Psalms 58:6 · Bible study
Psalms 58:6 Commentary: A Cry for Justice Against the Wicked
Hebrew · 11 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Psalm 58:6 asks God to break the teeth of the wicked. How does this violent image fit with Jesus' call to love enemies? A study for pastors and teachers.
Research Summary
- Meaning: A prayer for God to disable the wicked from harming others, using the metaphor of breaking a lion’s teeth.
- Key words: “Break” (strong verbs for tearing down), “teeth” (instruments of harm), “young lions” (powerful oppressors).
- Main debate: Whether this imprecation can be reconciled with New Testament commands to love enemies and not repay evil for evil.
- Theological theme: God as the righteous Judge who defends the oppressed and frustrates the plans of evildoers.
- Best use: A model for bringing raw emotions about injustice into honest prayer, trusting God to act justly.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
O God, shatter their teeth in their mouths; O LORD, tear out the fangs of the lions.
WEB World English Bible 2000
Break their teeth, God, in their mouth. Break out the great teeth of the young lions, Yahweh.
KJV King James Version 1769
Break their teeth, O God, in their mouth: break out the great teeth of the young lions, O Lord.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
Break their teeth, O God, in their mouth: Break out the great teeth of the young lions, O Jehovah.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
O God, break their teeth in their mouth, The jaw-teeth of young lions break down, O Jehovah.
Darby Darby Bible 1890
OGod, break their teeth in their mouth; break out the great teeth of the young lions, O Jehovah.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
Rise up thou to meet me, and behold: even thou, O Lord, the God of hosts, the God of Israel. Attend to visit all the nations: have no mercy on all them that work iniquity.
Translations in other languages (10 available)
Oh Dios, quiebra sus dientes en sus bocas: quiebra, oh Jehová, las muelas de los leoncillos.
Deus, quebra os dentes deles em suas bocas; arranca os queixos dos filhos dos leões, SENHOR.
Qui n’ entend pas la voix des enchanteurs,
Gott, zerbrich ihre Zähne in ihrem Maul; zerstoße, HERR, das Gebiß der jungen Löwen!
Opdat zij niet hore naar de stem der belezers, desgenen, die ervaren is met bezweringen om te gaan.
O Dio, rompi loro i denti in bocca; o Eterno, fracassa i mascellari de’ leoncelli!
Aby nie słyszała głosu zaklinacza, ani czarownika w czarach biegłego.
Ты, Господи, Боже сил, Боже Израилев, восстань посетить все народы, не пощади ни одного из нечестивых беззаконников:
神啊，求你敲碎 他們口中 的牙；耶和華啊，求你敲掉 少壯獅子 的大牙！
O God, let their teeth be broken in their mouths; let the great teeth of the young lions be pulled out, O Lord.
Verse in Context
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators across traditions agree that the imagery in Psalm 58:6 depicts God disabling the wicked from doing harm. Adam Clarke sees the teeth as the instruments of mischief, whether the fangs of serpents or the jaws of lions, and the prayer as a plea to remove the power to harm. Albert Barnes notes that break means “tear out,” rendering enemies harmless as wild beasts with broken teeth. Matthew Henry frames the request not as personal vengeance but as a public-minded appeal to God on behalf of his oppressed people. The Cambridge Bible observes that the two Hebrew verbs for “break” are “properly used of breaking down and overthrowing walls,” strong language for total disablement. John Calvin places the verse within a psalm where David first defends his own integrity and then calls on God to judge the wicked. The consensus is that this is a prayer for divine intervention against those who use their power to oppress, not a call for personal retaliation.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Medium
Main views:
- Literal imprecation: The plain language asks God to physically break teeth; some see it as a direct prayer against oppressors in times of persecution.
- Prophetic declaration: The verbs can be read as prophetic perfects: God has already decreed the judgment, so the psalmist states it as fact (noted by the Cambridge Bible).
- Spiritual allegory: The teeth represent slander and malice, not literal violence; breaking them means silencing evil speech (Gill).
- Christological reading: The wicked align with those who opposed Christ; the prayer looks forward to the final judgment where God’s justice is fully revealed.
What is clear: All readers agree that the verse is a cry for God to intervene decisively against those who use power to oppress the innocent.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Imprecatory prayers in the Psalter | Christians agree that these prayers express a desire for God’s justice, not personal vengeance, and that they are part of honest lament. | Some see them as models for prayer against evil in our own lives; others treat them as limited to the Old Testament context, holding that the New Testament shifts toward prayer for enemies. |
| The violence of the language | All traditions recognize that the imagery is metaphorical, breaking teeth symbolizes disabling the power to harm. | Catholics and Orthodox often read such passages through the lens of the Church’s teaching on just war and redemptive suffering; some evangelicals interpret them as literal calls for God’s judgment on the unrepentant. |
| Application for today | The prayer invites believers to bring anger over injustice to God, not to repress it or act on it unrighteously. | Liberation theology uses such psalms to justify social revolution; pacifist traditions emphasize leaving judgment entirely to God and focusing on nonviolent resistance. |
Historical & Cultural Context
Psalm 58 is attributed to David, likely during a period of intense persecution, either under King Saul or during Absalom’s rebellion. The title includes “Michtam,” a term of uncertain meaning (some connect it to atonement or a prayer). The psalm falls into two halves: a denunciation of unjust judges (vv. 1, 5) and an appeal for their judgment (vv. 6, 11).
The language of lions and teeth is rooted in ancient Near Eastern metaphor. Lions were the most feared predators in Israel, representing kings or oppressors who devour the weak. In the preceding verse, the wicked are compared to serpents (poisonous adders); here the image shifts to lions, open ferocity rather than hidden cunning. The plea to break their teeth is a vivid request to strip them of their ability to harm, just as a hunter might sever the fangs of a trapped animal.
Judicial corruption was a recurring crisis in Israel’s history. David’s accusations in vv. 1, 2, that rulers “weigh out violence” rather than justice, echo the prophetic indictments of Amos and Isaiah. The psalm thus functions as a courtroom appeal to the ultimate Judge, Yahweh. The imagery of broken teeth also appears in Job 4:10 and Psalm 3:7, where it symbolizes the frustration of the wicked’s plans. In this cultural setting, calling on God to “break teeth” was a recognized way of asking him to dismantle the systems of oppression.
Textual Notes
The supplied commentaries and cross‑references note no significant textual variants for Psalm 58:6. The Hebrew text is stable across the major manuscripts and versions (LXX, Syriac, Vulgate). The Cambridge Bible mentions that the LXX renders the verbs as perfects of certainty (“God shall surely break”), which is a point of interpretation rather than a variant reading.
Reception History
Christian interpreters have long wrestled with Psalm 58:6. Early church fathers, following the apostles’ example, often read imprecatory psalms as prophecies of judgment on spiritual enemies (sin, death, demons) or as the voice of Christ against his adversaries. In the Reformation, John Calvin used the psalm to denounce unjust magistrates, while Matthew Henry saw it as a “public-spirited” prayer. Modern commentators (Barnes, Clarke, and the Cambridge Bible) emphasize the trust in God’s justice rather than the violent surface. The verse has been sung in Anglican chant and appears in lectionaries for Ordinary Time, where it is paired with New Testament readings on mercy and judgment.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- Identify the enemy. The wicked in this psalm are not random evildoers but powerful people who twist justice (vv. 1, 2). David names them as lions, predators who prey on the vulnerable.
- Call on the only true Judge. David does not take revenge himself; he hands the situation over to God. “Break their teeth, O God” is an act of trust, not of bloodlust.
- Trust the outcome. The psalm ends with the righteous rejoicing in God’s justice (v. 10). The goal is not personal satisfaction but the vindication of God’s rule.
Five-point outline
- The problem: Wicked judges and rulers (vv. 1, 2).
- The nature of the wicked: They are born rebellious, deaf to correction (vv. 3, 5).
- The petition: Disable their power to harm (vv. 6, 9).
- The result: The righteous see God’s justice and rejoice (v. 10).
- The confession: “There is a God who judges on earth” (v. 11).
Illustration hooks
- A community where a trusted leader is found to have abused their authority. People feel helpless. The psalm gives language to cry out for God to stop the abuse.
- A bullying situation at work or school. The victim prays not for the bully to be hurt, but for their power to be removed.
- News of a corrupt regime finally brought down. The response of the oppressed is not gleeful revenge but relief that justice has come.
Questions your congregation is asking
- Is it okay to pray for bad things to happen to bad people?
- How does this psalm fit with Jesus’ command to love our enemies?
- Does God want us to express our anger to him, or should we suppress it?
Leading a Discussion
Psalm 58:6 sits in a part of Scripture that many find uncomfortable. It uses violent language to ask God to intervene against oppressors. But honest faith includes raw emotions, including the desire for justice. As you discuss this verse, explore how it shapes our understanding of God’s character and our own struggle with evil.
Discussion questions
- Read Psalm 58:1, 2. What specific injustice is David confronting? How does that shape the way we understand the prayer in verse 6?
- The psalmist uses images of lions and serpents. What emotions do these animals evoke? Why do you think the Bible uses such vivid pictures for evil?
- Verse 6 asks God to “break their teeth.” What does that metaphor communicate about the wicked? About God’s power?
- Compare this psalm with Jesus’ command to love enemies (Matthew 5:44). Can both be true at the same time? How do they relate?
- Matthew Henry called this a “public-spirited” prayer. What might that mean for how we pray about injustice in our own time?
- Have you ever felt angry at someone who harmed you or others? How does this psalm give you permission to bring that anger to God?
- Verse 11 concludes that “there is a God who judges on earth.” Why is that a message of hope, not just of warning?
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| Numbers 23:24 | Behold, a people rises up as a lioness. As a lion he lifts himself up. He shall not lie down until he eats of the prey, and drinks the blood of the slain.” |
| Job 4:10 | The roaring of the lion, and the voice of the fierce lion, the teeth of the young lions, are broken. |
| Job 4:11 | The old lion perishes for lack of prey. The cubs of the lioness are scattered abroad. |
| Job 29:17 | I broke the jaws of the unrighteous and plucked the prey out of his teeth. |
| Psalms 3:7 | Arise, Yahweh! Save me, my God! For you have struck all of my enemies on the cheek bone. You have broken the teeth of the wicked. |
| Psalms 10:15 | Break the arm of the wicked. As for the evil man, seek out his wickedness until you find none. |
| Psalms 17:12 | He is like a lion that is greedy of his prey, as it were a young lion lurking in secret places. |
| Psalms 91:13 | You will tread on the lion and cobra. You will trample the young lion and the serpent underfoot. |
Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
Read the devotional page — prayer, application, and "for families"
What the Commentators Say
9 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Adam Clarke's Commentary Methodist/Wesleyan 1826
Clarke treats the request to break teeth as a prayer to disarm powerful enemies. He interprets the imagery both ways: lions lose the ability to attack, and serpents lose the fangs that hold their poison, symbolizing God's protection from both violent tyrants and sly slanderers.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes explains that the word "break" means to tear out, as in breaking the fangs of wild beasts to make them harmless. He notes that "young lions" refers to full-grown, vigorous lions, not weak cubs, emphasizing the fierce and violent strength of the enemies being prayed against.
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.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
The Geneva note urges God to act directly against the enemies' power, pictured as ravenous lions. It asks God to break their teeth and jaws, rendering their attacks ineffective. The prayer is raw and physical, seeking divine intervention to stop the wicked from being able to destroy the innocent.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill reads the plea to break teeth as a prayer for God to disable the enemies' power to harm, both through physical violence and through slanderous words. He identifies the old lion as Saul and the young lions as his courtiers, whose jaw teeth were like knives to devour David until God intervened.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
JFB observes that the psalmist's prayer for his enemies' destruction uses the imagery of ravenous beasts. The petition is not abstract but vividly portrays the enemies as predatory animals, a figure the psalmist also employs in other psalms.
Keil & Delitzsch OT Commentary Protestant 1876
Keil-Delitzsch focuses intently on the Hebrew wordplay and imagery: the arrows are cut off at the front, rendering them as useless as headless shafts. The snail, literally dissolving into slime as it moves, pictures the wicked wasting away. The raw and cooked meat in the pot represents plots against David at every stage, which God sweeps away in an instant.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Henry stresses that David's harsh prayers against his enemies come from a public spirit for the church's protection, not private revenge. He notes David asks only to break their teeth, not their necks, so they might live to repent while being prevented from further harming the righteous.
Wesley's Explanatory Notes Methodist/Wesleyan 1754
Their teeth - Their powerful instruments of doing mischief.