Verse Lens · Concise explanation
Psalms 11:2 Explained in Context
Use this verse as a doorway into the larger passage—not as an isolated saying.
Verse 2. 2For, lo, the wicked bend their bow, they make ready their arrow upon the string, that they may privily shoot at the upright in heart.
King James Version — public domain in the United States · Bible text and permissions
Quick Meaning
Psalm 11:2: The reason or consequence in “For, lo, the wicked bend their bow, they make ready their…” supports the surrounding claim in “Refuge when social foundations shake.”
A taunt to fly, while the bow is already bent
This verse is one part of that explanation in Psalms 11:1–7. The complete section carries the connected meaning and how it should shape life.
Read It With
- Psalms 11:1–7
Read Psalms 11:2 with 11:1–7. Read alone, “For, lo, the wicked bend their bow, they make ready their arrow…” could lose the individual voice, the parallel line or movement it develops, and the psalm's outcome. The complete movement establishes: Within Psalms 11:1–7, the individual voice carries the movement “Refuge when social foundations shake” as part of “Refuge when social foundations shake.” Its confidence form and poetic parallelism hold the petitions, images, memories, or praise together before any single line is applied.
Why This Verse Appears Here
Psalms 11:1–7 opens Psalm 11 with “In the LORD put I my trust: how say ye to my soul, Flee as a bird to…” and establishes the individual voice and “Refuge when social foundations shake” movement before later lines develop or answer it. Within that relationship, Psalm 11:2 supplies a reason or consequence through “For, lo, the wicked bend their bow, they make ready their arrow upon the…” and must be read with the claim it supports.
What Remains True
The verse's role is specific—Psalm 11:2 supplies a reason or consequence through “For, lo, the wicked bend their bow, they make ready their arrow upon the…” and must be read with the claim it supports. Within that role, Wrong and rage may be named honestly before the LORD, yet judgment remains accountable to justice and never turns another person into disposable prey. The local movement is “Refuge when social foundations shake.” The unit's reviewed limit is: Refuge in the LORD does not require passivity in danger or deny the need for evacuation, protection, due process, and competent help.
How It Can Shape Life
- Because Psalm 11:2 belongs to “Refuge when social foundations shake,” its role must lead the practice: Psalm 11:2 supplies a reason or consequence through “For, lo, the wicked bend their bow, they make ready their arrow upon the…” and must be read with the claim it supports. When “For, lo, the wicked bend their bow, they make ready their arrow…” 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 11:1–7 — Refuge when social foundations shakeSources used for this Verse Lens
How certain is this explanation? strong
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 11:1–7, 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 11:1–7
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 11:1–7.
Exact location: Official NET Bible Psalm 11 HTML, translator, textual, and study notes attached to Psalms 11:1–7
Open the official NET Psalms notes ↗