Psalm 52:3 kjv
Thou lovest evil more than good; and lying rather than to speak righteousness. Selah.
Psalm 52:3 nkjv
You love evil more than good, Lying rather than speaking righteousness. Selah
Psalm 52:3 niv
You love evil rather than good, falsehood rather than speaking the truth.
Psalm 52:3 esv
You love evil more than good, and lying more than speaking what is right. Selah
Psalm 52:3 nlt
You love evil more than good
and lies more than truth. Interlude
Psalm 52 3 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Prov 6:16-19 | There are six things that the Lord hates… a lying tongue, a false witness… | God detests falsehood and its practitioners. |
| Prov 12:22 | Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord, but those who act faithfully are his delight. | Highlights God's view of truth vs. lies. |
| Jer 9:5 | They have taught their tongue to speak lies; they weary themselves with iniquity. | Reveals a trained devotion to dishonesty. |
| Jn 8:44 | You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father's desires... he is a liar and the father of lies. | Satan as the origin of all falsehood. |
| Rom 3:10-18 | "None is righteous, no, not one... Their throat is an open grave; they use their tongues to deceive." | Depravity includes corrupt speech. |
| Ps 10:7 | His mouth is filled with cursing and deceit and oppression. | Wicked speech filled with harmful intentions. |
| Ps 58:3 | The wicked are estranged from the womb; they go astray from birth, speaking lies. | Innate tendency towards deception. |
| Isa 5:20 | Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness... | A complete moral perversion. |
| Amos 5:15 | Hate evil, and love good; and establish justice in the gate... | Opposite command to those who love evil. |
| Mic 3:2 | you who hate the good and love the evil, who tear the skin from off my people... | Leaders' rejection of good for evil. |
| Tit 1:16 | They profess to know God, but they deny him by their works. They are detestable, disobedient, unfit for any good work. | Discrepancy between profession and actions. |
| 1 Sam 22:9-10 | Then Doeg the Edomite, who stood by the servants of Saul, answered, "I saw the son of Jesse coming to Nob... | Historical context of Doeg's lies. |
| Rev 21:8 | But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur... | The eternal fate of liars. |
| Eph 4:25 | Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor... | Command to put off falsehood. |
| Col 3:9-10 | Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self... | Call for believers to live truthfully. |
| Prov 12:17 | Whoever speaks the truth gives honest evidence, but a false witness speaks deceit. | Contrast of truthful and deceitful witnesses. |
| Prov 21:10 | The soul of the wicked desires evil; his neighbor finds no favor in his eyes. | Wicked heart seeks evil. |
| Gen 6:5 | The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. | Pervasive evil in human heart. |
| Matt 15:19 | For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false witness, slander. | Origin of evil is in the heart. |
| Ps 10:4 | In the pride of his face the wicked does not seek him; all his thoughts are, "There is no God." | Arrogance leads to rejection of God. |
| Prov 1:22 | "How long, O simple ones, will you love being simple? How long will scoffers delight in their scoffing and fools hate knowledge?" | People choosing to embrace their folly. |
| Rom 1:32 | Though they know God's righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them. | Approving of wicked deeds, showing depravity. |
Psalm 52 verses
Psalm 52 3 Meaning
Psalm 52:3 describes an individual with a fundamentally inverted moral compass. This person actively loves evil more than what is good and genuinely prefers deceit and falsehood over speaking the truth or doing what is righteous. This verse points to a deeply corrupted inner disposition where the heart delights in wickedness, making it not merely an occasional act but a preferred state of being and action, particularly in communication.
Psalm 52 3 Context
Psalm 52 is a Maskil of David, a psalm offering instruction or reflection. Its superscription links it to Doeg the Edomite, an event recorded in 1 Samuel 22:9-19. Doeg, an official in King Saul's court, informed Saul that Ahimelech the priest had aided David (unbeknownst to Ahimelech that David was fleeing Saul). Subsequently, Doeg carried out Saul's command to kill Ahimelech and eighty-five other priests, along with their families, in the city of Nob. The psalm denounces Doeg's malice and deceitful speech. Verse 3 directly targets Doeg's internal moral perversion, indicating that his betrayal stemmed not merely from fear or compulsion but from a heart that preferred evil and falsehood. David contrasts Doeg's misplaced trust in wickedness with the enduring steadfast love of God and the security found in dwelling in God's house (Ps 52:1, 8).
Psalm 52 3 Word analysis
- "You love": The Hebrew verb is 'ahavta (אָהַבְתָּ), derived from the root 'ahav (אָהַב), meaning "to love, cherish, delight in." This signifies more than simply performing an evil act; it denotes a deep, emotional affinity and preference for it. The individual finds satisfaction and pleasure in evil.
- "evil": The Hebrew term is ra' (רָע). This word encompasses various negative aspects: morally bad, wicked, injurious, calamitous, harmful. In this context, it speaks to moral corruption and acts that cause harm or distress.
- "more than good": The Hebrew phrase is mimmettov (מִטּוֹב). The preposition min (מִן) indicates "from" or "more than" in a comparative sense. Tov (טוֹב) means "good," referring to what is morally upright, beneficial, pleasant, or right in God's eyes. The phrase illustrates a clear, active preference; the individual chooses evil over good, valuing it more.
- "falsehood": The Hebrew word is shaqer (שֶׁקֶר). It translates as deceit, lie, untruth, treachery, or fraud. This highlights the intentional nature of the deception, particularly in speech. It suggests communication that is designed to mislead, betray, or harm, rather than convey truth.
- "more than speaking what is right": The Hebrew is midebber-tzedeq (מִדַּבֶּר־צֶדֶק). Dibber (דִּבֶּר) means "to speak" or "utter." Tzedeq (צֶדֶק) refers to righteousness, justice, integrity, or truth. This phrase establishes a direct contrast between deceptive speech and speech that is honest, truthful, and just.
- Words-group Analysis:
- "You love evil more than good": This powerful phrase reveals a perverse moral disposition. It's not a struggle against temptation, but an embrace of depravity. The heart is aligned with that which opposes God's nature. This active preference for evil is a hallmark of profound spiritual corruption.
- "and falsehood more than speaking what is right": This parallel clause extends the moral perversion to the realm of speech. It shows that the individual's inner delight in evil translates into a preference for deceptive communication over truthful and righteous utterances. For such a person, lies are not a last resort but a chosen means, perhaps seen as more effective or beneficial for their wicked aims.
Psalm 52 3 Bonus section
This love of evil and preference for lies is a sign of deep spiritual darkness, echoing the biblical concept of "blindness" where light is seen as darkness (Isa 5:20) and where the mind becomes futile (Rom 1:21). It reveals a deliberate rejection of the moral order established by God, reflecting an opposition to the very character of God, who is both good and true. This condition signifies an unwillingness to repent, as their affections are fixed on what is contrary to divine truth and righteousness.
Psalm 52 3 Commentary
Psalm 52:3 profoundly illustrates a character consumed by moral perversion. It highlights that the most dangerous aspect of wickedness is not merely performing evil acts, but loving and preferring evil over good, and choosing falsehood over truth. This reflects a twisted internal disposition where the heart finds satisfaction in what God condemns. Such a person does not merely succumb to sin; they actively align their will and affections with it. This inner state inevitably manifests outwardly in malicious, deceptive speech, as was the case with Doeg, whose lies directly led to bloodshed. The verse teaches that true wickedness originates in the heart's corrupted desires, rendering a moral compass that points away from God's ways of truth and righteousness.