Psalms 73:6
Therefore pride is their necklace; violence covers them as a garment.
English Standard Version (ESV)
All verses
This page isn't yet indexed by search engines.
Psalms 73:6
Therefore pride is their necklace; violence covers them as a garment.
English Standard Version (ESV)
This page isn't yet indexed by search engines.
The text highlights that pride isn't just an internal feeling but an outward adornment, like a necklace, and that their violence is so ingrained it's like the clothing they wear for all to see. This isn't just describing haughtiness, but how their very character and actions are ostentatiously displayed as badges of their success.
The psalmist Asaph is wrestling with a profound doubt: why do the wicked seem to prosper so greatly, while God's people suffer? He describes their outward success and freedom from hardship, noting how this apparent blessing inflates their pride and leads them to acts of oppression and violence. This observation is the source of his spiritual turmoil, causing him to question God's justice and goodness.
Why would the Psalmist describe pride as a piece of jewelry? What does this metaphor tell us about how the wicked displayed their arrogance?
In this verse, the Psalmist uses vivid imagery to describe the outward manifestation of the wicked's inner corruption. He says, "pride compasseth them about as a chain." This isn't just about feeling proud; it's about displaying it outwardly.
A Visible Display
Think about a heavy, ornate necklace. It draws attention, sits prominently, and often signifies status or wealth. For the wicked, pride wasn't just a fleeting thought; it was their "necklace." It was something they wore constantly, a visible symbol of their self-importance and perceived superiority. It dictated their bearing, their attitude, and how they carried themselves.
The Allure of Power
Commentators note that such chains could even be symbols of authority or high office. The wicked, basking in their unearned prosperity, wore their arrogance like a badge of honor. This outward display made them seem untouchable and commanded a certain fearful respect from others, even as it blinded them to their own spiritual poverty.
How can violence become something as common and visible as clothing? What does this metaphor reveal about the wicked's actions?
Following the image of pride as a necklace, the Psalmist declares that "violence covereth them as a garment." This powerful metaphor illustrates how oppressive and harmful actions were not occasional acts but a defining characteristic of their lives.
A Habitual Practice
Just as a garment is worn daily and is inseparable from one's appearance, violence had become the wicked's constant attire. It wasn't something they put on for specific occasions; it was their everyday wear. This implies a deep-seated habit of cruelty, oppression, and disregard for others.
Cloaked in Cruelty
This imagery suggests that their actions were not hidden but were openly displayed, much like a robe. They operated with a brazenness that stemmed from their pride and prosperity. Their violence was so pervasive that it defined them, making it impossible to ignore, just as a striking garment is impossible to miss.
Understand the original words
ga'on · Hebrew Noun
A haughty or arrogant attitude that sets oneself up above God and others, characterized by self-sufficiency and a lack of dependence on the Creator.
atiphah · Hebrew Noun
An outward appearance or display that conceals one's true nature; in a negative sense, it is the manifestation of one's character, here implying that their sinful state is worn openly.
chamas · Hebrew Noun
Physical force, often used unjustly or aggressively to overpower others; it stands in direct opposition to God's justice and mercy.
This psalm grapples with the age-old problem of why the wicked often prosper while the righteous suffer, a tension particularly sharp during the turbulent periods of Israel's history, including the exile and its aftermath.
c. 1000 BC
United Monarchy of Israel
Under Kings Saul, David, and Solomon, the tribes of Israel were unified into a single powerful kingdom, experiencing a period of relative peace and prosperity.
c. 931 BC
Division of the Kingdom
Following Solomon's death, the kingdom split into two: the Northern Kingdom of Israel and the Southern Kingdom of Judah. This division led to political instability and religious syncretism.
c. 722 BC
Fall of Samaria and Fall of Israel
The Northern Kingdom of Israel was conquered by the Neo-Assyrian Empire, leading to the deportation of its population and the end of the kingdom.
c. 605-586 BC
Babylonian Exile
The Southern Kingdom of Judah experienced repeated invasions by the Neo-Babylonian Empire, culminating in the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple, and the exile of its people to Babylon.
This proverb directly links pride with destruction, echoing the Psalmist's observation that the wicked's outward adornment of pride leads to their downfall.
Jeremiah 9:23-24This passage highlights God's disdain for boasting in strength, wisdom, or riches, pointing instead to knowing Him as the true source of glory, contrasting with the Psalmist's description of the wicked's vain pride.
Luke 18:11-12The Pharisee's prayer, with its emphasis on his own righteousness and separation from sinners, exemplifies the kind of pride and self-reliance that the Psalmist sees adorning the wicked.
1 John 2:16This verse categorizes the 'pride of life' alongside the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes, showing how the outward show and confidence described in Psalm 73:6 are characteristic of a worldly, self-sufficient spirit.
clarkePsalms 73:6: "Therefore pride compasseth them about as a chain; violence covereth them as a garment."
Pride compasseth them about as a chain - Perhaps there is an allusion here to the office which some of them bore. Chains of gold, and golden rings, were ensigns of magistracy and civil power. As these chains encompassed their necks, or the rings their wrists and fingers, as the signs of the offices in virtue of which they acted; so חמס chamas, violence, oppressive conduct, encompassed them. Th…
expositorsPsalms 73:1-28: "A Psalm of Asaph. Truly God is good to Israel, even to such as are of a clean heart."
Psalm 73:1-28 THE perennial problem of reconciling God’s moral government with observed facts is grappled with in this psalm, as in Psalm 37:1-40 ; Psalm 49:1-20 . It tells how the prosperity of the godless, in apparent flat contradiction of Divine promises, had all but swept the psalmist from his faith, and how he was led, through doubt and struggle, to closer communion with God, in which he…
The text highlights that pride isn't just an internal feeling but an outward adornment, like a necklace, and that their violence is so ingrained it's like the clothing they wear for all to see. This isn't just describing haughtiness, but how their very character and actions are ostentatiously displayed as badges of their success.
The psalmist Asaph is wrestling with a profound doubt: why do the wicked seem to prosper so greatly, while God's people suffer? He describes their outward success and freedom from hardship, noting how this apparent blessing inflates their pride and leads them to acts of oppression and violence. This observation is the source of his spiritual turmoil, causing him to question God's justice and goodness.
The psalmist Asaph is wrestling with a profound doubt: why do the wicked seem to prosper so greatly, while God's people suffer? He describes their outward success and freedom from hardship, noting how this apparent blessing inflates their pride and leads them to acts of oppression and violence. This observation is the source of his spiritual turmoil, causing him to question God's justice and goodness.
Get the original Greek and Hebrew, verse-by-verse context, and related passages inside the app.
Ask a follow-up
Ask Sola things like:
Live chat about Psalms 73:6 is available in the Sola app.
c. 539 BC
Persian Conquest and Return from Exile
The Persian Empire conquered Babylon, and under Cyrus the Great, allowed the Judean exiles to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the Temple.
c. 458-430 BC
Post-Exilic Period
The returned community faced significant challenges in rebuilding their society and religious life amidst poverty and foreign domination. This period saw the work of Ezra and Nehemiah.
c. 400 BC— this verse
Authorship of Psalm 73
Psalm 73, attributed to Asaph, reflects on the prosperity of the wicked and the struggles of the faithful, likely during the post-exilic era when societal injustices and doubts about God's justice were prevalent.
"Therefore pride is their necklace; violence covers them as a garment." — The text highlights that pride isn't just an internal feeling but an outward adornment, like a necklace, and that their violence is so ingrained it's like the clothing they wear for all to see. This…