King James Version
Psalms 11
7 verses with commentary
The Lord Is in His Holy Temple
To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David. In the LORD put I my trust: how say ye to my soul, Flee as a bird to your mountain?
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In the LORD put I my trust: how say ye to my soul, Flee as a bird to your mountain? This psalm opens with David's bold declaration of trust in the face of urgent counsel to flee. The Hebrew construction places "In the LORD" (baYahweh, בַּיהוָה) in emphatic position—trust is not merely in God generically, but specifically in Yahweh, Israel's covenant-keeping God who has proven faithful throughout redemptive history.
"Put I my trust" (chasiti, חָסִיתִי) uses the Hebrew chasah, meaning to seek refuge, take shelter, flee for protection. This word appears throughout Psalms describing believers finding safety in God (Psalm 2:12, 7:1, 16:1). The perfect tense indicates completed action with ongoing effect: "I have placed my trust and continue trusting." This isn't momentary confidence but settled conviction.
"How say ye to my soul" expresses David's bewilderment at counselors urging flight. Well-meaning advisors—perhaps during Saul's persecution or Absalom's rebellion—counsel escape. Their advice seems practical, but David recognizes it fundamentally contradicts trust in God. "Flee as a bird to your mountain" paints the picture of a small bird instinctively fleeing to mountain crags for safety. The image suggests panic-driven self-preservation rather than confident faith in divine protection.
The verse establishes the psalm's central tension: human wisdom advocating self-preservation versus faith that trusts God's protection. David's rhetorical question isn't genuine inquiry but firm rejection. For believers, similar tensions arise constantly—when circumstances scream "flee," faith responds "trust." The question isn't whether dangers are real but whether God is sufficient.
"Put I my trust" (chasiti, חָסִיתִי) uses the Hebrew chasah, meaning to seek refuge, take shelter, flee for protection. This word appears throughout Psalms describing believers finding safety in God (Psalm 2:12, 7:1, 16:1). The perfect tense indicates completed action with ongoing effect: "I have placed my trust and continue trusting." This isn't momentary confidence but settled conviction.
"How say ye to my soul" expresses David's bewilderment at counselors urging flight. Well-meaning advisors—perhaps during Saul's persecution or Absalom's rebellion—counsel escape. Their advice seems practical, but David recognizes it fundamentally contradicts trust in God. "Flee as a bird to your mountain" paints the picture of a small bird instinctively fleeing to mountain crags for safety. The image suggests panic-driven self-preservation rather than confident faith in divine protection.
The verse establishes the psalm's central tension: human wisdom advocating self-preservation versus faith that trusts God's protection. David's rhetorical question isn't genuine inquiry but firm rejection. For believers, similar tensions arise constantly—when circumstances scream "flee," faith responds "trust." The question isn't whether dangers are real but whether God is sufficient.
For, lo, the wicked bend their bow, they make ready their arrow upon the string, that they may privily shoot at the upright in heart. privily: Heb. in darkness
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The imagery of wicked archers drawing bows in darkness portrays secret assault on the righteous. The Hebrew 'yashar leb' (upright in heart) contrasts with those who walk in darkness. This anticipates Paul's spiritual warfare teaching about flaming arrows of the evil one (Ephesians 6:16). The darkness suggests both secrecy and moral blindness—the wicked cannot perceive light (John 3:19-20).
If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do?
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If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do? This verse presents the counselors' argument for why David should flee—the very foundations of society are collapsing, rendering righteous action impossible. The Hebrew "foundations" (hashathot, הַשָּׁתוֹת) refers to fundamental structures, supporting pillars, essential bases of ordered society.
"Be destroyed" (yeharasun, יֵהָרָסוּן) means torn down, demolished, overthrown. The counselors see societal collapse—justice perverted, law ignored, order dissolved. When fundamental structures fail, when evil triumphs, when corruption reigns, what options remain for the righteous? The question implies: none. Flight becomes the only rational response to systemic breakdown.
"What can the righteous do?" (tzaddik mah pa'al, צַדִּיק מָה־פָעָל) captures helpless despair. Tzaddik (righteous one) describes those aligned with God's ways, living justly. Pa'al (do, accomplish, work) asks what effective action remains. The counselors see no hope—if society's foundations crumble, individual righteousness becomes meaningless. Better to flee and survive than stay and perish in the rubble.
Yet David's response (verses 4-7) rejects this premise entirely. The true foundation isn't human government, social order, or earthly institutions, but God Himself. "The LORD is in his holy temple, the LORD'S throne is in heaven" (v.4). Human thrones may topple and earthly foundations may crack, but God's throne remains eternally secure. The righteous need not despair when earthly systems fail, because their true foundation never wavers.
This verse speaks powerfully to Christians watching cultural decay, moral collapse, institutional corruption. When foundations seem destroyed—truth rejected, justice perverted, righteousness mocked—the question remains urgent: "What can the righteous do?" The psalm answers: Trust the Lord whose throne stands firm, whose eyes see all, who will judge righteously.
"Be destroyed" (yeharasun, יֵהָרָסוּן) means torn down, demolished, overthrown. The counselors see societal collapse—justice perverted, law ignored, order dissolved. When fundamental structures fail, when evil triumphs, when corruption reigns, what options remain for the righteous? The question implies: none. Flight becomes the only rational response to systemic breakdown.
"What can the righteous do?" (tzaddik mah pa'al, צַדִּיק מָה־פָעָל) captures helpless despair. Tzaddik (righteous one) describes those aligned with God's ways, living justly. Pa'al (do, accomplish, work) asks what effective action remains. The counselors see no hope—if society's foundations crumble, individual righteousness becomes meaningless. Better to flee and survive than stay and perish in the rubble.
Yet David's response (verses 4-7) rejects this premise entirely. The true foundation isn't human government, social order, or earthly institutions, but God Himself. "The LORD is in his holy temple, the LORD'S throne is in heaven" (v.4). Human thrones may topple and earthly foundations may crack, but God's throne remains eternally secure. The righteous need not despair when earthly systems fail, because their true foundation never wavers.
This verse speaks powerfully to Christians watching cultural decay, moral collapse, institutional corruption. When foundations seem destroyed—truth rejected, justice perverted, righteousness mocked—the question remains urgent: "What can the righteous do?" The psalm answers: Trust the Lord whose throne stands firm, whose eyes see all, who will judge righteously.
The LORD is in his holy temple, the LORD'S throne is in heaven: his eyes behold, his eyelids try, the children of men.
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The LORD is in his holy temple, the LORD'S throne is in heaven: his eyes behold, his eyelids try, the children of men. This verse provides David's powerful answer to the counselors' despair. While earthly foundations crumble, God's position remains unshakeable. The verse presents three complementary truths about God's sovereignty: His presence ("in his holy temple"), His authority ("throne in heaven"), and His knowledge ("eyes behold").
"The LORD is in his holy temple" (Yahweh behekal qodsho, יְהוָה בְּהֵיכַל קָדְשׁוֹ) locates God in His sacred dwelling place. Hekal can refer to the earthly temple or heavenly dwelling; context suggests the heavenly. God hasn't abandoned His position or fled His throne. He remains enthroned, present, engaged—not distant or disinterested despite earthly chaos.
"The LORD'S throne is in heaven" (Yahweh kisse bashamayim, יְהוָה כִּסֵּא בַשָּׁמַיִם) establishes divine sovereignty above all earthly powers. Kisse (throne) symbolizes royal authority and judicial power. Unlike earthly thrones that topple during coups, God's throne in heaven remains eternally secure, unshakeable by human rebellion or circumstantial chaos. No earthly power—however threatening—can dethrone heaven's King.
"His eyes behold" (enav yechezu, עֵינָיו יֶחֱזוּ) indicates comprehensive observation. God sees everything happening on earth. Nothing escapes His notice—not the wicked's schemes, not the righteous's struggles, not the collapse of earthly foundations. His watching isn't passive but evaluative, preparing for judgment.
"His eyelids try the children of men" (afapav yivchanu bene adam, עַפְעַפָּיו יִבְחֲנוּ בְּנֵי אָדָם) intensifies the evaluation imagery. Bachan means to test, examine, prove, refine. Even the flicker of God's eyelids examines humanity. The anthropomorphic language emphasizes how thoroughly God scrutinizes human actions, motives, and hearts. Nothing remains hidden; all stands exposed before His searching gaze. This comprehensive divine knowledge prepares for the judgment described in verses 5-6.
"The LORD is in his holy temple" (Yahweh behekal qodsho, יְהוָה בְּהֵיכַל קָדְשׁוֹ) locates God in His sacred dwelling place. Hekal can refer to the earthly temple or heavenly dwelling; context suggests the heavenly. God hasn't abandoned His position or fled His throne. He remains enthroned, present, engaged—not distant or disinterested despite earthly chaos.
"The LORD'S throne is in heaven" (Yahweh kisse bashamayim, יְהוָה כִּסֵּא בַשָּׁמַיִם) establishes divine sovereignty above all earthly powers. Kisse (throne) symbolizes royal authority and judicial power. Unlike earthly thrones that topple during coups, God's throne in heaven remains eternally secure, unshakeable by human rebellion or circumstantial chaos. No earthly power—however threatening—can dethrone heaven's King.
"His eyes behold" (enav yechezu, עֵינָיו יֶחֱזוּ) indicates comprehensive observation. God sees everything happening on earth. Nothing escapes His notice—not the wicked's schemes, not the righteous's struggles, not the collapse of earthly foundations. His watching isn't passive but evaluative, preparing for judgment.
"His eyelids try the children of men" (afapav yivchanu bene adam, עַפְעַפָּיו יִבְחֲנוּ בְּנֵי אָדָם) intensifies the evaluation imagery. Bachan means to test, examine, prove, refine. Even the flicker of God's eyelids examines humanity. The anthropomorphic language emphasizes how thoroughly God scrutinizes human actions, motives, and hearts. Nothing remains hidden; all stands exposed before His searching gaze. This comprehensive divine knowledge prepares for the judgment described in verses 5-6.
The LORD trieth the righteous: but the wicked and him that loveth violence his soul hateth.
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The LORD trieth the righteous: but the wicked and him that loveth violence his soul hateth. This verse presents God's discriminating judgment, revealing that His observation (v.4) leads to evaluation and verdict. The verse employs striking parallelism: God tests the righteous, but hates the wicked—particularly those who love violence.
"The LORD trieth" (Yahweh yivhan, יְהוָה יִבְחַן) uses bachan, meaning to test, examine, prove, refine—the same word from verse 4. The testing imagery recalls metallurgy: precious metals refined in fire to remove impurities. God's testing of the righteous isn't vindictive but purifying, producing genuine faith. First Peter 1:6-7 develops this: trials test faith "being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire."
The verb "trieth" stands alone with "the righteous" (tzaddik, צַדִּיק) as object, creating interpretive challenge. Does God test the righteous alone, or also test the wicked? Context suggests God examines all (v.4: "try the children of men"), but responds differently. The righteous undergo refining testing; the wicked face damning judgment. Testing reveals what's present—genuine faith in believers, corrupt rebellion in unbelievers.
"But the wicked and him that loveth violence" (verasha ve'ohev chamas, וְרָשָׁע וְאֹהֵב חָמָס) employs emphatic Hebrew construction. Rasha (wicked) describes those fundamentally opposed to God's ways. Chamas (violence, cruelty, injustice) appears throughout Old Testament describing human wickedness from Cain's murder through corrupt societies God judged. Those who "love" (ahev) violence aren't merely violent occasionally but embrace it fundamentally.
"His soul hateth" (sanah nafsho, שָׂנְאָה נַפְשׁוֹ) presents startling divine emotion. Sane means hate, utterly reject, be hostile toward. God's "soul" (nefesh) indicates His entire being, His deepest essence. This isn't casual dislike but settled, righteous opposition. God's hatred of the wicked doesn't contradict His love—He can hate sin and wickedness while loving sinners enough to provide redemption. But those who finally reject Him and love violence face His permanent opposition. Psalm 5:5 reinforces this: "thou hatest all workers of iniquity."
"The LORD trieth" (Yahweh yivhan, יְהוָה יִבְחַן) uses bachan, meaning to test, examine, prove, refine—the same word from verse 4. The testing imagery recalls metallurgy: precious metals refined in fire to remove impurities. God's testing of the righteous isn't vindictive but purifying, producing genuine faith. First Peter 1:6-7 develops this: trials test faith "being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire."
The verb "trieth" stands alone with "the righteous" (tzaddik, צַדִּיק) as object, creating interpretive challenge. Does God test the righteous alone, or also test the wicked? Context suggests God examines all (v.4: "try the children of men"), but responds differently. The righteous undergo refining testing; the wicked face damning judgment. Testing reveals what's present—genuine faith in believers, corrupt rebellion in unbelievers.
"But the wicked and him that loveth violence" (verasha ve'ohev chamas, וְרָשָׁע וְאֹהֵב חָמָס) employs emphatic Hebrew construction. Rasha (wicked) describes those fundamentally opposed to God's ways. Chamas (violence, cruelty, injustice) appears throughout Old Testament describing human wickedness from Cain's murder through corrupt societies God judged. Those who "love" (ahev) violence aren't merely violent occasionally but embrace it fundamentally.
"His soul hateth" (sanah nafsho, שָׂנְאָה נַפְשׁוֹ) presents startling divine emotion. Sane means hate, utterly reject, be hostile toward. God's "soul" (nefesh) indicates His entire being, His deepest essence. This isn't casual dislike but settled, righteous opposition. God's hatred of the wicked doesn't contradict His love—He can hate sin and wickedness while loving sinners enough to provide redemption. But those who finally reject Him and love violence face His permanent opposition. Psalm 5:5 reinforces this: "thou hatest all workers of iniquity."
Upon the wicked he shall rain snares, fire and brimstone, and an horrible tempest: this shall be the portion of their cup. an horrible: or, a burning tempest
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This verse describes God's judgment using the imagery of Sodom and Gomorrah—fire, brimstone, and scorching wind. The 'cup' metaphor appears throughout Scripture as God's wrath (Jeremiah 25:15, Revelation 14:10). Reformed theology sees this as God's active judgment, not mere natural consequences. The 'portion of their cup' indicates appointed, measured judgment—God's justice is exact, not capricious.
For the righteous LORD loveth righteousness; his countenance doth behold the upright.
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For the righteous LORD loveth righteousness; his countenance doth behold the upright. This concluding verse provides the theological foundation for everything preceding. God's actions toward the righteous and wicked flow from His essential character—He is righteous and loves righteousness. The verse employs emphatic Hebrew construction to stress God's perfect justice and favorable regard for the upright.
"For" (ki, כִּי) indicates causation—this verse explains why verses 4-6 describe God examining all and judging differently. God's nature as righteous determines His actions. "The righteous LORD" (tzaddik Yahweh, צַדִּיק יְהוָה) places the adjective before God's name emphatically: "Righteous is the LORD." This isn't merely one attribute among many but His essential character. Everything God does flows from perfect righteousness—His judgments are just, His ways are pure, His standards are holy.
"Loveth righteousness" (tzedaqot ahev, צְדָקוֹת אָהֵב) uses the plural form tzedaqot, perhaps indicating "righteous acts" or emphasizing the manifold expressions of righteousness. The verb ahev (love) indicates passionate commitment, not cold duty. God delights in righteousness, takes pleasure in justice, loves what aligns with His perfect character. Psalm 33:5 declares: "He loveth righteousness and judgment: the earth is full of the goodness of the LORD."
"His countenance doth behold" (panav yechezu, פָּנָיו יֶחֱזוּ) uses panim (face) in the plural (a plural of majesty or fullness). God's face represents His favorable presence and blessing. Numbers 6:24-26 blessed Israel: "The LORD make his face shine upon thee...The LORD lift up his countenance upon thee." To have God's face/countenance behold someone means divine favor, acceptance, approval. This contrasts with God hiding His face (Psalm 27:9), which indicates displeasure or judgment.
"The upright" (yashar, יָשָׁר) describes those who are straight, level, right—morally aligned with God's ways. While verse 5 mentioned "the righteous" being tested, this verse emphasizes the outcome: those proven upright receive God's favorable regard. The righteous survive testing and emerge as upright, experiencing God's blessing and presence. The psalm thus concludes with assurance: God's righteous character guarantees He will bless the upright and judge the wicked.
"For" (ki, כִּי) indicates causation—this verse explains why verses 4-6 describe God examining all and judging differently. God's nature as righteous determines His actions. "The righteous LORD" (tzaddik Yahweh, צַדִּיק יְהוָה) places the adjective before God's name emphatically: "Righteous is the LORD." This isn't merely one attribute among many but His essential character. Everything God does flows from perfect righteousness—His judgments are just, His ways are pure, His standards are holy.
"Loveth righteousness" (tzedaqot ahev, צְדָקוֹת אָהֵב) uses the plural form tzedaqot, perhaps indicating "righteous acts" or emphasizing the manifold expressions of righteousness. The verb ahev (love) indicates passionate commitment, not cold duty. God delights in righteousness, takes pleasure in justice, loves what aligns with His perfect character. Psalm 33:5 declares: "He loveth righteousness and judgment: the earth is full of the goodness of the LORD."
"His countenance doth behold" (panav yechezu, פָּנָיו יֶחֱזוּ) uses panim (face) in the plural (a plural of majesty or fullness). God's face represents His favorable presence and blessing. Numbers 6:24-26 blessed Israel: "The LORD make his face shine upon thee...The LORD lift up his countenance upon thee." To have God's face/countenance behold someone means divine favor, acceptance, approval. This contrasts with God hiding His face (Psalm 27:9), which indicates displeasure or judgment.
"The upright" (yashar, יָשָׁר) describes those who are straight, level, right—morally aligned with God's ways. While verse 5 mentioned "the righteous" being tested, this verse emphasizes the outcome: those proven upright receive God's favorable regard. The righteous survive testing and emerge as upright, experiencing God's blessing and presence. The psalm thus concludes with assurance: God's righteous character guarantees He will bless the upright and judge the wicked.