# Psalm 58 📖: God Judges the Unjust [[📚 Explore the Bible Books]] [[-Psalm Overview]] | [[Psalm 57]] | [[Psalm 59]] > [!info] Table of Contents > [[#📜 Scripture Text (NET)]] > [[#📖 Verse-by-Verse Commentary]] > [[#🤔 Interesting Facts / Historical and Cultural Insights]] > [[#🧠 Chapter Summary]] > [[#✝️ Christ in This Chapter]] > [[#🔎 Key Principles / 🛟 Life Application]] > [[#💬 Discussion Questions]] > [[#✍️ Key Verses to Remember]] > [[#🔗 Related Passages/Cross Reference]] > [[#🙏 Devotional Reflection]] > [[#📂 Internal Notes]] ## 📜 Scripture Text (NET) (The NET Bible: New English Translation. Biblical Studies Press, 2005) #### For the music director, according to the _al-tashcheth_ style; a prayer of David. [[#Verse 01.]] Do you rulers really pronounce just decisions? Do you judge people fairly? [[#Verse 02.]] No! You plan how to do what is unjust; you deal out violence in the earth. [[#Verse 03.]] The wicked turn aside from birth; liars go astray as soon as they are born. [[#Verse 04.]] Their venom is like that of a snake, like a deaf serpent that does not hear, [[#Verse 05.]] that does not respond to the magicians, or to a skilled snake charmer. [[#Verse 06.]] O God, break the teeth in their mouths! Smash the jawbones of the lions, O Lord. [[#Verse 07.]] Let them disappear like water that flows away. Let them wither like grass. [[#Verse 08.]] Let them be like a snail that melts away as it moves along. Let them be like stillborn babies that never see the sun. [[#Verse 09.]] Before the kindling is even placed under your pots, he will sweep it away along with both the raw and cooked meat. [[#Verse 10.]] The godly will rejoice when they see vengeance carried out; they will bathe their feet in the blood of the wicked. [[#Verse 11.]] Then observers will say, “Yes indeed, the godly are rewarded. Yes indeed, there is a God who judges in the earth.” ## 📖 Verse-by-Verse Commentary ###### Overall. ###### Verse 01. ###### Verse 02. ###### Verse 03. ###### Verse 04. ###### Verse 05. ###### Verse 06. ###### Verse 07. ###### Verse 08. ###### Verse 09. ###### Verse 10. ###### Verse 11. ## 🤔 Interesting Facts / Historical and Cultural Insights 1. Psalm 58 is an imprecatory psalm, a prayer asking God to bring judgment on evildoers. 2. The heading includes "Do not destroy" and calls it a *miktam* of David. 3. The word in 58:1 may mean "rulers" or "mighty ones" and is debated by scholars. Either way, it addresses those responsible for justice. 4. Snake charming was practiced in the ancient Near East, especially in Egypt. 5. A deaf cobra that ignores the charmer (58:4-5) pictures people who refuse to listen to any correction. 6. The image of breaking the teeth of a lion (58:6) means removing the power of the wicked to harm. 7. Some ancient people believed snails melted as they moved because of their slime trail (58:8). 8. The word for "wicked" here describes those who go astray from birth (58:3), a picture of deep-rooted sin. 9. The psalm places justice in God's hands rather than in personal revenge (Romans 12:19). 10. Psalm 58:11 affirms that God is not distant but actively judges on the earth. ## 🧠 Chapter Summary > [!note] 🌱 Still growing. This section is on its way. ## ✝️ Christ in This Chapter Christ is the righteous Judge of the earth (58:11). God has appointed a day to judge the world in righteousness by the man He has appointed, Jesus, whom He raised from the dead (Acts 17:31). ## 🔎 Key Principles / 🛟 Life Application > [!note] 🌱 Still growing. This section is on its way. ## 💬 Discussion Questions 1. The psalm confronts rulers who speak of justice but act unjustly (58:1-2). Where do you see injustice that grieves God today? 2. David asks God to break the teeth of the wicked (58:6). How should we pray when we see evil that seems unstoppable? 3. The psalm ends with the confidence that there is a God who judges on the earth (58:11). How does that truth give you peace? ## ✍️ Key Verses to Remember - 📖 verse 1: Do you rulers really judge people fairly? - 📖 verse 6: O God, break the teeth of the wicked. - 📖 verse 11: Surely the godly are rewarded, and there is a God who judges the earth. ## 🔗 Related Passages/Cross Reference - 🔗 [[Acts 17#Verse 31.|Acts 17:31]] - God will judge the world through Jesus. - 🔗 [[Romans 12#Verse 19.|Romans 12:19]] - Vengeance belongs to the Lord. - 🔗 [[Psalm 82|Psalm 82]] - God judges unjust rulers. - 🔗 [[Isaiah 05#Verse 20.|Isaiah 5:20-23]] - Woe to those who call evil good. - 🔗 [[Revelation 19#Verse 11.|Revelation 19:11]] - The faithful and true Judge. ## 🙏 Devotional Reflection 📝 SOAP: [[Psalm 58- SOAP|Trust God's Justice]] ## 📂 Internal Notes