Psalms 5:9
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For not a word they speak can be trusted; destruction lies within them. Their throats are open graves; their tongues practice deceit.
Commentaries
Excerpts gathered from published commentaries to ground the reading.
The psalm is a prayer, a solemn address to God, at a time when the psalmist was brought into distress by the malice of his enemies. Many such times passed over David, nay, there was scarcely any time of his life to which this psalm may not be accommodated, for in this he was a type of Christ, that he was continually beset with enemies, and his powerful and prevalent appeals to God, when he was so beset, pointed at Christ's dependence on his Father and triumphs over the powers of darkness in the midst of his sufferings. In this psalm, I. David settles a correspondence between his soul and God, promising to pray, and promising himself that God would certainly hear him (Psa 5:1-3). II. He gives to God the glory, and takes to himself the comfort, of God's holiness (Psa 5:4-6). III. He declares his resolution to keep close to the public worship of God (Psa 5:7). IV. He prayed, 1. For himself, that God would guide him, (Psa 5:8). 2. Against his enemies, that God would destroy them (Psa 5:9, Psa 5:10). 3. For all the people of God, that God would give them joy, and keep them safe (Psa 5:11, Psa 5:12). And this is all of great use to direct us in prayer. To the chief musician upon Nehiloth. A psalm of David.
Open source ↗5:9-10 The psalmist again describes the vile acts of the wicked, who cannot stand in God’s presence.
Open source ↗Original language
The Hebrew and Greek words behind this passage, with Strong's numbers — from openscriptures (CC BY-SA).
Cross-references
Other passages the community most often connects to this one. Tap to read.
“Their throats are open graves; their tongues practice deceit.” “The venom of vipers is on their lips.”
They fully intend to cast him down from his lofty perch; they delight in lies; with their mouths they bless, but inwardly they curse. Selah
For the wealthy of the city are full of violence, and its residents speak lies; their tongues are deceitful in their mouths.
A man who flatters his neighbor spreads a net for his feet.
Surely You desire truth in the inmost being; You teach me wisdom in the inmost place.
Woe to you! For you are like unmarked graves, which men walk over without even noticing.”
Your tongue devises destruction like a sharpened razor, O worker of deceit.
They devise injustice and say, “We have perfected a secret plan.” For the inner man and the heart are mysterious.
The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?
Wash the evil from your heart, O Jerusalem, so that you may be saved. How long will you harbor wicked thoughts within you?