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Annotations & References
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Psalms 12
Psalms
Chapter 12
12
1Help, Jehovah; for the godly man ceaseth; For the faithful fail from among the children of men.
2They speak falsehood every one with his neighbor: With flattering lip, and with a double heart, do they speak.
3Jehovah will cut off all flattering lips, The tongue that speaketh great things;
4Who have said, With our tongue will we prevail; Our lips are our own: who is lord over us?
5Because of the oppression of the poor, because of the sighing of the needy, Now will I arise, saith Jehovah; I will set him in the safety he panteth for.
6The words of Jehovah are pure words; As silver tried in a furnace on the earth, Purified seven times.
7Thou wilt keep them, O Jehovah, Thou wilt preserve them from this generation for ever.
8The wicked walk on every side, When vileness is exalted among the sons of men.
What is Psalms 12 about?
Surrounded by a generation of empty and flattering speech, David lifts the twelfth psalm as a cry for help because the godly man ceases and the faithful fail among the children of men. He laments lips that flatter and hearts that boast, 'With our tongue will we prevail,' and against their vanity he sets the pure words of the LORD, refined like silver tried in a furnace seven times. God Himself answers, promising to arise for the oppression of the poor and the sighing of the needy and to set them in safety. The contrast between deceitful human words and God's pure, preserving word steadies the faithful in an age of falsehood.
Matthew Henry on Psalms 12