They say, “With our tongues we will prevail. We own our lips—who can be our master?”
Parallel translations
- WEB who have said, “With our tongue we will prevail. Our lips are our own. Who is lord over us?”
- KJV Who have said, With our tongue will we prevail; our lips are our own: who is lord over us?
- NKJV Who have said, “With our tongue we will prevail; Our lips are our own; Who is lord over us?”
- NASB Who have said, “With our tongue we will prevail; Our lips are our own; who is lord over us?”
- NLT They say, “We will lie to our hearts’ content. Our lips are our own—who can stop us?”
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
The proud boast that their tongues will prevail and answer to no master. Sinful pride claims autonomy from God.
Overview
David exposes the boast of the wicked who treat their speech as their own weapon and deny any lord over them. This is the essence of rebellion: refusing God's authority over one's words and life. Such defiance directly provokes the Lord's response of deliverance and justice in the next verse.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 8
- Jas 3:5–6In the same way, the tongue is a small part of the body, but it boasts of great things. Consider how small a spark sets a great forest ablaze.
- 2 Th 2:4He will oppose and exalt himself above every so-called god or object of worship. So he will seat himself in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God.
- Job 21:14–15Yet they say to God: ‘Leave us alone! For we have no desire to know Your ways.
- Exod 5:2But Pharaoh replied, “Who is the LORD that I should obey His voice and let Israel go? I do not know the LORD, and I will not let Israel go.”
- Jer 18:18Then some said, “Come, let us make plans against Jeremiah, for the law will never be lost to the priest, nor counsel to the wise, nor an oracle to the prophet. Come, let us denounce him and pay no heed to any of his words.”
- Dan 3:15Now, if you are ready, as soon as you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipes, and all kinds of music, you must fall down and worship the statue I have made. But if you refuse to worship, you will be thrown at once into the blazing fiery furnace. Then what god will be able to deliver you from my hands?”
- Gen 3:5“For God knows that in the day you eat of it, your eyes will be opened and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”
- Jer 2:31You people of this generation, consider the word of the LORD: “Have I been a wilderness to Israel or a land of dense darkness? Why do My people say, ‘We are free to roam; we will come to You no more’?
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
The Psalms are Christ's own prayer book and a gallery of his portraits — the suffering one of Psalm 22, the risen Lord of Psalm 16, the priest-king of Psalm 110, the Son to whom the nations are given.
How Psalms 12:4 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.