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Psalm 89:41
All who pass by the way rob him. He has become a reproach to his neighbors.
39You have renounced the covenant of your servant. You have defiled his crown in the dust.
40You have broken down all his hedges. You have brought his strongholds to ruin.
41All who pass by the way rob him. He has become a reproach to his neighbors.
42You have exalted the right hand of his adversaries. You have made all of his enemies rejoice.
43Yes, you turn back the edge of his sword, and haven’t supported him in battle.
Notice
Passersby rob the fallen king, and his neighbors treat him with contempt, exposing how defeat can strip away both protection and public honor.
Questions to write on. Each one opens a new entry with this verse already attached.
What stands out to you about the robbers being people who pass by?
Write on thisWhere have you seen neighbors add contempt to someone’s loss rather than offer help?
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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
Psalm 69:9For the zeal of your house consumes me. The reproaches of those who reproach you have fallen on me.Both verses speak of reproach falling on a person; Psalm 69 ties that reproach to zeal for God’s house.
Psalm 44:10You make us turn back from the adversary. Those who hate us take plunder for themselves.Robbery in Psalm 89 and plunder in Psalm 44 mark defeat at the hands of others.
Psalm 79:4We have become a reproach to our neighbors, a scoffing and derision to those who are around us.Both describe becoming a reproach to neighbors, making public contempt part of the suffering.
Joel 2:17Let the priests, the ministers of the LORD, weep between the porch and the altar, and let them say, “Spare your people, LORD, and don’t give your heritage to …Psalm 89 laments reproach already endured, while Joel directs priests to plead that God spare his people from reproach.
Psalm 44:13You make us a reproach to our neighbors, a scoffing and a derision to those who are around us.Reproach from neighbors appears in both verses, with Psalm 44 adding the scoffing and derision of those nearby.
Jeremiah 50:17“Israel is a hunted sheep. The lions have driven him away. First, the king of Assyria devoured him, and now at last Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon has broken …Both portray devastating attacks: Psalm 89 describes a king being robbed, while Jeremiah pictures Israel as a hunted sheep.
Isaiah 10:6I will send him against a profane nation, and against the people who anger me I will give him a command to take the plunder and to take the prey, and to tread …Plunder connects these passages; Isaiah names God’s command against a nation, while Psalm 89 laments the king’s exposure to robbers.
Ezekiel 5:14–15“‘Moreover I will make you a desolation and a reproach among the nations that are around you, in the sight of all that pass by.Both link reproach with public exposure, naming those who pass by as witnesses or participants in the humiliation.
Jeremiah 24:9I will even give them up to be tossed back and forth among all the kingdoms of the earth for evil, to be a reproach and a proverb, a taunt and a curse, in all …Both describe reproach, though Jeremiah speaks of people scattered among kingdoms and Psalm 89 of a king shamed among neighbors.
Jeremiah 29:18I will pursue after them with the sword, with the famine, and with the pestilence, and will deliver them to be tossed back and forth among all the kingdoms of …Reproach accompanies ruin in both passages, with Psalm 89 naming neighbors and Jeremiah naming the nations where people are driven.
Jeremiah 42:18For the LORD of Armies, the God of Israel, says: ‘As my anger and my wrath has been poured out on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so my wrath will be poured out …Both speak of reproach amid devastation; Jeremiah names wrath upon those entering Egypt, while Psalm 89 describes a robbed king.
Nehemiah 5:9Also I said, “The thing that you do is not good. Shouldn’t you walk in the fear of our God because of the reproach of the nations, our enemies?Both speak of reproach from others, with Nehemiah naming enemy nations and Psalm 89 naming the king’s neighbors.
Where this verse fits
Injustice and anger. grief.
One step
Something small to carry out of this verse
Encouragement
The king’s humiliation is spoken to God without disguise. Scripture leaves room for this complaint: loss is hard, and contempt from neighbors adds to it.
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).