Psalms 11:3

When the foundations ¹  are destroyed, what can the godly ²  accomplish?” ³ 

When the foundations are being destroyed, what can the righteous do?"

If the foundations are destroyed, What can the righteous do?"

The foundations of law and order have collapsed. What can the righteous do?"

The bottom's dropped out of the country; good people don't have a chance"?

If the bases are broken down, what is the upright man to do?

If the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?"

If the foundations are destroyed, What can the righteous do?

When the foundations ¹  are destroyed, what can the godly ²  accomplish?” ³ 

¹ tn The precise meaning of this rare word is uncertain. An Ugaritic cognate is used of the “bottom” or “base” of a cliff or mountain (see G. R. Driver, Canaanite Myths and Legends, 47, 159). The noun appears in postbiblical Hebrew with the meaning “foundation” (see Jastrow 1636 s.v. שָׁת).

² tn The singular form is used here in a collective or representative sense. Note the plural form “pure [of heart]” in the previous verse.

³ sn The quotation of the advisers’ words (which begins in 11:1c) ends at this point. They advise the psalmist to flee because the enemy is poised to launch a deadly attack. In such a lawless and chaotic situation godly people like the psalmist can accomplish nothing, so they might as well retreat to a safe place.