Psalm 64:5
New International Version
They encourage each other in evil plans, they talk about hiding their snares; they say, “Who will see it?”

New Living Translation
They encourage each other to do evil and plan how to set their traps in secret. “Who will ever notice?” they ask.

English Standard Version
They hold fast to their evil purpose; they talk of laying snares secretly, thinking, “Who can see them?”

Berean Standard Bible
They hold fast to their evil purpose; they speak of hiding their snares. “Who will see them?” they say.

King James Bible
They encourage themselves in an evil matter: they commune of laying snares privily; they say, Who shall see them?

New King James Version
They encourage themselves in an evil matter; They talk of laying snares secretly; They say, “Who will see them?”

New American Standard Bible
They make firm for themselves an evil purpose; They talk of setting snares secretly; They say, “Who can see them?”

NASB 1995
They hold fast to themselves an evil purpose; They talk of laying snares secretly; They say, “Who can see them?”

NASB 1977
They hold fast to themselves an evil purpose; They talk of laying snares secretly; They say, “Who can see them?”

Legacy Standard Bible
They hold fast to themselves an evil purpose; They talk of laying snares secretly; They say, “Who can see them?”

Amplified Bible
They encourage themselves in [their pursuit of] an evil agenda; They talk of laying snares secretly; They say, “Who will discover us?”

Christian Standard Bible
They adopt an evil plan; they talk about hiding traps and say, “Who will see them? ”

Holman Christian Standard Bible
They encourage each other in an evil plan; they talk about hiding traps and say,” Who will see them?”

American Standard Version
They encourage themselves in an evil purpose; They commune of laying snares privily; They say, Who will see them?

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
And their evil words prevailed, and they have conceived to bury snares and they said, "Who sees us?"

Brenton Septuagint Translation
They have set up for themselves an evil matter, they have given counsel to hide snares; they have said, Who shall see them?

Contemporary English Version
They are determined to do evil, and they tell themselves, "Let's set traps! No one can see us."

Douay-Rheims Bible
They will shoot at him on a sudden, and will not fear: they are resolute in wickedness. They have talked of hiding snares; they have said: Who shall see them?

English Revised Version
They encourage themselves in an evil purpose; they commune of laying snares privily; they say, Who shall see them?

GOD'S WORD® Translation
They encourage one another in their evil plans. They talk about setting traps and say, "Who can see them?"

Good News Translation
They encourage each other in their evil plots; they talk about where they will place their traps. "No one can see them," they say.

International Standard Version
They concoct an evil scheme for themselves; they enumerate their hidden snares; they say, "Who will see them?"

JPS Tanakh 1917
They encourage one another in an evil matter; They converse of laying snares secretly; They ask, who would see them.

Literal Standard Version
They strengthen an evil thing for themselves, | They recount of the hiding of snares, | They have said, “Who looks at it?”

Majority Standard Bible
They hold fast to their evil purpose; they speak of hiding their snares. “Who will see them?” they say.

New American Bible
They resolve on their wicked plan; they conspire to set snares; they say: “Who will see us?”

NET Bible
They encourage one another to carry out their evil deed. They plan how to hide snares, and boast, "Who will see them?"

New Revised Standard Version
They hold fast to their evil purpose; they talk of laying snares secretly, thinking, “Who can see us?

New Heart English Bible
They encourage themselves in evil plans. They talk about laying snares secretly. They say, "Who will see them?"

Webster's Bible Translation
They encourage themselves in an evil matter: they commune of laying snares privily; they say, Who will see them?

World English Bible
They encourage themselves in evil plans. They talk about laying snares secretly. They say, “Who will see them?”

Young's Literal Translation
They strengthen for themselves an evil thing, They recount of the hiding of snares, They have said, 'Who doth look at it?'

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The Hurtful Tongue
4ambushing the innocent in seclusion, shooting suddenly, without fear. 5They hold fast to their evil purpose; they speak of hiding their snares. “Who will see them?” they say. 6They devise injustice and say, “We have perfected a secret plan.” For the inner man and the heart are mysterious.…

Cross References
Job 22:13
Yet you say: 'What does God know? Does He judge through thick darkness?

Psalm 10:11
He says to himself, "God has forgotten; He hides His face and never sees."

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

Psalm 141:9
Keep me from the snares they have laid for me, and from the lures of evildoers.

Jeremiah 36:24
Yet in hearing all these words, the king and his servants did not become frightened or tear their garments.


Treasury of Scripture

They encourage themselves in an evil matter: they commune of laying snares privately; they say, Who shall see them?

encourage

Exodus 15:9
The enemy said, I will pursue, I will overtake, I will divide the spoil; my lust shall be satisfied upon them; I will draw my sword, my hand shall destroy them.

Numbers 22:6
Come now therefore, I pray thee, curse me this people; for they are too mighty for me: peradventure I shall prevail, that we may smite them, and that I may drive them out of the land: for I wot that he whom thou blessest is blessed, and he whom thou cursest is cursed.

Proverbs 1:11-14
If they say, Come with us, let us lay wait for blood, let us lurk privily for the innocent without cause: …

matter.

1 Samuel 23:19-23
Then came up the Ziphites to Saul to Gibeah, saying, Doth not David hide himself with us in strong holds in the wood, in the hill of Hachilah, which is on the south of Jeshimon? …

Matthew 23:15
Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves.

Matthew 26:3,4
Then assembled together the chief priests, and the scribes, and the elders of the people, unto the palace of the high priest, who was called Caiaphas, …

of laying snares [heb.

Psalm 124:7
Our soul is escaped as a bird out of the snare of the fowlers: the snare is broken, and we are escaped.

Psalm 140:5
The proud have hid a snare for me, and cords; they have spread a net by the wayside; they have set gins for me. Selah.

Who

Psalm 10:11
He hath said in his heart, God hath forgotten: he hideth his face; he will never see it.

Psalm 59:7
Behold, they belch out with their mouth: swords are in their lips: for who, say they, doth hear?

Psalm 94:7
Yet they say, The LORD shall not see, neither shall the God of Jacob regard it.

Jump to Previous
Commune Converse Encourage Evil Fast Hiding Hold Holes Laying Matter Nets Plans Privily Purpose Recount Secret Secretly Snares Strengthen Strong Talk Themselves Thinking
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Commune Converse Encourage Evil Fast Hiding Hold Holes Laying Matter Nets Plans Privily Purpose Recount Secret Secretly Snares Strengthen Strong Talk Themselves Thinking
Psalm 64
1. David prays for deliverance, complaining of his enemies
7. He promises himself to see such an evident destruction of his enemies,
10. as the righteous shall rejoice at it.














(5) They encourage themselves.--Literally, they strengthen for themselves an evil thing (or "word," margin, LXX., and Vulg.,) which evidently means that they take their measures carefully, and are prepared to carry them out resolutely.

They commune . . .--Better, they calculate how they may lay snares privily. The conspirators carefully and in secret go over every detail of their plot.

Who shall see them?--Literally, who shall look to them? which seems at first glance to mean, "who will see the snares?" but this is weak. It may be equivalent to, "who is likely to see us?" the question being put indirectly. But in 1Samuel 16:7, the expression, "looketh on," implies "regard for," which may possibly be the meaning here, "who careth for them?"

Verse 5. - They encourage themselves in an evil matter; or, in an evil scheme - the plan of making David unpopular, and then raising the standard of open revolt against him (2 Samuel 15:1-12). They commune of laying snares privily. The ungodly continually set traps for the righteous, who are so simple that they often fall into them. We do not know the exact proceedings of his enemies against David at the time, the narrative of 2 Samuel 15 being so brief; but it was probably by some trickery that David was induced to quit the stronghold of Jerusalem, and so yield the seat of government, and many other advantages, to his rival. They say, Who shall see them? (comp. Psalm 10:11; Psalm 59:7; Psalm 94:7). It is an inveterate folly for men to imagine, either that God will not see their actions, or that he will pay no heed to them. A spurious humility is brought into play in the latter case - How can it be supposed that God will note the doings of such worms as men?

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
They hold fast
יְחַזְּקוּ־ (yə·ḥaz·zə·qū-)
Verb - Piel - Imperfect - third person masculine plural
Strong's 2388: To fasten upon, to seize, be strong, obstinate, to bind, restrain, conquer

to their evil
רָ֗ע (rā‘)
Adjective - masculine singular
Strong's 7451: Bad, evil

purpose;
דָּ֘בָ֤ר (dā·ḇār)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 1697: A word, a matter, thing, a cause

they speak
יְֽ֭סַפְּרוּ (yə·sap·pə·rū)
Verb - Piel - Imperfect - third person masculine plural
Strong's 5608: To count, recount, relate

of hiding
לִטְמ֣וֹן (liṭ·mō·wn)
Preposition-l | Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct
Strong's 2934: To hide, conceal

their snares.
מוֹקְשִׁ֑ים (mō·wq·šîm)
Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 4170: A bait or lure, a snare

“Who
מִ֣י (mî)
Interrogative
Strong's 4310: Who?, whoever, in oblique construction with prefix, suffix

will see
יִרְאֶה־ (yir·’eh-)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 7200: To see

them?”
לָּֽמוֹ׃ (lā·mōw)
Preposition | third person masculine plural
Strong's Hebrew

they say.
אָ֝מְר֗וּ (’ā·mə·rū)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person common plural
Strong's 559: To utter, say


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OT Poetry: Psalm 64:5 They encourage themselves in evil plans (Psalm Ps Psa.)
Psalm 64:4
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