The verse uses the powerful metaphor of pregnancy and childbirth not just to show the wicked person's effort in evil, but to highlight the ultimate failure of their schemes. It reveals that the "mischief" conceived and the "lies" produced are ultimately empty and self-deceptive, leading to no true success but only disappointment for the one who plotted it.
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. His mischief returns upon his own head, and on his own skull his violence descends.
English Standard Version (ESV)
David is describing the intense plotting and efforts of his enemies, particularly King Saul, who is relentlessly pursuing him. He's shown how they've prepared weapons and agents for his destruction, but now shifts to expose the futility of their actions. This verse reveals that their wicked schemes, despite the effort and intention behind them, ultimately produce nothing of substance.
Have you ever noticed how some people seem to be always plotting and scheming, only for their plans to fall apart?
This verse uses a powerful metaphor of pregnancy and childbirth to describe the wicked person's actions.
The Design (Conception)
The wicked man doesn't just stumble into evil; he conceives mischief. This points to deliberate planning, a deep-seated intention to harm and do wrong. It's a thought process, a scheme hatched in the mind.
The Effort (Travail)
The phrase 'travaileth with iniquity' brings to mind the intense pains and struggles of labor. This isn't a passive process. The wicked man actively strives, labors, and exerts himself to bring his evil plans to fruition. It’s a restless, urgent effort.
The Outcome (Birth)
But what is born? 'Falsehood.' This isn't necessarily a spoken lie, but rather the ultimate outcome of his efforts – disappointment, vanity, and failure. His grand designs, so carefully conceived and painfully pursued, produce nothing substantial or true. They are ultimately self-deceptive, an 'abortive' birth.
Why do wicked people pursue evil with such intensity, only to end up empty-handed?
The verse paints a vivid picture of the wicked individual's efforts, emphasizing their ultimate futility.
Intentional Malice
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The terms used – 'conceives mischief,' 'travaileth with iniquity,' 'gives birth to falsehood' – all describe actions driven by a deliberate, hostile intent. The wicked man is not merely careless; he is actively plotting harm against others or against God's ways.
The Illusion of Success
The 'birth' of falsehood is the critical point. It signifies that the wicked person's efforts do not achieve their intended goal. Instead, they lead to disappointment, self-deception, or a result that is utterly empty and vain. What seems powerful and destructive in its conception ultimately amounts to nothing of substance.
Divine Irony
This imagery carries a divine irony. The wicked strive and struggle, full of their own perceived power, but their efforts are ultimately thwarted. Their labor produces not victory, but a hollow illusion – a lie that deceives primarily themselves about their true power and the ultimate outcome.
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.
amal · Hebrew Noun
A term referring to wickedness, evil deeds, or harmful intent. In a biblical context, it often denotes the moral perversity or deceitful schemes of the wicked that inevitably lead to their own judgment.
chamas · Hebrew Noun
Refers to lawlessness, physical force, or injustice used to harm others. It characterizes the conduct of the wicked who violate God's moral order and will face retributive justice.
Psalm 7 vividly captures the anguish of persecution. The imagery of 'conceiving evil' and 'giving birth to lies' reflects the deep-seated malice and deceptive schemes David faced from those in power, particularly King Saul, during his time as a fugitive. The psalm trusts that God, the righteous judge, will ultimately expose and defeat these wicked plots.
c. 1025 BC
Saul Anointed King of Israel
Saul is anointed as the first king of Israel, marking a significant shift in the nation's political structure.
c. 1010 BC
David Anointed King of Israel
David, a young shepherd, is secretly anointed king by the prophet Samuel while Saul is still on the throne, setting the stage for future conflict.
c. 1010-1000 BC— this verse
David Flees from Saul
Saul, consumed by jealousy and paranoia, relentlessly pursues David, who becomes a fugitive. This period of intense persecution and hiding is the backdrop for many of David's psalms, including Psalm 7.
c. 1000 BC
Death of Saul
Saul and his son Jonathan are killed in battle against the Philistines at Mount Gilboa, ending his reign and his pursuit of David.
c. 1000 BC
David Becomes King of Judah
Following Saul's death, David is crowned king over the tribe of Judah in Hebron, beginning his ascent to unified kingship over all Israel.
This passage uses a similar imagery of 'conceiving trouble' and 'giving birth to disaster' and 'falsehood,' directly echoing the idea of wicked plans ultimately producing nothing but deceit and ruin.
Isaiah 26:17-18This prophecy describes a similar process of conception and 'birth pangs' that ultimately produce nothing but wind, highlighting the futility of wicked schemes against God's purposes.
Matthew 12:34-35Jesus uses the analogy of good and evil 'treasures' to show that what a person conceives in their heart naturally comes out of their mouth, linking inner wickedness to outward lies and deceit.
James 1:14-15This passage directly connects 'desire' (conception) to 'sin' and 'death' (bringing forth fruit), illustrating the progression from inner thought to outward action and its deadly consequences.
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 the powerful metaphor of pregnancy and childbirth not just to show the wicked person's effort in evil, but to highlight the ultimate failure of their schemes. It reveals that the "mischief" conceived and the "lies" produced are ultimately empty and self-deceptive, leading to no true success but only disappointment for the one who plotted it.
David is describing the intense plotting and efforts of his enemies, particularly King Saul, who is relentlessly pursuing him. He's shown how they've prepared weapons and agents for his destruction, but now shifts to expose the futility of their actions. This verse reveals that their wicked schemes, despite the effort and intention behind them, ultimately produce nothing of substance.
David is describing the intense plotting and efforts of his enemies, particularly King Saul, who is relentlessly pursuing him. He's shown how they've prepared weapons and agents for his destruction, but now shifts to expose the futility of their actions. This verse reveals that their wicked schemes, despite the effort and intention behind them, ultimately produce nothing of substance.
"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. His mischief returns upon his own head,…" — The verse uses the powerful metaphor of pregnancy and childbirth not just to show the wicked person's effort in evil, but to highlight the ultimate failure of their schemes. It reveals that the "misc…
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Last reviewed October 2026
