World English Bible · The united kingdom
Psalms 140
Touch any underlined name to see who or where it is. Tap a verse number to see where it is taken up elsewhere.
. A Psalm by . me, , from evil men. Preserve me from men: those who devise mischief in their . They continually gather themselves together for war. They have sharpened their like a . Viper's poison is under their . . , keep me from the hands of . Preserve me from the men who have determined to trip my feet. The proud have hidden a snare for me, they have spread the cords of a net by . They have set traps for me. . I said to , "You are my ." Listen to the cry of my petitions, . , , the strength of my , you have covered my head in the day of battle. , don't grant the of . Don't let their evil plans succeed, or they will become proud. . As for the head of those who surround me, let the mischief of their own cover them. Let burning coals fall on them. Let them be thrown into the , into miry pits, from where they never rise. An evil speaker won't be established in the earth. Evil will hunt the man to overthrow him. I know that will maintain the cause of , and for . Surely will to your name. The upright will in your .
A public domain modern English translation, free to read and share. Notes and cards are EKLI’s own.
The world at this moment · The united kingdom, 1050 BC to 931 BC ›
Saul, David, and Solomon. A rare window when both Egypt and Mesopotamia are weak, which is how a small kingdom in the corridor between them could briefly become a regional power.
- The power vacuum
- This is the whole political explanation for the united kingdom. Egypt is fragmented, Assyria is recovering but still local, the Hittites are gone, and nobody is in a position to object to a strong state in the corridor. It lasts about a century, and Israel's golden age fits exactly inside it.
- Phoenicia
- Tyre under Hiram is the commercial power of the coast, and supplies the cedar, the craftsmen, and the shipping for Solomon's building programme. The alliance is trade, not charity: Israel had grain and a land route, Tyre had timber and ships.
- Egypt
- Weak enough that a pharaoh gives a daughter in marriage to an Israelite king, which is the opposite of Egyptian practice in stronger centuries. Late in the era it recovers under a new house, and Shishak will invade within five years of Solomon's death.
- Further afield
- Greece is still in its dark age but beginning to recover, and will adopt the Phoenician alphabet within a century or two. Carthage is founded by settlers from Tyre by tradition in 814 BC. In the Americas the Olmec centre shifts to La Venta.
All of Psalms
123456789101112131415161718192021222324252627282930313233343536373839404142434445464748495051525354555657585960616263646566676869707172737475767778798081828384858687888990919293949596979899100101102103104105106107108109110111112113114115116117118119120121122123124125126127128129130131132133134135136137138139140141142143144145146147148149150