See what they spew from their mouths—sharp words from their lips: “For who can hear us?”
Parallel translations
- WEB Behold, they spew with their mouth. Swords are in their lips, “For”, they say, “who hears us?”
- KJV Behold, they belch out with their mouth: swords are in their lips: for who, say they, doth hear?
- NKJV Indeed, they belch with their mouth; Swords are in their lips; For they say, “Who hears?”
- NASB Behold, they gush forth with their mouths; Swords are in their lips, For, they say, “Who hears?”
- NLT Listen to the filth that comes from their mouths; their words cut like swords. “After all, who can hear us?” they sneer.
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 spew cutting words like swords, presuming no one hears them. It exposes their arrogant confidence that they will not be held to account.
Overview
David describes his enemies' speech as weapons and their attitude as defiant, imagining God neither hears nor cares. Their words betray a heart that denies divine accountability. Yet Scripture warns that God hears every word, and we will give account for them to the righteous Judge.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 15
- Ps 57:4My soul is among the lions; I lie down with ravenous beasts—with men whose teeth are spears and arrows, whose tongues are sharp swords.
- Prov 15:2The tongue of the wise commends knowledge, but the mouth of the fool spouts folly.
- Ps 10:11He says to himself, “God has forgotten; He hides His face and never sees.”
- Ps 73:11The wicked say, “How can God know? Does the Most High have knowledge?”
- Prov 12:18Speaking rashly is like a piercing sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.
- Ps 55:21His speech is smooth as butter, but war is in his heart. His words are softer than oil, yet they are swords unsheathed.
- Ps 64:3–5who sharpen their tongues like swords and aim their bitter words like arrows,
- Ps 94:7–9They say, “The LORD does not see; the God of Jacob pays no heed.”
- Ps 10:13Why has the wicked man renounced God? He says to himself, “You will never call me to account.”
- Prov 15:28The heart of the righteous ponders how to answer, but the mouth of the wicked blurts out evil.
- Jer 33:24“Have you not noticed what these people are saying: ‘The LORD has rejected the two families He had chosen’? So they despise My people and no longer regard them as a nation.
- Matt 12:34You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks.
- Job 22:12–13Is not God as high as the heavens? Look at the highest stars, how lofty they are!
- Ps 94:4They pour out arrogant words; all workers of iniquity boast.
- Ps 109:2–3For wicked and deceitful mouths open against me; they speak against me with lying tongues.
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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 59:7 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.