Verse Lens · Concise explanation
Psalms 109:4 Explained in Context
Use this verse as a doorway into the larger passage—not as an isolated saying.
Verse 4. 4For my love they are my adversaries: but I give myself unto prayer.
King James Version — public domain in the United States · Bible text and permissions
Quick Meaning
Psalm 109:4: The reason or consequence in “For my love they are my adversaries” supports the surrounding claim in “Betrayal, accusation, and extended curse: False accusation and betrayed love.”
The speaker is under words, not yet under a curse formula
This verse is one part of that explanation in Psalms 109:1–5. The complete section carries the connected meaning and how it should shape life.
Read It With
- Psalms 109:1–5
- Psalms 109:1–31
Read Psalms 109:4 with 109:1–5 and 109:1–31. Read alone, “For my love they are my adversaries” could lose the individual voice, the parallel line or movement it develops, and the psalm's outcome. The complete movement establishes: Within Psalms 109:1–5, the individual voice carries the movement “False accusation and betrayed love” as part of “Betrayal, accusation, and extended curse.” Its lament-imprecation form and poetic parallelism hold the petitions, images, memories, or praise together before any single line is applied.
Why This Verse Appears Here
Psalms 109:1–5 opens Psalm 109 with “Hold not thy peace, O God of my praise” and establishes the individual voice and “False accusation and betrayed love” movement before later lines develop or answer it. Within that relationship, Psalm 109:4 supplies a reason or consequence through “For my love they are my adversaries” and must be read with the claim it supports.
What Remains True
Because this verse serves “Betrayal, accusation, and extended curse: False accusation and betrayed love,” its enduring claim is proportionate: Wrong and rage may be named honestly before the LORD, yet judgment remains accountable to justice and never turns another person into disposable prey. Psalm 109:4 supplies a reason or consequence through “For my love they are my adversaries” and must be read with the claim it supports. The local movement is “False accusation and betrayed love.” The unit's reviewed limit is: The curse section has disputed speaker proposals and severe consequences; it must not be prayed as a weapon against named people or used to sanctify abuse.
How It Can Shape Life
- Because Psalm 109:4 belongs to “Betrayal, accusation, and extended curse: False accusation and betrayed love,” its role must lead the practice: Psalm 109:4 supplies a reason or consequence through “For my love they are my adversaries” and must be read with the claim it supports. When “For my love they are my adversaries” voices danger or judgment, verify the harm, protect those at risk, and submit retaliation to lawful and accountable processes.
Continue in Context
Read the complete section for the connected explanation and how it should shape life. This verse is a doorway into that passage, not a saying that stands alone.
Read Psalms 109:1–5 — Betrayal, accusation, and extended curse: False accusation and betrayed loveSources used for this Verse Lens
How certain is this explanation? probable
These are the sources used directly for this lens. Language, grammar, disagreements, and the complete source shelf remain attached to the full thought-unit research record.
Biblical text
King James (Authorized) Version — eng-kjv2006
eBible.org and CrossWire Bible Society
USFM archive eng-kjv2006_usfm.zip; source files dated 2026-08-19; downloaded 2026-08-24; archive SHA-256 aec1b3b26c622fd3d963d2bbac963016b9513246ffbfa20da00bb100372ea007; normalized corpus SHA-256 09aef51d90488aa7b9722b3fd9a93f4b25f6bf2064c5fd798fb39673c300ddf2.
Supports: Exact displayed KJV wording, verse order, paragraph metadata, supplied-word markup, and complete thought-unit coverage.
Exact location: Psalms 109:1–5, pinned eng-kjv2006 USFM-derived repository corpus
Open source ↗hebrew text and morphology
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible: Psalms
Open Scriptures
Open Scriptures, release 2.2
Supports: Masoretic Hebrew wording and morphology checked at the exact unit without treating morphology as a complete apparatus or interpretation.
Exact location: Open Scriptures MorphHB v2.2, commit 6a5db284c715c18b239422e57bb89684e6a19f00, wlc/Ps.xml, OSIS 109:1–5
Open the fixed Hebrew Psalms file ↗translation and translator notes
NET Bible Notes: Psalms 1-150
Biblical Studies Press
Biblical Studies Press, current official online edition
Supports: Verse-level controls for poetic syntax, imagery, older KJV language, textual issues, headings, and alternatives in Psalms 109:1–5.
Exact location: Official NET Bible Psalm 109 HTML, translator, textual, and study notes attached to Psalms 109:1–5
Open the official NET Psalms notes ↗