3 They sharpen their tongues like a serpent; adders' poison is under their lips. Selah.
Their poison is like the poison of a serpent: [they are] like the deaf adder which stoppeth her ear;
My soul is in the midst of lions; I lie down [among] them that breathe out flames, the sons of men, whose teeth are spears and arrows, and their tongue a sharp sword.
Thy tongue deviseth mischievous things, like a sharp razor, practising deceit. Thou hast loved evil rather than good, lying rather than to speak righteousness. Selah.
Behold, they belch out with their mouth; swords are in their lips: for who [say they] doth hear?
There is that babbleth like the piercings of a sword; but the tongue of the wise is health.
at the last it biteth like a serpent, and stingeth like an adder.
For your hands are stained with blood, and your fingers with iniquity; your lips speak lies, your tongue muttereth unrighteousness: none calleth for justice, none pleadeth in truthfulness. They trust in vanity, and speak falsehood; they conceive mischief, and bring forth iniquity. They hatch serpents' eggs, and weave the spider's web: he that eateth of their eggs dieth, and that which is crushed breaketh out into a viper.
in transgressing and lying against Jehovah, and departing away from our God, speaking oppression and revolt, conceiving and uttering from the heart words of falsehood.
And they bend their tongue, their bow of falsehood, and not for fidelity are they valiant in the land; for they proceed from evil to evil, and they know not me, saith Jehovah.
Offspring of vipers! how can ye speak good things, being wicked? For of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.
their throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues they have used deceit; asps' poison [is] under their lips: whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness;
and the tongue [is] fire, the world of unrighteousness; the tongue is set in our members, the defiler of the whole body, and which sets fire to the course of nature, and is set on fire of hell. For every species both of beasts and of birds, both of creeping things and of sea animals, is tamed and has been tamed by the human species; but the tongue can no one among men tame; [it is] an unsettled evil, full of death-bringing poison.
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible » Commentary on Psalms 140
Commentary on Psalms 140 Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
PSALM 140
Ps 140:1-13. The style of this Psalm resembles those of David in the former part of the book, presenting the usual complaint, prayer, and confident hope of relief.
1. evil man—Which of David's enemies is meant is not important.
2-5. This character of the wicked, and the devices planned against the pious, correspond to Ps 10:7; 31:13; 58:4, &c.
3. sharpened … like a serpent—not like a serpent does, but they are thus like a serpent in cunning and venom.
5. snare [and] net—for threatening dangers (compare Ps 38:12; 57:6).
6. (Compare Ps 5:1-12; 16:2).
7. day of battle—literally, "of armor," that is, when using it.
8. (Compare Ps 37:12; 66:7).
lest they exalt themselves—or, they will be exalted if permitted to prosper.
9. Contrasts his head covered by God (Ps 140:7) with theirs, or (as "head" may be used for "persons") with them, covered with the results of their wicked deeds (Ps 7:16).
10. (Compare Ps 11:6; 120:4).
cast into the fire; into deep pits—figures for utter destruction.
11. an evil speaker—or, "slanderer" will not be tolerated (Ps 101:7). The last clause may be translated: "an evil (man) He (God) shall hunt," &c.
12. (Compare Ps 9:4).
13. After all changes, the righteous shall have cause for praise. Such
shall dwell—shall sit securely, under God's protection (Ps 21:6; 41:12).