Psalms 58:4 BSB — MannaFest

Psalms 58:4

Their venom is like the venom of a snake, like a cobra that shuts its ears,

BSB

Parallel translations (2) ▾

ASV

Their poison is like the poison of a serpent: They are like the deaf adder that stoppeth her ear,

KJV

Their poison is like the poison of a serpent: they are like the deaf adder that stoppeth her ear;

⋯

Commentary

2 voices

Gregory of Nazianzus

IN DEFENSE OF HIS FLIGHT TO PONTUS, ORATION 2:20 (390)

We hide away our sin, cloaking it over in the depth of our soul, like some festering and malignant disease, as if by escaping human notice we could escape the mighty eye of God and justice. Or else we make excuses for our sins by devising pleas in defense of our falls or by tightly closing our ears. Like the snake that stops its ears, we are obstinate in refusing to hear the voice of the charmer and be treated with the medicines of wisdom, by which spiritual sickness is healed.

The record, by era

The Nineteenth Century1 voice

Charles Spurgeon

1834–1892

The Treasury of David, Vol. 3 (1872)

Their poison is like the poison of a serpent. Is man also a poisonous reptile? Yes, and his venom is even as that of a serpent. The viper has but death for the body in his fangs; but unregenerate man carries poison under his tongue, destructive to the nobler nature. They are like the deaf adder that stoppeth her ear.

Voices on this verse

loading…

Original language & word study

10 tagged words

Original	Transliteration	Meaning	Word study
חֲמַת־	cha.mat-	venom	H2534 →
לָ֗מוֹ	la.mo	of them
כִּדְמ֥וּת	kid.Mut	[is] like [the] likeness of	H1823 →
חֲמַת־	cha.mat-	[the] venom of	H2534 →
נָחָ֑שׁ	na.Chash	a snake	H5175 →
כְּמוֹ־	ke.mov-	like	H3644 →
פֶ֥תֶן	Fe.ten	a cobra	H6620 →
חֵ֝רֵ֗שׁ	che.Resh	deaf	H2795 →
יַאְטֵ֥ם	ya'.Tem	[which] it shuts	H331 →
אָזְנֽוֹ׃	'a.ze.No	ear its	H241 →

Rare words are the text's own signal of a deliberate thread: the fewer the occurrences, the more the places it appears belong together.

The walk

The walk8

Where the connections lead

Follow this verse’s cross-references two steps out. Each card is a verse this one points to, and beneath it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several different paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it. Every stop shows its own words, and every stop is a page.

Through
James 3:8
but no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.
leads to
- Psalms 140:3
  They sharpen their tongues like snakes; the venom of vipers is on their lips. Selah
  Reached by 2 independent paths from here.
- Romans 3:13
  “Their throats are open graves; their tongues practice deceit.” “The venom of vipers is on their lips.”
- James 3:6
  The tongue also is a fire, a world of wickedness among the parts of the body. It pollutes the whole person, sets the course of his life on fire, and is itself set on…
  Reached by 2 independent paths from here.
- Psalms 57:4
  My soul is among the lions; I lie down with ravenous beasts— with men whose teeth are spears and arrows, whose tongues are sharp swords.
  Reached by 2 independent paths from here.
- Psalms 55:21
  His speech is smooth as butter, but war is in his heart. His words are softer than oil, yet they are swords unsheathed.
Through
Romans 3:13
“Their throats are open graves; their tongues practice deceit.” “The venom of vipers is on their lips.”
leads to
- Psalms 5:9
  For not a word they speak can be trusted; destruction lies within them. Their throats are open graves; their tongues practice deceit.
- Matthew 23:27–28
  Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside, but on the inside are full of dead men’s bones and every kind of impurity.
Through
Ecclesiastes 10:11
If the snake bites before it is charmed, there is no profit for the charmer.
leads to
- Psalms 58:4–5
  Their venom is like the venom of a snake, like a cobra that shuts its ears,
  Reached by 2 independent paths from here.

Featured studies on this passage

On Psalms 58:4

Praying the Hard Psalms — the Imprecatory Problem

Open the study →

About Psalms

Saul attempts to kill David (the harpist of Israel) — Gustave Doré, Doré's English Bible (1866), public domain

Psalms: the study guide →Read chapter 58 →The featured study →

Continue: Psalms 58 →

01Commentary

The record, by era

Voices on this verse

02Original language & word study

03The walk

Where the connections lead

04Related verses

05Featured studies on this passage

06About Psalms

The record, by era

Where the connections lead

Commentary

Original language & word study

The walk

Related verses

Featured studies on this passage

About Psalms