Psalms 58
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Do ye indeed speak righteousness, O congregation? do ye judge uprightly, O ye sons of men?
2 Yea, in heart ye work wickedness; ye weigh the violence of your hands in the earth.
3 The wicked are estranged from the womb: they go astray as soon as they be born, speaking lies.
4 Their poison is like the poison of a serpent: they are like the deaf adder that stoppeth her ear;
5 Which will not hearken to the voice of charmers, charming never so wisely.
6 Break their teeth, O God, in their mouth: break out the great teeth of the young lions, O Lord.
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 pieces.
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 sun.
9 Before your pots can feel the thorns, he shall take them away as with a whirlwind, both living, and in his wrath.
10 The righteous shall rejoice when he seeth the vengeance: he shall wash his feet in the blood of the wicked.
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.
Public Domain KJV text from Wordproject.org
Psalm 58:1-11
God Who Judges the Earth
To the choirmaster: according to Do Not Destroy. A Miktam of David.
1Do you indeed decree what is right, you gods?
Do you judge the children of man uprightly?
2No, in your hearts you devise wrongs;
your hands deal out violence on earth.
3The wicked are estranged from the womb;
they go astray from birth, speaking lies.
4They have venom like the venom of a serpent,
like the deaf adder that stops its ear,
5so that it does not hear the voice of charmers
or of the cunning enchanter.
6O God, break the teeth in their mouths;
tear out the fangs of the young lions, O Lord!
7Let them vanish like water that runs away;
when he aims his arrows, let them be blunted.
8Let them be like the snail that dissolves into slime,
like the stillborn child who never sees the sun.
9Sooner than your pots can feel the heat of thorns,
whether green or ablaze, may he sweep them away!
10The righteous will rejoice when he sees the vengeance;
he will bathe his feet in the blood of the wicked.
11Mankind will say, “Surely there is a reward for the righteous;
surely there is a God who judges on earth.”
ESV Bible text displayed through the American Bible Society's Global Bible Widget
Psalm 58:1-11
Psalm 58
For the director of music. To the tune of “Do Not Destroy.” Of David. A miktam.
1Do you rulers indeed speak justly?
Do you judge people with equity?
2No, in your heart you devise injustice,
and your hands mete out violence on the earth.
3Even from birth the wicked go astray;
from the womb they are wayward, spreading lies.
4Their venom is like the venom of a snake,
like that of a cobra that has stopped its ears,
5that will not heed the tune of the charmer,
however skillful the enchanter may be.
6Break the teeth in their mouths, O God;
Lord, tear out the fangs of those lions!
7Let them vanish like water that flows away;
when they draw the bow, let their arrows fall short.
8May they be like a slug that melts away as it moves along,
like a stillborn child that never sees the sun.
9Before your pots can feel the heat of the thorns—
whether they be green or dry—the wicked will be swept away.
10The righteous will be glad when they are avenged,
when they dip their feet in the blood of the wicked.
11Then people will say,
“Surely the righteous still are rewarded;
surely there is a God who judges the earth.”
NIV Bible text displayed through the American Bible Society's Global Bible Widget
Commentary
I find this chapter soothing to the soul. I recently listened to stories of injustice, whether it was a person who experienced a home invasion and never had anything returned or even finding the perpetrator, to my own experience as a missionary. We were attacked in our home (but thankfully survived)—yet the person was subsequently let go with a slap on the wrist and no real justice realized. It is easy to be reminded of how unjust the world is that we live in when we witness such glaring moments of injustice.
And yet the chapter concludes with a promise of assurance. God is indeed just and the moral government of God is sure. The injustice experienced in this world will be avenged, in terms of blood, which symbolizes life itself. “Then people will say, ‘Surely the righteous still are rewarded; surely there is a God who judges the earth” (vs. 11). We may have to wait until Jesus comes, but when He does, justice will be meted out. This is good news about the final judgment and should give us pause for humility that even if justice is not realized right away, God will ultimately set all things right. And until that great day comes, it is all right for us to acknowledge such injustice and plead with God for intervention.
Michael W. Campbell
Director of archives, statistics, and research for the North American Division of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists (as of this writing)
