My visitor speaks falsehood; he gathers slander in his heart; he goes out and spreads it abroad.
Parallel translations
- WEB If he comes to see me, he speaks falsehood. His heart gathers iniquity to itself. When he goes abroad, he tells it.
- KJV And if he come to see me, he speaketh vanity: his heart gathereth iniquity to itself; when he goeth abroad, he telleth it.
- NKJV And if he comes to see me, he speaks lies; His heart gathers iniquity to itself; When he goes out, he tells it.
- NASB And when he comes to see me, he speaks empty words; His heart gathers wickedness to itself; When he goes outside, he tells it.
- NLT They visit me as if they were my friends, but all the while they gather gossip, and when they leave, they spread it everywhere.
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
A visitor speaks empty words while inwardly gathering malice, then spreads slander abroad. Feigned friendship masks treachery.
Overview
The hypocrite comes with false sympathy but hoards evil thoughts to broadcast later. Such two-faced cruelty deepens the sufferer's pain. It exposes the deceit of the human heart that the gospel alone can renew.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 9
- Ps 12:2They lie to one another; they speak with flattering lips and a double heart.
- Luke 11:53–54As Jesus went on from there, the scribes and Pharisees began to oppose Him bitterly and to ply Him with questions about many things,
- Prov 26:24–26A hateful man disguises himself with his speech, but he lays up deceit in his heart.
- Luke 20:20–23So they watched Him closely and sent spies who pretended to be sincere. They were hoping to catch Him in His words in order to hand Him over to the rule and authority of the governor.
- Jer 20:10For I have heard the whispering of many: “Terror is on every side! Report him; let us report him!” All my trusted friends watch for my fall: “Perhaps he will be deceived so that we may prevail against him and take our vengeance upon him.”
- Neh 6:1–14When Sanballat, Tobiah, Geshem the Arab, and the rest of our enemies heard that I had rebuilt the wall and not a gap was left—though to that time I had not yet installed the doors in the gates—
- 2 Cor 11:26In my frequent journeys, I have been in danger from rivers and from bandits, in danger from my countrymen and from the Gentiles, in danger in the city and in the country, in danger on the sea and among false brothers,
- Mic 7:5–7Do not rely on a friend; do not trust in a companion. Seal the doors of your mouth from her who lies in your arms.
- Dan 11:27And the two kings, with their hearts bent on evil, will speak lies at the same table, but to no avail, for still the end will come at the appointed time.
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 41:6 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.