Psalm 38:12 describes people who are actively plotting harm against the psalmist, setting traps for him and planning deception through the day. The verse is a lament, a cry of distress from someone who feels hunted by others while already weakened by illness and grief. King David is traditionally identified as the author, and he speaks to God, not to his enemies, telling the Lord everything that is happening to him.
They also who seek after my life lay snares. Those who seek my hurt speak mischievous things, and meditate deceits all day long.
Psalm 38:12 (WEB)
What Psalm 38:12 Means
The verse begins with “they also who seek after my life,” which points to people who want the psalmist destroyed, not merely embarrassed. The word “snares” refers to hidden traps, the kind a hunter sets for an animal he cannot see coming. The enemies are not open about their intentions; their danger comes from concealment.
The second half shifts from action to speech and thought. The phrase “mischievous things” describes words meant to wound, and “meditate deceits all day long” describes a steady habit of plotting. The verse does not promise that the psalmist’s enemies will be instantly exposed or defeated. It simply names the pressure he is under and places it in front of God.
The Context of Psalm 38:12
Psalm 38 belongs to the penitential psalms, a group of prayers expressing sorrow for sin and pleading for mercy. The psalmist describes physical collapse, emotional abandonment by friends and relatives, and the sense that God’s discipline lies heavily upon him. Verse 12 sits in the middle of this portrait of isolation, so the enemies are part of a larger picture of a man left alone with his suffering.
The verses immediately before and after reveal the psalmist’s posture. In verse 13 he says he is like a deaf man who does not hear and a mute man who does not open his mouth, choosing silence rather than a war of words. Verse 15 turns him back toward hope, saying “in you, the LORD, do I hope.” Read this way, verse 12 is not a boast about enemies but a description of the trap that makes quiet trust in God the only sensible response.
Key Phrases in Psalm 38:12
Psalm 56:5
All day long they twist my words. All their thoughts are against me for evil.
(WEB)
This verse also describes enemies who twist words and plot harm, and it answers with trust rather than retaliation. Reading it alongside Psalm 38:12 shows how the same kind of distress can lead the psalmist to rest his case with God.
Psalm 64:2
Hide me from the conspiracy of the wicked, from the noisy crowd of the ones doing evil…
(WEB)
In this psalm the writer again asks for protection from hidden plots and secret attacks. Together with Psalm 38:12, it reveals a recurring pattern in the Psalms of God’s people appealing to him when they cannot defend themselves.
A Short Prayer From Psalm 38:12
Lord, you know every desire of my heart and every groan I have held back from others. I feel surrounded by people who would like to see me fail, and some of their plans are hidden from me. Give me wisdom to recognize what is truly harmful and the restraint not to respond in kind. Keep my heart fixed on you when words are used against me, and let my hope rest in your faithfulness, which no scheme can overturn. Amen.
