The big picture
Psalm 140 treats violence as something planned, spoken, handled, and hidden in advance. Harm begins in the heart, sharpens on the tongue, reaches through violent hands, and waits beside the path in nets and snares. Against that coordinated threat, the speaker names God as his own and remembers that his head has already been covered in battle. The prayer then asks not merely for escape, but for the attackers' designs to fail and their own harmful speech to return upon them. Severe images of judgment dominate the middle of that request. The ending widens beyond one threatened person, grounding confidence in the Lord's maintenance of the afflicted person's cause and the poor person's right, before the final image shifts from pursuit to thanksgiving in God's presence.
Central truth
Psalm 140 asks deliverance from violent schemers whose tongues and traps threaten the righteous, appeals for their designs to collapse upon them, and ends certain that the Lord maintains the cause of the afflicted and poor.
The study notes have a page of their own
The movement by movement analysis, the words to trace, the verse by verse notes and where readers differ are written for someone studying alone. They are on the Deep Personal Reflections page for this chapter. This page is the lesson.
A chapter-specific teaching brief
These anchors come from this chapter itself. They help a teacher use the Level 1 overview, the Level 2 study, and the Scripture text as one lesson.
Open with the chapter’s first image
Psalms 140:1: “Deliver me, O LORD, from the evil man: preserve me from the violent man;”
Slow down at the turning point
Psalms 140:7: “O GOD the Lord, the strength of my salvation, thou hast covered my head in the day of battle.”
Keep this word trail visible
LORD, evil, Selah, violent, wicked, head
What to explain, in order
Teach the passage in this order. Each step names the verses it rests on, so every point can be shown in the text before it is applied.
Psalms 140:1-3
Hearts that plot, tongues that poison
Begin with the request: deliver me from the evil man, preserve me from the violent man. Then describe the danger in the order the psalm does: mischief imagined in the heart, constant gathering for war, tongues sharpened like a serpent's, adders' poison under the lips. Explain that Paul quotes 140:3 in Romans 3:13 to describe human sin. Mark the first Selah as a pause. Teach this first because violence begins in plans and in words.
Psalms 140:4-5
Snares by the wayside
The request comes again, keep me and preserve me, and the threat changes shape: the proud have hidden a snare, cords, a net by the wayside, gins. Explain gins as traps, from the same root as engine, not anything to drink. Teach that the danger is secret; the psalmist does not know where the next trap lies. A second Selah marks a pause. This step speaks to those in the room who face hidden hostility at work or at home.
Psalms 140:6-8
Thou art my God
Now the confession: “Thou art my God”. Explain this as the turning point of the psalm. The psalmist names his God, asks to be heard, and remembers that God covered his head in the day of battle, like a helmet. Then he asks that the wicked not get what they want. A third Selah follows. Teach this as the centre: belonging to God is the ground of confidence in danger.
Psalms 140:9-11
Let it fall on them
Tell the class plainly that these verses are hard. The psalmist asks that the mischief of the enemies' lips would cover them, that burning coals fall on them, that they be cast into fire and deep pits, and that evil hunt the violent man. Explain that this is prayer addressed to God, asking that evil return on those who plan it, as in Psalm 7:15-16. Make clear it is not instruction for human retaliation, and connect it with Romans 12:19-20, which speaks of coals of fire in a very different way.
Psalms 140:12-13
The cause of the afflicted
End on certainty: “I know that the LORD will maintain the cause of the afflicted, and the right of the poor.” Explain maintain the cause as take up the case, as an advocate does. Then the last verse: the righteous will give thanks, and the upright will dwell in his presence. Teach that the psalm's final hope is not the enemy's destruction but God's justice for the weak and life with him. Close by praying for those who are afflicted and poor.
Where learners get stuck
The misreadings this passage tends to produce, and how to answer each from the text.
“Verses 9-11 mean I can wish disaster on my enemies.”
These verses are prayer to God, asking that violent people be caught by their own evil. The psalmist does not act; he hands the case to God and ends in thanksgiving (140:13). Jesus taught love for enemies (Matthew 5:44), and Paul says to feed a hungry enemy and leave vengeance to God (Romans 12:19-20). Teach the psalm as lament handed over, never as permission for spite.
“Gins means alcohol.”
In 140:5 gins are traps, devices for catching animals or birds; the word is related to engine. The verse lists four kinds of trap: snare, cords, net and gins. Explain it plainly and move on. The point is the hidden danger laid along the path the psalmist has to walk.
“If I am being attacked, God must not be with me.”
The psalmist is attacked by violent schemers, and yet he says “Thou art my God” (140:6) and remembers that God “covered my head in the day of battle” (140:7). Attack is not proof of abandonment. The psalm gives words to anyone under hostility, and it ends with confidence that God maintains the cause of the afflicted (140:12).
“Selah tells us exactly how the psalm was performed.”
Selah appears after verses 3, 5 and 8, and its exact meaning is uncertain. It probably marks a pause or a musical interlude. Use it as a moment to stop and reflect, but do not claim more certainty about how the psalm was performed than we actually have.
Learning objectives
- Identify the three forms of danger named in verses 1–5.
- Explain the serpent, snare, and battle images.
- Trace the psalmist’s confession of God amid the requests for rescue.
- Handle the judgment petitions in verses 8–11 as prayer to God, not private authorization.
- Explain the social claim about afflicted and poor people in verse 12.
- Describe the movement from danger to confidence in God’s presence.
Teacher preparation
- Mark the three Selahs after verses 3, 5, and 8 as structural pauses without pretending the term’s exact musical function is certain.
- Prepare 'gins' in verse 5 as traps or snares, not beverages. The KJV can occasionally rescue a lesson from becoming much stranger than David intended.
- Read the snake-tongue image in verse 3 beside the trap images in verse 5 and note how speech and strategy work together.
- Treat verses 9–11 as imprecatory prayer addressed to God. Do not convert burning coals, fire, and pits into instructions for human retaliation.
- Keep verses 12–13 visible throughout. The psalm’s final confidence is specifically that the Lord maintains the afflicted and poor and that the upright dwell in his presence.
Evidence and interpretation checks
Explicit
Verses 1–5 explicitly name violent men, evil plans, poisonous speech, hidden snares, cords, nets, and traps.
Scripture-supported
Verses 6–7 explicitly confess 'Thou art my God' and call the Lord the strength of salvation who covered the speaker’s head in battle.
Strong inference
The placement of verse 12 after the imprecations strongly interprets the requested downfall of violent people in terms of God defending those they afflict, not mere personal irritation.
Possible or traditional reading
Some readers interpret the burning coals and pits in verses 10–11 as literal desired punishments, others as conventional poetic judgment imagery. Either way, the petitions remain directed to God.
Limit
Psalm 140 does not identify the violent opponents or give the worshiper authority to execute the requested judgments. The speaker asks God to act and waits on God’s justice.
Discussion with answer guidance
1. What makes the opponents dangerous before any weapon is mentioned?
What a good answer contains
Their hearts and their tongues. They “imagine mischiefs in their heart; continually are they gathered together for war” (140:2), and “They have sharpened their tongues like a serpent; adders’ poison is under their lips” (140:3). The danger starts with scheming and with speech. A good answer names the plotting and the poisonous words. A weak answer starts with weapons.
Show teacher guidance
Verses 2–3 begin with imagined mischief, continual gathering for war, sharpened tongues, and verbal poison.
2. How do the traps in verses 4–5 expand the danger?
What a good answer contains
They show hidden strategy: “The proud have hid a snare for me, and cords; they have spread a net by the wayside; they have set gins for me” (140:5). Gins are traps. A good answer sees that the threat is not only open violence but secret plans laid along the path. A weak answer treats the traps as a repeat of verse 1.
Show teacher guidance
The threat is not only open violence but hidden strategy: snare, cords, net, and gins placed in the path.
3. What confession interrupts the danger in verse 6?
What a good answer contains
“I said unto the LORD, Thou art my God: hear the voice of my supplications, O LORD” (140:6). In the middle of danger he declares whom he belongs to, then asks to be heard. A good answer sees identity and petition come together in one line. A weak answer skips the confession and goes straight to the request.
Show teacher guidance
The speaker says to the Lord, 'Thou art my God,' then asks him to hear. Identity and petition meet in one line.
4. What does the covered head in verse 7 suggest?
What a good answer contains
Protection in battle: “O GOD the Lord, the strength of my salvation, thou hast covered my head in the day of battle” (140:7). God has been his helmet. A good answer connects the covered head with God as the strength of salvation and sees that the psalmist is remembering past protection. A weak answer reads the verse as unrelated to the danger around it.
Show teacher guidance
It is protection in battle. Keep the image connected to the Lord as strength of salvation.
5. What is the psalmist asking in verses 8–11?
What a good answer contains
He asks God not to grant the desires of the wicked (140:8), that “the mischief of their own lips” would cover them (140:9), that burning coals fall on them (140:10), and that “evil shall hunt the violent man to overthrow him” (140:11). A good answer sees that every request is addressed to God and that the harm asked for is their own evil coming back on them. A weak answer turns these verses into a plan for human revenge.
Show teacher guidance
He asks God to frustrate wicked desire and turn destructive consequences back on violent speakers. Keep God as the actor addressed.
6. Where does the psalm finally rest in verses 12–13?
What a good answer contains
“I know that the LORD will maintain the cause of the afflicted, and the right of the poor. Surely the righteous shall give thanks unto thy name: the upright shall dwell in thy presence” (140:12-13). Certainty about God's justice for the weak, then thanks and life in his presence. A good answer sees that the psalm ends in confidence, not in revenge. A weak answer forgets the last two verses.
Show teacher guidance
On certainty that the Lord maintains the cause of the afflicted and poor, followed by thanksgiving and the upright dwelling in his presence.
Responsible application
Watch both speech and systems
Use verses 2–5 when assessing harm: identify poisonous language and the less visible arrangements, incentives, or traps that allow the harm to continue.
Keep judgment in God’s court
Use verses 8–11 to distinguish asking God for justice from taking personal vengeance into one’s own hands.
Center the afflicted in evaluation
Use verse 12 as a test for community policy: ask how the decision affects people with the least power before declaring it successful.
Session plans
Two timings of the same lesson. The shorter keeps the reading, the central discussion and one response; the longer gives the confusions and the application their own time.
45 minutes
Plotting and poison
Read 140:1-3 and take question one. Point out the Selahs.
Hidden traps
Read 140:4-5 and take question two and confusion two.
Thou art my God
Read 140:6-8 and take questions three and four.
Hard verses
Read 140:9-11 and take question five and confusion one.
The cause of the afflicted
Read 140:12-13 and take question six and confusion three.
Handout and prayer
Give out the handout, read the key verse together, and pray for those who face violence.
90 minutes
Words that wound
Ask how words can be as dangerous as weapons. Read the psalm.
Serpent tongues
Read 140:1-3 with Romans 3:13-18. Take question one and confusion four.
Snares
Read 140:4-5 and take question two and confusion two.
Thou art my God
Read 140:6-8 and Ephesians 6:17, and take questions three and four.
Handing it over
Read 140:9-11 with Psalm 7:14-16 and Romans 12:17-21. Take question five and confusion one.
God maintains the cause
Read 140:12-13 with Proverbs 22:22-23. Take question six and confusion three.
Praying for the afflicted
Pray for those suffering violence, naming situations the group knows of where that is appropriate, without gossip.
Handout
Give out the handout and read the key verse together.
Adapting the lesson
Children
Talk about traps: hold up a drawing of a hidden net and ask how you can avoid something you cannot see. Say that the man in this psalm asked God to protect him from people who planned to hurt him. Read 140:6 and 140:12. Leave out the burning coals and the pits. Make sure the children know which adult to tell if someone is threatening them.
Youth
Read 140:3 and ask where they see words used like poison. Talk about hidden traps, people who seem friendly but plan harm. Then read 140:6-7 and discuss what it means to say to God, you are my God. Handle verses 9-11 honestly and point them to Romans 12:19-21.
Adults
Adults can discuss prayers against enemies in the Psalms, Paul's use of 140:3 and the meaning of Selah. Some may be facing real hostility or abuse; give them space and point them to 140:12. Keep the hard verses addressed to God and away from any desire for personal revenge. Pray for the afflicted and the poor in your own community.
One to one
If the person is facing hostility, read the psalm with them and let them choose which verses express their prayer. Do not hurry them past anger, but lead them to 140:6 and 140:12. If they are in danger, help them get safe and find practical help. Pray 140:7 over them.
Song and video learning lab
A song or video may interpret, compress, or dramatize the text. Its value becomes clearer when its choices are compared with Scripture.
- Before the media: the exact passage and its central movement.
- During the media: the words, people, events, and emotions the artist emphasizes.
- After the media: what it clarifies, what it leaves out, and what belongs back in the biblical text.
Handout
One page for learners to take home. The print button prints this section alone.
Psalms 140:1–13
The passage in brief
Psalm 140 is a prayer for rescue from violent people who plan harm in their hearts, use their words like snake poison and hide traps along the path. In the middle of danger David says to the Lord, you are my God, and remembers that God has protected his head in battle. He asks God to let the evil of the wicked fall back on them. He ends sure that the Lord will defend the afflicted and the poor.
A verse to keep
I know that the LORD will maintain the cause of the afflicted, and the right of the poor.
Psalms 140:12 · King James Version
Questions to take home
How do the enemies first show their danger in 140:2-3?
What does David say to the Lord in 140:6?
What is David sure of in 140:12?
This week
When you feel threatened this week, say to God, thou art my God, and ask him to hear you.
Music and video connected to the passage
Related media appears when its Scripture reference overlaps this study. Music and video can illuminate a theme while the biblical text remains the foundation.
