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The Bible · 530 of 1189
Psalms 52
1.Why boastest thou thyself in mischief, O mighty man? the goodness of God endureth continually.
2.Thy tongue deviseth mischiefs; like a sharp razor, working deceitfully.
3.Thou lovest evil more than good; and lying rather than to speak righteousness. Selah.
4.Thou lovest all devouring words, O thou deceitful tongue.
5.God shall likewise destroy thee for ever, he shall take thee away, and pluck thee out of thy dwelling place, and root thee out of the land of the living. Selah.
6.The righteous also shall see, and fear, and shall laugh at him:
7.Lo, this is the man that made not God his strength; but trusted in the abundance of his riches, and strengthened himself in his wickedness.
8.But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God: I trust in the mercy of God for ever and ever.
9.I will praise thee for ever, because thou hast done it: and I will wait on thy name; for it is good before thy saints.
Asked of Guide
Why does the psalmist call the wicked man a 'deceitful tongue' and predict his uprooting?
The psalmist describes the man as a ‘deceitful tongue’ because his speech “deviseth mischiefs” and he prefers “lying rather than to speak righteousness,” so his words are the visible sign of a corrupt character that harms others. The prediction that God will “pluck thee out of thy dwelling place” follows from this moral diagnosis: speech reveals trust misplaced in wealth and wickedness, and divine justice will remove the unrooted, destructive presence.
The psalm sets the wicked’s fate beside the righteous’s hope: the speaker is “like a green olive tree in the house of God,” rooted in God’s mercy and able to “praise thee for ever.” This contrast echoes themes in Jeremiah and Psalm 1 about flourishing by God’s covenant faithfulness and being uprooted when one trusts in riches.
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