There Is a God Who Judges
Psalm 58 summary: what it means
Psalm 58 is an angry prayer about injustice. It opens by challenging those who are supposed to judge: do they really speak righteousness. The answer is no. In their hearts they plot injustice, and their hands measure out violence. The psalm describes the wicked as going astray from the womb, and compares them to a deaf cobra that will not listen to the charmer.
The middle of the psalm is a string of hard requests: break their teeth, let them vanish like water, let their arrows be blunt, let them melt like a snail. The ending is stark. The righteous rejoice at the vengeance, and people conclude that there is a reward for the righteous and a God who judges the earth.
Psalm 58: There Is a God Who Judges
World English Bible, public domain. allpsalms.com/psalm-58
Psalm 58 commentary: explained verse by verse
Do you indeed speak righteousness, silent ones?Do you judge blamelessly, you sons of men?
Do ye indeed speak righteousness, O congregation? do ye judge uprightly, O ye sons of men?
The psalm begins with a challenge rather than a prayer. It asks those who judge whether they really speak righteousness and judge blamelessly. The questions expect the answer no.
Also read Isaiah 11:3-5, 2 Chronicles 19:6-7, 2 Samuel 23:3, Deuteronomy 16:18-19
No, in your heart you plot injustice.You measure out the violence of your hands on the earth.
Yea, in heart ye work wickedness; ye weigh the violence of your hands in the earth.
The answer comes at once: in their hearts they plot injustice, and they measure out the violence of their hands. Measuring suggests something deliberate. The problem is not a slip but a plan.
Also read Psalm 21:11, Micah 3:9-12, Psalm 94:20, Isaiah 10:1
The wicked go astray from the womb.They are wayward as soon as they are born, speaking lies.
The wicked are estranged from the womb: they go astray as soon as they be born, speaking lies.
The writer says the wicked go astray from the womb and speak lies as soon as they are born. It is a strong way of saying their wrongdoing runs deep and started early. The psalm does not explain it further.
Also read Proverbs 22:15, Job 15:14, Isaiah 48:8, Isaiah 46:3
Their poison is like the poison of a snake,like a deaf cobra that stops its ear,
Their poison is like the poison of a serpent: they are like the deaf adder that stoppeth her ear;
Their poison is like a snake's, like a deaf cobra that stops its ear. The image is of danger that also refuses to be reached. Verse 5 finishes the picture.
Also read Jeremiah 8:17, Matthew 23:33, Job 20:16, Psalm 140:3
which doesn’t listen to the voice of charmers,no matter how skillful the charmer may be.
Which will not hearken to the voice of charmers, charming never so wisely.
The cobra does not listen to the charmers, however skillful they are. The point is that the wicked cannot be talked out of what they are doing. No persuasion works.
Also read Deuteronomy 18:11, Isaiah 19:3, Jeremiah 8:17
Break their teeth, God, in their mouth.Break out the great teeth of the young lions, LORD.
Break their teeth, O God, in their mouth: break out the great teeth of the young lions, O LORD.
The prayer turns to requests. The writer asks God to break their teeth, and the great teeth of the young lions. Teeth are what make a lion dangerous, so the request is to take away their power to harm.
Also read Psalm 17:12, Numbers 23:24, Psalm 3:7, Ezekiel 30:21-26
Let them vanish like water that flows away.When they draw the bow, let their arrows be made blunt.
Let them melt away as waters which run continually: when he bendeth his bow to shoot his arrows, let them be as cut in pieces.
Also read Psalm 112:10, Joshua 7:5, Exodus 15:15, Psalm 64:7-8
Let them be like a snail which melts and passes away,like the stillborn child, who has not seen the sun.
As a snail which melteth, let every one of them pass away: like the untimely birth of a woman, that they may not see the sun.
Two more pictures of disappearing: a snail that melts and passes away, and a stillborn child who has not seen the sun. They are harsh images of something that comes to nothing. The psalm uses them to ask that the wicked pass away without effect.
Also read Job 3:16, Matthew 24:35, Psalm 37:35-36, James 1:10
Before your pots can feel the heat of the thorns,he will sweep away the green and the burning alike.
Before your pots can feel the thorns, he shall take them away as with a whirlwind, both living, and in his wrath.
Also read Isaiah 17:13, Jeremiah 23:19, Psalm 73:18-20, Proverbs 14:32
The righteous shall rejoice when he sees the vengeance.He shall wash his feet in the blood of the wicked,
The righteous shall rejoice when he seeth the vengeance: he shall wash his feet in the blood of the wicked.
The righteous rejoice at the vengeance and wash their feet in the blood of the wicked. It is a violent image, and the psalm does not soften it. It pictures the complete defeat of the wicked, seen by the righteous.
Also read Psalm 52:6, Revelation 11:17-18, Revelation 14:20, Revelation 18:20
so that men shall say, “Most certainly there is a reward for the righteous.Most certainly there is a God who judges the earth.”
So that a man shall say, Verily there is a reward for the righteous: verily he is a God that judgeth in the earth.
The psalm ends with what people will say: there is a reward for the righteous, and there is a God who judges the earth. Human judges failed in verse 1. The last word is that God does not.
Also read Malachi 3:14, Psalm 98:9, Psalm 33:18, Malachi 2:17
A prayer from Psalm 58
God, you see the injustice people plot in their hearts and the violence their hands measure out on the earth. I see it too, and it makes me angry. Some who should speak up for what is right stay silent. Some will not listen, like a snake that stops its ear. I will not pretend this does not matter. I bring it to you instead of taking it into my own hands. You are the God who judges the earth. Deal with the wrong in your own way and your own time. Let people see that there is a reward for the righteous. Amen.
Psalm 58 Bible study questions
- Whom does verse 1 address, and what does verse 2 say they do in their hearts and with their hands?
- Verses 4 and 5 compare the wicked to a deaf cobra; what does the snake refuse to do?
- Verses 6 to 8 ask God to act against the wicked in strong images; how do you respond to a prayer that speaks this openly about anger at injustice?
- Verse 11 ends with people saying there is a God who judges the earth; why might that statement matter to someone who has suffered a wrong?
- Psalm 94:2 also calls on the judge of the earth; what do Psalm 58:11 and Psalm 94:2 have in common?
Questions about Psalm 58
What is the meaning of Psalm 58?
It is a prayer against unjust judges and rulers. It says they plot injustice, asks God to take away their power to harm, and ends with the claim that there is a God who judges the earth.
Who wrote Psalm 58?
The heading attributes it to David and calls it a poem, for the Chief Musician, to the tune of Do Not Destroy.
What does Psalm 58:3 mean?
It says the wicked go astray from the womb and speak lies from birth. It is the psalm's way of saying their wrongdoing is deep-rooted.
What does Psalm 58:6 mean?
The writer asks God to break the teeth of the wicked, pictured as young lions. The request is for God to remove their power to do harm.
What does Psalm 58:11 mean?
It gives the psalm's conclusion: there is a reward for the righteous, and there is a God who judges the earth.
Why is Psalm 58 so harsh?
It is a prayer asking God to act against unjust rulers, and its images are deliberately severe. The requests are addressed to God, and the psalm ends by naming God as the one who judges the earth.
Psalm 58 KJV: the King James Version
Do ye indeed speak righteousness, O congregation? do ye judge uprightly, O ye sons of men?1
Yea, in heart ye work wickedness; ye weigh the violence of your hands in the earth.2
The wicked are estranged from the womb: they go astray as soon as they be born, speaking lies.3
Their poison is like the poison of a serpent: they are like the deaf adder that stoppeth her ear;4
Which will not hearken to the voice of charmers, charming never so wisely.5
Break their teeth, O God, in their mouth: break out the great teeth of the young lions, O LORD.6
Let them melt away as waters which run continually: when he bendeth his bow to shoot his arrows, let them be as cut in pieces.7
As a snail which melteth, let every one of them pass away: like the untimely birth of a woman, that they may not see the sun.8
Before your pots can feel the thorns, he shall take them away as with a whirlwind, both living, and in his wrath.9
The righteous shall rejoice when he seeth the vengeance: he shall wash his feet in the blood of the wicked.10
So that a man shall say, Verily there is a reward for the righteous: verily he is a God that judgeth in the earth.11
Psalm 58 in Hebrew
The Hebrew text from the Westminster Leningrad Codex, public domain. Verse numbers follow the Hebrew Bible, which counts a psalm's heading as verse 1, so they can run one ahead of English Bibles.
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1 לַמְנַצֵּ֥חַ אַל־תַּשְׁחֵ֗ת לְדָוִ֥ד מִכְתָּֽם׃
2 הַֽאֻמְנָ֗ם אֵ֣לֶם צֶ֭דֶק תְּדַבֵּר֑וּן מֵישָׁרִ֥ים תִּ֝שְׁפְּט֗וּ בְּנֵ֣י אָדָֽם׃
3 אַף־בְּלֵב֮ עוֹלֹ֪ת תִּפְעָ֫ל֥וּן בָּאָ֡רֶץ חֲמַ֥ס יְ֝דֵיכֶ֗ם תְּפַלֵּֽסֽוּן׃
4 זֹ֣רוּ רְשָׁעִ֣ים מֵרָ֑חֶם תָּע֥וּ מִ֝בֶּ֗טֶן דֹּבְרֵ֥י כָזָֽב׃
5 חֲמַת־לָ֗מוֹ כִּדְמ֥וּת חֲמַת־נָחָ֑שׁ כְּמוֹ־פֶ֥תֶן חֵ֝רֵ֗שׁ יַאְטֵ֥ם אָזְנֽוֹ׃
6 אֲשֶׁ֣ר לֹא־יִ֭שְׁמַע לְק֣וֹל מְלַחֲשִׁ֑ים חוֹבֵ֖ר חֲבָרִ֣ים מְחֻכָּֽם׃
7 אֱֽלֹהִ֗ים הֲרָס־שִׁנֵּ֥ימוֹ בְּפִ֑ימוֹ מַלְתְּע֥וֹת כְּ֝פִירִ֗ים נְתֹ֣ץ ׀ יְהוָֽה׃
8 יִמָּאֲס֣וּ כְמוֹ־מַ֭יִם יִתְהַלְּכוּ־לָ֑מוֹ יִדְרֹ֥ךְ חצו כְּמ֣וֹ יִתְמֹלָֽלוּ׃
9 כְּמ֣וֹ שַׁ֭בְּלוּל תֶּ֣מֶס יַהֲלֹ֑ךְ נֵ֥פֶל אֵ֝֗שֶׁת בַּל־חָ֥זוּ שָֽׁמֶשׁ׃
10 בְּטֶ֤רֶם יָבִ֣ינוּ סִּֽירֹתֵיכֶ֣ם אָטָ֑ד כְּמוֹ־חַ֥י כְּמוֹ־חָ֝ר֗וֹן יִשְׂעָרֶֽנּוּ׃
11 יִשְׂמַ֣ח צַ֭דִּיק כִּי־חָזָ֣ה נָקָ֑ם פְּעָמָ֥יו יִ֝רְחַ֗ץ בְּדַ֣ם הָרָשָֽׁע׃
12 וְיֹאמַ֣ר אָ֭דָם אַךְ־פְּרִ֣י לַצַּדִּ֑יק אַ֥ךְ יֵשׁ־אֱ֝לֹהִ֗ים שֹׁפְטִ֥ים בָּאָֽרֶץ׃
Psalm 58 in the Catholic Douay-Rheims Bible
The Douay-Rheims Bible, 1899 edition, public domain. It follows the Greek and Latin numbering, so this psalm is Psalm 57 there.
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1 Unto the end, destroy not, for David, for an inscription of a title.
2 If in very deed you speak justice: judge right things, ye sons of men.
3 For in your heart you work iniquity: your hands forge injustice in the earth.
4 The wicked are alienated from the womb; they have gone astray from the womb: they have spoken false things.
5 Their madness is according to the likeness of a serpent: like the deaf asp that stoppeth her ears:
6 Which will not hear the voice of the charmers; nor of the wizard that charmeth wisely.
7 God shall break in pieces their teeth in their mouth: the Lord shall break the grinders of the lions.
8 They shall come to nothing, like water running down; he hath bent his bow till they be weakened.
9 Like wax that melteth they shall be taken away: fire hath fallen on them, and they shall not see the sun.
10 Before your thorns could know the brier; he swalloweth them up, as alive, in his wrath.
11 The just shall rejoice when he shall see the revenge: he shall wash his hands in the blood of the sinner.
12 And man shall say: If indeed there be fruit to the just: there is indeed a God that judgeth them on the earth.
Psalm 58 in Latin
The Clementine Vulgate, public domain, where this psalm is Psalm 57.
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1 In finem, ne disperdas. David in tituli inscriptionem.
2 Si vere utique justitiam loquimini, recta judicate, filii hominum.
3 Etenim in corde iniquitates operamini; in terra injustitias manus vestræ concinnant.
4 Alienati sunt peccatores a vulva; erraverunt ab utero: locuti sunt falsa.
5 Furor illis secundum similitudinem serpentis, sicut aspidis surdæ et obturantis aures suas,
6 quæ non exaudiet vocem incantantium, et venefici incantantis sapienter.
7 Deus conteret dentes eorum in ore ipsorum; molas leonum confringet Dominus.
8 Ad nihilum devenient tamquam aqua decurrens; intendit arcum suum donec infirmentur.
9 Sicut cera quæ fluit auferentur; supercecidit ignis, et non viderunt solem.
10 Priusquam intelligerent spinæ vestræ rhamnum, sicut viventes sic in ira absorbet eos.
11 Lætabitur justus cum viderit vindictam; manus suas lavabit in sanguine peccatoris.
12 Et dicet homo: Si utique est fructus justo, utique est Deus judicans eos in terra.
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Psalm 58 at a glance
| Verses | 11 |
| Heading in the text | For the Chief Musician. To the tune of “Do Not Destroy.” A poem by David. |
| Attributed to | The heading attributes it to David, calls it a poem, and sets it to the tune of Do Not Destroy. |
| Type | Imprecatory |
| Number in Greek and Latin Bibles | Psalm 57 |
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Psalm 58 in other translations
This page prints the World English Bible and the King James Version because both are public domain. The NIV, ESV, NKJV, NLT and NASB are under copyright, so they cannot be printed in full here. You can read Psalm 58 in those translations at Bible Gateway.
Where Psalm 58 belongs
Psalms of DavidBook 2 of the Psalms
How this page was made
The psalm text comes from public domain translations and is not edited. The summary, the verse notes and the answers are written for this page from the text of the psalm itself. Where a claim goes beyond the text, it is sourced below.
Sources
- Text: World English Bible and King James Version, both public domain, from ebible.org source
- Hebrew text: Westminster Leningrad Codex, public domain, from ebible.org source
- Douay-Rheims: Douay-Rheims Bible, 1899 edition, public domain, from ebible.org source
- Latin text: Clementine Vulgate, public domain, from ebible.org source
- Numbering: Greek and Latin psalm numbering, Wikipedia, Psalms source