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Psalm 141:6
Their judges are thrown down by the sides of the rock. They will hear my words, for they are well spoken.
4Don’t incline my heart to any evil thing, to practice deeds of wickedness with men who work iniquity. Don’t let me eat of their delicacies.
5Let the righteous strike me, it is kindness; let him reprove me, it is like oil on the head; don’t let my head refuse it; Yet my prayer is always against evil deeds.
6Their judges are thrown down by the sides of the rock. They will hear my words, for they are well spoken.
7“As when one plows and breaks up the earth, our bones are scattered at the mouth of Sheol.”
8For my eyes are on you, LORD, the Lord. I take refuge in you. Don’t leave my soul destitute.
Notice
Judges thrown down beside a rock make the prospect of words being heard unsettling, while the verse leaves the people and circumstances unnamed.
Questions to write on. Each one opens a new entry with this verse already attached.
What troubles you about the movement from judges being thrown down to words being heard?
Write on thisHow does the prayer for refuge in verse 8 shape your reading of this violent scene?
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Where else Scripture says this
12 passages readers most often link with this verse, and the thread each one shares with it.
This verse's connections, by chapterThe Bible's strongest chapter linksHover or tap a book to trace it
2 Chronicles 25:12The children of Judah carried away ten thousand alive, and brought them to the top of the rock, and threw them down from the top of the rock, so that they all …Both texts describe people being thrown down at a rock, though the psalm does not identify its scene with Judah’s killing of captives.
1 Samuel 24:2Then Saul took three thousand chosen men out of all Israel, and went to seek David and his men on the rocks of the wild goats.Both passages mention rocks in scenes of danger, but the psalm does not name Saul or identify this pursuit.
1 Samuel 24:3He came to the sheep pens by the way, where there was a cave; and Saul went in to relieve himself. Now David and his men were staying in the innermost parts of …The connection is slight: Samuel describes a cave where David hides, while the psalm describes a rock where judges are thrown down.
1 Samuel 24:9David said to Saul, “Why do you listen to men’s words, saying, ‘Behold, David seeks to harm you’?Both passages concern hearing words: the psalm anticipates being heard, while David challenges Saul’s attention to accusations against him.
1 Chronicles 13:2David said to all the assembly of Israel, “If it seems good to you, and if it is of the LORD our God, let’s send word everywhere to our brothers who are left …Both passages concern speech directed toward others; the assembly’s proposed gathering has no explicit counterpart in the psalm.
Psalm 45:2You are the most excellent of the sons of men. Grace has anointed your lips, therefore God has blessed you forever.Both passages speak of speech with approval: Psalm 141 describes well-spoken words, and Psalm 45 describes lips anointed with grace.
2 Samuel 5:1–3Then all the tribes of Israel came to David at Hebron and spoke, saying, “Behold, we are your bone and your flesh.Both passages include human speech, but the tribes’ words about kinship have no clear counterpart in the psalm.
2 Samuel 1:17–27David lamented with this lamentation over Saul and over Jonathan his sonDavid’s lament and this verse share a grave tone, though the psalm does not name Saul or Jonathan.
Luke 4:22All testified about him and wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth; and they said, “Isn’t this Joseph’s son?”Both passages describe words with approval, linking well-spoken words in the psalm with the gracious words heard from Jesus.
1 Chronicles 10:1–7Now the Philistines fought against Israel; and the men of Israel fled from before the Philistines, and fell down slain on Mount Gilboa.Both passages portray violent downfall, but the psalm does not name the Philistines, Israel’s army, or Mount Gilboa.
2 Samuel 2:4–6The men of Judah came, and there they anointed David king over the house of Judah. They told David, “The men of Jabesh Gilead were those who buried Saul.”Both passages mention people in authority; David’s anointing and Saul’s burial have no explicit link to the unnamed judges.
1 Samuel 31:1–8Now the Philistines fought against Israel; and the men of Israel fled from before the Philistines, and fell down slain on Mount Gilboa.Both passages describe people falling amid violence, though the psalm does not identify its judges with those slain on Mount Gilboa.
Where this verse fits
Injustice and anger. sermon or Bible study notes.
One step
Something small to carry out of this verse
Encouragement
The details of this violent scene are disputed. It gives no command to harm anyone; within this prayer against evil, the speaker looks to YHWH for refuge.
Now put it in your words.
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Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY). Scripture from the World English Bible (public domain). Arc diagram after Chris Harrison and Christoph Römhild (2007).