Psalms 64:5 (KJV)

What does Psalms 64:5 mean?

Psalms 64:5 describes people who give one another confidence as they plan to harm someone. They discuss how to hide their traps and assume that no one will notice what they are doing.

A snare is a hidden trap used to catch an animal. Here, the image pictures a danger set for an unsuspecting person. After the sudden attack described in verse 4, verse 5 lets the reader hear the attackers’ private conversation.

The Hebrew behind Psalms 64:5

• “encourage” — חָזַק (ḥazaq): This word often carries the sense of strengthening or making firm. Here, the people strengthen one another’s resolve in their harmful plan.
• “commune” — סָפַר (safar): This word can mean to recount or tell. In this verse, it suggests that the people talk through their plans with one another.

Why Psalms 64:5 matters

• The question “Who shall see them?” reveals the planners’ confidence in secrecy. The verse presents the question as something the attackers say, not as the speaker’s own question.
• The danger involves more than harsh speech. The nearby verse compares their words to arrows, while verse 5 adds the image of concealed snares.
• The attackers’ confidence does not settle the outcome. Later, verse 7 describes God shooting at them, turning the image of a sudden attack back on the attackers.