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Psalms 58

Psalms 58

The big picture

Psalms 58 opens in verse 1 with “Do ye indeed speak righteousness, O congregation? do ye judge uprightly, O ye sons of…”, reaches its middle movement near verse 6 with “Break their teeth, O God, in their mouth: break out the great teeth of the young lions…”, and closes in verse 11 with “So that a man shall say, Verily there is a reward for the righteous: verily he is a God…” Repeated or prominent terms include break, earth, poison, righteous, teeth. Together, those details trace this chapter’s own movement from its opening to its conclusion.

Scripture beside the summary

Psalms · King James Version · 11

Psalms 58:1-6

1–6: Do ye indeed speak righteousness, O congregation? do ye judge uprightly…

Psalms 58:1–6 opens with “Do ye indeed speak righteousness, O congregation? do ye judge uprightly, O ye sons of men?” and reaches “Break their teeth, O God, in their mouth: break out the great teeth of the young lions, O LORD .” by its final verse. That movement develops the focus on Psalms 58 develops its own movement around break, earth, poison, righteous, teeth, with particular weight carried by break, poison, teeth.

Deep dive

The movement opens with “Do ye indeed speak righteousness, O congregation? do ye judge uprightly, O ye sons of men?” By verse 3, the text has turned to “The wicked are estranged from the womb: they go astray as soon as they be born, speaking…” It lands on “Break their teeth, O God, in their mouth: break out the great teeth of the young lions, O…” The distance between those lines matters as much as any isolated phrase. The passage has a voice and pulse of its own, including 1 question, 1 verse naming the LORD or God. Those features reveal where the narrative slows down, speaks directly, or changes direction.

Speaker, parallel lines, images, emotional movement, and changes in voice carry the argument. Wise guidance is richer than a mechanical promise. Words such as break, poison, teeth, adder, astray, born tie the complete block together. The central idea, “Psalms 58 develops its own movement around break, earth, poison, righteous, teeth,” should remain answerable to the text. Some conclusions are explicit, some gather support across several verses, and others remain strong inferences or interpretations.

Names or load-bearing terms in this scene include Break, God, Their, Yea. The nearest hinge to the center comes in verse 1: “Do ye indeed speak righteousness, O congregation? do ye judge uprightly, O ye sons of men?” That detail helps separate the opening situation from what the passage changes next.

Words to trace: break, poison, teeth, adder, astray, born

Verse-by-verse path

  1. Psalms 58:1

    “Do ye indeed speak righteousness, O congregation? do ye judge uprightly, O ye sons of men?” The question slows the passage down. Notice who is being pressed to answer, what the question assumes, and whether the next lines provide a response.

  2. Psalms 58:2

    “Yea, in heart ye work wickedness; ye weigh the violence of your hands in the earth.” Naming Yea keeps the account rooted in particular people or places. Follow where the name returns and what changes around it.

  3. Psalms 58:3

    “The wicked are estranged from the womb: they go astray as soon as they be born, speaking lies.” The line’s distinctive content terms include astray, born, estranged. Its relationship to verses 2 and 4 shows what work it does in this passage.

  4. Psalms 58:4

    “Their poison is like the poison of a serpent: they are like the deaf adder that stoppeth her ear;” Naming Their keeps the account rooted in particular people or places. Follow where the name returns and what changes around it.

  5. Psalms 58:5

    “Which will not hearken to the voice of charmers, charming never so wisely.” The line’s distinctive content terms include charmers, charming, hearken. Its relationship to verses 4 and 6 shows what work it does in this passage.

  6. Psalms 58:6

    “Break their teeth, O God, in their mouth: break out the great teeth of the young lions, O LORD .” Naming Break keeps the account rooted in particular people or places. Follow where the name returns and what changes around it.

Psalms 58:1-6

King James Version

1Do ye indeed speak righteousness, O congregation? do ye judge uprightly, O ye sons of men?

2Yea, in heart ye work wickedness; ye weigh the violence of your hands in the earth.

3The wicked are estranged from the womb: they go astray as soon as they be born, speaking lies.

4Their poison is like the poison of a serpent: they are like the deaf adder that stoppeth her ear;

5Which will not hearken to the voice of charmers, charming never so wisely.

6Break their teeth, O God, in their mouth: break out the great teeth of the young lions, O LORD .

Psalms 58:7-11

7–11: Let them melt away as waters which run continually: when he bendeth his…

Psalms 58:7–11 opens with “Let them melt away as waters which run continually: when he bendeth his bow to shoot his arrows…” and reaches “So that a man shall say, Verily there is a reward for the righteous: verily he is a God that…” by its final verse. That movement develops the focus on Psalms 58 develops its own movement around break, earth, poison, righteous, teeth, with particular weight carried by righteous, verily, arrows.

Deep dive

The movement opens with “Let them melt away as waters which run continually: when he bendeth his bow to shoot his…” By verse 9, the text has turned to “Before your pots can feel the thorns, he shall take them away as with a whirlwind, both…” It lands on “So that a man shall say, Verily there is a reward for the righteous: verily he is a God that…” The distance between those lines matters as much as any isolated phrase. The passage has a voice and pulse of its own, including 1 verse naming the LORD or God. Those features reveal where the narrative slows down, speaks directly, or changes direction.

Speaker, parallel lines, images, emotional movement, and changes in voice carry the argument. Wise guidance is richer than a mechanical promise. Words such as righteous, verily, arrows, bendeth, birth, blood tie the complete block together. The central idea, “Psalms 58 develops its own movement around break, earth, poison, righteous, teeth,” should remain answerable to the text. Some conclusions are explicit, some gather support across several verses, and others remain strong inferences or interpretations.

Names or load-bearing terms in this scene include God, Verily. Its number language includes one. The nearest hinge to the center comes in verse 9: “Before your pots can feel the thorns, he shall take them away as with a whirlwind, both living, and in his wrath.” That detail helps separate the opening situation from what the passage changes next.

Words to trace: righteous, verily, arrows, bendeth, birth, blood

Verse-by-verse path

  1. Psalms 58:7

    “Let them melt away as waters which run continually: when he bendeth his bow to shoot his arrows, let them be as cut in…” The line’s distinctive content terms include arrows, bendeth, continually. Its relationship to verses 8 shows what work it does in this passage.

  2. Psalms 58:8

    “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 number one makes the report concrete. Ask whether it measures time, people, distance, repetition, or completeness before deciding what weight it carries.

  3. Psalms 58:9

    “Before your pots can feel the thorns, he shall take them away as with a whirlwind, both living, and in his wrath.” The command cannot be understood from the verb alone. Its recipient, purpose, and place in the larger covenant or argument define the responsibility.

  4. Psalms 58:10

    “The righteous shall rejoice when he seeth the vengeance: he shall wash his feet in the blood of the wicked.” The command cannot be understood from the verb alone. Its recipient, purpose, and place in the larger covenant or argument define the responsibility.

  5. Psalms 58:11

    “So that a man shall say, Verily there is a reward for the righteous: verily he is a God that judgeth in the earth.” This line supplies a reason, result, or conclusion. It should stay attached to the claim or action that gives it meaning.

Psalms 58:7-11

King James Version

7Let them melt away as waters which run continually: when he bendeth his bow to shoot his arrows, let them be as cut in pieces.

8As 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.

9Before your pots can feel the thorns, he shall take them away as with a whirlwind, both living, and in his wrath.

10The righteous shall rejoice when he seeth the vengeance: he shall wash his feet in the blood of the wicked.

11So that a man shall say, Verily there is a reward for the righteous: verily he is a God that judgeth in the earth.

Questions to keep in mind while reading

  1. Follow the speaker, images, parallel lines, questions, and emotional movement.
  2. Notice where tension or suffering resists an easy answer.
  3. Read a saying as wisdom for faithful discernment, not as a mechanical promise detached from context.

Text first

Where readers differ

The chapter summary begins with what the passage says and how its parts fit together. It does not assume one denomination has already settled every question. Where a conclusion depends on a tradition, literary theory, or historical reconstruction, that dependence is named openly.

The KJV text is presented first. Interpretive conclusions are labeled, and differences are introduced only when they help a reader understand why serious communities do not always reach the same answer.

Comparative interpretive notes for this chapter are in preparation. Until reviewed notes are ready, this page separates the KJV text from summary and application without claiming that serious readers agree on every question.

Questions beneath the surface

  1. What account of God, human freedom, responsibility, and the good life emerges from Psalms 58?
  2. Which tension does the chapter refuse to resolve quickly?
  3. What changes when the chapter is read as part of the whole canon rather than as an isolated moral story?
  4. Where might a sincere reader confuse a familiar tradition with something the text states directly?

Questions for serious personal contemplation

These open-ended questions make room for tension, honest response, prayer, and conclusions that remain accountable to the chapter.

Observe without rushing

  1. What part of Psalms 58 makes you stop, feel unsettled, or feel surprised, and why?

  2. Which detail in the passage would be easiest to overlook? How does that detail change your understanding?

  3. Where do you see tension between what happens and this focus: Psalms 58 develops its own movement around break, earth, poison, righteous, teeth?

  4. What important question does the passage leave open instead of resolving quickly?

Examine your inner life honestly

  1. Which person, response, fear, or desire in the passage feels most like your own life right now?

  2. What assumption about God, other people, or yourself does this text challenge?

  3. Which part would you rather soften, avoid, or explain away too quickly? What might that reaction reveal?

  4. If this Scripture could ask you one direct question, what do you think it would ask?

Respond with wisdom and courage

  1. What do you need to remember, confess, grieve, thank God for, or trust after reading this passage?

  2. How might another faithful person read this situation differently without ignoring the text?

  3. What obedient response would be costly, uncomfortable, or slow, yet still faithful to Scripture?

  4. What question will you carry into prayer this week, and which verses will you keep in front of you?