Psalms 58
58
The Dethroning of Unjust Rulers
1For the leader. Do not destroy.#Do not destroy: probably the title of the melody to which the Psalm was to be sung. A miktam of David.
I
2Do you indeed pronounce justice, O gods;#Gods: the Bible sometimes understands pagan gods to be lesser divine beings who are assigned by Israel’s God to rule the foreign nations. Here they are accused of injustice, permitting the human judges under their patronage to abuse the righteous, cf. Ps 82.
do you judge fairly you children of Adam?#Ps 82:2; Dt 16:19.
3No, you freely engage in crime;
your hands dispense violence to the earth.
II
4The wicked have been corrupt since birth;
liars from the womb, they have gone astray.
5#The image is that of a poisonous snake that is controlled by the voice or piping of its trainer.Their venom is like the venom of a snake,
like that of a serpent stopping its ears,#Ps 64:4; 140:3; Rom 3:13.
6So as not to hear the voice of the charmer
or the enchanter with cunning spells.
III
7O God, smash the teeth in their mouths;
break the fangs of these lions, Lord!#Ps 3:7.
8Make them vanish like water flowing away;#Wis 16:29.
trodden down, let them wither like grass.#Ps 37:2.
9Let them dissolve like a snail that oozes away,#A snail that oozes away: empty shells suggested to ancients that snails melted away as they left a slimy trail.
like an untimely birth that never sees the sun.#Jb 3:16.
10Suddenly, like brambles or thistles,
have the whirlwind snatch them away.#Jb 21:18; Hos 13:3; Na 1:10.
11Then the just shall rejoice to see the vengeance
and bathe their feet in the blood of the wicked.#Ps 68:24; Is 63:1–6.
12Then people will say:
“Truly there is a reward for the just;
there is a God who is judge on earth!”
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Psalms 58
58
Psalm 58
A Cry against Injustice
For the choir director: “Do Not Destroy.” A Miktam of David.
1Do you really speak righteously, you mighty ones?#58:1 Or Can you really speak righteousness in silence?
Do you judge people fairly?#Ps 82:2
2No, you practice injustice in your hearts;
with your hands you weigh out violence in the land.#Ps 94:20; Is 10:1; Mal 3:15
3The wicked go astray from the womb;
liars wander about from birth.#Ps 51:5; Is 48:8
4They have venom like the venom of a snake,
like the deaf cobra that stops up its ears,#Dt 32:33; Ps 140:3
5that does not listen to the sound of the charmers
who skillfully weave spells.#Ec 10:11; Jr 8:17
6God, knock the teeth out of their mouths;
Lord, tear out the young lions’ fangs.#Jb 4:10; 29:17; Ps 3:7
7May they vanish like water that flows by;
may they aim their blunted arrows.#58:7 Hb obscure#Jos 7:5; Ps 112:10; Ezk 21:7
8Like a slug that moves along in slime,
like a woman’s miscarried child,
may they not see the sun.#Jb 3:16; Ec 6:3
9Before your pots can feel the heat of the thorns —
whether green or burning —
he will sweep them away.#58:9 Or thorns, he will sweep it away, whether raw or cooking#Jb 27:21; Pr 10:25; Ec 7:6
10The righteous one will rejoice
when he sees the retribution;#Jb 22:19
he will wash his feet in the blood of the wicked.#Ps 68:23; Jr 11:20; 20:12
11Then people will say,
“Yes, there is a reward for the righteous!
There is a God who judges on earth!” #Ps 9:8; 67:4; 75:7
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