What does Psalm 41:7 mean?
In this passage, David describes the hateful conduct of his enemies. In a biblical context, such "whispering" refers to plotting or other malicious speech (Proverbs 16:28; 26:20). The Hebrew phrase āl ay' yahsebu' l i' rā'āh is an expression with more than one meaning. It could mean these enemies envision David's downfall. It could also mean they invent plans for such things. Either way, his opponents have his absolute defeat in mind. They discuss it and try to hide their intent. A likely context for this psalm is the rebellion of David's son, Absalom (2 Samuel 15—18).Jesus, the chief descendant of David, also faced bitter opposition from His enemies. Their goal was also to see Jesus killed and erased. Those who wanted to kill Jesus included Herod, the hypocritical scribes and Pharisees, certain Jews, and the angry crowd that shouted, "Crucify him! Crucify him!" On the Day of Pentecost, the apostle Peter addressed the Jews and told them: "this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men" (Acts 2:23). Later in this psalm, David refers to betrayal (Psalm 41:9); Jesus would cite this in reference to Judas (John 13:18).
