Psalm 58 — Do You Indeed Speak Righteousness, Silent Ones?
One of the harshest psalms in the collection, directed at corrupt judges — people whose job was to "speak righteousness" but who instead "plot injustice" and measure out violence with their own hands (vv. 1-2). The imagery escalates quickly: the wicked compared to venomous, unlistening snakes (vv. 3-5), followed by a series of requests for their power to be broken entirely (vv. 6-8). It closes with a claim that only makes sense if justice actually happens eventually: "there is a reward for the righteous... a God who judges the earth" (v. 11).
- The psalm's target is specifically judges or rulers ("silent ones," possibly a term for those in authority who ought to speak justly) — this isn't generic hostility toward evil people but anger at those entrusted with justice who abuse that trust.
- The violent imagery of verses 6-9 (broken teeth, melting like a snail, a stillborn child) is stronger than almost anywhere else in the Psalms — like Psalm 35's imprecations, it's generally read as handing vengeance to God's judgment rather than modeling a response to imitate directly.
- Verse 11's closing claim that justice will be visible enough that "men shall say" it's real assumes corrupt power isn't the final word — the psalm's anger is fueled by confidence that the current injustice is temporary, not permanent.
Psalms 58 (WEB)
1Do you indeed speak righteousness, silent ones? Do you judge blamelessly, you sons of men?
2No, in your heart you plot injustice. You measure out the violence of your hands in the earth.
3The wicked go astray from the womb. They are wayward as soon as they are born, speaking lies.
4Their poison is like the poison of a snake; like a deaf cobra that stops its ear,
5which doesn’t listen to the voice of charmers, no matter how skillful the charmer may be.
6Break their teeth, God, in their mouth. Break out the great teeth of the young lions, Yahweh.
7Let them vanish like water that flows away. When they draw the bow, let their arrows be made blunt.
8Let them be like a snail which melts and passes away, like the stillborn child, who has not seen the sun.
9Before your pots can feel the heat of the thorns, he will sweep away the green and the burning alike.
10The righteous shall rejoice when he sees the vengeance. He shall wash his feet in the blood of the wicked;
11so that men shall say, “Most certainly there is a reward for the righteous. Most certainly there is a God who judges the earth.”