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Psalm 58 Bible study: A God who judges the earth
Psalm 58 opens by asking, "Do you judge blamelessly, you sons of men?" (58:1), and ends with men saying, "there is a God who judges the earth" (58:11): in Hebrew judge, men and the earth come back at both ends. Its cobra doesn't only fail to hear; it stops its ear. And its reward for the righteous is, in Hebrew, fruit.
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“so that men shall say, “Most certainly there is a reward for the righteous. Most certainly there is a God who judges the earth.””
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“Psalm 58 ends with men saying there is a God who judges the earth.”
Is that in Psalm 58, or not? Make your call.
What's really going on
Judging, at the start and at the end
The psalm opens with a question to those who judge: "Do you indeed speak righteousness, silent ones? Do you judge blamelessly, you sons of men?" (58:1) (tap judge, blamelessly). The next verse answers it: "No, in your heart you plot injustice. You measure out the violence of your hands on the earth" (58:2). Now look at how the psalm ends: "so that men shall say, “Most certainly there is a reward for the righteous. Most certainly there is a God who judges the earth.”" (58:11). In Hebrew the two ends share their words. Judge in 58:1 and judges in 58:11 are one verb, shafat. Sons of men in 58:1 is bene adam, and men in 58:11 is adam. On the earth in 58:2 and the earth in 58:11 are the same Hebrew word, ba'arets. And righteousness in 58:1 is tsedeq, while the righteous in 58:10 and 58:11 is tsaddiq; Strong's gives both as "from 6663" (tap righteousness, righteous). The psalm begins by asking the sons of men whether they judge blamelessly, and ends with men saying there is a God who judges the earth.
Honest questions
Questions people ask about Psalm 58
- "Do you indeed speak righteousness, silent ones?" (58:1). Who are the silent ones?
- "The wicked go astray from the womb" (58:3). Does the psalm say everyone is wicked from birth?
- "Break their teeth, God, in their mouth" (58:6), and "He shall wash his feet in the blood of the wicked" (58:10). How can a psalm say that?
That was a taste
The rest of Psalm 58 is waiting in Favor
- Who speaks to whom
- A cobra that stops its ear
- A reward that is fruit
- Teeth and arrows: Psalm 57 next door
- Judge blamelessly, in other psalms
- Three of the psalm's words in one verse
- 6 questions as you read
- 11 more Hebrew words
- A short check at the end
- Your notes, saved as you go
Favor reads the Bible in order, so you'll reach Psalm 58 with everything before it in view. First week free, then $10 a month per person.
The Hebrew word behind it
שָׁפַטshafatsay sha-FAT
Brown-Driver-Briggs: "judge, govern". Strong's: "to judge, i.e. pronounce sentence (for or against)". The psalm has it at both ends. First as a question to you: "Do you judge blamelessly, you sons of men?" (58:1). Then in its last words: "Most certainly there is a God who judges the earth" (58:11). Judge in 58:1 is tishpetu, and Psalm 82 has the same word in its question "How long will you judge unjustly, and show partiality to the wicked?" (Psalm 82:2).
For your group
Psalm 58 Bible study questions
- 1The psalm asks, "Do you indeed speak righteousness?" (58:1), and answers, "No, in your heart you plot injustice" (58:2). Where is it hardest for you to keep what you say and what is in your heart the same?
- 2The cobra "stops its ear" (58:4) and won't listen, however skillful the voice (58:5). What makes you stop your ears to something you need to hear?
- 3The psalm ends, "Most certainly there is a God who judges the earth" (58:11). How does knowing that change the way you carry a wrong done to you or to someone else?
Leading a group? In Favor, everyone reads Psalm 58 during the week and answers these questions privately. Answers stay sealed until you meet, then appear together, and you can print the week's sheet.
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Questions
What is Favor?
Favor is a Bible study app that explains every chapter as you read: the Hebrew and Greek behind the words, the details most readers miss, and how each part of the Bible leads to Jesus. Read on your own, or start a Bible study with friends, family or your church.
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Can I read Psalm 58 straight away?
Favor takes the Bible as one story, in order, so you'll reach Psalm 58 with everything that leads up to it in view. Start from Genesis, or meet Jesus first in the Gospels. You can read the text of any chapter in Favor's Look up whenever you like.
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The World English Bible, a modern, readable translation in the public domain. God's name appears as "the LORD", as in most English Bibles.
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Scripture quotations are from the World English Bible, which is in the public domain. Hebrew and Greek words are checked against the original-language texts and public-domain lexicons. What we believe · Favor home