Psalms 9:15
The heathen are sunk down in the pit that they made: in the net which they hid is their own foot taken.
Original Language Analysis
ג֭וֹיִם
The heathen
H1471
ג֭וֹיִם
The heathen
Strong's:
H1471
Word #:
2 of 9
a foreign nation; hence, a gentile; also (figuratively) a troop of animals, or a flight of locusts
בְּשַׁ֣חַת
in the pit
H7845
בְּשַׁ֣חַת
in the pit
Strong's:
H7845
Word #:
3 of 9
a pit (especially as a trap); figuratively, destruction
עָשׂ֑וּ
that they made
H6213
עָשׂ֑וּ
that they made
Strong's:
H6213
Word #:
4 of 9
to do or make, in the broadest sense and widest application
Cross References
Psalms 57:6They have prepared a net for my steps; my soul is bowed down: they have digged a pit before me, into the midst whereof they are fallen themselves. Selah.Psalms 35:8Let destruction come upon him at unawares; and let his net that he hath hid catch himself: into that very destruction let him fall.Proverbs 5:22His own iniquities shall take the wicked himself, and he shall be holden with the cords of his sins.Proverbs 22:8He that soweth iniquity shall reap vanity: and the rod of his anger shall fail.Psalms 94:23And he shall bring upon them their own iniquity, and shall cut them off in their own wickedness; yea, the LORD our God shall cut them off.
Historical Context
Reflects ancient Near Eastern warfare where armies would dig pits and set snares for enemies, only to sometimes fall victim to their own devices.
Questions for Reflection
- How have you seen destructive patterns in your own life catch up with you?
- What does God's justice teach us about the nature of sin?
Analysis & Commentary
This verse illustrates the principle of divine retribution—the wicked fall into their own traps. The Hebrew concept of 'mishpat' (judgment) here reveals God's providential ordering where sin contains its own punishment. This anticipates Paul's teaching that God 'gives them over' to their sin's consequences (Romans 1:24-28).