refusing to hear the tune of the charmer who skillfully weaves his spell.
Parallel translations
- WEB which doesn’t listen to the voice of charmers, no matter how skillful the charmer may be.
- KJV Which will not hearken to the voice of charmers, charming never so wisely.
- NKJV Which will not heed the voice of charmers, Charming ever so skillfully.
- NASB So that it does not hear the voice of charmers, Or a skillful caster of spells.
- NLT ignoring the tunes of the snake charmers, no matter how skillfully they play.
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 will not heed even the most skillful appeals to change, like a snake immune to the charmer. It highlights their stubborn refusal to be moved toward righteousness.
Overview
Continuing the serpent image, David stresses that the wicked are beyond the reach of even the most persuasive correction. No human wisdom or eloquence can soften a heart set against God. This sobering reality reminds us that genuine change comes not from skillful persuasion alone but from God's transforming grace.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 3
- Jer 8:17“For behold, I will send snakes among you, vipers that cannot be charmed, and they will bite you,” declares the LORD.
- Isa 19:3Then the spirit of the Egyptians will be emptied out from among them, and I will frustrate their plans, so that they will resort to idols and spirits of the dead, to mediums and spiritists.
- Deut 18:11casts spells, consults a medium or spiritist, or inquires of the dead.
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 58:5 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.