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Psalm 55:23

But you, God, will bring them down into the pit of destruction. Bloodthirsty and deceitful men shall not live out half their days, but I will trust in you.

21His mouth was smooth as butter, but his heart was war. His words were softer than oil, yet they were drawn swords.
22Cast your burden on the LORD and he will sustain you. He will never allow the righteous to be moved.
23But you, God, will bring them down into the pit of destruction. Bloodthirsty and deceitful men shall not live out half their days, but I will trust in you.
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Notice

The “pit of destruction” names a judgment of death on violent deceivers, while the closing words turn from their fate to trust in God.

Questions to write on. Each one opens a new entry with this verse already attached.

What is hard for you to read in this declaration of judgment on bloodthirsty and deceitful people?

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What would entrusting judgment to God change about your response to deceit or violence?

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Connect

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
Ecclesiastes 7:17Don’t be too wicked, neither be foolish. Why should you die before your time?Both passages connect wickedness with a life cut short, Ecclesiastes through a warning and the psalm through a declaration of judgment.
Psalm 94:13that you may give him rest from the days of adversity, until the pit is dug for the wicked.Both passages use a pit to describe the fate of the wicked amid the suffering they cause.
Psalm 5:6You will destroy those who speak lies. The LORD abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful man.Both name bloodthirsty and deceitful people and declare that God will bring destruction upon them.
Proverbs 10:27The fear of the LORD prolongs days, but the years of the wicked shall be shortened.Both passages speak of the wicked having their days shortened, placing the length of life under God's judgment.
Psalm 37:9For evildoers shall be cut off, but those who wait for the LORD shall inherit the land.Both contrast the cutting off of evildoers with a posture of dependence on God, expressed as waiting or trust.
Job 15:32It will be accomplished before his time. His branch will not be green.The shared thread is an end before its time, pictured in Job as a branch that will not be green.
Psalm 94:23He has brought on them their own iniquity, and will cut them off in their own wickedness. The LORD, our God, will cut them off.Both declare that God will bring the wicked to an end because of their evil.
Exodus 23:26No one will miscarry or be barren in your land. I will fulfill the number of your days.Both speak of God and the number of human days, though Exodus promises a full span and the psalm declares shortened lives.
Matthew 26:52Then Jesus said to him, “Put your sword back into its place, for all those who take the sword will die by the sword.Both connect bloodshed with death for those who practice it; Jesus addresses taking the sword, and the psalm names bloodthirsty people.
Acts 1:18Now this man obtained a field with the reward for his wickedness; and falling headlong, his body burst open and all his intestines gushed out.Both connect wickedness with a dreadful death, though Acts recounts one man's end and the psalm declares judgment on violent deceivers.
Job 22:16who were snatched away before their time, whose foundation was poured out as a stream,Both describe lives cut short; Job uses the image of a washed-away foundation, while the psalm speaks of a pit.
Job 36:6He doesn’t preserve the life of the wicked, but gives justice to the afflicted.Both speak of God ending the lives of the wicked, with Job also naming his justice for the afflicted.
Where this verse fits

Injustice and anger. broken friendship. fear for the future.

What the Bible says about anger →What the Bible says about fear →
One step

Something small to carry out of this verse

Name one injustice in prayer and entrust judgment to God

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Encouragement

After deceit and threats, the speaker entrusts judgment to God. This fierce prayer supplies no timetable for another person's death; its final commitment is trust in God.

Now put it in your words.

Start an entry on Psalm 55:23. Write what it stirs. Psalmlog sets your words beside Scripture and gives you one next step. Your first entry is free, no account needed.

Keep goingPsalm 55 · the whole chapter with its connection mapPsalms · every chapterBuild a reading plan through Psalms

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).