Translations
F.O.G.MPrimary
F.O.G MessageThey spread a net to trap my every step and pressed my soul into the ground. They dug a pit right in my path — and fell headlong into it themselves. Selah.
F.O.GSecondary
The F.O.GThey spread a net for my steps; they bowed down my nephesh. They dug a pit before me — but they have fallen into it themselves. Selah.
KJV
King James VersionThey have prepared a net for my steps; my soul is bowed down: they have digged a pit before me, into the midst whereof they are fallen themselves. Selah.
BSB
Berean Standard BibleThey spread a net for my feet; my soul was despondent. They dug a pit before me, but they themselves have fallen into it! Selah
Footnotes
Kafaf nepheshi ('they bowed down my soul/being') conveys crushing psychological and spiritual weight — not just physical danger but the grinding humiliation of being hunted. The sudden reversal — 'they fell into it themselves' — is expressed in the Hebrew perfect tense, stating the outcome as if already accomplished, reflecting David's unshakeable confidence in divine justice. This is the classic biblical pit-trap motif inverted on the digger (cf. Proverbs 26:27; Psalm 7:15). FOG preserves 'nephesh'; FOG Message renders 'soul' with 'pressed into the ground' to convey the physical sensation of being crushed beneath the weight of persecution.
