Psalm 119:85
New International Version
The arrogant dig pits to trap me, contrary to your law.

New Living Translation
These arrogant people who hate your instructions have dug deep pits to trap me.

English Standard Version
The insolent have dug pitfalls for me; they do not live according to your law.

Berean Standard Bible
The arrogant have dug pits for me in violation of Your law.

Berean Literal Bible
The arrogant ones have dug pits for me that are not according to Your law.

King James Bible
The proud have digged pits for me, which are not after thy law.

New King James Version
The proud have dug pits for me, Which is not according to Your law.

New American Standard Bible
The arrogant have dug pits for me, People who are not in accord with Your Law.

NASB 1995
The arrogant have dug pits for me, Men who are not in accord with Your law.

NASB 1977
The arrogant have dug pits for me, Men who are not in accord with Thy law.

Legacy Standard Bible
The arrogant have dug pits for me, Men who are not in accord with Your law.

Amplified Bible
The arrogant (godless) have dug pits for me, Men who do not conform to Your law.

Berean Annotated Bible
The arrogant have dug pits for me in violation of Your law.

Christian Standard Bible
The arrogant have dug pits for me; they violate your instruction.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
The arrogant have dug pits for me; they violate Your instruction.

American Standard Version
The proud have digged pits for me, Who are not according to thy law.

Contemporary English Version
Those proud people reject your teachings, and they dig pits for me to fall in.

English Revised Version
The proud have digged pits for me, who are not after thy law.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Arrogant people have dug pits to trap me in defiance of your teachings.

Good News Translation
The proud, who do not obey your law, have dug pits to trap me.

International Standard Version
The arrogant have dug pitfalls for me disobeying your instruction.

NET Bible
The arrogant dig pits to trap me, which violates your law.

New Heart English Bible
The proud have dug pits for me, contrary to your Law.

Webster's Bible Translation
The proud have digged pits for me, which are not according to thy law.
Majority Text Translations
Majority Standard Bible
The arrogant have dug pits for me in violation of Your law.

World English Bible
The proud have dug pits for me, contrary to your law.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
The proud have dug pits for me, "" That [are] not according to Your law.

Berean Literal Bible
The arrogant ones have dug pits for me that are not according to Your law.

Young's Literal Translation
The proud have digged for me pits, That are not according to Thy law.

Smith's Literal Translation
The proud dug pits for me which is not according to thy law.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
The wicked have told me fables: but not as thy law.

Catholic Public Domain Version
The iniquitous have spoken fables to me. But these are unlike your law.

New American Bible
The arrogant have dug pits for me; defying your law.

New Revised Standard Version
The arrogant have dug pitfalls for me; they flout your law.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
The wicked have digged a pit for me, which is not in accord with thy law.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
The evil, who are not of your Law, have dug a ditch for me.
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
The proud have digged pits for me, Which is not according to Thy law.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
Transgressors told me idle tales; but not according to thy law, O Lord.

Additional Translations ...



Context
Your Word is a Lamp to My Feet
84How many days must Your servant wait? When will You execute judgment on my persecutors? 85The arrogant have dug pits for me in violation of Your law. 86All Your commandments are faithful; I am persecuted without cause—help me!…

Cross References
The arrogant have dug pits for me

Psalm 35:7
For without cause they laid their net for me; without reason they dug a pit for my soul.

Jeremiah 18:20
Should good be repaid with evil? Yet they have dug a pit for me. Remember how I stood before You to speak good on their behalf, to turn Your wrath from them.

Psalm 57:6
They spread a net for my feet; my soul was despondent. They dug a pit before me, but they themselves have fallen into it! Selah
in violation of Your law.

Hosea 8:1
Put the ram’s horn to your lips! An eagle looms over the house of the LORD, because the people have transgressed My covenant and rebelled against My law.

Nehemiah 9:26
But they were disobedient and rebelled against You; they flung Your law behind their backs. They killed Your prophets, who had admonished them to return to You. They committed terrible blasphemies.

Isaiah 24:5
The earth is defiled by its people; they have transgressed the laws; they have overstepped the decrees and broken the everlasting covenant.
Jeremiah 18:18
Then some said, “Come, let us make plans against Jeremiah, for the law will never be lost to the priest, nor counsel to the wise, nor an oracle to the prophet. Come, let us denounce him and pay no heed to any of his words.”

Psalm 7:15
He has dug a hole and hollowed it out; he has fallen into a pit of his own making.

Psalm 140:5
The proud hide a snare for me; the cords of their net are spread along the path, and lures are set out for me. Selah

Proverbs 26:27
He who digs a pit will fall into it, and he who rolls a stone will have it roll back on him.

Isaiah 29:21
those who indict a man with a word, who ensnare the mediator at the gate, and who with false charges deprive the innocent of justice.

Lamentations 3:34-36
To crush underfoot all the prisoners of the land, / to deny a man justice before the Most High, / to subvert a man in his lawsuit—of these the Lord does not approve.

Daniel 6:4-5
Thus the administrators and satraps sought a charge against Daniel concerning the kingdom, but they could find no charge or corruption, because he was trustworthy, and no negligence or corruption was found in him. / Finally these men said, “We will never find any charge against this Daniel unless we find something against him concerning the law of his God.”

Nehemiah 4:11
And our enemies said, “Before they know or see a thing, we will come into their midst, kill them, and put an end to the work.”

Matthew 22:15
Then the Pharisees went out and conspired to trap Jesus in His words.

Matthew 26:4
and they conspired to arrest Jesus covertly and kill Him.


Treasury of Scripture

The proud have dig pits for me, which are not after your law.

the proud.

Psalm 119:78
Let the proud be ashamed; for they dealt perversely with me without a cause: but I will meditate in thy precepts.

Psalm 7:15
He made a pit, and digged it, and is fallen into the ditch which he made.

Psalm 35:7
For without cause have they hid for me their net in a pit, which without cause they have digged for my soul.

which

Psalm 58:1,2
To the chief Musician, Altaschith, Michtam of David. Do ye indeed speak righteousness, O congregation? do ye judge uprightly, O ye sons of men? …

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Psalm 119
1. This psalm contains various prayers, praises, and professions of obedience.
2. Aleph.
9. Beth
17. Gimel
25. Daleth
33. He
41. Waw
49. Zayin
57. Heth
65. Teth
73. Yodh
81. Kaph
89. Lamedh
97. Mem
105. Nun
113. Samekh
121. Ayin
129. Pe
137. Tsadhe
145. Qoph
153. Resh
161. Sin and Shin
169. Taw












The arrogant have dug pits for me

The psalmist faces proud opponents who seek to ensnare him through hidden schemes and unjust accusations. Their conduct reflects deliberate hostility toward one who desires to live faithfully before God.

Psa 35:7 For without cause they laid their net for me;…
Jer 18:20 Should good be repaid with evil? Yet they have dug a pit…
Psa 57:6 They spread a net for my feet; my soul was despondent.…

in violation of Your law.

Their attacks are not merely personal wrongs but rebellion against God’s righteous standards, which forbid deceit, injustice, and harm against the innocent.

Hos 8:1 Put the ram’s horn to your lips! An eagle looms…
Neh 9:26 But they were disobedient and rebelled against You;…
Isa 24:5 The earth is defiled by its people; they have overstepped…

Persons / Places / Events
1. The Psalmist
Traditionally attributed to King David, the psalmist is a devout follower of God, seeking His guidance and protection against adversaries.

2. The Arrogant
These are the psalmist's adversaries, characterized by pride and a disregard for God's law. They represent those who oppose the righteous and seek to harm them.

3. Pits
Symbolic of traps or schemes set by the wicked to ensnare the righteous. In ancient times, pits were often used as traps for animals or enemies.

4. God's Law
Refers to the Torah, the divine instructions given to the Israelites. It represents the standard of righteousness and justice.
Teaching Points
Understanding the Nature of Opposition
Recognize that opposition often comes from those who are proud and disregard God's law. This is a common experience for the faithful.

Trust in Divine Justice
Trust that God sees the schemes of the wicked and will ultimately bring justice. The pits they dig for others will not go unnoticed by God.

Commitment to God's Law
Stay committed to God's law even when faced with opposition. The psalmist's focus on God's law serves as a reminder to remain steadfast in righteousness.

Responding to Adversity
Respond to adversity with prayer and reliance on God, rather than taking matters into your own hands. The psalmist's example encourages us to seek God's intervention.
Bible Study Questions and Answers
1. What is the meaning of Psalm 119:85?

2. How can we identify and avoid "the arrogant" mentioned in Psalm 119:85?

3. What does "dig pits" symbolize in Psalm 119:85, and how does it apply today?

4. How does Psalm 119:85 connect with Jesus' teachings on persecution in Matthew 5:10-12?

5. How can believers seek God's protection from "those who violate Your law"?

6. What practical steps can we take to remain faithful amidst opposition?

7. What does Psalm 119:85 reveal about the nature of those who oppose the faithful?

8. How does Psalm 119:85 reflect the historical context of its writing?

9. What is the significance of "pits" in Psalm 119:85?

10. What are the top 10 Lessons from Psalm 119?


(85) Which.--Better, who. Its antecedent, of course, the proud, not the pits.

Verse 85. - The proud have digged pits for me; i.e. "have set traps to catch me" (comp. Psalm 7:15; Psalm 9:15). Which are not after thy Law. God's Law is opposed to all underhand and treacherous dealing - therefore to all traps and snares.

Psalm 119:85 paints a vivid scene: proud rebels craft hidden traps, flagrantly disrespecting God’s commands. For the believer, the verse offers both realism and reassurance—realism about opposition that loyalty to Scripture may draw, and reassurance that such hostility stands condemned by the very Law it violates. Trusting the Lord, we can face every pit with confidence that His faithful word will keep us standing firm.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
The arrogant
זֵדִ֣ים (zê·ḏîm)
Adjective - masculine plural
Strong's 2086: Insolent, presumptuous

have dug
כָּֽרוּ־ (kā·rū-)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person common plural
Strong's 3738: To dig, to plot, to bore, open

pits
שִׁיח֑וֹת (šî·ḥō·wṯ)
Noun - feminine plural
Strong's 7882: A pit-fall

for me
לִ֣י (lî)
Preposition | first person common singular
Strong's Hebrew

in violation of
לֹ֣א (lō)
Adverb - Negative particle
Strong's 3808: Not, no

Your law.
כְתוֹרָתֶֽךָ׃ (ḵə·ṯō·w·rā·ṯe·ḵā)
Preposition-k | Noun - feminine singular construct | second person masculine singular
Strong's 8451: Direction, instruction, law


Additonal Resources
Psalm 119:85 Blue Letter Bible
Psalm 119:85 Bible Gateway
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OT Poetry: Psalm 119:85 The proud have dug pits for me (Psalm Ps Psa.)

Psalm 119:84
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