Psalms 58:4 · Bible study
Psalms 58:4 Commentary: Deadly Speech and Willful Deafness
Hebrew · 10 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Why does the psalmist compare the wicked to a deaf cobra? This study explores the metaphor of poisonous speech and hardened refusal to hear.
Research Summary
- Meaning: The wicked are both venomous in speech and willfully deaf to correction, like a cobra that cannot be charmed.
- Key words: Poison (malicious words, slander); deaf (refusal to listen); adder/cobra (symbol of deadly intent).
- Main debate: Whether the snake's deafness is natural or a willful act of stopping its own ear, both readings appear in the commentaries.
- Theological theme: Human evil as both active (poisonous speech) and passive (resistance to grace); the necessity of divine judgment.
- Best use: A sobering call to examine our speech and our openness to correction, and a reminder that justice ultimately belongs to God.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
Their venom is like the venom of a snake, like a cobra that shuts its ears,
WEB World English Bible 2000
Their poison is like the poison of a snake, like a deaf cobra that stops its ear,
KJV King James Version 1769
Their poison is like the poison of a serpent: they are like the deaf adder that stoppeth her ear;
ASV American Standard Version 1901
Their poison is like the poison of a serpent: They are like the deaf adder that stoppeth her ear,
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
Their poison is as poison of a serpent, As a deaf asp shutting its ear,
Darby Darby Bible 1890
Their poison is like the poison of a serpent: [they are] like the deaf adder which stoppeth her ear;
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
For behold they have caught my soul: the mighty have rushed in upon me:
Translations in other languages (10 available)
Veneno tienen semejante al veneno de la serpiente: son como áspide sordo que cierra su oído;
O veneno deles é semelhante ao veneno de serpente; são como a cobra surda, que tapa seus ouvidos,
Les méchants sont pervertis dès le sein maternel,
Ihr Wüten ist gleichwie das Wüten einer Schlange, wie die taube Otter, die ihr Ohr zustopft,
De goddelozen zijn vervreemd van de baarmoeder aan; de leugensprekers dolen van moeders buik aan.
Han del veleno simile al veleno del serpente, son come l’aspide sordo che si tura le orecchie,
Odłączyli się niezbożnicy zaraz od narodzenia; pobłądzili zaraz z żywota matki swej, mówiąc kłamstwo.
ибо вот, они подстерегают душу мою; собираются на меня сильные не за преступление мое и не за грех мой, Господи;
他們的 毒氣 好像 蛇 的毒氣；他們好像 塞 耳 的聾 虺，
Their poison is like the poison of a snake; they are like the adder, whose ears are shut;
Verse in Context
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators across traditions agree that the verse uses the imagery of a poisonous snake to describe the destructive power of malicious speech. Adam Clarke highlights how slander spreads like venom through society, poisoning reputations. Barnes and Matthew Henry note that the poison represents the wicked's 'malignity' and 'bad spirit' as expressed in words. The second image, a deaf cobra that stops its ear, draws on the ancient practice of snake charming. The Cambridge Bible, Gill, and Keil & Delitzsch all explain that certain serpents were believed to be immune to the charmer's art, either because they were naturally deaf or because they willfully blocked their ears. Applied to human wickedness, this depicts a deliberate, hardened refusal to listen to counsel, warning, or any attempt at reform. Barnes adds that no power of human influence can check their evil. The psalmist thus paints a double picture: the wicked are both venomous in what they emit and unresponsive to any remedy.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Low
What is clear: The verse uses serpent imagery to depict the wicked as both venomous in speech and unresponsive to any attempt at reform, leaving judgment to God.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Nature of the 'poison' | All traditions interpret the poison as the wicked's malicious speech that harms others, akin to serpent venom. | Some emphasize literal slander that ruins reputation (Clarke), while others focus on the inner malignity or sin nature itself (Gill, Calvin). |
| Meaning of 'deaf adder' | The phrase pictures someone who refuses to listen to reason, warning, or any attempt to change them. | Whether the snake is 'naturally' deaf (as some ancient naturalists claimed) or 'stops its ear' willfully. Barnes prefers the latter (the snake seems to stop its ear), while Gill notes that it acts 'as if deaf.' Keil & Delitzsch treat the verb as an optative indicating a habitual action. |
| Historical reference | The psalm targets unjust leaders or judges who persecute the innocent, likely in David's own experience. | Some identify the 'congregation' in v.1 as Saul's court (Matthew Henry), others as the judges of the land generally (Calvin, Barnes). The time frame (Saul or Absalom) remains uncertain (Lange). |
| Imprecatory prayer following (v. 6, 11) | The call for judgment is a plea for God to vindicate the righteous and stop evil. | Some traditions read this as a prophetic prayer consistent with God's justice (Reformed), others struggle with the violent imagery and interpret it as a lament or as a type of Christ's final judgment. |
Historical & Cultural Context
Psalm 58 is attributed to David and titled 'Do Not Destroy' (Al-taschith), suggesting a time of mortal danger, likely during Saul's persecution or Absalom's rebellion. The surrounding verses (v. 1, 2) accuse Israel's leaders of judging unjustly, so the 'wicked' here are probably those in power who use their words to oppress the innocent. The metaphor of snake charming was familiar in the ancient Near East. Egyptian, Assyrian, and later Roman sources depict snake charmers using music or incantations to calm or control serpents. Ecclesiastes 10:11 and Jeremiah 8:17 reference this practice. The 'deaf adder' (Hebrew pethen) was thought to be a particularly dangerous species that resisted charming. Pliny the Elder (1st century AD) and other naturalists noted that some snakes were 'deaf' to sound but sensitive to vibration; the biblical image likely combines observed behavior with poetic symbolism. In the psalmist's world, a leader or courtier who refused to hear reason was like the adder: no warning, no entreaty could change their course. This cultural background illuminates the depth of the accusation, these are people beyond ordinary persuasion, requiring divine intervention (v. 6, 11). The verse also echoes Genesis 3 (the serpent's deceit) and Deuteronomy 32:33, linking human malice to the primal enemy.
Textual Notes
The supplied commentaries and references do not note any significant textual variants for Psalm 58:4. The Hebrew text is stable across the major manuscript traditions (MT, LXX, Targum). The KJV's 'deaf adder' and modern translations' 'cobra' reflect the same underlying Hebrew word pethen, interpreted according to species known in the ancient Near East.
Reception History
The early church read this verse as a prophecy of obstinate unbelief. Origen and Chrysostom applied it to those who resisted the gospel as the deaf adder resists the charmer. Augustine allegorized the serpent as the devil and the poison as heresy. Medieval commentators often moralized the text: the 'poison' is flattery or gossip, the 'deafness' is pride. During the Reformation, Luther and Calvin stressed the doctrine of total depravity, seeing the verse as evidence that some wills are so bound by sin that they cannot respond to external persuasion. Calvin also used it pastorally, cautioning against despair when human efforts fail, only God can break through hardened hearts. In modern preaching, it is commonly used to address sins of the tongue and the danger of a closed mind. Across traditions, the verse has been sung and prayed as part of the church's lament over persistent evil and as a plea for divine intervention.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- The poison of the tongue. Like serpent venom, slander and malicious words penetrate deeply and spread destruction. The wicked are known by what comes out of them (cf. Psalm 140:3).
- Hardened deafness. The deaf cobra represents a willful refusal to listen, to God, to wisdom, to correction. This is not ignorance but resistance.
- The limit of human influence. Snake charming cannot tame every snake; likewise, human efforts can fail to change a hardened heart. Only God can break the teeth of the young lions (v. 6).
Five-point outline
- Source of poison: the wicked are estranged from birth (v. 3).
- Nature of poison: words that kill reputations and wound souls.
- Indifference to remedy: like the adder, they block their ears to all appeals.
- Certainty of judgment: the psalm moves from accusation to imprecation, trusting God to act.
- Hope for the righteous: God's justice vindicates the innocent (v. 10, 11).
Illustration hooks
- The office rumor mill: A workplace where gossip circulates like a slow-moving poison, damaging trust. Those who spread it seem immune to correction or consequences.
- The unreachable critic: Someone who constantly finds fault and rejects every attempt at reconciliation or counsel, like a snake that refuses to be charmed.
- Social media slander: How a single post can poison a reputation across a community, and how some users deliberately ignore facts or pleas for kindness.
Questions your congregation is asking
- Why does God allow people who seem totally evil to continue harming others?
- Is it possible for someone to be beyond all hope of change?
- How should I respond to someone who refuses to listen to any advice or correction?
Leading a Discussion
This verse wrestles with the reality of human evil that seems both poisonous and stubborn. It challenges us to see the seriousness of our words and the depth of resistance to change. As you discuss, keep in view that the psalmist ends not with despair but with trust in God's justice.
Discussion questions
- What does the image of poison add to your understanding of the damage caused by words?
- Why does the psalmist describe the wicked as 'deaf' to correction? Have you ever seen this kind of stubbornness in yourself or others?
- How does the background of snake charming help explain the comparison? What does it mean that some people cannot be 'charmed' or convinced?
- Look at the cross-references: Psalm 140:3, Jeremiah 8:17. How do other passages develop the same imagery?
- In verse 5, the charmer's skill is useless. What does this say about human limits when dealing with hardened hearts?
- How does this verse shape your view of God's role as judge? Does it make you more or less urgent about prayer for justice?
- Practically, how can we guard our own speech from becoming 'poison,' and stay open to correction rather than shutting our ears?
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| Deuteronomy 32:33 | Their wine is the poison of serpents, the cruel venom of asps. |
| Job 20:14 | yet his food in his bowels is turned. It is cobra venom within him. |
| Job 20:16 | He will suck cobra venom. The viper’s tongue will kill him. |
| Psalms 140:3 | They have sharpened their tongues like a serpent. Viper’s poison is under their lips. Selah. |
| Ecclesiastes 10:11 | If the snake bites before it is charmed, then is there no profit for the charmer’s tongue. |
| Isaiah 11:8 | The nursing child will play near a cobra’s hole, and the weaned child will put his hand on the viper’s den. |
| Jeremiah 8:17 | “For, behold, I will send serpents, adders among you, which will not be charmed; and they will bite you,” says Yahweh. |
| Matthew 3:7 | But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming for his baptism, he said to them, “You offspring of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? |
Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
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What the Commentators Say
10 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Adam Clarke's Commentary Methodist/Wesleyan 1826
Clarke compares slanderers to poisonous serpents whose venom spreads through the entire bloodstream. Their malicious words circulate through society, poisoning a person's reputation everywhere, and no one is safe from such attacks. Only God can shield the innocent from these envenomed tongues.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes focuses on the image of the deaf adder: a serpent so venomous that it cannot be charmed or tamed, as if it stops its own ears. For him, the wicked are like this — their poisonous speech is beyond reform, and no influence can restrain their deadly malice or change their evil bent.
Calvin's Commentaries Reformed 1564
Calvin highlights the boldness of David's challenge: by appealing to his enemies themselves to judge whether he speaks right, David shows the strength of a clear conscience. Only someone absolutely certain of his innocence would dare call his accusers as witnesses, forcing them to acknowledge the truth against their own malice.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
The Cambridge Bible compares these wicked judges to the deaf adder, the most venomous serpent, which resists every attempt to charm it. These people are not merely sinful but actively shut their ears to warnings and remain incapable of reformation. The commentator notes that although God's mercy extends to all, humans can still resist His grace.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
The Geneva Notes draw attention to how the wicked's poison is as deadly as a serpent's venom, but they add a striking detail: like a deaf adder that deliberately stops its ear. The point is not just harmfulness but willful refusal to hear any correction or warning.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill reads the poison as the hidden, infectious and deadly nature of human sin, which only God's grace and Christ's blood can cure. The deaf adder is not naturally deaf but wilfully stops its ear, picturing sinners who stubbornly refuse all good counsel and warning.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
JFB notes that the pronoun rendered "her" in English is literally "his" in Hebrew, referring to the wicked man taken as a collective figure. This wicked person stops his ears, becoming like a deaf adder that has no ear to hear with.
Keil & Delitzsch OT Commentary Protestant 1876
Keil-Delitzsch see the deaf adder as a figure for the self-hardened evildoer who remains completely unreachable by any human art, even the most skillful sorcery. They find here a biblical dualism: while all share inherited sinfulness, some develop a diabolical, loveless character that no patience or magic can soften.
Lange's Commentary Reformed 1857
Lange treats the opening as an ironic oxymoron: the judges pretend to speak justice yet remain silent when they must. He emphasizes the deliberate obduracy of the wicked, who stop their ears like the adder, and the unexpected swiftness of God's judgment, sweeping away their schemes before they take effect.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Henry views this psalm as aimed at corrupt rulers during Saul's persecution of David. Though learned in God's laws, these judges perverted justice because Saul could reward them with land and positions. David speaks not as king but as a prophet, exposing their hypocrisy and bought verdicts.