For he flattereth himself in his own eyes, until his iniquity be found to be hateful.
Parallel translations
- WEB For he flatters himself in his own eyes, too much to detect and hate his sin.
- BSB For his eyes are too full of conceit to detect or hate his own sin.
- NKJV For he flatters himself in his own eyes, When he finds out his iniquity and when he hates.
- NASB For it flatters him in his own eyes Concerning the discovery of his wrongful deed and the hatred of it.
- NLT In their blind conceit, they cannot see how wicked they really are.
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 wicked person flatters himself, blind to his own sin so that he neither sees nor hates it. Self-deception keeps him from repentance.
Overview
David describes how the godless soothes his conscience, too proud and self-flattering to recognize his guilt. Sin breeds spiritual blindness, making the sinner think well of himself while remaining unrepentant. The gospel breaks this self-flattery, for the Spirit convicts of sin (John 16:8) and grants the honest self-knowledge that drives sinners to Christ for mercy.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 14
- Deut 29:19And it come to pass, when he heareth the words of this curse, that he bless himself in his heart, saying, I shall have peace, though I walk in the imagination of mine heart, to add drunkenness to thirst:
- Ps 49:18Though while he lived he blessed his soul: and men will praise thee, when thou doest well to thyself.
- Ps 10:3For the wicked boasteth of his heart’s desire, and blesseth the covetous, whom the LORD abhorreth.
- Rom 7:9For I was alive without the law once: but when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died.
- 1 Sam 15:18–24And the LORD sent thee on a journey, and said, Go and utterly destroy the sinners the Amalekites, and fight against them until they be consumed.
- 1 Chr 10:13–14So Saul died for his transgression which he committed against the LORD, even against the word of the LORD, which he kept not, and also for asking counsel of one that had a familiar spirit, to enquire of it;
- Luke 10:29But he, willing to justify himself, said unto Jesus, And who is my neighbour?
- Jer 17:9The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?
- Luke 16:14–15And the Pharisees also, who were covetous, heard all these things: and they derided him.
- Rom 10:3For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.
- Hos 12:7–8He is a merchant, the balances of deceit are in his hand: he loveth to oppress.
- Jer 2:23How canst thou say, I am not polluted, I have not gone after Baalim? see thy way in the valley, know what thou hast done: thou art a swift dromedary traversing her ways;
- Jer 2:34–35Also in thy skirts is found the blood of the souls of the poor innocents: I have not found it by secret search, but upon all these.
- Rom 3:9What then? are we better than they? No, in no wise: for we have before proved both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under sin;
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 36:2 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
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