What is the meaning of Psalm 36:11? Let not the foot of the proud come against me “Let not the foot of the proud come against me” (Psalm 36:11a) pictures arrogant people trampling the righteous. David is asking God to keep him from being stepped on—overpowered—by those who exalt themselves. • The “foot” symbolizes domination. In Joshua 10:24 the defeated kings are told, “Come near and place your feet on the necks of these kings,” a vivid image of total control. • Pride precedes oppressive action. Proverbs 16:18 reminds us, “Pride goes before destruction,” while Psalm 10:2 notes, “In pride the wicked pursue the needy.” • David trusts God’s stabilizing care. Psalm 121:3 assures, “He will not allow your foot to slip; your Protector will not slumber,” countering the threat of the proud foot. • The request is personal yet universal. Any believer can echo David, confident that “The LORD sustains the humble but casts the wicked to the ground” (Psalm 147:6). Nor the hand of the wicked drive me away “Nor the hand of the wicked drive me away” (Psalm 36:11b) shifts from a trampling foot to a forceful hand—an image of being pushed out of safety, blessing, or even life itself. • The “hand” represents power to seize or expel. Psalm 140:4 pleads, “Guard me, O LORD, from the hands of the wicked.” • Being “driven away” recalls Cain, who lamented, “I will be a restless wanderer on the earth” after sin forced him from God’s presence (Genesis 4:14). David fears a similar displacement caused by evil. • God alone secures His people. John 10:28 records Jesus saying, “No one can snatch them out of My hand,” contrasting the wicked hand with the Savior’s holding hand. • Scripture shows repeated deliverance. When Saul hunted David, “God did not deliver David into his hand” (1 Samuel 23:14), proving the Lord answers this very prayer. • The verse also foreshadows eternal safety: Revelation 3:12 promises the overcomer “will never again leave” God’s temple. summary Psalm 36:11 is a two-fold plea for protection: keep arrogant oppressors from stepping on me, and keep malicious forces from pushing me away. The verse encourages believers to rely on God, who steadies our feet and shelters us in His unbreakable grip, assuring that neither prideful feet nor wicked hands can undo His care. |
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