This verse describes the relentless presence of evil within a city’s defenses and conveys David’s sorrow over the entrenched wrongdoing that only God can overcome.
In Psalm 55:10, David laments the turmoil that surrounds his city with the words, “Day and night they go around her upon her walls, and iniquity and mischief are in her midst” (v.10). Though the psalm does not explicitly name Jerusalem, many interpret “her walls” as referring to Jerusalem’s fortifications. David was Israel’s second king, reigning approximately 1010-970 BC; his words here convey deep distress at how wrongdoing and strife have seeped through every barrier of society, leaving him anguished over the moral and social decay threatening his people.
By stating that “Day and night they go around her upon her walls” (v.10), David vividly portrays a sense of unrelenting siege, suggesting evil’s constant watchfulness and persistent presence. The phrase “iniquity and mischief are in her midst” (v.10) highlights the destructive forces corroding the city’s integrity from within. This resonates with later passages throughout Scripture where godly men cry out for relief from unrighteousness, ultimately pointing to the need for divine intervention and deliverance (Romans 8:22-23).
New Testament writers often portray Jesus as the ultimate deliverer for those oppressed by evil (John 10:7-10). David’s mournful recognition of a city consumed by sin can be seen as an echo of the human condition that Jesus came to redeem. In the same way that David prayed for rescue from treachery and turmoil, believers today find their hope in Christ, trusting Him to be our fortress against injustice and sin (2 Thessalonians 3:3).
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Psalms 55:10 meaning
In Psalm 55:10, David laments the turmoil that surrounds his city with the words, “Day and night they go around her upon her walls, and iniquity and mischief are in her midst” (v.10). Though the psalm does not explicitly name Jerusalem, many interpret “her walls” as referring to Jerusalem’s fortifications. David was Israel’s second king, reigning approximately 1010-970 BC; his words here convey deep distress at how wrongdoing and strife have seeped through every barrier of society, leaving him anguished over the moral and social decay threatening his people.
By stating that “Day and night they go around her upon her walls” (v.10), David vividly portrays a sense of unrelenting siege, suggesting evil’s constant watchfulness and persistent presence. The phrase “iniquity and mischief are in her midst” (v.10) highlights the destructive forces corroding the city’s integrity from within. This resonates with later passages throughout Scripture where godly men cry out for relief from unrighteousness, ultimately pointing to the need for divine intervention and deliverance (Romans 8:22-23).
New Testament writers often portray Jesus as the ultimate deliverer for those oppressed by evil (John 10:7-10). David’s mournful recognition of a city consumed by sin can be seen as an echo of the human condition that Jesus came to redeem. In the same way that David prayed for rescue from treachery and turmoil, believers today find their hope in Christ, trusting Him to be our fortress against injustice and sin (2 Thessalonians 3:3).