The Meaning of Psalms 7:5 Explained

Psalms 7:5

KJV: Let the enemy persecute my soul, and take it; yea, let him tread down my life upon the earth, and lay mine honour in the dust. Selah.

YLT: An enemy pursueth my soul, and overtaketh, And treadeth down to the earth my life, And my honour placeth in the dust. Selah.

Darby: Let the enemy pursue after my soul, and take it, and let him tread down my life to the earth, and lay my glory in the dust. Selah.

ASV: Let the enemy pursue my soul, and overtake it; Yea, let him tread my life down to the earth, And lay my glory in the dust. Selah

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Let the enemy  persecute  my soul,  and take  [it]; yea, let him tread down  my life  upon the earth,  and lay  mine honour  in the dust.  Selah. 

What does Psalms 7:5 Mean?

Verse Meaning

He was willing to die at his enemy"s hand if guilty. The terms "soul," "life," and "glory" (NASB) are synonyms restating the fate of David in parallel terms.

Context Summary

Psalms 7:1-17 - Refuge In God From Evil Men
This psalm should be compared with 1 Samuel 24:1-22; 1 Samuel 25:1-44; 1 Samuel 26:1-25. Cush, or "dark-complexioned," may refer to a Benjamite who was David's calumniator with Saul. If David needed deliverance from his foes, how much more do we from Satan! 1 Peter 5:8-9.
So far from being guilty of the offense charged against him, David on two occasions had spared Saul's life, 1 Samuel 24:1-22; 1 Samuel 26:1-25. Mine honor, Psalms 7:5, is probably another word for "soul," Genesis 49:6. It seems as if, Psalms 7:6-9, God has abdicated His throne, and the suppliant is pleading with him to resume it, with no fear as to the verdict. Evil recoils, like the boomerang, on those who set it in motion. Ralph the Rover perished on the Inchcape Rock, whose warning bell he had destroyed. The hunter falls into the pit prepared in the forest track for his prey, Judges 1:7. What a noble prayer in Psalms 7:9! [source]

Chapter Summary: Psalms 7

1  David prays against the malice of his enemies, professing his innocence
10  By faith he sees his defense, and the destruction of his enemies

What do the individual words in Psalms 7:5 mean?

Let pursue the enemy me and overtake [me] and Yes let him trample to the earth my life and my honor in the dust lay Selah
יִֽרַדֹּ֥ף אוֹיֵ֨ב ׀ נַפְשִׁ֡י וְיַשֵּׂ֗ג וְיִרְמֹ֣ס לָאָ֣רֶץ חַיָּ֑י וּכְבוֹדִ֓י ׀ לֶעָפָ֖ר יַשְׁכֵּ֣ן סֶֽלָה

יִֽרַדֹּ֥ף  Let  pursue 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: רָדַף  
Sense: to be behind, follow after, pursue, persecute, run after.
אוֹיֵ֨ב ׀  the  enemy 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine singular
Root: אֹיֵב  
Sense: (Qal) enemy.
נַפְשִׁ֡י  me 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct, first person common singular
Root: נֶפֶשׁ  
Sense: soul, self, life, creature, person, appetite, mind, living being, desire, emotion, passion.
וְיַשֵּׂ֗ג  and  overtake  [me] 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Hifil, Conjunctive imperfect Jussive, third person masculine singular
Root: מַשֶּׂגֶת 
Sense: to reach, overtake, take hold upon.
וְיִרְמֹ֣ס  and  Yes  let  him  trample 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Qal, Conjunctive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: רָמַס  
Sense: to trample.
לָאָ֣רֶץ  to  the  earth 
Parse: Preposition-l, Article, Noun, feminine singular
Root: אֶרֶץ  
Sense: land, earth.
חַיָּ֑י  my  life 
Parse: Noun, masculine plural construct, first person common singular
Root: חַי 
Sense: living, alive.
וּכְבוֹדִ֓י ׀  and  my  honor 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, masculine singular construct, first person common singular
Root: כָּבֹוד  
Sense: glory, honour, glorious, abundance.
לֶעָפָ֖ר  in  the  dust 
Parse: Preposition-l, Article, Noun, masculine singular
Root: עָפָר  
Sense: dry earth, dust, powder, ashes, earth, ground, mortar, rubbish.
יַשְׁכֵּ֣ן  lay 
Parse: Verb, Hifil, Imperfect Jussive, third person masculine singular
Root: שָׁכַן  
Sense: to settle down, abide, dwell, tabernacle, reside.
סֶֽלָה  Selah 
Parse: Interjection
Root: סֶלָה  
Sense: to lift up, exalt.