Every verse here opens — tap a number for what that one means.
1Do you indeed speak justly, O rulers? Do you judge uprightly, O sons of men?
2No, in your hearts you devise injustice; with your hands you mete out violence on the earth.
3The wicked are estranged from the womb; the liars go astray from birth.
4Their venom is like the venom of a snake, like a cobra that shuts its ears,
5refusing to hear the tune of the charmer who skillfully weaves his spell.
6O God, shatter their teeth in their mouths; O LORD, tear out the fangs of the lions.
7May they vanish like water that runs off; when they draw the bow, may their arrows be blunted.
8Like a slug that dissolves in its slime, like a woman’s stillborn child, may they never see the sun.
9Before your pots can feel the burning thorns— whether green or dry— He will sweep them away.
10The righteous will rejoice when they see they are avenged; they will wash their feet in the blood of the wicked.
11Then men will say, “There is surely a reward for the righteous! There is surely a God who judges the earth!”
Commentary
Psalm 58, explained
What Psalm 58 is saying
An imprecatory psalm that functions as a prophetic indictment of corrupt rulers, Psalm 58 opens with a courtroom-style challenge to unjust judges and escalates through vivid curse imagery. The wicked are compared to venomous serpents immune to the snake charmer's voice, and the imprecations include dissolution like a snail's trail and miscarriage imagery. The psalm concludes with vindication theology—the righteous will rejoice when justice prevails.
The background behind it
The psalm addresses the elim or elohim—likely human judges who bear divine titles by virtue of their role administering justice. This reflects the ancient Near Eastern concept of rulers as representatives of divine order, making their corruption a cosmic offense.
Themes running underneath
The psalm confronts systemic injustice at the highest levels, insisting that corrupt power structures cannot escape divine judgment. The serpent imagery suggests that wickedness in leadership is not merely error but deliberate, venomous malice. The shocking imprecatory language reflects the psalm's function as prophetic speech, not personal vendetta.
Why it still matters
Psalm 58 challenges comfortable theologies that avoid the reality of structural evil. It models the practice of entrusting the desire for justice to God rather than taking vengeance, even when the language of that entrustment is fierce.
Scripture text: Berean Standard Bible — used by permission, Bible Hub.