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Psalm 58

Psalm 58 confronts corrupt judgment and asks God to destroy the wicked, making his justice known on earth.

David’s poem confronts people who claim to judge while plotting injustice and spreading violence. The heading names David, though no event is specified, and the identity of the “silent ones” is uncertain. The speaker compares the wicked to snakes that refuse to listen, then asks God to break their power and sweep them away. The closing verses picture the righteous rejoicing over judgment and people acknowledging that God judges the earth.

injustice and angersermon or Bible study notes
Read
1For the Chief Musician. To the tune of “Do Not Destroy.” A poem by David. Do you indeed speak righteousness, silent ones? Do you judge blamelessly, you sons of men?
2No, in your heart you plot injustice. You measure out the violence of your hands on the earth.
3The wicked go astray from the womb. They are wayward as soon as they are born, speaking lies.
4Their poison is like the poison of a snake, like a deaf cobra that stops its ear,
5which doesn’t listen to the voice of charmers, no matter how skillful the charmer may be.
6Break their teeth, God, in their mouth. Break out the great teeth of the young lions, LORD.
7Let them vanish like water that flows away. When they draw the bow, let their arrows be made blunt.
8Let them be like a snail which melts and passes away, like the stillborn child, who has not seen the sun.
9Before your pots can feel the heat of the thorns, he will sweep away the green and the burning alike.
10The righteous shall rejoice when he sees the vengeance. He shall wash his feet in the blood of the wicked,
11so that men shall say, “Most certainly there is a reward for the righteous. Most certainly there is a God who judges the earth.”
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Key verses
Psalm 58:10The shocking image of feet washed in blood portrays the righteous witnessing the defeat of violent wrongdoers.
Psalm 58:11The final verse states the outcome sought throughout the prayer: public recognition that God rewards righteousness and judges the earth.
Psalm 58:3The portrayal of wickedness from birth presents deceit as rooted in these wrongdoers from the beginning.
Where this chapter reaches

Isaiah shares Psalm 58’s denunciation of unjust judgment and violence, while Malachi shares its concern that the distinction between the righteous and the wicked become visible. Romans also speaks of God’s judgment and places vengeance in his hands, a theme central to this prayer.

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Notice

After reading the whole chapter

Which image in David’s prayer is hardest for you to read, and why?

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What injustice would you bring before the God who judges the earth?

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Questions people ask about Psalm 58

Who are the silent ones in Psalm 58?

The Hebrew wording behind “silent ones” is difficult, and translations differ over whom it addresses. The surrounding questions concern speaking righteousness and judging without blame. Verse 2 accuses these figures of plotting injustice and dealing out violence, so the passage confronts people responsible for judgment who abuse that responsibility.

Why does Psalm 58 say the righteous will wash their feet in blood?

Verse 10 uses a graphic image of victory after the wicked are defeated. It belongs to a prayer asking God to bring judgment; it contains no command for readers to attack anyone. The following verse explains the result: people recognize that righteousness has a reward and God judges the earth.

What does Psalm 58 mean by the wicked going astray from the womb?

Verse 3 uses poetic language to portray the wicked as wayward from the start of life. The reference to newborns speaking lies makes the figurative force clear. In context, this description exposes how entrenched deceit is among the violent people being addressed; it is no account of infant speech.

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What the Bible says about anger →

Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY). Scripture from the World English Bible (public domain). Arc diagram after Chris Harrison and Christoph Römhild (2007).