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Salmos 140

ARC · Chapter 140/150

1Livra-me, ó Senhor, do homem mau: guarda-me do homem violento;

2Que pensa o mal no coração: continuamente se ajuntam para a guerra.

3Aguçaram as linguas como a serpente; o veneno das viboras está debaixo dos seus labios (Selah).

4Guarda-me, ó Senhor, das mãos do impio; guarda-me do homem violento, os quaes se propozeram empuxar os meus passos.

5Os soberbos armaram-me laços e cordas; estenderam a rede ao lado do caminho: armaram-me laços corrediços (Selah).

6Eu disse ao Senhor: Tu és o meu Deus: ouve a voz das minhas supplicas, ó Senhor.

7Senhor Deus, fortaleza da minha salvação, tu cobriste a minha cabeça no dia da batalha.

8Não concedas, ó Senhor, ao impio os seus desejos: não promovas o seu mau proposito, para que não se exalte (Selah).

9Quanto á cabeça dos que me cercam, cubra-os a maldade dos seus labios.

10Caiam sobre elles brazas vivas: sejam lançados no fogo: em covas profundas para que se não tornem a levantar.

11Não terá firmeza na terra o homem de má lingua: o mal perseguirá o homem violento até que seja desterrado.

12Sei que o Senhor sustentará a causa do opprimido, e o direito do necessitado.

13Assim os justos louvarão o teu nome: os rectos habitarão na tua presença.

📖 Chapter study

Summary

An urgent plea for protection against violent, slanderous men who set traps and speak with 'tongues sharp as a serpent,' ending with confidence that God will maintain the cause of the oppressed.

Explanation

This personal lament psalm uses vivid images of danger — traps, nets, serpent venom — to describe both physical and verbal threats (slander and manipulation), showing that the Bible recognizes the violence of words as a real form of aggression, not only physical attacks. The closing confidence that 'the Lord will maintain the cause of the afflicted' (v. 12) reflects a recurring theme of the psalter: God cares specifically for those who have no power to defend themselves. The application for today is seeking refuge in God both in the face of physical threats and in the face of slander, gossip, or verbal manipulation.

Fun facts

  • The comparison of wicked tongues to 'the poison of asps' (v. 3) is quoted by Paul in Romans 3:13 as part of a broader description of humanity's sinful condition.
  • This psalm is attributed to David and likely reflects periods of political persecution, possibly during Saul's reign or Absalom's rebellion.

Verse-by-verse explanation

  1. Salmos 140:1The request for protection begins broadly, with two general categories of danger — the evil man and the violent man — before the following verses get into specific details.
  2. Salmos 140:2The evil described begins as an inward thought and becomes collective action: it is first planned in the heart, then becomes people gathering on purpose for conflict.
  3. Salmos 140:3Comparing the tongue to a snake’s poison is a vivid way of describing malicious speech. The image says that words of this kind can wound and destroy just as much as a physical attack.
  4. Salmos 140:4The enemies’ specific tactic appears here: it is not a direct attack, it is pushing his steps off the path, a trap more subtle than open confrontation.
  5. Salmos 140:5Snares, cords, and nets spread along the path were real hunting tools used at the time. Comparing plots and conspiracies to these traps describes hidden dangers that the victim only notices too late.
  6. Salmos 140:6Even before the request comes the declaration of belonging: “Thou art my God” — reaffirming the relationship first, before presenting the plea.
  7. Salmos 140:7The image is military: the head “covered” on the day of battle recalls a protective helmet, used here to describe real deliverances already experienced before.
  8. Salmos 140:8The request is not just that the evil fail, it is that it never even happen: blocking the wicked man’s desire before he manages to exalt himself because of it.
  9. Salmos 140:9It is a request for mirrored justice: that the very evil coming out of the enemies’ mouths come back to cover them, their own weapon becoming the cause of their downfall.
  10. Salmos 140:10Burning coals, fire, and deep pits pick back up, as punishment, the very same trap-tools the enemies had prepared earlier. A logic where the evil planned for someone else ends up falling back on the one who planned it.
  11. Salmos 140:11It sounds like a proverb: whoever speaks evil finds no stability on earth, and evil itself hunts the violent man down until it finally drives him out for good.
  12. Salmos 140:12The tone shifts from a personal request to a statement of general principle: this is not just his own hope, it is a certainty about how God treats any oppressed person.
  13. Salmos 140:13The psalm ends with an expected consequence: in light of this justice, the righteous will give thanks and the upright will be able to live securely in God’s presence.

Chapters

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