He hath also prepared for him the instruments of death; he ordaineth his arrows against the persecutors.

PSALMS 7:13KJV
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Psalms 7:13 (KJV)

What does Psalms 7:13 mean?

Psalms 7:13 says that God has prepared deadly weapons and has made ready His arrows to use against those who persecute others. The verse pictures God as a just judge who is ready to act against wrongdoers.

In this psalm, David is speaking to God while facing false accusations and danger from his enemies. He describes God as someone who does not ignore evil but actively prepares to confront those who cause harm. The imagery of weapons and arrows shows that God’s response to injustice is deliberate and powerful, not accidental or passive.

The Hebrew behind Psalms 7:13

  • "prepared" (כּוּן, kun): This word means to make ready or establish. It emphasizes that God’s actions against evildoers are intentional and not hasty or careless.
  • "instruments" (כְּלִי, keli): This word often means tools or weapons. Here, it highlights that God has specific means at His disposal to bring about justice.
  • "ordaineth" (פָּעַל, pa‘al): This word means to work, make, or fashion. It suggests that God is not just passively allowing things to happen but is actively shaping events to address wrongdoing.
  • "arrows" (חֵץ, chets): Arrows were swift and precise weapons in ancient times, so this image points to God’s ability to strike effectively and at a distance.

Why Psalms 7:13 matters

  • This verse corrects the idea that God is indifferent or slow to respond to evil; instead, it shows God as prepared and purposeful in addressing injustice.
  • The strong imagery of weapons and arrows helps readers understand the seriousness with which God views persecution and wrongdoing.
  • In the wider context of the psalm, this verse reassures those who suffer unjustly that God is not only aware of their situation but is also ready to act on their behalf.

Where else these words appear

“persecutors” Hebrew H1814 · used in 9 verses

  • Genesis 31:36 And Jacob was wroth, and chode with Laban: and Jacob answered and said to Laban, What is my trespass? what is my sin, that thou hast so hotly pursued after me?
  • Psalms 10:2 The wicked in his pride doth persecute the poor: let them be taken in the devices that they have imagined.
  • Lamentations 4:19 Our persecutors are swifter than the eagles of the heaven: they pursued us upon the mountains, they laid wait for us in the wilderness.

“arrows” Hebrew H2671 · used in 50 verses

  • Genesis 49:23 The archers have sorely grieved him, and shot at him, and hated him:
  • 2 Chronicles 26:15 And he made in Jerusalem engines, invented by cunning men, to be on the towers and upon the bulwarks, to shoot arrows and great stones withal. And his name spread far abroad; for he was marvellously helped, till he was strong.
  • Proverbs 25:18 A man that beareth false witness against his neighbour is a maul, and a sword, and a sharp arrow.

“ordaineth” Hebrew H6466 · used in 55 verses

  • Exodus 15:17 Thou shalt bring them in, and plant them in the mountain of thine inheritance, in the place, O LORD, which thou hast made for thee to dwell in, in the Sanctuary, O Lord, which thy hands have established.
  • Psalms 14:4 Have all the workers of iniquity no knowledge? who eat up my people as they eat bread, and call not upon the LORD.
  • Psalms 125:5 As for such as turn aside unto their crooked ways, the LORD shall lead them forth with the workers of iniquity: but peace shall be upon Israel.