They surrounded me like bees; they went out like a fire among thorns; in the name of the LORD I cut them off!
English Standard Version (ESV)
The verse uses two vivid images: swarming bees and a fire of thorns. The bees show the overwhelming numbers and furious, yet ultimately futile, attack of the enemies. The fire of thorns highlights how their intense rage flares up quickly but is just as rapidly extinguished, revealing the ultimate weakness of their onslaught against God's power.
They surrounded me like bees; they went out like a fire among thorns; in the name of the LORD I cut them off!
English Standard Version (ESV)
This psalm is a song of thanksgiving, recounting a time of intense danger and God's miraculous deliverance. The psalmist describes being surrounded by enemies who attacked with fierce, swarming fury, like bees or a rapidly burning fire amongst thorns. Yet, he declares that through God's power, he decisively overcame them, setting the stage for further praise and confidence in the Lord's ongoing protection.
Imagine being surrounded by an enemy so numerous and furious it feels like a swarm of bees. How does the Psalmist describe this terrifying onslaught?
The enemies are compared to bees, highlighting their immense numbers and relentless, stinging fury. This imagery evokes a sense of being overwhelmed, with threats coming from all directions, intense and painful. It’s a picture of a hostile force that seems ready to consume.
This isn't just about physical danger; it speaks to any situation where you feel besieged by problems, anxieties, or opposition.
What's the secret weakness behind this ferocious swarm? The Psalmist reveals it's like a fire that quickly dies.
The fierce onslaught of enemies is then compared to a fire among thorns. This imagery points to the transient and ultimately ineffective nature of their rage.
A fire made of thorns blazes intensely and crackles loudly, giving the appearance of great power, but it burns out very quickly, leaving little behind. It's a powerful, yet temporary, spectacle.
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How can one stand against such a formidable threat? The Psalmist's answer is simple, profound, and powerful.
The turning point in the verse is the declaration, 'in the name of the LORD I cut them off!' This isn't just a statement of personal strength, but a reliance on divine authority and power.
Understand the original words
esh · Hebrew Noun
An intense, consuming, and rapid judgment or destruction. In the ancient Near East, fire often symbolized divine wrath or the quick, destructive nature of an enemy's advance.
The vivid imagery of bees and fire, common in ancient Near Eastern literature, powerfully conveys the overwhelming, furious, yet ultimately transient nature of the enemies faced by the psalm's author, likely King David. The ultimate victory 'in the name of the Lord' underscores a deep trust in divine power amidst severe national crises, from David's own reign to the exilic periods.
c. 1000 BC— this verse
Reign of King David
This psalm is traditionally attributed to King David, recounting his struggles against various enemies like the Philistines, Ammonites, and Syrians. The imagery of being surrounded and attacked reflects the numerous military conflicts he faced.
c. 970 BC
Accession of Solomon
Following David's reign, Solomon inherited a relatively stable kingdom, but the memory of past conflicts and the need for continued vigilance against enemies remained.
c. 722 BC
Fall of the Northern Kingdom (Israel)
The Assyrian conquest of the northern kingdom served as a stark warning to the southern kingdom of Judah about the consequences of foreign aggression and internal division.
c. 605 BC
First Babylonian Deportation
Under Nebuchadnezzar, Babylonian forces began deporting citizens of Judah, marking the start of a period of increasing national crisis and exile.
c. 586 BC
Fall of Jerusalem and the Temple
The Babylonians destroyed Jerusalem and its Temple, leading to the Babylonian exile, a time of profound national and religious trauma for the people of Judah.
c. 539 BC
Persian Conquest of Babylon
Cyrus the Great conquered Babylon, leading to the eventual decree allowing the Jewish exiles to return to their homeland and rebuild the Temple.
This passage uses a similar image, describing the Amorites as coming out and chasing the Israelites 'like bees' and attacking them all the way to Hormah, highlighting the ferocity and overwhelming nature of the enemy's attack.
Psalm 58:9This verse compares the wicked to a fire of thorns burning something up, which aligns with the 'fire among thorns' imagery here, emphasizing the intense but ultimately short-lived and destructive nature of the enemies' rage.
Isaiah 7:18This prophecy uses the imagery of bees coming from Egypt and Assyria, which connects to the 'swarming like bees' metaphor, showing how God uses even seemingly small or numerous nations to enact His judgment.
Matthew 12:20This verse quotes Isaiah 42:3, describing Jesus as not breaking 'a bruised reed' or snuffing out 'a smoldering wick,' which offers a stark contrast to the violent imagery here, showing how Jesus's approach to dealing with opposition is different from complete annihilation.
Luke 10:19Jesus tells His disciples, 'Behold, I have given you authority to tread upon serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you,' which echoes the psalmist's victory 'in the name of the LORD' over overwhelming opposition.
gillPsalms 118:12: "They compassed me about like bees; they are quenched as the fire of thorns: for in the name of the LORD I will destroy them."
They compassed me about like bees,.... In great numbers (w); as a swarm of bees, which, being irritated and provoked, will fly upon persons in a body, and with great fury; to which the Amorites and the Assyrian army were compared, Deuteronomy 1:44 . They will attack horses and kill them, as Aristotle (x) says; and places besieged have been delivered by th…
poolePsalms 118:12: "They compassed me about like bees; they are quenched as the fire of thorns: for in the name of the LORD I will destroy them."
Like bees; in great numbers, and with great and potent fury, and to their own ruin, as bees do when they fly about a man, and leave their stings in him. They are quenched: so this word is used Job 6:17 18:5,6 21:17 . Or, as the LXX. and Chaldee render it, they burnt or flamed , i.e. raged against me like fire, as it follows. And this is supposed to be one…
The verse uses two vivid images: swarming bees and a fire of thorns. The bees show the overwhelming numbers and furious, yet ultimately futile, attack of the enemies. The fire of thorns highlights how their intense rage flares up quickly but is just as rapidly extinguished, revealing the ultimate weakness of their onslaught against God's power.
This psalm is a song of thanksgiving, recounting a time of intense danger and God's miraculous deliverance. The psalmist describes being surrounded by enemies who attacked with fierce, swarming fury, like bees or a rapidly burning fire amongst thorns. Yet, he declares that through God's power, he decisively overcame them, setting the stage for further praise and confidence in the Lord's ongoing protection.
This psalm is a song of thanksgiving, recounting a time of intense danger and God's miraculous deliverance. The psalmist describes being surrounded by enemies who attacked with fierce, swarming fury, like bees or a rapidly burning fire amongst thorns. Yet, he declares that through God's power, he decisively overcame them, setting the stage for further praise and confidence in the Lord's ongoing protection.
"They surrounded me like bees; they went out like a fire among thorns; in the name of the LORD I cut them off!" — The verse uses two vivid images: swarming bees and a fire of thorns. The bees show the overwhelming numbers and furious, yet ultimately futile, attack of the enemies. The fire of thorns highlights ho…
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Last reviewed October 2026