He makes a pit, digging it out, and falls into the hole that he has made.
English Standard Version (ESV)
The verse highlights the active and deliberate nature of the enemy's plotting, noting not just that a "pit" was made, but that it was "dug out" and "hollowed." This emphasizes the thoroughness of their evil designs, making their eventual fall into their own trap even more fitting as a consequence of their diligent malice.
He makes a pit, digging it out, and falls into the hole that he has made.
English Standard Version (ESV)
David is crying out to God for deliverance from his enemies, particularly Saul, who is actively plotting his death. These verses paint a vivid picture of those enemies' schemes backfiring, showing how their traps and malice are turned against them by God's justice. The verses that follow will further declare that God will judge the wicked and vindicate the righteous.
Ever feel like your enemies are plotting against you, only to see their plans backfire spectacularly? This verse paints a vivid picture of how God intervenes.
This verse uses powerful imagery of a hunter digging a pit to catch prey, but instead falling into his own trap. It's a poetic way of describing how God ensures that the wicked schemes devised against the innocent often recoil on the perpetrators.
The Maker and the Fallen
It's one thing for bad plans to fail, but it's another when God Himself orchestrates the downfall of the wicked.
This verse isn't just about karma or bad luck. It points to God's active involvement in human affairs, particularly in dispensing justice.
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God's Providence:
This verse uses the vivid imagery of a hunter falling into his own trap to describe how the wicked plans of enemies, particularly King Saul against David, ultimately backfired, leading to their own downfall rather than the destruction of the innocent.
c. 1025 BC
Saul's Reign and Persecution of David
King Saul, increasingly paranoid and jealous of David's popularity and military success, actively sought to kill David, viewing him as a threat to his throne. This led to David becoming a fugitive.
c. 1021 BC
Saul's Military Campaigns and Personal Dangers
During his pursuit of David and other military engagements, Saul himself faced dangerous situations and narrowly escaped death, sometimes due to his own rash actions or the very circumstances he created.
c. 1021 BC
David Spares Saul's Life in the Cave
David had the opportunity to kill Saul while Saul was vulnerable in a cave, but he chose not to, recognizing Saul as God's anointed. This act demonstrated David's restraint and God's protection.
c. 1020 BC— this verse
David Spares Saul's Life at his Camp
Again, David spared Saul's life when he could have killed him, taking only Saul's spear. This reinforced the idea that Saul's plots against David were backfiring, putting Saul himself in danger.
c. 1011 BC
Battle of Mount Gilboa and Saul's Death
Saul and his sons were killed in battle against the Philistines. The narrative suggests Saul fell on his own sword, fulfilling the idea of his own devices leading to his demise.
This passage directly states the proverb found in Psalm 7:15, highlighting that those who dig a pit for others often fall into it themselves.
Esther 7:9-10This narrative provides a powerful real-life example of wicked schemes backfiring, as Haman is hanged on the very gallows he prepared for Mordecai.
Psalms 9:16This verse echoes the sentiment of Psalm 7:15 by stating that the LORD executes judgment and the wicked are ensnared by the work of their own hands.
Psalms 57:6Similar to the imagery in Psalm 7:15, this verse describes the wicked laying snares and digging pits, only to fall into them themselves.
1 Samuel 24:3This account shows King Saul, who was plotting against David, walking into a cave where David was hidden, giving David an opportunity to spare Saul's life and demonstrating how enemies can inadvertently trap themselves.
calvinPsalms 7:15-16: "He made a pit, and digged it, and is fallen into the ditch which he made."
- He hath digged a pit, and hollowed it out; [125] and he hath fallen into the ditch which he hath made. 16. His wickedness shall return upon his own head, and his violence shall descend upon his own crown.
Here David says not only that their wicked devices were without success, but that, by the wonderful providence of God, the result was the very opposite of what had been contemplated. He sets this f…
barnesPsalms 7:15: "He made a pit, and digged it, and is fallen into the ditch which he made."
He made a pit - The allusion here is undoubtedly to a method of hunting wild beasts which was common in ancient times. It consists in digging a pit-fall, and covering it over with brush and grass so as to deceive the animals, and then enclosing them and driving them into it. See the notes at Isaiah 24:17 . And digged it - And hollowed it out so as to be large enough to contain his prey, and so deep that he…
The verse highlights the active and deliberate nature of the enemy's plotting, noting not just that a "pit" was made, but that it was "dug out" and "hollowed." This emphasizes the thoroughness of their evil designs, making their eventual fall into their own trap even more fitting as a consequence of their diligent malice.
David is crying out to God for deliverance from his enemies, particularly Saul, who is actively plotting his death. These verses paint a vivid picture of those enemies' schemes backfiring, showing how their traps and malice are turned against them by God's justice. The verses that follow will further declare that God will judge the wicked and vindicate the righteous.
David is crying out to God for deliverance from his enemies, particularly Saul, who is actively plotting his death. These verses paint a vivid picture of those enemies' schemes backfiring, showing how their traps and malice are turned against them by God's justice. The verses that follow will further declare that God will judge the wicked and vindicate the righteous.
"He makes a pit, digging it out, and falls into the hole that he has made." — The verse highlights the active and deliberate nature of the enemy's plotting, noting not just that a "pit" was made, but that it was "dug out" and "hollowed." This emphasizes the thoroughness of the…
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Last reviewed October 2026