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Wednesday, April 30th, 2025
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Updated Bible Version

Psalms 64:4

That they may shoot in secret places at the perfect: Suddenly they shoot at him, and aren't afraid.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Malice;   Speaking;   Wicked (People);  

Dictionaries:

- Easton Bible Dictionary - Bow;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Ambush;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Psalms;   Sin;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - God;   Psalms the book of;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Perfect;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
shooting from concealed places at the blameless.They shoot at him suddenly and are not afraid.
Hebrew Names Version
To shoot innocent men from ambushes. They shoot at him suddenly and fearlessly.
King James Version
That they may shoot in secret at the perfect: suddenly do they shoot at him, and fear not.
English Standard Version
shooting from ambush at the blameless, shooting at him suddenly and without fear.
New Century Version
From their hiding places they shoot at innocent people; they shoot suddenly and are not afraid.
New English Translation
in order to shoot down the innocent in secluded places. They shoot at him suddenly and are unafraid of retaliation.
Amplified Bible
To shoot from ambush at the blameless [one]; Suddenly they shoot at him, without fear.
New American Standard Bible
To shoot from concealment at the innocent; Suddenly they shoot at him, and do not fear.
World English Bible
To shoot innocent men from ambushes. They shoot at him suddenly and fearlessly.
Geneva Bible (1587)
To shoote at the vpright in secrete: they shoote at him suddenly, and feare not.
Legacy Standard Bible
To shoot from places of hiding at the blameless;Suddenly they shoot at him, and do not fear.
Berean Standard Bible
ambushing the innocent in seclusion, shooting suddenly, without fear.
Contemporary English Version
They fearlessly ambush and shoot innocent people.
Complete Jewish Bible
They sharpen their tongues like a sword; they aim their arrows, poisoned words,
Darby Translation
That they may shoot in secret at the perfect: suddenly do they shoot at him, and fear not.
Easy-to-Read Version
Suddenly, from their hiding places, they let their arrows fly. They shoot to kill innocent people.
George Lamsa Translation
That they may shoot in secret at the innocent; suddenly do they shoot at him, and fear not.
Good News Translation
They are quick to spread their shameless lies; they destroy good people with cowardly slander.
Lexham English Bible
to shoot from their hiding places at the blameless. Suddenly they shoot at him and do not fear.
Literal Translation
so that they may shoot at the innocent from a lurking place; suddenly they shoot at him, and fear not.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
That they maye preuely hurte ye innocet, & sodely to hit him wt out eny feare.
American Standard Version
That they may shoot in secret places at the perfect: Suddenly do they shoot at him, and fear not.
Bible in Basic English
So that in secret they may let loose their arrows at the upright, suddenly and unseen.
JPS Old Testament (1917)
Who have whet their tongue like a sword, and have aimed their arrow, a poisoned word;
King James Version (1611)
That they may shoote in secret at the perfect: suddenly doe they shoote at him, and feare not.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
That they may priuily shoote at hym which is perfect: they do sodenly shoote at hym and feare not.
Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
to shoot in secret at the blameless; they will shoot him suddenly, and will not fear.
English Revised Version
That they may shoot in secret places at the perfect: suddenly do they shoot at him, and fear not.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
for to schete in priuetees hym that is vnwemmed.
Webster's Bible Translation
That they may shoot in secret at the perfect: suddenly do they shoot at him, and fear not.
New King James Version
That they may shoot in secret at the blameless; Suddenly they shoot at him and do not fear.
New Living Translation
They shoot from ambush at the innocent, attacking suddenly and fearlessly.
New Life Bible
They shoot at the man without blame from their hiding place. They are quick to shoot at him and are not afraid.
New Revised Standard
shooting from ambush at the blameless; they shoot suddenly and without fear.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
To shoot, in secret places, at the blameless one, Suddenly they shoot at him, and fear not.
Douay-Rheims Bible
(63-5) To shoot in secret the undefiled.
Revised Standard Version
shooting from ambush at the blameless, shooting at him suddenly and without fear.
Young's Literal Translation
To shoot in secret places the perfect, Suddenly they shoot him, and fear not.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
To shoot from concealment at the blameless; Suddenly they shoot at him, and do not fear.

Contextual Overview

1 For the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David. Hear my voice, O God, in my complaint: Preserve my life from fear of the enemy. 2 Hide me from the secret counsel of evil-doers, From the tumult of the workers of iniquity; 3 Who have whet their tongue like a sword, And have aimed their arrows, even bitter words, 4 That they may shoot in secret places at the perfect: Suddenly they shoot at him, and aren't afraid. 5 They encourage themselves in an evil purpose; They commune of laying snares secretly; They say, Who will see them? 6 They search out iniquities; We have accomplished, [they say], a diligent search: And the inward thought and the heart of a man is deep.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

shoot: Psalms 10:8, Psalms 10:9, Nehemiah 4:11, Habakkuk 3:14

the perfect: Psalms 59:3, Psalms 59:4, John 19:6, 1 Peter 2:22, 1 Peter 2:23

suddenly: Psalms 64:7, 1 Samuel 18:11, 1 Samuel 19:10, 2 Samuel 15:14

Reciprocal: Genesis 31:1 - Jacob Psalms 11:2 - lo Psalms 31:18 - speak Psalms 35:7 - without Psalms 35:20 - but Psalms 94:4 - shall Psalms 109:2 - the mouth Psalms 140:3 - sharpened Proverbs 18:8 - words Proverbs 24:2 - General Isaiah 32:7 - deviseth Jeremiah 9:3 - they bend Jeremiah 9:8 - tongue Jeremiah 18:22 - and hid Matthew 2:7 - General Matthew 26:3 - assembled James 3:8 - an unruly

Gill's Notes on the Bible

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. Likewise the Messiah, of whom David was a type, may be meant; who has all the perfections of the divine and human nature in him, and is without sin, holy, harmless, pure, and undefiled: and it may be applied to the church and people of God, who, though they are not perfect in themselves, far from it, sin being in them, and their graces weak; unless it be in a comparative sense; yet they are perfect in Christ Jesus, their souls being clothed with his righteousness, and so are the spirits of just men made perfect. And this character may also respect the truth and sincerity of grace in them, and the uprightness of their hearts and conversation; and such as these wicked men level their arrows at, and direct their spite and venom against, and that in the most private and secret manner;

suddenly do they shoot at him; as unseen by him, so unawares to him;

and fear not; neither God nor judgment to come. Though some understand this of the perfect who, though shot at in this manner are intrepid and courageous, and have no fear of their enemies; but the former sense seems best, which describes persons that neither fear God, nor regard man.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

That they may shoot in secret - From an unobserved quarter; from a place where they are so concealed that it cannot be known where the arrows come from. There was a purpose to ruin him, and at the same time to conceal themselves, or not to let him know from what source the ruin came. It was not an open and manly fight, where he could see his enemy, but it was a warfare with a concealed foe.

At the perfect - At the upright; at one who is perfect so far as his treatment of them is concerned. Compare Psalms 18:20, note; Psalms 18:23, note.

Suddenly do they shoot at him - At an unexpected time, and from an unlooked-for quarter. They accomplish what they intended; they carry out their design.

And fear not - They feel confident that they are not known, and that they will not be detected. They have no fear of God or man. Compare Psalms 55:19.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Psalms 64:4. That they may shoot in secret — They lurk, that they may take their aim the more surely, and not miss their mark.

Suddenly — When there is no fear apprehended, because none is seen.


 
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