Psalms 52

General context

The speaker asks a mighty man why he boasts himself in mischief, since the goodness of God endures continually. The man's tongue devises mischiefs like a sharp razor working deceitfully; he loves evil more than good and lying rather than speaking righteousness, and Selah follows. He loves all devouring words, a deceitful tongue. God will likewise destroy him for ever, take him away, pluck him out of his dwelling place and root him out of the land of the living; Selah follows again. The righteous will see, fear and laugh at him; the next line runs, Lo, this is the man who did not make God his strength but trusted in the abundance of his riches and strengthened himself in his wickedness. The speaker, by contrast, is like a green olive tree in the house of God and trusts in the mercy of God for ever and ever. He will praise God for ever because God has done it, and will wait on God's name, for it is good before his saints.

Cited passages: Psalms 52:1, Psalms 52:2, Psalms 52:3, Psalms 52:4, Psalms 52:5, Psalms 52:6, Psalms 52:7, Psalms 52:8, Psalms 52:9

Psalms 52 (KJV)

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Historical context

The text as printed here carries no heading; verse 1 opens with "Why boastest thou thyself in mischief, O mighty man?", so this source names no author or occasion, and the mighty man is never identified. The speaker addresses that man in verses 1 to 5, speaks of him in the third person in verses 6 and 7, and turns to God in verse 9. The charge is entirely about speech: mischief devised by the tongue, lying, devouring words, deceit; no deed is described beyond boasting and trusting in riches. The threatened end, being plucked from his dwelling and rooted out of the land of the living, is future, and the psalm does not report it happening. The righteous who laugh are unnamed; verse 7, "Lo, this is the man", follows their laughter with no verb of speech marking who says it. "The house of God" is the setting of the speaker's olive tree image, not a stated location. "Because thou hast done it" in verse 9 refers to an act of God the psalm does not spell out. Selah stands after verses 3 and 5.

Cited passages: Psalms 52:1, Psalms 52:2, Psalms 52:5, Psalms 52:6, Psalms 52:8, Psalms 52:9, Psalms 52:3

Literary context

The psalm is a contrast of two men set around two Selahs. The mighty man is defined by what he loves, evil, lying, devouring words, and by his tongue, which is a razor. His fate is four verbs of uprooting: destroy, take away, pluck out, root out. Against that uprooting stands the speaker's own image, a green olive tree planted in the house of God, so the poem's two halves turn on being rooted or torn up. Verse 7 reads like the line the righteous say, "Lo, this is the man", though no verb of speech introduces it; it names the man's error as trusting riches instead of making God his strength. Two things endure "for ever": the man's destruction and the speaker's trust in mercy, and the goodness of God "endureth continually" is announced in the very first verse against the boast. The closing "I will wait on thy name" answers the opening "Why boastest thou".

Cited passages: Psalms 52:4, Psalms 52:2, Psalms 52:5, Psalms 52:8, Psalms 52:7, Psalms 52:1, Psalms 52:9

Key moments

1. Why boastest thou, O mighty man? (Psalms 52:1). The speaker confronts a mighty man who boasts in mischief.
2. A tongue like a razor (Psalms 52:2). The man's tongue devises mischief like a sharp razor working deceitfully.
3. Rooted out of the land of the living (Psalms 52:5). God will pluck him from his dwelling and root him out, and Selah follows.
4. The righteous laugh (Psalms 52:6). The righteous see, fear and laugh at the man who trusted his riches.
5. A green olive tree (Psalms 52:8). The speaker likens himself to an olive tree in God's house, trusting in mercy.
6. I will wait on thy name (Psalms 52:9). He vows to praise God for ever and wait on his name before the saints.

For reflection

The righteous are said to see, fear and laugh at the mighty man in the same breath; what does the poem think fear and laughter have to do with each other when someone is uprooted?

People in this chapter

• David
• Saul (King)

Also indexed here:

• Ahimelech
• Doeg