Psalm 11 Text

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Listen & Read: Psalm 11

Read along and listen to our audio recordings for Psalm 11. Choose between simple, unaffected audio recordings (in Hebrew or English), or a dramatized reading that takes into account our emotional, discourse, and poetic analyses. You can also choose between a text-only view, or a view overlaid with our summary At-a-Glance, Expanded Paraphrase, or Participant Analysis tracking.

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Simple Reading (Hebrew)
Forthcoming. 		Simple Reading (English)
Forthcoming.
Dramatic Reading (Hebrew)
Forthcoming. 		Dramatic Reading (English)
Forthcoming.

Text Only (Hebrew and English) The text below is divided according to the psalm's poetic lines. For additional information, see our Poetic Structure layer.

Hebrew Verse English
לַמְנַצֵּ֗חַ לְדָ֫וִ֥ד v. 1a For the director, by David.
בַּֽיהוָ֨ה ׀ חָסִ֗יתִי v. 1b I have sought refuge in YHWH.
אֵ֭יךְ תֹּאמְר֣וּ לְנַפְשִׁ֑י v. 1c How can you say to me,
נ֝֗וּדוּ הַרְכֶ֥ם צִפּֽוֹר׃ v. 1d "Flee to your mountain, birds!
כִּ֤י הִנֵּ֪ה הָרְשָׁעִ֡ים יִדְרְכ֬וּן קֶ֗שֶׁת v. 2a For look! The wicked people are about to bend the bow.
כּוֹנְנ֣וּ חִצָּ֣ם עַל־יֶ֑תֶר v. 2b They have put their arrows in place on the string
לִיר֥וֹת בְּמוֹ־אֹ֝֗פֶל לְיִשְׁרֵי־לֵֽב׃ v. 2c in order to shoot in deep darkness at the upright in heart.
כִּ֣י הַ֭שָּׁתוֹת יֵֽהָרֵס֑וּן v. 3a For the foundations are about to be destroyed.
צַ֝דִּ֗יק מַה־פָּעָֽל׃ v. 3b What has the righteous person done?"
יְהוָ֤ה ׀ בְּֽהֵ֘יכַ֤ל קָדְשׁ֗וֹ v. 4a YHWH is in his holy temple;
יְהוָה֮ בַּשָּׁמַ֪יִם כִּ֫סְא֥וֹ v. 4b YHWH – his throne is in heaven.
עֵינָ֥יו יֶחֱז֑וּ v. 4c His eyes observe;
עַפְעַפָּ֥יו יִ֝בְחֲנ֗וּ בְּנֵ֣י אָדָֽם׃ v. 4d his eyelids test humans.
יְהוָה֮ צַדִּ֪יק יִ֫בְחָ֥ן v. 5a YHWH refines the righteous person,
וְ֭רָשָׁע וְאֹהֵ֣ב חָמָ֑ס שָֽׂנְאָ֥ה נַפְשֽׁוֹ׃ v. 5b but his soul hates the wicked person, who loves violence.
יַמְטֵ֥ר עַל־רְשָׁעִ֗ים פַּ֫חִ֥ים v. 6a May he rain traps on wicked people!
אֵ֣שׁ וְ֭גָפְרִית וְר֥וּחַ זִלְעָפ֗וֹת מְנָ֣ת כּוֹסָֽם׃ v. 6b May the portion in their cup be fire, brimstone, and a scorching wind!
כִּֽי־צַדִּ֣יק יְ֭הוָה צְדָק֣וֹת אָהֵ֑ב v. 7a For YHWH is righteous; he loves righteous acts;
יָ֝שָׁ֗ר יֶחֱז֥וּ פָנֵֽימוֹ׃ v. 7b the upright people will look at his face.

Structure Overlay Below, the text has been overlaid with our summary structural analysis. For details on the structure, see the Structure At-a-Glance here.

Text (Hebrew) Verse Text (CBC)
לַמְנַצֵּ֗חַ לְדָ֫וִ֥ד 1a For the director. By David.
בַּֽיהוָ֨ה ׀ חָסִ֗יתִי 1b I have sought refuge in YHWH.
אֵ֭יךְ תֹּאמְר֣וּ לְנַפְשִׁ֑י 1c How can you say to me,
נ֝֗וּדִו הַרְכֶ֥ם צִפּֽוֹר׃ 1d "Flee to your mountain, birds!
כִּ֤י הִנֵּ֪ה הָרְשָׁעִ֡ים יִדְרְכ֬וּן קֶ֗שֶׁת 2a For look! the wicked people are about to bend the bow.
כּוֹנְנ֣וּ חִצָּ֣ם עַל־יֶ֑תֶר 2b They have put their arrows in place on the string
לִיר֥וֹת בְּמוֹ־אֹ֝֗פֶל לְיִשְׁרֵי־לֵֽב׃ 2c in order to shoot in deep darkness at the upright in heart.
כִּ֣י הַ֭שָּׁתוֹת יֵֽהָרֵס֑וּן 3a For the foundations are about to be destroyed.
צַ֝דִּ֗יק מַה־פָּעָֽל׃ 3b What has the righteous person done?"
יְהוָ֤ה ׀ בְּֽהֵ֘יכַ֤ל קָדְשׁ֗וֹ 4a YHWH is in his holy temple.
יְהוָה֮ בַּשָּׁמַ֪יִם כִּ֫סְא֥וֹ 4b YHWH – his throne is in heaven.
עֵינָ֥יו יֶחֱז֑וּ 4c His eyes observe.
עַפְעַפָּ֥יו יִ֝בְחֲנ֗וּ בְּנֵ֣י אָדָֽם׃ 4d His eyelids test humans.
יְהוָה֮ צַדִּ֪יק יִ֫בְחָ֥ן 5a YHWH refines the righteous person,
וְ֭רָשָׁע וְאֹהֵ֣ב חָמָ֑ס שָֽׂנְאָ֥ה נַפְשֽׁוֹ׃ 5b but his soul hates the wicked person, who loves violence.
יַמְטֵ֥ר עַל־רְשָׁעִ֗ים פַּ֫חִ֥ים 6a May he rain traps on wicked people!
אֵ֣שׁ וְ֭גָפְרִית וְר֥וּחַ זִלְעָפ֗וֹת מְנָ֣ת כּוֹסָֽם׃ 6b May the portion in their cup be fire, brimstone, and a scorching wind!
כִּֽי־צַדִּ֣יק יְ֭הוָה 7a For YHWH is righteous;
צְדָק֣וֹת אָהֵ֑ב 7b he loves righteous acts;
יָ֝שָׁ֗ר יֶחֱז֥וּ פָנֵֽימוֹ׃ 7c the upright people will look at his face.

Expanded paraphrase The expanded paraphrase seeks to capture the implicit information within the text and make it explicit for readers today. It is based on the CBC translation and uses italic text to provide the most salient background information, presuppositions, entailments, and inferences.

Text (Hebrew) Verse Expanded Paraphrase
לַמְנַצֵּ֗חַ לְדָ֫וִ֥ד בַּֽיהוָ֨ה ׀ חָסִ֗יתִי אֵ֭יךְ תֹּאמְר֣וּ לְנַפְשִׁ֑י נ֝֗וּדוּ הַרְכֶ֥ם צִפּֽוֹר׃ 1 For the director. By David. I have sought refuge in YHWH my king and therefore I am safe from all harm. How then can you my military advisors say to me,"You and those you are with you should Flee from here and go to your mountain, because you are like birds which are about to be trapped! We are under siege, and we have no hope of a successful defense, and a besieged king is like a trapped bird who should flee if he can.
כִּ֤י הִנֵּ֪ה הָרְשָׁעִ֡ים יִדְרְכ֬וּן קֶ֗שֶׁת כּוֹנְנ֣וּ חִצָּ֣ם עַל־יֶ֑תֶר לִיר֥וֹת בְּמוֹ־אֹ֝֗פֶל לְיִשְׁרֵי־לֵֽב׃ 2 You should flee because the enemy is preparing for an all-out assault on our city! For look! The wicked people those who oppose YHWH's people are about to bend and put the string on the bow. Bows are a critical offensive weapon in a siege. They have now already bent and strung the bow. The assault is beginning. They have put their arrows in place on the string in order to shoot in deep darkness an image of calamity at the upright in heart who are in the city and have done no wrong so as to deserve this.
כִּ֣י הַ֭שָּׁתוֹת יֵֽהָרֵס֑וּן צַ֝דִּ֗יק מַה־פָּעָֽל׃ 3 You should flee For the foundations of our city wall are about to be destroyed. Cities are protected by fortifications which have foundations, and a besieging army would sometimes attempt to destroy the foundations of a defensive structure. What has the righteous person done to deserve this?" The righteous have done nothing to deserve this! YHWH has unjustly brought this crisis about for no good reason, which means we can no longer trust him for protection, which means that the only way for you to be safe is for you to flee.
יְהוָ֤ה ׀ בְּֽהֵ֘יכַ֤ל קָדְשׁ֗וֹ יְהוָה֮ בַּשָּׁמַ֪יִם כִּ֫סְא֥וֹ עֵינָ֥יו יֶחֱז֑וּ עַפְעַפָּ֥יו יִ֝בְחֲנ֗וּ בְּנֵ֣י אָדָֽם׃ 4 You say all this because you are forgetting who YHWH is. YHWH, in whom I have taken refuge is the supreme king over the whole world. YHWH is in his holy temple; in the heavens YHWH – his throne is not on the earth but in heaven. Just as it is the responsibility of an earthly king to execute justice in his land so YHWH will execute justice in the world. In order to execute justice, YHWH needs to know who is righteous and who is wicked. That's why His eyes observe; That's why his eyelids test humans like a goldsmith tests a precious metal to determine its quality.
יְהוָה֮ צַדִּ֪יק יִ֫בְחָ֥ן וְ֭רָשָׁע וְאֹהֵ֣ב חָמָ֑ס שָֽׂנְאָ֥ה נַפְשֽׁוֹ׃ 5 Since YHWH knows who is righteous and who is wicked, he can deal with each accordingly. YHWH refines the righteous person just as a goldsmith refines a precious metal in the fire. YHWH loves the righteous and the difficulties they experience, like the one which we are experiencing, are meant to refine them, not to destroy them, but he doesn't refine the wicked. Instead, his soul hates the wicked person, who loves violence just as those who are attacking us show their love for violence.
יַמְטֵ֥ר עַל־רְשָׁעִ֗ים פַּ֫חִ֥ים אֵ֣שׁ וְ֭גָפְרִית וְר֥וּחַ זִלְעָפ֗וֹת מְנָ֣ת כּוֹסָֽם׃ 6 God rained fire and brimstone on the wicked cities of Sodom and Gomorrah and so demonstrated his justice. May he rain traps which are used to catch birds on wicked people since, despite what it may seem, it is not we but the wicked who will be trapped like birds! May the portion in their cup be fire, brimstone, and a scorching wind! Just as YHWH showed himself to be just when he rained fire and brimstone on Sodom and Gomorrah, so may he do it again.
כִּֽי־צַדִּ֣יק יְ֭הוָה צְדָק֣וֹת אָהֵ֑ב יָ֝שָׁ֗ר יֶחֱז֥וּ פָנֵֽימוֹ׃ 7 My advisors may doubt, but I trust YHWH. For YHWH is righteous; he loves righteous acts and those who do them. Whereas the fate of the wicked is destruction; the upright people will look at his face and so experience his favor and protective presence forever.

Participant Tracking Text Participant Analysis focuses on the characters in the psalm and asks, “Who are the main participants (or characters) in this psalm, and what are they saying or doing? Our full analysis can be found in the Participant Analysis layer.

  Participant Color-Coding

There are 6 participants/characters in Psalm 11:

Profile List

David (v. 1abc)
David and his entourage (v. 1d)
"Birds" (v. 1d)

YHWH (vv. 1b, 4-7)

Advisors (v. 1c)

The righteous (vv. 3b, 5a)
The upright/The upright in heart (vv. 2c, 7c)

The wicked (vv. 2, 3a, 5b, 6)
"Who loves violence" (v. 5b)

Profile Notes

  • The psalmist is identified as David in the superscription. He seeks refuge in YHWH. David and his entourage (=his people) are called "birds"[1] and advised to flee (v. 1). By calling David and his entourage "birds," the advisors imply that David and his people are about to be trapped like birds in a cage, an image of a king and his entourage under siege. David, however, will not flee; he declares that his refuge is in YHWH.
  • YHWH is presented as enthroned in heaven, with his eyes observing and his eyelids testing humans (v. 4). YHWH loves and refines the righteous (v. 5). By contrast, he does not refine the wicked; instead, he hates them (v. 5). YHWH is further described as righteous and as one who loves righteous acts (v. 7).
  • The identity of the group being quoted is not made explicit. However, their presence is implied by the 2mp verb in v. 1c (תֹּאמְר֣וּ), and they occur only in the direct speech addressed to David and his entourage (vv. 1d-3). It seems likely that they are David’s military advisors, who have gathered military intelligence and concluded that the best course of action is for David to flee. [2] Their counsel portrays David and his entourage as vulnerable birds about to be trapped.
  • The righteous in Psalm 11 are identified as the upright in heart whom YHWH refines (vv. 2 and 5). They are also described as the ones who will look upon YHWH’s face (v. 7). This designation most likely refers to righteous people generally, including David and his people (cf. note on v. 5).
  • The wicked in Psalm 11 are described as those who bend the bow and put their arrows on the string to shoot in darkness at the upright in heart (v. 2). They stand in contrast to the righteous, for YHWH does not refine them. They love violence, and YHWH hates them (v. 5).
Hebrew Verse English
לַמְנַצֵּ֗חַ לְדָ֫וִ֥ד v. 1a For the director, by David.
בַּֽיהוָ֨ה ׀ חָסִ֗יתִי v. 1b I have sought refuge in YHWH.
אֵ֭יךְ תֹּאמְר֣וּ לְנַפְשִׁ֑י v. 1c How can you say to me,
נ֝֗וּדוּ הַרְכֶ֥ם צִפּֽוֹר׃ v. 1d "Flee to your mountain, birds!
כִּ֤י הִנֵּ֪ה הָרְשָׁעִ֡ים יִדְרְכ֬וּן קֶ֗שֶׁת v. 2a For look! The wicked people are about to bend the bow.
כּוֹנְנ֣וּ חִצָּ֣ם עַל־יֶ֑תֶר v. 2b They have put their arrows in place on the string
לִיר֥וֹת בְּמוֹ־אֹ֝֗פֶל לְיִשְׁרֵי־לֵֽב׃ v. 2c in order to shoot in deep darkness at the upright in heart.
כִּ֣י הַ֭שָּׁתוֹת יֵֽהָרֵס֑וּן v. 3a For the foundations are about to be destroyed.
צַ֝דִּ֗יק מַה־פָּעָֽל׃ v. 3b What has the righteous person done?"
יְהוָ֤ה ׀ בְּֽהֵ֘יכַ֤ל קָדְשׁ֗וֹ v. 4a YHWH is in his holy temple;
יְהוָה֮ בַּשָּׁמַ֪יִם כִּ֫סְא֥וֹ v. 4b YHWH – his throne is in heaven.
עֵינָ֥יו יֶחֱז֑וּ v. 4c His eyes observe;
עַפְעַפָּ֥יו יִ֝בְחֲנ֗וּ בְּנֵ֣י אָדָֽם׃ v. 4d his eyelids test humans.
יְהוָה֮ צַדִּ֪יק יִ֫בְחָ֥ן v. 5a YHWH refines the righteous person,
וְ֭רָשָׁע וְאֹהֵ֣ב חָמָ֑ס שָֽׂנְאָ֥ה נַפְשֽׁוֹ׃ v. 5b but his soul hates the wicked person, who loves violence.
יַמְטֵ֥ר עַל־רְשָׁעִ֗ים פַּ֫חִ֥ים v. 6a May he rain traps on wicked people!
אֵ֣שׁ וְ֭גָפְרִית וְר֥וּחַ זִלְעָפ֗וֹת מְנָ֣ת כּוֹסָֽם׃ v. 6b May the portion in their cup be fire, brimstone, and a scorching wind!
כִּֽי־צַדִּ֣יק יְ֭הוָה צְדָק֣וֹת אָהֵ֑ב v. 7a For YHWH is righteous; he loves righteous acts;
יָ֝שָׁ֗ר יֶחֱז֥וּ פָנֵֽימוֹ׃ v. 7b the upright people will look at his face.


  1. ↑ Verse 1 presents multiple textual and grammatical issues, including the interpretation of the vocative צִפּוֹר ("bird/birds"). For an in-depth discussion, see The Text, Grammar, and Meaning of Psalm 11:1d.
  2. ↑ "Surveillance and reconnaissance were also conducted by the ancient Israelites to determine the number, location, and movements of enemy soldiers" (Schwartz 2018, 511).