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Psalm 57:4

ESV My soul is in the midst of lions; I lie down amid fiery beasts— the children of man, whose teeth are spears and arrows, whose tongues are sharp swords.
NIV I am in the midst of lions; I am forced to dwell among ravenous beasts-- men whose teeth are spears and arrows, whose tongues are sharp swords.
NASB My soul is among lions; I must lie among those who devour, Among sons of mankind whose teeth are spears and arrows, And their tongue is a sharp sword.
CSB I am surrounded by lions; I lie down among devouring lions -- people whose teeth are spears and arrows, whose tongues are sharp swords.
NLT I am surrounded by fierce lions who greedily devour human prey — whose teeth pierce like spears and arrows, and whose tongues cut like swords.
KJV My soul is among lions: and I lie even among them that are set on fire, even the sons of men, whose teeth are spears and arrows, and their tongue a sharp sword.

What does Psalm 57:4 mean?

It may be difficult to praise the Lord during hard times (1 Thessalonians 5:18), but such a thing is possible. David exemplified this grateful attitude; though his words describe stressful danger (Psalm 57:1–3), he still praises God (Psalm 57:5) and avoids despair. In symbolic terms, he depicts his enemies as wild animals with mouths full of weapons. David identifies his enemies as "the children of man," to distinguish them from the Lord. In other psalms, David noted that threats from other men were nothing compared to the power of the One True God (Psalm 27:1; 56:4, 10–11).

Daniel, an Old Testament prophet, also faced intense persecution. He also had reason to fear wild animals—literally, as he was thrown into a den of hungry lions (Daniel 6:16–23). The Lord kept Daniel alive, and he testified, "My God sent his angel and shut the lions' mouths, and they have not harmed me" (Daniel 6:22). The Christian experiences attacks from the world and the Devil (John 16:33; 1 Peter 5:8). Yet believers can rely on God's loyal love and kindness (1 Peter 5:7), knowing the Lord provides strength to resist the Devil, the roaring lion (1 Peter 5:9; Ephesians 6:10–18).
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