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Psalm 63:10
They shall be given over to the power of the sword. They shall be jackal food.
9But those who seek my soul to destroy it shall go into the lower parts of the earth.
10They shall be given over to the power of the sword. They shall be jackal food.
11But the king shall rejoice in God. Everyone who swears by him will praise him, for the mouth of those who speak lies shall be silenced.
Notice
“Jackal food” names the grim fate David expects for those seeking his life, confronting the reader with death and exposed bodies within a prayer of trust.
Questions to write on. Each one opens a new entry with this verse already attached.
How does verse 9 identify the people called “they” here?
Write on thisWhat would you want to bring before God after reading “They shall be jackal food”?
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Where else Scripture says this
10 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
Jeremiah 18:21Therefore deliver up their children to the famine, and give them over to the power of the sword. Let their wives become childless and widows. Let their men be …Both speak of being given over to “the power of the sword”; Jeremiah's plea also includes the deaths of children and husbands.
Ezekiel 35:5“‘“Because you have had a perpetual hostility, and have given over the children of Israel to the power of the sword in the time of their calamity, in the time …Both use “the power of the sword”; Ezekiel condemns handing Israel over to it during calamity.
Ezekiel 39:4You will fall on the mountains of Israel, you, and all your hordes, and the peoples who are with you. I will give you to the ravenous birds of every sort and …Both describe people becoming food for wild creatures after death, with Ezekiel naming fallen hordes on Israel's mountains.
Judges 15:4Samson went and caught three hundred foxes, and took torches, and turned tail to tail, and put a torch in the middle between every two tails.The link is limited to animal imagery: the psalm names jackals consuming the dead, while Judges describes Samson catching foxes.
1 Samuel 26:10David said, “As the LORD lives, the LORD will strike him; or his day shall come to die, or he shall go down into battle and perish.Both anticipate an enemy's death; the psalm names the sword, while David lists battle among several possible ends.
Song of Songs 2:15Catch for us the foxes, the little foxes that plunder the vineyards; for our vineyards are in blossom.The shared thread is narrow: both mention wild animals, though the jackals consume bodies and the foxes damage vineyards.
1 Samuel 31:1–6Now the Philistines fought against Israel; and the men of Israel fled from before the Philistines, and fell down slain on Mount Gilboa.The psalm anticipates violent death for those seeking the speaker's life; Samuel records Israelites falling slain in battle.
Ezekiel 39:17–20“You, son of man, the Lord GOD says: ‘Speak to the birds of every sort, and to every animal of the field, “Assemble yourselves, and come; gather yourselves on …Both portray animals feeding amid violent death; Ezekiel describes God's sacrifice as a gathering where animals eat meat and drink blood.
Revelation 19:17–18I saw an angel standing in the sun. He cried with a loud voice, saying to all the birds that fly in the sky, “Come! Be gathered together to the great supper of …Both picture food for wild creatures; the psalm names jackals, while Revelation gathers birds to God's great supper.
Ezekiel 32:4I will leave you on the land. I will cast you out on the open field, and will cause all the birds of the sky to settle on you. I will satisfy the animals of …Both describe bodies left for wild creatures to consume, with Ezekiel naming the open field and the birds that gather.
Where this verse fits
Injustice and anger. sermon or Bible study notes.
One step
Something small to carry out of this verse
Encouragement
These words describe a threatened man's confidence that his attackers will meet their end. His prayer rests on God's sustaining hand, even as it speaks of violent death.
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).