Psalms 58
Old Testament · King James Version
Psalm 58 is an imprecatory protest against corrupt justice. It exposes rulers who distort judgment, uses severe poetic images for the collapse of violent power, and refuses to place vengeance in private hands.
Do ye indeed speak righteousness, O congregation? do ye judge uprightly, O ye sons of men?
Yea, in heart ye work wickedness; ye weigh the violence of your hands in the earth.
The wicked are estranged from the womb: they go astray as soon as they be born, speaking lies.
Their poison is like the poison of a serpent: they are like the deaf adder that stoppeth her ear;
Which will not hearken to the voice of charmers, charming never so wisely.
Break their teeth, O God, in their mouth: break out the great teeth of the young lions, O Lord.
Let them melt away as waters which run continually: when he bendeth his bow to shoot his arrows, let them be as cut in pieces.
As a snail which melteth, let every one of them pass away: like the untimely birth of a woman, that they may not see the sun.
Before your pots can feel the thorns, he shall take them away as with a whirlwind, both living, and in his wrath.
The righteous shall rejoice when he seeth the vengeance: he shall wash his feet in the blood of the wicked.
So that a man shall say, Verily there is a reward for the righteous: verily he is a God that judgeth in the earth.
Context
The psalm addresses unjust authority and entrenched violence through prophetic accusation and imprecatory prayer. Its harsh metaphors belong to ancient poetic rhetoric and must not be literalized into permission for retaliation or dehumanization.
Themes & application
- Corrupt judgment and public accountability
- Violence rooted in the heart
- Poetic hyperbole about entrenched evil
- Imprecatory prayer rather than private revenge
- The collapse of predatory power
- God as the final judge
Confront injustice truthfully, resist dehumanizing rhetoric, seek lawful protection for the vulnerable, and entrust final judgment to God rather than personal retaliation.
Key verses
Those entrusted with judgment are challenged to speak and enact justice honestly.
Application: Evaluate authority by whether it protects truth and people rather than merely by status.
Commonly misread: The verse does not authorize contempt for all institutions or officials.
The prayer asks God to break the predatory power of violent oppressors using the image of shattered teeth.
Application: Pray for harmful power to be restrained without taking revenge into your own hands.
Commonly misread: The violent metaphor is not permission to assault opponents.
Ancient victory imagery celebrates the defeat of violent evil in shocking language.
Application: Long for oppression to end without glorifying cruelty or bloodshed.
Commonly misread: The blood image must not be literalized as a call for violence.
The psalm ends by affirming that justice and divine accountability are real.
Application: Let the reality of judgment restrain despair and private vengeance alike.
Commonly misread: The verse does not promise immediate visible rewards for every righteous act.
Common misreadings of Psalms 58
Misreading: Psalm 58 gives believers permission to dehumanize enemies, attack corrupt leaders, or celebrate literal bloodshed.
In context: Its severe images are imprecatory poetry that place judgment with God; they do not authorize revenge, vigilantism, harassment, political violence, or group-targeting.
Cross-references
- Deuteronomy 32:35 — Vengeance belongs to God rather than private retaliation.
- Romans 12:19 — New Testament teaching explicitly rejects personal vengeance.
- Psalm 82 — Another psalm confronting unjust judgment and failed rulers.
Frequently asked questions about Psalms 58
Why is Psalm 58 so violent?
Does Psalm 58 teach that babies are born evil?
Can Psalm 58 be used against political opponents?
Sources & editorial notes
- Translation
- Commentary anchored in the public-domain Psalm 58 text used by the site (en).
- Authorship
- The superscription associates Psalm 58 with David; the commentary does not depend on reconstructing a specific historical event.
- Editorial process
- Chapter synthesis checked against Psalm 58’s movement from corrupt judgment through imprecatory imagery to the closing affirmation of divine accountability.
References
- Psalm 58 — Primary text and literary movement.
- Psalm 82; Deuteronomy 32:35; Romans 12:19 — Biblical context for unjust rulers and judgment entrusted to God.
Author: The Lord Will Editorial Team · Reviewed by: Ugo Candido · Updated: 2026-08-16