What is the meaning of Psalm 35:25? Let them not say in their hearts • David prays that hostile thoughts never form, much less take root. He knows “the LORD searches every heart” (1 Chronicles 28:9) and judges motives (Proverbs 21:2). • The inner life matters; “Out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks” (Luke 6:45). If gloating is stopped at the heart–level, it can never graduate to words or deeds. • Psalm 14:1 and 10:6 expose how the wicked speak first to themselves, convincing themselves God will not act. David counters that presumption by appealing directly to God’s justice. “Aha, just what we wanted!” • The exclamation of triumph is the verbal spillover of the hidden contempt just addressed. Similar taunts appear in Psalm 70:3 and 40:15, where enemies sneer “Aha! Aha!” at the righteous. • Scripture repeatedly condemns rejoicing over another’s distress (Proverbs 24:17; Obadiah 12). • By naming the exact words he fears hearing, David exposes them to the light, refusing to let them echo unanswered. God’s people today likewise call out evil gloating so the Judge of all can silence it. Let them not say • The repetition intensifies the plea—David wants every possible boast cut off. Compare Psalm 38:16, where he again cries, “I said, ‘Let them not gloat over me.’” • God often grants such requests: He “closes the mouths of lions” (Daniel 6:22) and will one day “shut every mouth” before His throne (Romans 3:19). • By asking God to restrain enemy speech, David submits vengeance to the Lord (Romans 12:19) while still yearning for public vindication. “We have swallowed him up!” • This is more than ridicule; it is a claim of total victory, the imagery of a predator finishing its prey (Psalm 124:2-3). • Similar language in Proverbs 1:12 shows violent men plotting, “Let us swallow them alive like Sheol.” David rejects their narrative and entrusts his survival to God, echoing how the sea monster could not “swallow up” Jonah permanently (Jonah 2:1-6). • Ultimately, God reverses such boasts: the earth, not the wicked, “swallowed” Pharaoh’s army (Exodus 15:12) and will again swallow evil (Revelation 12:16). David’s prayer anticipates that final overturning. summary Psalm 35:25 captures a righteous appeal for God to stop the inward scheming, outward taunts, repeated boasts, and total-victory claims of the wicked. By naming each stage—heart-thought, mocking cry, persistent assertion, and final devouring threat—David entrusts every level of hostility to the Lord. The passage reassures believers that God sees hidden motives, silences arrogant words, and prevents enemies from “swallowing up” those who trust in Him. |
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