Psalms 7:16
in Psalms 7His trouble recoils on himself, and his violence falls on his own head.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
His mischief shall return upon his own head, And his violence shall come down upon his own pate.
KJV
His mischief shall return upon his own head, and his violent dealing shall come down upon his own pate.
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This verse in Psalms 7
Commentary
12 notes on this verseHis mischief shall return upon his own head,.... That which he conceived and devised in his mind, and attempted to bring upon others, shall fall upon himself, as a just judgment from heaven upon him; and his violent dealing shall come down upon his own pate; referring to the violence with which Saul pursued David, which would be requited to him, and of which he prophesied, 1Sa 26:10.
This site's exposition
He has dug a hole
on Psalms 7:15-17
The man digs a hole, hollows it out, and falls into the pit he made. His trouble comes back on himself and his violence lands on his own head. David closes in thanks and praise before any answer comes.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers4 voices
"His toil shall be turned on his head, and his iniquity shall descend on his pate" [Psalm 7:16]. For he had no mind to escape sin: but was brought under sin as a slave, so to say, as the Lord says, "Whosoever sins is a slave." [John 8:34] His iniquity then will be upon him, when he is subject to his iniquity; for he could not say to the Lord, what the innocent and upright say, "My glory, and the lifter up of my head." He then will be in such wise below, as that his iniquity may be above, and descend on him; for that it weighs him down and burdens him, and suffers him not to fly back to the rest of the saints. This occurs, when in an ill regulated man reason is a slave, and lust has dominion.
These words seem to me to have been fulfilled literally in Ahithophel. At the time of the uprising of Cush, he was a man harboring envy, branded by disgrace, falling out as the watchman, who used his skill to be able to see ahead and predict future events that the affairs of Absalom would fail. Before he himself could be substituted by the men of David, he removed himself, and, withdrawing from the household, he hanged himself with a noose. While he gathered the seeds of evil in his thinking and devised against David whatever he had conceived in his thoughts, he brought forth the same seeds for his own destruction.… These words express the general opinion that as anyone plans evil in his spirit against his neighbor and wishes to harm others and builds a pit for their ruin, he does these things against himself, and his trouble will return on his own head. Each one will cause his own sentence on the day of judgment by his own deeds and will receive the fruits of his own labors.
'His sorrow shall be turned upon his own head, and his iniquity shall come down upon his own crown.' Just as if someone throws a stone on high, and is not careful, and the stone comes down upon his head, he is wounded by his own wound; so too the devil is slain by his own pride, he exalts himself and falls in ruin. 'His sorrow shall be turned upon his own head.' The devil now wishes to lift up his head, but cannot. Why can he not lift up his head?
That same adversary, Absalom, as if he has been born again from ourselves, prepares the war against us. Our sound judgment concerning the matter, or rather our alliance with God, turns him who is bloodthirsty against us back. For because he attributes the cause of the good things that have been accomplished for him through "the words of Cush" to God, he composes this thanksgiving.… It would be worthwhile to apply the figures of the story to the virtuous life, how the advice that saves us becomes the strangling of the adversary; and this saving advice has been recorded, on the one hand, in the history, and on the other, in the psalm.
The Medieval Church1 voice
"A pit." He treats of the punishment. And first he sets forth the metaphor. Second, he explains it, at "It will be turned back." Hunters set traps to capture wolves in pits. The enemies themselves likewise, to capture men, employ their devices; and this is …
5 more voices on this verse
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
The sinner is here described as taking a great deal of pains to ruin himself, more pains to damn his soul than, if directed aright, would save it. His conduct is described, [1.] By the pains of a labouring woman that brings forth a false conception,
The Nineteenth Century4 voices
Shall come down upon his own pate - Upon his scalp, קדקד kodkod, the top of the head. It may refer to knocking the criminal on the head, in order to deprive him of life. Had scalping been known in those days, I should have thought the reference might be to that barbarous custom.
The rod which he lifted on high, has smitten his own back. He shot an arrow upward, and it has "returned upon his own head." He hurled a stone at another and it has "come down upon his own pate." Curses are like young chickens, they always come home to roost. Ashes always fly back in the face of him that throws them. "As he loved cursing, so let it come unto him." (Psalm 109:17.) How often has this been the case in the histories of both ancient and modern times.
The rod which he lifted on high, has smitten his own back. He shot an arrow upward, and it has "returned upon his own head." He hurled a stone at another and it has "come down upon his own pate." Curses are like young chickens, they always come home to roost. Ashes always fly back in the face of him that throws them. "As he loved cursing, so let it come unto him." (Psalm 109:17.) How often has this been the case in the histories of both ancient and modern times. Men have burned their own fingers when they were hoping to brand their neighbour. And if this does not happen now, it will hereafter. The Lord has caused dogs to lick the blood of Ahab in the midst of the vineyard of Naboth. Sooner or later the evil deeds of persecutors have always leaped back into their arms. So it will be in the last great day, when Satan's fiery darts shall all be quivered in his own heart, and all his followers shall reap the harvest which they themselves have sown.
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
His mischief - The mischief which he had designed for others. Shall return upon his own head - Shall come upon himself. The blow which he aimed at others shall recoil on himself. This is but stating in another form the sentiment which had been expressed in the two previous verses. The language used here has something of a proverbial cast, and perhaps was common in the time of the writer to express this idea. And his violent dealing - Which he shows to others. The word rendered violent dealing means violence, injustice, oppression, wrong. Shall all come down upon his own pate - The word here rendered “pate” means properly vertex, top, or crown - as of the head. The idea is that it would come upon himself. He would be treated as he had designed to treat others. The sentiment here expressed is found also in Psa 9:15; Psa 35:8; Psa 37:15. Compare Eurip. Med. 409, and Lucretius v. 1151.
The words behind it
7 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| יָשׁ֣וּב | yashuv | it returns | H7725 → | 1056 times |
| עֲמָל֣וֹ | amalo | mischief his | H5999 → | 55 times |
| בְרֹאשׁ֑וֹ | verosho | on own head his | H7218 → | 599 times |
| וְעַ֥ל | veal | and on | H5921 → | 5755 times |
| קָ֝דְקֳד֗וֹ | kadekodo | scalp his | H6936 → | |
| חֲמָס֥וֹ | chamaso | violence his | H2555 → | 60 times |
| יֵרֵֽד׃ | yered | it comes down | H3381 → | 381 times |
יָשׁ֣וּבit returns
yashuvH7725 →1056 times
עֲמָל֣וֹmischief his
amaloH5999 →55 times
בְרֹאשׁ֑וֹon own head his
veroshoH7218 →599 times
וְעַ֥לand on
vealH5921 →5755 times
קָ֝דְקֳד֗וֹscalp his
kadekodoH6936 →
חֲמָס֥וֹviolence his
chamasoH2555 →60 times
יֵרֵֽד׃it comes down
yeredH3381 →381 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
1 Kings 2:32The LORD will bring his bloodshed back upon his own head, for without the knowledge of my father David he struck down two men more righteous and better than he when he put to…
it leads to
- Judges 9:24
in order that the crime against the seventy sons of Jerubbaal might come to justice and their blood be avenged on their brother Abimelech and on the leaders of Shechem, who had helped him…
- 2 Chronicles 21:13
but you have walked in the ways of the kings of Israel and have caused Judah and the people of Jerusalem to prostitute themselves, just as the house of Ahab prostituted itself. You have…
- Judges 9:57
And God also brought all the wickedness of the men of Shechem back upon their own heads. So the curse of Jotham son of Jerubbaal came upon them.
- 1 Kings 2:5
Moreover, you know what Joab son of Zeruiah did to me—what he did to Abner son of Ner and Amasa son of Jether, the two commanders of the armies of Israel. He killed them…
- 2 Samuel 3:26–27
As soon as Joab had left David, he sent messengers after Abner, who brought him back from the well of Sirah; but David was unaware of it.
- Judges 9:24
Through
1 Samuel 28:19Moreover, the LORD will deliver Israel with you into the hand of the Philistines, and tomorrow you and your sons will be with me. And the LORD will deliver the army of Israel into…
it leads to
- Matthew 26:24
The Son of Man will go just as it is written about Him, but woe to that man by whom He is betrayed. It would be better for him if he had not been…
- Exodus 9:18
Behold, at this time tomorrow I will rain down the worst hail that has ever fallen on Egypt, from the day it was founded until now.
- 1 Kings 22:28
But Micaiah replied, “If you ever return safely, the LORD has not spoken through me.” Then he added, “Take heed, all you people!”
- Matthew 26:24
About Psalms
This page draws on 12 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Augustine of Hippo, Exposition on Psalm 7; Charles Spurgeon, The Treasury of David, Vol. 1; Eusebius of Caesarea, COMMENTARY ON PSALMS 7:15-17; Gregory of Nyssa, INSCRIPTIONS OF THE PSALMS 2:11.148-49; Jamieson Fausset and Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; Jerome, Homily 3, on Psalm 7; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament; Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible and Thomas Aquinas, Exposition on the Psalms of David.