Psalms 109:3
in Psalms 109They surround me with hateful words and attack me without cause.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
They have compassed me about also with words of hatred, And fought against me without a cause.
KJV
They compassed me about also with words of hatred; and fought against me without a cause.
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This verse in Psalms 109
Commentary
10 notes on this verseAnd they have surrounded me with words of hatred. Not that they might believe, but that they might war against me. And they have warred against me without cause. "Without cause" is understood in two ways. That is, without reason: for I had not sinned, and I did not deserve that they should make war upon me. And what worthy cause was there that they should war against me? Because I had healed their sick? because I had raised their dead? because I had done other signs? See therefore that they warred against him without cause.
This site's exposition
O God of my praise
on Psalms 109:1-3
The psalm opens by naming God the object of praise and asking Him not to stay silent. The attack is spoken, wicked and deceitful mouths, lying tongues, hateful words on every side. Verse 3 says the attack came without cause.
This site's exposition
attack me without cause
Without cause is chinnam, freely or for nothing. Jesus applies the word from Psalm 35:19 and 69:4 to Himself at John 15:25, hated without cause. They surround him as the bulls surround the sufferer of Psalm 22:12.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers1 voice
"In place," saith he, "of loving me, they detracted from me" (ver. 3). There are six different acts of this class, which may, when mentioned, very easily be borne in mind; (1) to return good for evil, (2) not to return evil for evil; (3) to return good for good, (4) to return evil for evil; (5) not to return good for good, (6) to return evil for good. The two first of these belong to the good, and the first of these two is the better; the two last belong to the wicked, and the latter of the two is the worse; the two middle to a sort of middle class of persons, but the first of these borders upon the good, the latter on the bad. We should remark these things in the holy Scriptures. Our Lord Himself returneth good for evil, who "justifieth the ungodly;" and who, when hanging upon the Cross, said, "Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do." ...
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
They compassed me about also with words of hatred,.... They surrounded him as he hung on the cross, and expressed their malice and hatred against him; then was he enclosed with these spiteful snarling dogs, and encompassed by them as with so many bees, who everyone left their sting in him, Psa 22:
They were notorious liars; and lying comprehends two of the seven things which the Lord hates. "They are deceitful in their protestations and professions of kindness, while at the same time they speak against me behind my back, with a lying tongue. " They were equally false in their flatteries and in their calumnies.
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
They return evil for good (compare Ps 27:12; I give myself unto prayer--or literally, "I (am) prayer," or, "as for me, prayer," that is, it is my resource for comfort in distress.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — unbalanced-parens
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
They return evil for good (compare Ps 27:12; I give myself unto prayer--or literally, "I (am) prayer," or, "as for me, prayer," that is, it is my resource for comfort in distress.
2 more voices on this verse
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
They compassed me about also with words of hatred. Turn which way he would they hedged him in with falsehood, misrepresentation, accusation, and scorn. Whispers, sneers, insinuations, satires, and open charges filled his ear with a perpetual buzz, and all for no reason, but sheer hate. Each word was as full of venom as an egg is full of meat: they could not speak without showing their teeth. And fought against me without a cause. He had not provoked the quarrel or contributed to it, yet in a thousand ways they laboured to "corrode his comfort, and destroy his ease."
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
They compassed me about also with words of hatred - They attacked me on every side; they assailed me, not merely in one form and direction, but in every form, and in every direction. I could turn no way - I could go nowhere - where I did not encounter these slanderous reports. And fought against me without a cause - Contended against me, or fought against me, with “words.” They sought to do me all the harm they could. The phrase “without a cause “means that he had given them no occasion for this conduct; he had not wronged them; it was mere malignity. See Psa 35:7; Psa 69:4. Compare Joh 15:25.
The words behind it
5 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| וְדִבְרֵ֣י | vedivrei | and words of | H1697 → | 1440 times |
| שִׂנְאָ֣ה | sinah | hatred | H8135 → | 17 times |
| סְבָב֑וּנִי | sevavuni | they have surrounded me | H5437 → | 161 times |
| וַיִּֽלָּחֲמ֥וּנִי | vaiyilachamuni | and they have fought against me | H3898 → | 177 times |
| חִנָּֽם׃ | chinam | without cause | H2600 → | 32 times |
וְדִבְרֵ֣יand words of
vedivreiH1697 →1440 times
שִׂנְאָ֣הhatred
sinahH8135 →17 times
סְבָב֑וּנִיthey have surrounded me
sevavuniH5437 →161 times
וַיִּֽלָּחֲמ֥וּנִיand they have fought against me
vaiyilachamuniH3898 →177 times
חִנָּֽם׃without cause
chinamH2600 →32 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
Psalms 69:4Those who hate me without cause outnumber the hairs of my head; many are those who would destroy me— my enemies for no reason. Though I did not steal, I must repay.
it leads to
- John 15:25
But this is to fulfill what is written in their Law: ‘They hated Me without reason.’
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Psalms 35:19
Let not my enemies gloat over me without cause, nor those who hate me without reason wink in malice.
- Psalms 109:3–5
They surround me with hateful words and attack me without cause.
- Psalms 35:11–12
Hostile witnesses come forward; they make charges I know nothing about.
- Isaiah 53:4–7
Surely He took on our infirmities and carried our sorrows; yet we considered Him stricken by God, struck down and afflicted.
- John 15:25
Through
Psalms 35:7For without cause they laid their net for me; without reason they dug a pit for my soul.
it leads to
- Psalms 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
- Psalms 9:15
The nations have fallen into a pit of their making; their feet are caught in the net they have hidden.
- Psalms 140:5
Through
Psalms 88:17All day long they engulf me like water; they enclose me on every side.
it leads to
- Psalms 22:16
For dogs surround me; a band of evil men encircles me; they have pierced my hands and feet.
- Psalms 22:16
Where this verse is studied
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About Psalms
This page draws on 10 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Augustine of Hippo, Exposition on Psalm 109; Charles Spurgeon, The Treasury of David; Charles Spurgeon, The Treasury of David, Vol. 5; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; Jerome, Homily 35, on Psalm 108; John Calvin, Commentary on the Book of Psalms; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.