection or sin. There is no significant disagreement among the lexicons.
[כָּסָה] vb. cover
Qal
conceal
pass. (cstr.) covered in respect of sin (by God, which he thus puts out of sight)
Niph. covered
Pi.
cover, clothe
cover, conceal blood
cover (with covering of protection)
cover, spread over
cover, overwhelm
cover over
Pual.
be covered
be clothed
Hithp. cover, clothe oneself
base
H3680 כָּסָה cover .. conceal
. pass. (cstr.) covered in respect of sin (by God, which he thus puts out of sight)
. covered
. . cover, clothe
. cover, conceal blood
. cover (with covering of protection)
. cover, spread over
. cover, overwhelm
. cover over
. . be covered
. be clothed
. cover, clothe oneself
3680 kacah kaw-saw'
a primitive root; properly, to plump, i.e. fill up hollows;
by implication, to cover (for clothing or secrecy):--clad
self, close, clothe, conceal, cover (self), (flee to) hide,
overwhelm. Compare 3780.
see HEBREW for 03780
כָּסָה (ka.sah) — to cover.
1) to cover, conceal, hide
1a) (Qal) conceal, covered (participle)
1b) (Niphal) to be covered
1c) (Piel)
1c1) to cover, clothe
1c2) to cover, conceal
1c3) to cover (for protection)
1c4) to cover over, spread over
1c5) to cover, overwhelm
1d) (Pual)
1d1) to be covered
1d2) to be clothed
1e) (Hithpael) to cover oneself, clothe oneself
HVpi3ms/Sp3mp — Verb piel imperfect third person masculine singular · suffixHVpi3ms/Sp3mp