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Read the Bible

Revised Standard Version

Psalms 7:16

His mischief returns upon his own head, and on his own pate his violence descends.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Pit;   Wicked (People);   Thompson Chain Reference - Retribution;   Reward-Punishment;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Malice;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Pate;   Shiggaion;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Psalms, book of;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Abigail;   David;   Esther;   Haman;   Meshach;   Net;   Shimei;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Suffering;   Violence;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Cush;   English Versions;   Head;   Psalms;   Sin;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Pate;   The Hawker's Poor Man's Concordance And Dictionary - Shiggaion;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Psalms the book of;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Crown;   Head;   Mischief;   Pate;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - AḥiḴar;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
His trouble comes back on his own head;his own violence comes down on top of his head.
Hebrew Names Version
The trouble he causes shall return to his own head. His violence shall come down on the crown of his own head.
King James Version
His mischief shall return upon his own head, and his violent dealing shall come down upon his own pate.
English Standard Version
His mischief returns upon his own head, and on his own skull his violence descends.
New Century Version
They will get themselves into trouble; the violence they cause will hurt only themselves.
New English Translation
He becomes the victim of his own destructive plans and the violence he intended for others falls on his own head.
Amplified Bible
His mischief will return on his own head, And his violence will come down on the top of his head [like loose dirt].
New American Standard Bible
His harm will return on his own head, And his violence will descend on the top of his own head.
World English Bible
The trouble he causes shall return to his own head. His violence shall come down on the crown of his own head.
Geneva Bible (1587)
His mischiefe shall returne vpon his owne head, & his crueltie shall fall vpon his owne pate.
Legacy Standard Bible
His mischief will return upon his own head,And his violence will descend upon his own skull.
Berean Standard Bible
His trouble recoils on himself, and his violence falls on his own head.
Contemporary English Version
The trouble they cause comes back on them, and their heads are crushed by their own evil deeds.
Complete Jewish Bible
He makes a pit, digs it deep, and falls into the hole he made.
Darby Translation
His mischief shall return upon his own head, and his violence shall come down upon his own pate.
Easy-to-Read Version
The trouble they cause will come back on them. They plan harm for others, but they are the ones who will be hurt.
George Lamsa Translation
His mischief shall return upon his own head, and his iniquity upon his own pate.
Good News Translation
So they are punished by their own evil and are hurt by their own violence.
Lexham English Bible
His trouble comes back on his head, and his violence comes down on his skull.
Literal Translation
His mischief shall return on his own head, and his violence shall come down on his own crown.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
For his vnhappynes shall come vpon his owne heade, & his wickednes shall fall vpon his owne pate.
American Standard Version
His mischief shall return upon his own head, And his violence shall come down upon his own pate.
Bible in Basic English
His wrongdoing will come back to him, and his violent behaviour will come down on his head.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
He hath digged a pit, and hollowed it, and is fallen into the ditch which he made.
King James Version (1611)
His mischiefe shall returne vpon his owne head, and his violent dealing shall come downe vpon his owne pate.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
For his labour shall come vpon his owne head: and his wickednesse shall fall vpon his owne pate.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
His trouble shall return on his own head, and his unrighteousness shall come down on his own crown.
English Revised Version
His mischief shall return upon his own head, and his violence shall come down upon his own pate.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
His sorewe schal be turned in to his heed; and his wickidnesse schal come doun in to his necke.
Update Bible Version
His mischief shall return on his own head, And his violence shall come down on his own pate.
Webster's Bible Translation
His mischief shall return upon his own head, and his violent dealing shall come down upon his own pate.
New King James Version
His trouble shall return upon his own head, And his violent dealing shall come down on his own crown.
New Living Translation
The trouble they make for others backfires on them. The violence they plan falls on their own heads.
New Life Bible
The trouble he makes will return to him. When he hurts others it will come down on his own head.
New Revised Standard
Their mischief returns upon their own heads, and on their own heads their violence descends.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
His mischief, turneth back, on his own head, - and, on his own crown, his violence, descendeth.
Douay-Rheims Bible
(7-17) His sorrow shall be turned on his own head: and his iniquity shall come down upon his crown.
Young's Literal Translation
Return doth his perverseness on his head, And on his crown his violence cometh down.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
His mischief will return upon his own head, And his violence will descend upon his own pate.

Contextual Overview

10 My shield is with God, who saves the upright in heart. 11 God is a righteous judge, and a God who has indignation every day. 12 If a man does not repent, God will whet his sword; he has bent and strung his bow; 13 he has prepared his deadly weapons, making his arrows fiery shafts. 14 Behold, the wicked man conceives evil, and is pregnant with mischief, and brings forth lies. 15 He makes a pit, digging it out, and falls into the hole which he has made. 16 His mischief returns upon his own head, and on his own pate his violence descends. 17 I will give to the LORD the thanks due to his righteousness, and I will sing praise to the name of the LORD, the Most High.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Psalms 36:4, Psalms 36:12, Psalms 37:12, Psalms 37:13, 1 Samuel 23:9, 1 Samuel 24:12, 1 Samuel 24:13, 1 Samuel 26:10, 1 Samuel 28:19, 1 Samuel 31:3, 1 Samuel 31:4, 1 Kings 2:32, Esther 9:25, Malachi 2:3-5

Reciprocal: Judges 9:24 - That the 1 Samuel 17:51 - his sword 1 Samuel 25:39 - hath returned 2 Samuel 3:39 - the Lord 2 Samuel 17:11 - in thine 1 Kings 2:44 - return 1 Kings 21:19 - In the place 2 Kings 16:8 - to the king Esther 7:9 - Behold Job 5:13 - taketh Psalms 9:15 - General Psalms 10:2 - let Psalms 18:48 - violent man Psalms 35:8 - net Psalms 55:23 - O God Psalms 57:6 - a net Psalms 94:23 - And he Psalms 140:9 - let the mischief Psalms 141:10 - the wicked Proverbs 5:22 - His Proverbs 11:6 - but Proverbs 11:27 - he that seeketh Proverbs 21:7 - robbery Proverbs 24:16 - but Proverbs 26:27 - diggeth Proverbs 28:10 - he shall Ecclesiastes 10:8 - that

Cross-References

Genesis 7:1
Then the LORD said to Noah, "Go into the ark, you and all your household, for I have seen that you are righteous before me in this generation.
Genesis 7:2
Take with you seven pairs of all clean animals, the male and his mate; and a pair of the animals that are not clean, the male and his mate;
Genesis 7:3
and seven pairs of the birds of the air also, male and female, to keep their kind alive upon the face of all the earth.
Genesis 7:4
For in seven days I will send rain upon the earth forty days and forty nights; and every living thing that I have made I will blot out from the face of the ground."
Genesis 7:5
And Noah did all that the LORD had commanded him.
Genesis 7:10
And after seven days the waters of the flood came upon the earth.
Deuteronomy 33:27
The eternal God is your dwelling place, and underneath are the everlasting arms. And he thrust out the enemy before you, and said, Destroy.
Psalms 46:2
Therefore we will not fear though the earth should change, though the mountains shake in the heart of the sea;
Proverbs 3:23
Then you will walk on your way securely and your foot will not stumble.
Matthew 25:10
And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went in with him to the marriage feast; and the door was shut.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

His 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, 1 Samuel 26:10.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

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 Psalms 9:15; Psalms 35:8; Psalms 37:15. Compare Eurip. Med. 409, and Lucretius v. 1151.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Psalms 7:16. 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.


 
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