This Psalm begins with an indignant remonstrance with those in authority, who not only fail to administer justice equitably, but are themselves among the worst of offenders (Psalm 58:1-2). A description of the incurably wicked, among whom, it is implied, such men must be classed, follows (Psalm 58:3-5), and leads up to a prayer (or perhaps an expression of confident assurance) that God will render them powerless to hurt, or utterly destroy them (Psalm 58:6-9). The Psalm concludes with a description of the double result of the judgement: the righteous who are freed from their oppressors rejoice; and men in general acknowledge God’s moral government of the world (Psalm 58:10-11).

The Psalm is remarkable for the vigour of its language and the boldness of its figures. It has a ring of prophetic authority, in its denunciation of wicked men in high place, and its prediction of the certainty of their downfall.

Adhering to the title, which assigns it to David, Delitzsch supposes that it refers to Absalom’s rebellion. In Psalm 58:1-2 we might find an allusion to Absalom’s pretended zeal for justice (2 Samuel 15:2 ff.), while in reality he was meditating the most monstrous crimes: the language of Psalm 58:3 ff. is not too severe for the graceless treachery of the son who shrank from no extremes, and coldly contemplated parricide (2 Samuel 16, 2 Samuel 17:1-4): Psalm 58:6-9 might well refer to the sudden and complete collapse of the rebellion, and Psalm 58:10-11 to the rejoicing of David’s sympathisers at the victory (2 Samuel 18:19 ff.; note the phrase, “the Lord hath judged and delivered him out of the hand of his enemies”; Psalm 19:2).

But it is inconceivable that at any point of time, before or after the outbreak of the insurrection, David could have used the language of the Psalm with reference to Absalom. Beforehand indeed (though we may draw a wrong inference from the brevity of the narrative in 2 Sam.) he seems to have been blind to what was going on: and when he knew the worst, his feelings of anxiety for the personal safety of Absalom and finally of grief at his death (2 Samuel 18:5; 2 Samuel 18:33; 2 Samuel 19:4), are as unlike the severe indignation of this Psalm as anything could well be. If it refers to Absalom’s rebellion, it can never have been written by David.

More probably however it belongs to some later period in the history of Israel. There is no sufficient ground for supposing that the unjust judges are foreigners, whether Babylonians, Persians, or Syrians, and that the Psalm is post-exilic. The evils complained of are precisely those against which the prophets of the regal period are constantly inveighing.

Compare generally Psalms 12, 14, and especially 82; and with the concluding verses cp. the conclusions of 64 and 140.

For the title see Psalms 57.

1. O congregation] This rendering of the obscure word çlěm, adopted by the scholars of the early part of the 16th century from the learned Rabbi David Kimchi (c. 1160–1235), cannot be defended, and does not suit the context. The word çlěm occurs elsewhere only in the title of Psalms 56, and from its derivation appears to mean silence.

i. Taking this meaning, we may render,

(1) as R.V., Do ye indeed in silence speak righteousness? The Psalmist expostulates with the judges who neglect their office. “They are dumb when they ought to speak, as afterwards they are said to be deaf when they ought to hear.” (Bp Perowne). ‘To speak righteousness’ means ‘to pronounce just sentences.’ Justice and uprightness are characteristics of God’s judgement (Psalm 9:8), which ought to be reflected by all earthly judges.

(2) as R.V. marg. with substantially the same sense: Is the righteousness ye should speak dumb?

(3) as Kay: Will ye indeed utter long-silent Justice? a reference, he supposes, to Absalom’s profession of a desire to remedy the want of proper provision for the administration of justice, while he was himself plotting the unnatural crime of rebellion against his father. See 2 Samuel 15:2-6.

With this reading it is best to retain the rendering, O ye sons of men, in the next line, though it is also possible to render, Do ye judge uprightly the sons of men? The judges are addressed as sons of men to remind them that they are but human, and themselves subject to a higher tribunal.

ii. Most critics, however, think that here (as perhaps in the title of Psalms 56 also) the word çlěm should be read with different vowels, çlîm, ‘gods,’ or, ‘mighty ones.’ We must then render,

Do ye indeed, O ye gods, speak righteousness?

Do ye judge uprightly the sons of men?

The judges are addressed as çlîm, ‘gods,’ as in Psalm 82:1; Psalm 82:6 they are called elôhîm, ‘gods,’ because in their judicial capacity they acted as the representatives of God, the supreme Judge. They are thus addressed here, half-sarcastically and half-reproachfully, in contrast to the ‘sons of men,’ over whom they exercise jurisdiction; as well as to emphasise the comparison between their failure to administer justice, and the righteous judgement of God (Psalm 58:11).

Elîm however is not so used elsewhere, and may simply mean ‘mighty ones.’ Cp. Exodus 15:15; 2 Kings 24:15; Job 41:25 (Heb. 17); Ezekiel 17:13; Ezekiel 32:21.

Cheyne and some other commentators find here a reference to the angels, “to whom the actual administration of the world’s government has been entrusted.” But there is nothing in the context to justify the importation of an idea which belongs to the later development of Jewish theology. It is true that it is found in the LXX of Deuteronomy 32:8, “He set the bounds of the nations according to the number of the angels of God”; but this paraphrase has no claim to be regarded as representing the original text.

iii. None of the Ancient Versions however give any support to this emendation. The LXX and Jerome render çlěm as an adverb (‘then’ or ‘certainly’); the Syr. omits it; Aquila and the Targ. attest the reading of the text. Plausible as the emendation is, it must not be made a basis of argument, and the obscurity of the passage must be admitted.

1, 2. An indignant remonstrance with those in authority, who, instead of condemning crime, are themselves the most guilty criminals.

2. Yea] Or, Nay, for the particle implies a negative answer, and an additional accusation. Far from judging equitably, you are yourselves the greatest offenders.

in heart] Inwardly they are ever contriving some scheme of injustice, like the nobles against whom Micah inveighs (Psalm 2:1), as “working evil upon their beds.”

ye weigh] R.V., ye weigh out. There is a bitter irony in the use of a word strictly applicable to justice only. For the metaphor of the ‘scales of justice’ cp. Job 31:6.

in the earth] Or, in the land; publicly and openly, carrying into execution the schemes they contrive in their hearts. Cp. Micah 2:1.

3. are estranged] From God and His laws. Cp. Ephesians 4:18, “alienated from the life of God”: Colossians 1:21, “alienated and enemies in your mind in your evil works,” where St Paul uses the word (ἀπῃλλοτριωμένοι) employed by the LXX here.

“The imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth” (Genesis 8:21); but these men have shewn a more than ordinary aptitude for wickedness. It has become to them a second nature.

3–5. A description of the class to which these wicked judges belong; the deliberately wicked, who are deaf to remonstrance and incapable of reformation.

4, 5. They are not only insidious and venomous as serpents, but obstinately oppose all attempts to control them; like the deaf adder or asp, most venomous of all serpents, which resists all the arts of the charmer. The Arabs distinguish the ‘deaf’ serpent from that which answers the call of the charmer by hissing. Snake charming is alluded to in Ecclesiastes 10:11; Jeremiah 8:17; Sir 12:13, and is still practised in Africa and the East. As the asp is deaf to the voice of the enchanter, so these men shut their ears to the warnings and exhortations of the prophets.

Experience confirms the teaching of the Psalmist that among the endless varieties of human character, there are some which exhibit a diabolical aptitude for evil and opposition to good. In the light of God’s infinite love, none are outside the pale of His mercy; yet it lies in the power of man to defeat the operations of His grace (Matthew 12:31).

6. The figure of the serpent, typical of insidious deadliness, is changed to that of the lion, typical of open ferocity.

Break … break out] Render them powerless for harm. Two strong words, properly used of breaking down and overthrowing walls. Cp. Psalm 3:7; Job 4:10 : Proverbs 30:14.

The LXX rendering of these verbs as perfects of certainty deserves consideration. It only requires a different vocalisation of the consonants, and gives an excellent sense: God shall surely break &c. The tenses in Psalm 58:7-8 must then be rendered as futures: They shall melt away &c. Such an authoritative declaration of the punishment in store for the wicked seems more in keeping with the prophetic tone of the Psalm than the prayer for their destruction.

6–9. Since they are thus obstinately and incurably evil, nothing remains but that they should be deprived of their power to hurt or altogether destroyed.

7. as waters which run continually) R.V., restoring P.B.V., as water that runneth apace: like some torrent that rages wildly for a while when swollen by a sudden storm, and then vanishes entirely (Job 6:15 ff.).

when he bendeth his bow to shoot his arrows] A cumbrous rendering of a peculiar phrase, the verb strictly applicable to the bow being used of the arrows (cp. Psalm 64:3). Better as R.V., when he aimeth his arrows. But who is the subject? (1) It may be the wicked man, (as in Psalm 64:3); When he aimeth his arrows, let them be as though they were cut off (R.V.), their points broken, and their power to hurt destroyed. (2) It may be God (as in Psalm 7:12 f.); when He aimeth His arrows, let them (the wicked) be as it were mowed down. Cp. Psalm 90:6. Neither alternative is free from serious difficulties, but the first seems preferable.

8. Let them be like a snail which melts away and is gone:

Like the untimely births of women, that have not seen the sun.

Two more figures for the destruction of the wicked:—let them melt away; nay, vanish as though they had never existed.

The word shablûl puzzled the ancient translators. The LXX render it ‘wax’ (doubtless to suit the verb ‘melt’), Jerome ‘worm’; but later Hebrew attests the meaning snail. But what is the point of comparison? Is it that the snail seems to melt away as it goes along, leaving a slimy track behind it, or perhaps was popularly supposed to do so? or is it not rather an allusion to the way in which snails dry up and perish in drought? There are to be found in all parts of Palestine “myriads of snail shells in fissures, still adhering by the calcareous exudation round their orifice to the surface of the rock, but the animal of which is utterly shrivelled and wasted—‘melted away,’ according to the expression of the Psalmist.” Tristram, Nat. Hist, of Bible, p. 296.

For the second figure cp. Job 3:16; Ecclesiastes 6:3-5. That they may not see the sun (A.V.) is an ungrammatical rendering.

9. The general sense of the verse is clear, though the second line is extremely obscure and possibly corrupt. The first line certainly means, Before your pots can feel the thorns (possibly a proverbial expression), and the verb in the second line means, He shall sweep them (or, it) away with a whirlwind. It is another figure for the swift destruction of the wicked and their schemes, taken from the experience of travel in the desert. The travellers have lighted a fire of dry thorns or brambles under their cooking pots. It blazes up rapidly, but even so, before the pots are heated and the meat in them cooked, a sudden whirlwind sweeps away the fire and undoes their work. The fire represents the malicious will of the evildoers, the pots with the meat the plans which they are devising: but let them work never so rapidly, the whirlwind of divine judgement will annihilate their schemes.

The crux of the verse is in the words rendered in A.V. both living and in his wrath. They have been supposed to refer to the thorns, the green and the burning alike: or to the flesh in the pot, the raw flesh and the sodden alike: or to the flesh and the fire, the raw flesh and hot embers alike: but all these interpretations break down on the fact that chârôn, though not a rare word, always means the burning wrath of God. It seems necessary either to omit the word k’mô, ‘as,’ before chârôn, or to read b’inô, ‘in,’ instead of it (במו for כמו). We may then render, Like raw flesh (= perhaps, while the flesh is yet raw), shall Wrath sweep them away with a whirlwind; or, shall He sweep them away with a whirlwind in wrath. The pronoun for them is in the singular, and may mean each one of the wicked, or perhaps rather it, the whole scheme. For a figure from cooking cp. Hosea 7:4 ff.: for the thorn fires Isaiah 33:12; Ecclesiastes 7:6; and for the whirlwind of divine wrath see Psalm 50:3, “it shall be very tempestuous round about him”; Job 27:21.

10. The righteous shall rejoice &c.] On the moral aspects of the triumph of the godly at the just punishment of the wicked see note on Psalm 5:11, and generally, Introd. pp. lxxxviii ff. It is important to observe that the rejoicing of the righteous is at the vengeance which God has taken upon the wicked, and that that vengeance is only taken upon those who have wilfully and obstinately resisted every effort for their reformation (Psalm 58:4-5). God has proclaimed, “Vengeance is mine” (Deuteronomy 32:35; cp. Nahum 1:2); in other words the time must come when evil can no longer be tolerated but must be extirpated (2 Thessalonians 1:8); and the righteous cannot but rejoice at the triumph of good over evil and the proof that God is true to His revealed character as a just Judge and sovereign Ruler. It is not for them to usurp God’s function and avenge themselves, but they must rejoice when right is vindicated. In the O.T. that joy took a concrete form which is repugnant to us, who have learned to distinguish between the sinner and his sin: it is not the spirit of the Gospel: but we may well beware lest the right feeling of moral indignation, not only against wrong in the abstract but against the wrongdoer, should be weakened.

he shall wash his feet &c.] The metaphorical and hyperbolical language of a warlike age. Cp. Psalm 68:23; and for a similar metaphor see Job 29:6.

10, 11. The issues of the judgement: the righteous rejoice in the discomfiture of their oppressors: men in general recognise the reality of God’s moral government of the world.

11. So that a man shall say] Rather, So that men shall say: the mass of men, who are neither ‘righteous’ nor ‘wicked,’ but as it were spectators of the conflict between the righteous and the wicked.

Verily] This particle expresses the recognition of a truth which has been obscured or questioned: ‘after all,’ ‘surely.’ Cp. Psalm 73:1.

a reward] Lit. fruit. Cf. Isaiah 3:10. Their patient continuance in well-doing bears its harvest in due time (Galatians 6:9).

verily he is a God] Better, Verily there is a God (R.V.). Contrary however to the general usage when God is spoken of, the predicate is in the plural: and perhaps Elôhîm is meant to be taken somewhat more vaguely, in parallelism and contrast to the judges of Psalm 58:1-2—the contrast holds whether çlîm, ‘gods,’ is read in Psalm 58:1 or not—as Divine Powers. But the reading is not above suspicion. The LXX and Syr. have that judgeth them, i.e. does the righteous justice (Psalm 43:1), the final m being read as the pronominal suffix, not as the sign of the plural[27].

[27] They must have found שׁפטם written defectively and read shôph’tâm not shôph’tîm.

For like confidence in the final manifestation of God’s judgement see Psalm 7:11 ff.; Psalm 9:7 ff., Psalm 9:19; Psalm 11:4 ff.; and cp. Luke 18:7 ff.