Behold, the wicked man conceives evil and is pregnant with mischief and gives birth to lies. He makes a pit, digging it out, and falls into the hole that he has made.
English Standard Version (ESV)
The verse uses a powerful metaphor of pregnancy and childbirth, not just to show the wicked man's deep commitment to evil, but to highlight the ultimately futile outcome. His intense "labor" and "conception" of mischief don't result in success, but in "falsehood"—a deception that ultimately fools only himself.
Behold, the wicked man conceives evil and is pregnant with mischief and gives birth to lies. He makes a pit, digging it out, and falls into the hole that he has made.
English Standard Version (ESV)
David is describing the dangerous and deceptive plans of his enemies, particularly highlighting King Saul's relentless pursuit. These verses emphasize the wickedness of his adversaries, who are depicted as actively plotting harm and preparing weapons. The imagery here paints a picture of these enemies conceiving evil, struggling to bring it to fruition, and ultimately producing nothing but lies and disappointment.
Wickedness doesn't just happen; it's carefully planned and nurtured. What does this verse reveal about the enemy's intentions?
This verse uses a powerful metaphor of pregnancy and childbirth to describe the wicked person's efforts to do evil. It's not just a sudden impulse; it's a deep, deliberate conception and a painful, focused labor.
Conception of Mischief
The "conceived mischief" speaks to the forming of wicked plans and schemes in the heart and mind. It's the initial idea, the plotting, the decision to pursue a harmful course.
Laboring with Iniquity
The "travaileth with iniquity" emphasizes the intense effort and even pain involved in bringing this mischief to fruition. It’s the struggle, the striving, the all-consuming effort to make evil happen. This isn't passive; it's active and demanding.
The Birth of Falsehood
Finally, "gives birth to lies" (or falsehood/vanity) reveals the ultimate outcome. Despite all the planning and effort, the end result is deceptive, empty, and ultimately fails to achieve its intended destructive purpose. It deceives the perpetrator more than anyone else.
The verse describes a birth, but the outcome isn't what the wicked intend. What does this tell us about the destiny of evil plots?
While the wicked man labors intensely, the outcome of his efforts is 'lies' or 'vanity.' This highlights a crucial theological truth: wicked schemes, no matter how well-planned or vigorously pursued, are destined to fail because they stand against God's sovereign purpose and righteous judgment.
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Deception and Disappointment
The 'lies' can be understood as the self-deception of the wicked, who believe their plans will succeed. They are building on a foundation of vanity, expecting a harvest that will never come. Their desired outcome is never truly realized.
God's Frustrating Hand
Ultimately, this failure is because God, the righteous Judge, intervenes. His plans are sovereign, and He will not allow the schemes of the wicked to ultimately triumph over His people or His purposes. What appears as a 'birth' to the wicked is, in God's economy, an abortive and empty end.
A Warning and a Comfort
This truth serves as a warning to those who plot evil: their efforts are in vain. For the righteous, it's a profound comfort, assuring them that the attacks and schemes against them, though painful and real, will ultimately be thwarted.
Understand the original words
rasha · Hebrew Noun/Adjective
The one who stands in opposition to God’s law and character. It refers to those who persist in willful disobedience and moral rebellion against the Creator.
aven · Hebrew Noun
Morally bad, harmful, or corrupt thoughts and deeds that are contrary to God’s nature and will. It encompasses both the internal state of rebellion and the external results of such attitudes.
amal · Hebrew Noun
Harmful or troublesome behavior that disrupts the order and well-being of others. It implies a malicious intent to cause distress or injustice.
sheqer · Hebrew Noun
A deliberate untruth or a departure from what is factually and morally true. Biblically, lies are often associated with deception and a refusal to acknowledge the reality of God and His creation.
This psalm vividly portrays the intense, personal conflict between David and King Saul. The imagery of conception and birth highlights how Saul's malicious plans against David were deeply conceived and aggressively pursued, yet ultimately failed.
c. 1025–1013 BC
Saul's Reign as King
Saul, the first king of Israel, is often portrayed as a figure struggling with his own insecurities and against perceived threats, including David.
c. 1013 BC
David Anointed King
David is secretly anointed king by Samuel, marking him as Saul's successor and a future target of Saul's paranoia and anger.
c. 1013–1005 BC— this verse
David Flees Saul
David spends years on the run, hiding from Saul who relentlessly pursues him, believing David is a threat to his throne.
c. 1010 BC
David Spares Saul's Life
David has opportunities to kill Saul but refuses, demonstrating his respect for God's anointed king and his own moral restraint.
c. 1005 BC
Saul's Death
Saul and his sons die in battle against the Philistines, ending his reign and his pursuit of David.
This passage echoes the idea of deep-seated sin, describing wicked deeds as written 'with a pen of iron' and 'with the point of a diamond,' highlighting the deliberate and ingrained nature of evil conception described in Psalms 7:14.
Job 15:35This verse uses a similar birth metaphor, stating that those who 'conceive trouble and give birth to calamity' will bring forth nothing but 'ashes' or 'wind,' mirroring the ultimate futility of the wicked's plans mentioned in Psalms 7:14.
Isaiah 59:4This passage directly links conceiving and bringing forth evil, stating 'they conceive mischief and bring forth iniquity,' reinforcing the progression from wicked thought to harmful action that Psalms 7:14 describes.
Matthew 15:19Jesus speaks of evil things 'coming out' from the heart, such as 'evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander,' illustrating how inner conception of mischief leads to outward acts of falsehood and evil.
calvinPsalms 7:12-14: "If he turn not, he will whet his sword; he hath bent his bow, and made it ready."
- If he turn not, he will whet his sword; he hath bent his bow and made it ready. [111] 13. And he hath prepared for [112] the instruments of death; he shall make fit his arrows for them that persecute. [113] 14. Behold, he shall travail to bring forth iniquity; he hath conceived wickedness, and he shall bring forth falsehood. [114]
12 If he turn not These verses are usually explained in two wa…
gillPsalms 7:14: "Behold, he travaileth with iniquity, and hath conceived mischief, and brought forth falsehood."
Behold, he travaileth with iniquity,.... Is full of it, and big with it, as a woman with child, and eagerly desires to bring it forth, and is in pain till he commits it; and hath conceived mischief; that which is injurious to God and the perfections of his nature, a transgression of his law, and an affront to his justice and holiness, is doing wrong to fellow creatures, and harm to them…
The verse uses a powerful metaphor of pregnancy and childbirth, not just to show the wicked man's deep commitment to evil, but to highlight the ultimately futile outcome. His intense "labor" and "conception" of mischief don't result in success, but in "falsehood"—a deception that ultimately fools only himself.
David is describing the dangerous and deceptive plans of his enemies, particularly highlighting King Saul's relentless pursuit. These verses emphasize the wickedness of his adversaries, who are depicted as actively plotting harm and preparing weapons. The imagery here paints a picture of these enemies conceiving evil, struggling to bring it to fruition, and ultimately producing nothing but lies and disappointment.
David is describing the dangerous and deceptive plans of his enemies, particularly highlighting King Saul's relentless pursuit. These verses emphasize the wickedness of his adversaries, who are depicted as actively plotting harm and preparing weapons. The imagery here paints a picture of these enemies conceiving evil, struggling to bring it to fruition, and ultimately producing nothing but lies and disappointment.
"Behold, the wicked man conceives evil and is pregnant with mischief and gives birth to lies. He makes a pit, digging it out, and falls into the hole that he has made." — The verse uses a powerful metaphor of pregnancy and childbirth, not just to show the wicked man's deep commitment to evil, but to highlight the ultimately futile outcome. His intense "labor" and "con…
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Last reviewed October 2026