This week’s study is from Tehillim / Psalms 58:1-11, the psalm opens saying, א לַמְנַצֵּחַ אַל-תַּשְׁחֵת לְדָוִד מִכְתָּם: For the choir director; set to Al-tashheth. A Mikhtam of David. (NASB) David asks, ה חֲמַת-לָמוֹ כִּדְמוּת חֲמַת-נָחָשׁ כְּמוֹ-פֶתֶן חֵרֵשׁ יַאְטֵם אָזְנוֹ: 58:1 Do you indeed speak righteousness, O gods? Do you judge uprightly, O sons of men? (NASB) The question David has is do the gods of the nations speak righteousness? What is unrighteous about an idol god and how does an idol god promote unrighteousness? What does “sons of men” mean in relation to David’s question regarding judging uprightly? Is his question rhetorical? He answers his question saying, ב הַאֻמְנָם אֵלֶם צֶדֶק תְּדַבֵּרוּן מֵישָׁרִים תִּשְׁפְּטוּ בְּנֵי אָדָם: ג אַף-בְּלֵב עוֹלֹת תִּפְעָלוּן בָּאָרֶץ חֲמַס יְדֵיכֶם תְּפַלֵּסוּן: ד זֹרוּ רְשָׁעִים מֵרָחֶם תָּעוּ מִבֶּטֶן דֹּבְרֵי כָזָב: ה חֲמַת-לָמוֹ כִּדְמוּת חֲמַת-נָחָשׁ כְּמוֹ-פֶתֶן חֵרֵשׁ יַאְטֵם אָזְנוֹ: ו אֲשֶׁר לֹא-יִשְׁמַע לְקוֹל מְלַחֲשִׁים חוֹבֵר חֲבָרִים מְחֻכָּם: 58:2 No, in heart you work unrighteousness; On earth you weigh out the violence of your hands. 58:3 The wicked are estranged from the womb; These who speak lies go astray from birth. 58:4 They have venom like the venom of a serpent; Like a deaf cobra that stops up its ear, 58:5 So that it does not hear the voice of charmers, Or a skillful caster of spells. (NASB) Read more here: Tehillim 58-Part1
