Christianity

Psalms 11When Foundations Shake

Summary

Psalm 11 responds to advisers who urge the psalmist to flee like a bird to the mountains because the wicked are aiming their arrows in the dark. He refuses, declaring that his refuge is in the LORD, whose throne is in heaven and whose eyes test humanity. God will rain judgment on the wicked, while the upright will see his face. The psalm is traditionally ascribed to David and is a classic statement of steady trust.

Key verse

“If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do?”

Psalms 11:3

Themes

Refusing to Flee
Trust Under Threat
God Who Sees
Righteous Judgment

In the LORD put I my trust: how say ye to my soul, Flee as a bird to your mountain?

For, lo, the wicked bend their bow, they make ready their arrow upon the string, that they may privily shoot at the upright in heart.

If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do?

The LORD is in his holy temple, the LORD’s throne is in heaven: his eyes behold, his eyelids try, the children of men.

The LORD trieth the righteous: but the wicked and him that loveth violence his soul hateth.

Upon the wicked he shall rain snares, fire and brimstone, and an horrible tempest: this shall be the portion of their cup.

For the righteous LORD loveth righteousness; his countenance doth behold the upright.

Text: King James Version (1611/1769), public domain.

Across traditions

Judaism
Tehillim 11 in the JPS 1917 Tanakh
Jewish readers have often connected the advice to flee with David's danger at Saul's court, though the psalm itself names no setting.
Christianity
Matthew 5: They Shall See God
The closing promise that the upright will behold God's face resonates with the beatitude in Matthew 5:8 that the pure in heart shall see God.

Questions about Psalms 11

What does If the foundations be destroyed mean?

Psalm 11:3 voices the fear that society's moral and civil order has collapsed. The rest of the psalm answers that God's throne remains secure even then.

What is the cup of the wicked in Psalm 11:6?

The portion of their cup is a biblical image for one's allotted fate. Here it is fire and brimstone, recalling the judgment on Sodom in Genesis 19.