The Meaning of Psalms 139:21 Explained

Psalms 139:21

KJV: Do not I hate them, O LORD, that hate thee? and am not I grieved with those that rise up against thee?

YLT: Do not I hate, Jehovah, those hating Thee? And with Thy withstanders grieve myself?

Darby: Do not I hate them, O Jehovah, that hate thee? and do not I loathe them that rise up against thee?

ASV: Do not I hate them, O Jehovah, that hate thee? And am not I grieved with those that rise up against thee?

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Do not I hate  them, O LORD,  that hate  thee? and am not I grieved  with those that rise up  against thee? 

What does Psalms 139:21 Mean?

Context Summary

Psalms 139:14-24 - God's Thoughts And Ours
God's creative power, Psalms 139:14-18. The psalmist goes back to the beginning of life and describes the weaving of our physical nature. Here we may discover a suggestive analogy; for the Church, which is the Body of Christ, has been wrought in secret from its earliest beginnings, and its development continues preparatory to the manifestation in complete beauty and glory at the Lord's coming. "When He shall be manifested, we shall be manifested with Him in glory," Colossians 3:1-4. Remember, also, that the Christ-life in our hearts is subject to the same secret processes.
The psalm closes with the saints' antagonism to evil, Psalms 139:19-24. The more they meditate on the precious thoughts of God, the more they desire to be freed from the tyranny of evil, whether it shows itself in the ways of evil men or in the inward evil of the heart. Our one cry should be that God would lead us in the way, which is based on eternal principles and which winds ever upward from the lowland valleys, where we have dwelt too long, to those glorious uplands, where God Himself is Sun. [source]

Chapter Summary: Psalms 139

1  David praises God for his all-seeing providence
17  And for this infinite mercies
19  He defies the wicked
23  He prays for sincerity

What do the individual words in Psalms 139:21 mean?

Do not them who hate You Yahweh I hate and those who rise up against You do I not loathe
הֲלֽוֹא־ מְשַׂנְאֶ֖יךָ יְהוָ֥ה ׀ אֶשְׂנָ֑א וּ֝בִתְקוֹמְמֶ֗יךָ אֶתְקוֹטָֽט

הֲלֽוֹא־  Do  not 
Parse: Adverb, Negative particle
Root: הֲלֹא 
Sense: not, no.
מְשַׂנְאֶ֖יךָ  them  who  hate  You 
Parse: Verb, Piel, Participle, masculine plural construct, second person masculine singular
Root: שָׂנֵא  
Sense: to hate, be hateful.
יְהוָ֥ה ׀  Yahweh 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: the proper name of the one true God.
אֶשְׂנָ֑א  I  hate 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, first person common singular
Root: שָׂנֵא  
Sense: to hate, be hateful.
וּ֝בִתְקוֹמְמֶ֗יךָ  and  those  who  rise  up  against  You 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Preposition-b, Noun, masculine plural construct, second person masculine singular
Root: תְּקֹומֵם  
Sense: (Hithpol) a rising against (participle).
אֶתְקוֹטָֽט  do  I  not  loathe 
Parse: Verb, Hitpael, Imperfect, first person common singular
Root: קוּט 
Sense: to loathe, be grieved, feel a loathing.