Psalms 64:4
ambushing the innocent in seclusion, shooting suddenly, without fear.
BSB
ASV
That they may shoot in secret places at the perfect: Suddenly do they shoot at him, and fear not.
KJV
That they may shoot in secret at the perfect: suddenly do they shoot at him, and fear not.
That they may shoot in secret at the perfect,.... Meaning himself, who though not without sin, and far from perfection in himself, in the sight of God and with respect to his righteous law, which was exceeding broad; and therefore he saw an end of all perfection, and desired that God would not enter into judgment with him; but yet, in the case of Saul, he was quite clear and innocent, and without fault.
But, (1.) Their tongues are their swords, flaming swords, two-edged swords, drawn swords, drawn in anger, with which they cut, and wound, and kill, the good name of their neighbours. The tongue is a little member, but, like the sword, it boasts great things, Jam. iii. It is a dangerous weapon.
That they may shoot in secret at the perfect. They lie in ambush, with bows ready bent to aim a coward's shaft at the upright man. Sincere and upright conduct will not secure us from the assaults of slander. The devil shot at our Lord himself, and we may rest assured he has a fiery dart in reserve for us; He was absolutely perfect, we are only so in a relative sense, hence in us there is fuel for fiery darts to kindle on.
Rare words are the text's own signal of a deliberate thread: the fewer the occurrences, the more the places it appears belong together.
The walk8
Follow this verse’s cross-references two steps out. Each card is a verse this one points to, and beneath it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several different paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it. Every stop shows its own words, and every stop is a page.
Through
Psalms 55:19God will hear and humiliate them— the One enthroned for the ages— Selah because they do not change and they have no fear of God.
leads to
The eternal God is your dwelling place, and underneath are the everlasting arms. He drives out the enemy before you, giving the command, ‘Destroy him!’
And at that time I will search Jerusalem with lamps and punish the men settled in complacency, who say to themselves, ‘The LORD will do nothing, either good or bad.’
When the sentence for a crime is not speedily executed, the hearts of men become fully set on doing evil.
Through
John 19:6As soon as the chief priests and officers saw Him, they shouted, “Crucify Him! Crucify Him!” “You take Him and crucify Him,” Pilate replied, “for I find no basis for a charge against Him.”
leads to
“You take Him and judge Him by your own law,” Pilate told them. “We are not permitted to execute anyone,” the Jews replied.
Through
Psalms 11:2For behold, the wicked bend their bows. They set their arrow on the string to shoot from the shadows at the upright in heart.
leads to
who sharpen their tongues like swords and aim their bitter words like arrows,
For You will put them to flight when Your bow is trained upon them.
The wicked have drawn the sword and bent the bow to bring down the poor and needy, to slay those whose ways are upright.
“They bend their tongues like bows; lies prevail over truth in the land. For they proceed from evil to evil, and they do not take Me into account,” declares the LORD.