Read
Psalm 58:3
The wicked go astray from the womb. They are wayward as soon as they are born, speaking lies.
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.
Notice
“From the womb” makes the accusation severe: in a psalm confronting unjust judgment and violence, lying appears as a wrong rooted at the start of life.
Questions to write on. Each one opens a new entry with this verse already attached.
How does the phrase “from the womb” shape your reading of the wickedness described here?
Write on thisWhere have you seen “speaking lies” support the injustice described in the surrounding verses?
Write on thisConnect
Where else Scripture says this
12 passages readers most often link with this verse, and the thread each one shares with it.
This verse's connections, by chapterThe Bible's strongest chapter linksHover or tap a book to trace it
Psalm 14:3They have all gone aside. They have together become corrupt. There is no one who does good, no, not one.Both describe people going astray into wrongdoing; Psalm 14 extends its indictment to everyone.
Psalm 51:5Behold, I was born in iniquity. My mother conceived me in sin.Both trace sin to life's beginning, though Psalm 51 speaks in confession and Psalm 58 accuses the wicked.
Isaiah 48:8Yes, you didn’t hear. Yes, you didn’t know. Yes, from of old your ear was not opened, for I knew that you dealt very treacherously, and were called a …Both use the womb to describe wrongdoing rooted at life's beginning, with Isaiah naming treachery and Psalm 58 naming lies.
Proverbs 22:15Folly is bound up in the heart of a child; the rod of discipline drives it far from him.Both locate moral trouble early in life, though Proverbs speaks of childhood folly and Psalm 58 of wickedness from birth.
Genesis 8:21The LORD smelled the pleasant aroma. The LORD said in his heart, “I will not again curse the ground any more for man’s sake because the imagination of man’s …Both describe evil reaching back into early life: Genesis names the heart's imagination from youth, and Psalm 58 names waywardness from birth.
Psalm 4:2You sons of men, how long shall my glory be turned into dishonor? Will you love vanity and seek after falsehood? Selah.Both confront falsehood as part of human wrongdoing, whether seeking it or speaking lies.
Job 15:14What is man, that he should be clean? What is he who is born of a woman, that he should be righteous?Both connect human birth with moral corruption, though Job presents a question about righteousness and Psalm 58 makes an accusation.
Ephesians 2:3We also all once lived among them in the lusts of our flesh, doing the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the …Both describe wrongdoing as rooted in human life, with Ephesians speaking of nature and Psalm 58 reaching back to birth.
Psalm 22:10I was thrown on you from my mother’s womb. You are my God since my mother bore me.Both look back to the womb, though Psalm 22 describes dependence on God and Psalm 58 describes the wicked going astray.
Proverbs 20:11Even a child makes himself known by his doings, whether his work is pure, and whether it is right.Both speak of moral conduct early in life; Proverbs considers whether a child's deeds are right, while Psalm 58 describes lies.
Isaiah 46:3“Listen to me, house of Jacob, and all the remnant of the house of Israel, that have been carried from their birth, that have been carried from the womb.Both use birth and the womb as starting points, though Isaiah describes God's sustaining care and Psalm 58 describes waywardness.
Isaiah 1:4Ah sinful nation, a people loaded with iniquity, offspring of evildoers, children who deal corruptly! They have forsaken the LORD. They have despised the Holy …Both describe people estranged through wrongdoing, with Isaiah naming corruption and Psalm 58 naming lies.
Where this verse fits
Injustice and anger. sermon or Bible study notes.
One step
Something small to carry out of this verse
Encouragement
You do not have to soften the word “lies” when deceit serves injustice; this psalm names the wrong without making excuses for those who practice it.
Now put it in your words.
Start an entry on Psalm 58:3. Write what it stirs. Psalmlog sets your words beside Scripture and gives you one next step. Your first entry is free, no account needed.
Keep goingPsalm 58 · the whole chapter with its connection mapPsalms · every chapterBuild a reading plan through Psalms
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).