Psalms 36:3
in Psalms 36The words of his mouth are wicked and deceitful; he has ceased to be wise and well-doing.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
The words of his mouth are iniquity and deceit: He hath ceased to be wise and to do good.
KJV
The words of his mouth are iniquity and deceit: he hath left off to be wise, and to do good.
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This verse in Psalms 36
Commentary
11 notes on this verseWhat shall I say about Judas the traitor, who sought after greed and found sacrilege, saying: What will you give me, and I will hand him over to you (Matt. XXVI, 15)? Not satisfied with looting the spoils of the poor, he reached the fullness of the gravest crimes by committing crimes, mixing the sacraments of charity with wicked acts, when he said: He whom I shall kiss, he is: hold him (Ibid., 48); so that there can be no doubt that what was said about him is true: The words of his mouth are wickedness and deceit.
This site's exposition
wicked and deceitful
on Psalms 36:3-4
The corruption now comes out of his mouth, wicked and deceitful. Ceasing to be wise and well-doing marks a departure from a course the man once kept. The plotting happens on his bed, and the path he sets himself on he will not leave.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers1 voice
"The words of his mouth are iniquity and deceit: he would not understand, that he might do good" (ver. 3). Ye see that he attributeth that to the will: for there are men who would understand and cannot, and there are men who would not understand, and therefore understand not. "He would not understand, that he might do good."
The Medieval Church1 voice
Next he sets forth the progress from the root. And first he sets forth the sins of the mouth. Second, of the heart and of action. A man commits sin by the mouth in two ways: either through open malice, when he lies openly; and …
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
): The words of his mouth are iniquity and deceit, contrived to do wrong, and yet to cover it with specious and plausible pretences. It is no marvel if those that deceive themselves contrive how to deceive all mankind; for to whom will those be true who are false to their own souls?
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-punctuation+unbalanced-parens
The words of his mouth are iniquity and deceit,....
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
The words of his mouth are iniquity and deceit. This pair of hell dogs generally hunt together, and what one does not catch the other will; if iniquity cannot win by oppression, deceit will gain by chicanery. When the heart is so corrupt as to flatter itself, the tongue follows suit. The open sepulchre of the throat reveals the foulness of the inner nature.
4 more voices on this verse
The Nineteenth Century4 voices
The words of his mouth are iniquity and deceit. This pair of hell dogs generally hunt together, and what one does not catch the other will; if iniquity cannot win by oppression, deceit will gain by chicanery. When the heart is so corrupt as to flatter itself, the tongue follows suit. The open sepulchre of the throat reveals the foulness of the inner nature. God fearing men make a conscience of their words, and if they sin through infirmity they do not invent excuses, or go about to boast of their wickedness: but because wicked men think little of evil and artful speeches, we may be clear that God rules not in their souls. The original by declaring that the words of the wicked are falsehood and deceit is peculiarly strong; as if they were not only false in quality, but actual falseness itself. He hath left off to be wise, and to do good. From the good way he has altogether gone aside. Men who fear God proceed from strength to strength in the right path, but godless men soon forsake what little good they once knew. How could men apostatise if they had respect unto the supreme Judge? Is it not because they grow more and more forgetful of God, that in due season they relinquish even that hypocritical reverence of him which in former days they maintained in order to flatter their souls?
The words of his mouth are iniquity and deceit. This pair of hell dogs generally hunt together, and what one does not catch the other will; if iniquity cannot win by oppression, deceit will gain by chicanery. When the heart is so corrupt as to flatter itself, the tongue follows suit. The open sepulchre of the throat reveals the foulness of the inner nature.
The words of his mouth are iniquity - In the principle; and deceit calculated to pervert others, and lead them astray. He hath left off to be wise, and to do good - His heart is become foolish, and his actions wicked. He has cut off the connection between himself and all righteousness.
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
The words of his mouth are iniquity and deceit - Are false and wicked. See the notes at Psa 12:2. It is words do not fairly represent or express what is in his heart. He hath left off to be wise - To act wisely; to do right. And to do good - To act benevolently and kindly. This would seem to imply that there had been a change in his conduct, or that he was not what he once professed to be, and appeared to be. This language would be applicable to the change in the conduct of Saul toward David after he became envious and jealous of him 1 Sam. 18; and it is possible, as Amyraldus supposed, that this may have had particular reference to him. But such instances of a change, of feeling and conduct are not very uncommon in the world, and it may doubtless have happened that David experienced this more than once in his life.
How the passage was read
What the Jewish commentators add
On the verses either side of this one
The word of the transgression to the wicked man, in the midst of my heart, etc. This is a transposed verse. I feel within my heart that the transgressioni.e., the evil inclinationsays to the wicked man that the fear of God should not be before his eyes.
This section is reception history: how the passage was read and kept in the Jewish tradition. Where a reading parts from an essential of the Christian faith, the section says so at that point.
Texts and citation data: Sefaria; each excerpt follows its version’s licence. 6 further sources are cited on this chapter that carry no English text this site may quote or only restate the verse.
The words behind it
7 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| דִּבְרֵי־ | divrei- | [the] words of | H1697 → | 1440 times |
| פִ֭יו | fiv | mouth his | H6310 → | 498 times |
| אָ֣וֶן | ʾaven | [are] wickedness | H205 → | 77 times |
| וּמִרְמָ֑ה | umirmah | and deceit | H4820 → | 39 times |
| חָדַ֖ל | chadal | he has ceased | H2308 → | |
| לְהַשְׂכִּ֣יל | lehaskil | to act prudently | H7919 → | 62 times |
| לְהֵיטִֽיב׃ | leheitiv | to do good | H3190 → | 117 times |
דִּבְרֵי־[the] words of
divrei-H1697 →1440 times
פִ֭יוmouth his
fivH6310 →498 times
אָ֣וֶן[are] wickedness
ʾavenH205 →77 times
וּמִרְמָ֑הand deceit
umirmahH4820 →39 times
חָדַ֖לhe has ceased
chadalH2308 →
לְהַשְׂכִּ֣ילto act prudently
lehaskilH7919 →62 times
לְהֵיטִֽיב׃to do good
leheitivH3190 →117 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
1 John 2:19They went out from us, but they did not belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us. But their departure made it clear that none of…
it leads to
- Acts 20:30
Even from your own number, men will rise up and distort the truth to draw away disciples after them.
- 1 Corinthians 11:19
And indeed, there must be differences among you to show which of you are approved.
- Jude 1:19
These are the ones who cause divisions, who are worldly and devoid of the Spirit.
- Luke 8:13
The seeds on rocky ground are those who hear the word and receive it with joy, but they have no root. They believe for a season, but in the time of testing, they fall…
- Acts 20:30
Through
Jeremiah 4:22“For My people are fools; they have not known Me. They are foolish children, without understanding. They are skilled in doing evil, but they know not how to do good.”
it leads to
- 1 Corinthians 14:20
Brothers, stop thinking like children. In regard to evil be infants, but in your thinking be mature.
- Romans 16:19
Everyone has heard about your obedience, so I rejoice over you. But I want you to be wise about what is good and innocent about what is evil.
- Jeremiah 5:21
“Hear this, O foolish and senseless people, who have eyes but do not see, who have ears but do not hear.
- Hosea 4:6
My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I will also reject you as My priests. Since you have forgotten the law of your God, I will also forget…
- 1 Corinthians 14:20
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies1
About Psalms

This page draws on 10 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes on the Book of Psalms; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Ambrose of Milan, Commentaries on the Twelve Davidic Psalms; Augustine of Hippo, Exposition on Psalm 36; Charles Spurgeon, The Treasury of David, Vol. 2; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763); Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible and Thomas Aquinas, Exposition on the Psalms of David.
