Break their teeth, O God, in their mouth: break out the great teeth of the young lions, O LORD.
Parallel translations
- WEB Break their teeth, God, in their mouth. Break out the great teeth of the young lions, Yahweh.
- BSB O God, shatter their teeth in their mouths; O LORD, tear out the fangs of the lions.
- NKJV Break their teeth in their mouth, O God! Break out the fangs of the young lions, O Lord!
- NASB ¶God, shatter their teeth in their mouth; Break out the fangs of the young lions, Lord.
- NLT Break off their fangs, O God! Smash the jaws of these lions, O Lord!
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
David cries out for God to disarm the wicked, breaking the teeth that tear like predatory lions. It is a prayer that evil's power to harm be shattered by God.
Overview
Here David prays an imprecation, asking God to render the wicked powerless to devour the innocent. The vivid image of broken teeth and silenced lions appeals to God as the only one able to halt oppression. Such prayers entrust vengeance to God rather than seizing it personally, anticipating the day when Christ will fully overthrow all that is evil.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 11
- Ps 3:7Arise, O LORD; save me, O my God: for thou hast smitten all mine enemies upon the cheek bone; thou hast broken the teeth of the ungodly.
- Hos 5:14For I will be unto Ephraim as a lion, and as a young lion to the house of Judah: I, even I, will tear and go away; I will take away, and none shall rescue him.
- Ps 10:15Break thou the arm of the wicked and the evil man: seek out his wickedness till thou find none.
- Job 4:10–11The roaring of the lion, and the voice of the fierce lion, and the teeth of the young lions, are broken.
- Mic 5:8And the remnant of Jacob shall be among the Gentiles in the midst of many people as a lion among the beasts of the forest, as a young lion among the flocks of sheep: who, if he go through, both treadeth down, and teareth in pieces, and none can deliver.
- Ps 17:12Like as a lion that is greedy of his prey, and as it were a young lion lurking in secret places.
- Job 29:17And I brake the jaws of the wicked, and plucked the spoil out of his teeth.
- Ezek 30:21–26Son of man, I have broken the arm of Pharaoh king of Egypt; and, lo, it shall not be bound up to be healed, to put a roller to bind it, to make it strong to hold the sword.
- Isa 31:4For thus hath the LORD spoken unto me, Like as the lion and the young lion roaring on his prey, when a multitude of shepherds is called forth against him, he will not be afraid of their voice, nor abase himself for the noise of them: so shall the LORD of hosts come down to fight for mount Zion, and for the hill thereof.
- Num 23:24Behold, the people shall rise up as a great lion, and lift up himself as a young lion: he shall not lie down until he eat of the prey, and drink the blood of the slain.
- Ps 91:13Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder: the young lion and the dragon shalt thou trample under feet.
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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 58:6 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
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