Psalm 52:4 meaning, Cross Ref, ai commentary KJV NIV ESV NLT

Psalm 52:4 kjv

Thou lovest all devouring words, O thou deceitful tongue.

Psalm 52:4 nkjv

You love all devouring words, You deceitful tongue.

Psalm 52:4 niv

You love every harmful word, you deceitful tongue!

Psalm 52:4 esv

You love all words that devour, O deceitful tongue.

Psalm 52:4 nlt

You love to destroy others with your words,
you liar!

Psalm 52 4 Cross References

Verse	Text	Reference
Ps 52:2	Your tongue plots destruction... like a sharp razor.	The malicious nature of the tongue.
Ps 52:7	...trusts in his great wealth and takes refuge in his destruction!	Consequence of trusting in wickedness.
Ps 5:9	...their mouth is full of destruction; their throat is an open grave...	Depravity of the deceitful mouth.
Ps 10:7	His mouth is full of curses, deceit, and oppression...	Characteristics of the wicked speaker.
Ps 109:2	...the mouth of the wicked and deceitful is opened against me; they speak against me with a lying tongue.	Attacks from malicious liars.
Ps 120:2	Deliver me, O LORD, from lying lips, from a deceitful tongue.	Prayer against deceptive speech.
Prov 6:17	...a lying tongue... a false witness who pours out lies.	Characteristics the LORD detests.
Prov 12:18	There is one whose rash words are like sword thrusts...	Words that inflict harm.
Prov 18:21	Death and life are in the power of the tongue...	The immense power of speech.
Prov 26:28	A lying tongue hates those it crushes...	Hidden malice behind deceptive words.
Prov 29:12	If a ruler listens to falsehood, all his officials will be wicked.	Contagion of deceit when empowered.
Jer 9:8	Their tongue is a deadly arrow; it speaks deceitfully.	Deceit as a destructive weapon.
Mat 12:34	...for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.	Speech reveals the heart's true state.
Mat 12:36-37	...people will give account... for every careless word...	Accountability for all spoken words.
Rom 3:13	Their throat is an open grave; with their tongues they keep practicing deceit. The poison of vipers is under their lips.	Paul's description of widespread human depravity in speech.
Jas 1:26	If anyone... does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person's religion is worthless.	Self-deception tied to unbridled speech.
Jas 3:6	The tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness... it stains the whole body...	The destructive and corrupting nature of the tongue.
Jas 3:8	...the tongue is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.	Untamable nature of the malicious tongue.
Rev 21:8	But as for... all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur...	Eternal judgment for liars.
Eph 4:29	Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up...	Contrast: constructive, edifying speech.
Col 4:6	Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt...	Contrast: gracious and wise speech.
1 Tim 4:2	...through the hypocrisy of liars whose consciences are seared...	Liars devoid of moral feeling.
2 Pet 2:3	And in their greed these will exploit you with false words.	Exploitation through deceptive speech.
Ps 64:3	They sharpen their tongue like a sword...	Deliberate intent to wound with words.

Psalm 52 verses

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

Psalm 52 4 Meaning

Psalm 52:4 describes an individual who not only uses destructive and deceitful words but harbors an internal preference for them. The phrase "you love all devouring words" highlights an innate inclination towards speech that consumes, ruins, and annihilates, revealing a malicious heart that finds pleasure in destruction. This preference is directed through a "deceitful tongue," signifying that the method of destruction is rooted in treachery, lies, and calculated falsehood, aiming to inflict damage through guile and manipulation rather than straightforward opposition.

Psalm 52 4 Context

Psalm 52 is a Michtam (a golden psalm or instructional psalm) of David, written against Doeg the Edomite. The historical context is crucial: Doeg, a chief herdsman of King Saul, informed Saul that Ahimelech the priest had provided provisions and Goliath's sword to David when David was fleeing Saul. This act of reporting, though factually true, was driven by malice and led to King Saul's command to kill Ahimelech and all the priests of Nob (1 Sam 21-22). Doeg himself carried out the massacre when Saul's own servants refused. Thus, David, in Psalm 52, directly confronts the wickedness of a man whose words led to mass slaughter. Verse 4 speaks directly to Doeg's inner character, revealing that his actions stemmed not from accident or compulsion, but from a "love" for destructive speech.

Psalm 52 4 Word analysis

You love (אָהַב ahav): This Hebrew verb denotes a deep affection, desire, or fondness. It signifies an internal preference and emotional inclination, rather than just an action. The one being addressed does not merely use destructive words, but cherishes them. This shows a perversion of love, directed towards malice and ruin. It implies a moral depravity where what should be abhorrent is desired.
all devouring words (כָּל־דִּבְרֵי בָלַע kol-divre vala):
- all (כָּל kol): This emphasizes the totality and breadth of the preference, indicating that the individual delights in every type of destructive utterance, not just specific instances.
- devouring (בָלַע bala): This potent Hebrew term means "to swallow," "gulp down," "consume," or "destroy." It evokes a vivid image of words as active, destructive agents, like a beast consuming its prey. The words do not just wound; they utterly annihilate, representing slander, false accusations, and malicious gossip that destroys reputations, lives, or relationships.
- words (דִּבְרֵי divre): The plural of davar refers to spoken communication, but also carries the sense of "matter" or "thing," implying that their speech involves concrete actions of destruction.
O deceitful tongue (לְשׁוֹן רְמִיָּה lĕshôn rĕmiyyah):
- O deceitful (rĕmiyyah): This adjective signifies treachery, trickery, fraud, or slackness. It describes speech that is inherently dishonest, unreliable, and designed to mislead or betray. It’s not simply a mistake or misunderstanding, but an intentional perversion of truth for harmful ends.
- tongue (lāshôn): The tongue serves as a metonymy for the person speaking or their capacity for speech. By directly addressing the "deceitful tongue," the psalm highlights that the very instrument of communication is tainted by fraudulence, reflecting the corrupt heart of the speaker. It personifies the instrument as embodying the malicious character.

Psalm 52 4 Bonus section

The deep affection ("love") for destructive speech spoken of in this verse reveals that the sin of the tongue often stems from an intrinsic moral corruption of the heart rather than merely external pressure or a lapse in judgment. This highlights the foundational principle in biblical teaching that speech is an overflow of what fills the heart (Luke 6:45; Matt 12:34). Furthermore, the specific imagery of "devouring words" suggests a spiritual cannibalism, where the speaker seeks to consume or utterly destroy another person's standing, peace, or very existence through their speech, demonstrating the ultimate antithesis to God's desire for edifying and life-giving words.

Psalm 52 4 Commentary

Psalm 52:4 profoundly describes the character of an evil person whose destructive words stem from a corrupted heart. This verse reveals that such individuals do not merely engage in harmful speech casually; they genuinely "love" it, signifying a deep internal affinity for communication that ruins, slanders, or annihilates others. The "devouring words" are not accidental misstatements but are intentionally crafted for destructive impact, like a predatory act. Coupled with the epithet "deceitful tongue," the verse clarifies that this malice is channeled through treachery and falsehood. It highlights the stark spiritual reality: an inward desire for evil manifests outwardly as deceptive, consuming words. For instance, like Doeg, a person might "love" to spread malicious gossip that destroys a reputation, delighting in the ruin it causes through lies or half-truths, even when seemingly innocent.