Psalm 58:2
New International Version
No, in your heart you devise injustice, and your hands mete out violence on the earth.

New Living Translation
No! You plot injustice in your hearts. You spread violence throughout the land.

English Standard Version
No, in your hearts you devise wrongs; your hands deal out violence on earth.

Berean Standard Bible
No, in your hearts you devise injustice; with your hands you mete out violence on the earth.

King James Bible
Yea, in heart ye work wickedness; ye weigh the violence of your hands in the earth.

New King James Version
No, in heart you work wickedness; You weigh out the violence of your hands in the earth.

New American Standard Bible
No, in heart you practice injustice; On earth you clear a way for the violence of your hands.

NASB 1995
No, in heart you work unrighteousness; On earth you weigh out the violence of your hands.

NASB 1977
No, in heart you work unrighteousness; On earth you weigh out the violence of your hands.

Legacy Standard Bible
No, in heart you work unrighteousness; On earth you prepare a path for the violence of your hands.

Amplified Bible
No, in your heart you devise wrongdoing; On earth you deal out the violence of your hands.

Christian Standard Bible
No, you practice injustice in your hearts; with your hands you weigh out violence in the land.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
No, you practice injustice in your hearts; with your hands you weigh out violence in the land.

American Standard Version
Nay, in heart ye work wickedness; Ye weigh out the violence of your hands in the earth.

Contemporary English Version
You are always planning evil, and you are brutal.

English Revised Version
Yea, in heart ye work wickedness; ye weigh out the violence of your hands in the earth.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
No, you invent new crimes on earth, and your hands spread violence.

Good News Translation
No! You think only of the evil you can do, and commit crimes of violence in the land.

International Standard Version
As a matter of fact, in your heart you plan iniquities! In the land your hands are violent!

Majority Standard Bible
No, in your hearts you devise injustice; with your hands you mete out violence on the earth.

NET Bible
No! You plan how to do what is unjust; you deal out violence in the earth.

New Heart English Bible
No, in your heart you plot injustice. You measure out the violence of your hands in the earth.

Webster's Bible Translation
Yes, in heart ye work wickedness; ye weigh the violence of your hands in the earth.

World English Bible
No, in your heart you plot injustice. You measure out the violence of your hands in the earth.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
Even in heart you work iniquities, "" In the land you ponder the violence of your hands.

Young's Literal Translation
Even in heart ye work iniquities, In the land the violence of your hands ye ponder.

Smith's Literal Translation
Also in heart ye will work evil; in the earth ye will roll the violence of your hands.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
For in your heart you work iniquity: your hands forge injustice in the earth.

Catholic Public Domain Version
For, even in your heart, you work iniquity. Your hands construct injustice on the earth.

New American Bible
No, you freely engage in crime; your hands dispense violence to the earth.

New Revised Standard Version
No, in your hearts you devise wrongs; your hands deal out violence on earth.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
Behold you all speak evil on earth, and your hands are soiled with injustice.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
Behold, you all speak evil in the Earth, and your hands are defiled with evil.
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
Yea, in heart ye work wickedness; Ye weigh out in the earth the violence of your hands.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
For ye work iniquities in your hearts in the earth: your hands plot unrighteousness.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
God Judges the Earth
1For the choirmaster. To the tune of “Do Not Destroy.” A Miktam of David. Do you indeed speak justly, O rulers? Do you judge uprightly, O sons of men? 2No, in your hearts you devise injustice; with your hands you mete out violence on the earth. 3The wicked are estranged from the womb; the liars go astray from birth.…

Cross References
Isaiah 59:4
No one calls for justice; no one pleads his case honestly. They rely on empty pleas; they tell lies; they conceive mischief and give birth to iniquity.

Micah 3:9
Now hear this, O leaders of the house of Jacob and rulers of the house of Israel, who despise justice and pervert all that is right,

Jeremiah 5:28
They have grown fat and sleek, and have excelled in the deeds of the wicked. They have not taken up the cause of the fatherless, that they might prosper; nor have they defended the rights of the needy.

Ezekiel 22:27
Her officials within her are like wolves tearing their prey, shedding blood, and destroying lives for dishonest gain.

Proverbs 17:23
A wicked man takes a covert bribe to subvert the course of justice.

Isaiah 10:1-2
Woe to those who enact unjust statutes and issue oppressive decrees, / to deprive the poor of fair treatment and withhold justice from the oppressed of My people, to make widows their prey and orphans their plunder.

Amos 5:7
There are those who turn justice into wormwood and cast righteousness to the ground.

Habakkuk 1:4
Therefore the law is paralyzed, and justice never goes forth. For the wicked hem in the righteous, so that justice is perverted.

Jeremiah 22:3
This is what the LORD says: Administer justice and righteousness. Rescue the victim of robbery from the hand of his oppressor. Do no wrong or violence to the foreigner, the fatherless, or the widow. Do not shed innocent blood in this place.

Zechariah 7:9-10
“This is what the LORD of Hosts says: ‘Administer true justice. Show loving devotion and compassion to one another. / Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the foreigner or the poor. And do not plot evil in your hearts against one another.’

Matthew 23:23
Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You pay tithes of mint, dill, and cumin. But you have disregarded the weightier matters of the law: justice, mercy, and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former.

Luke 11:42
Woe to you Pharisees! For you pay tithes of mint, rue, and every herb, but you disregard justice and the love of God. You should have practiced the latter without neglecting the former.

Romans 2:1-3
You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on another. For on whatever grounds you judge the other, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things. / And we know that God’s judgment against those who do such things is based on truth. / So when you, O man, pass judgment on others, yet do the same things, do you think you will escape God’s judgment?

James 2:6
But you have dishonored the poor. Is it not the rich who oppress you and drag you into court?

Matthew 7:1-5
“Do not judge, or you will be judged. / For with the same judgment you pronounce, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. / Why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye but fail to notice the beam in your own eye? ...


Treasury of Scripture

Yes, in heart you work wickedness; you weigh the violence of your hands in the earth.

in heart

Psalm 21:11
For they intended evil against thee: they imagined a mischievous device, which they are not able to perform.

Ecclesiastes 3:16
And moreover I saw under the sun the place of judgment, that wickedness was there; and the place of righteousness, that iniquity was there.

Isaiah 59:4-6
None calleth for justice, nor any pleadeth for truth: they trust in vanity, and speak lies; they conceive mischief, and bring forth iniquity…

weigh

Psalm 94:20
Shall the throne of iniquity have fellowship with thee, which frameth mischief by a law?

Isaiah 10:1
Woe unto them that decree unrighteous decrees, and that write grievousness which they have prescribed;

Isaiah 26:7
The way of the just is uprightness: thou, most upright, dost weigh the path of the just.

Jump to Previous
Cruel Deal Devise Doings Earth Evil Full Hands Heart Hearts Iniquities Injustice Measure Mete Plot Ponder Purposes Unrighteousness Violence Weigh Wickedness Work Wrongs
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Cruel Deal Devise Doings Earth Evil Full Hands Heart Hearts Iniquities Injustice Measure Mete Plot Ponder Purposes Unrighteousness Violence Weigh Wickedness Work Wrongs
Psalm 58
1. David reproves wicked judges
3. describes the nature of the wicked
6. devotes them to God's judgments
10. whereat the righteous shall rejoice














In your hearts
The phrase "in your hearts" refers to the innermost thoughts and intentions of individuals. In Hebrew, the word for heart is "lev," which often signifies the center of one's being, encompassing mind, will, and emotions. Biblically, the heart is the seat of moral and spiritual life. This phrase challenges the reader to consider the purity and righteousness of their internal motivations. In a conservative Christian perspective, it is a call to self-examination, urging believers to align their inner thoughts with God's will, as true righteousness begins within.

you devise injustice
The word "devise" suggests intentional planning or scheming. In Hebrew, the root word "chashab" implies calculating or plotting. This indicates a deliberate act of crafting injustice, highlighting the moral corruption that can reside in the human heart. "Injustice" here is a translation of the Hebrew word "avel," which means iniquity or unrighteousness. This phrase serves as a warning against the conscious choice to engage in or support unrighteous acts. From a conservative Christian viewpoint, it underscores the importance of seeking justice and righteousness, as God is just and calls His followers to reflect His character.

with your hands
The phrase "with your hands" symbolizes actions and deeds. In biblical terms, hands often represent the execution of one's plans and intentions. The Hebrew word "yad" is frequently used to denote power and capability. This phrase connects the internal devising of injustice with its outward manifestation. It serves as a reminder that what is conceived in the heart often finds expression through actions. For conservative Christians, this emphasizes the need for integrity, where one's actions are consistent with godly principles and the teachings of Scripture.

you mete out violence on the earth
The term "mete out" implies measuring or distributing, suggesting a deliberate apportioning of violence. The Hebrew root "palas" can mean to weigh or balance, indicating a calculated dispensation of harm. "Violence" is translated from the Hebrew word "chamas," which denotes cruelty or oppression. This phrase paints a picture of widespread corruption and moral decay, where those in power abuse their authority to inflict harm. In a conservative Christian context, this serves as a call to oppose such actions and to advocate for peace and justice, reflecting the kingdom values that Jesus taught. The phrase "on the earth" reminds believers of their responsibility to be stewards of God's creation, promoting righteousness and peace in all their dealings.

(2) In heart . . . in the earth (or, better, in the land).--These in the text are in antithesis. The mischief conceived in the heart is weighed out, instead of justice, by these unjust magistrates. The balance of justice is thus turned into a means of wrong-doing. But, perhaps, we should rather arrange as follows:

Nay! with your heart ye work wickedness in the land,

With your hands you weigh out violence.

Verse 2. - Yea, in heart ye work wickedness; literally, wickednesses, or iniquities. These ye first devise in your heart, and then (see the next clause) carry out with your hands. Ye weigh (or, weigh out) the violence of your hands in the earth. Instead of carefully meting out justice to men, after accurately weighing it in the balance of right and equity, you weigh out to them mere wrong and "violence."

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
No,
אַף־ (’ap̄-)
Conjunction
Strong's 637: Meaning accession, yea, adversatively though

in your hearts
בְּלֵב֮ (bə·lêḇ)
Preposition-b | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 3820: The heart, the feelings, the will, the intellect, centre

you devise
תִּפְעָ֫ל֥וּן (tip̄·‘ā·lūn)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - second person masculine plural | Paragogic nun
Strong's 6466: To do, make, to practise

injustice;
עוֹלֹ֪ת (‘ō·w·lōṯ)
Noun - feminine plural
Strong's 5766: Injustice, unrighteousness

with your hands
יְ֝דֵיכֶ֗ם (yə·ḏê·ḵem)
Noun - fdc | second person masculine plural
Strong's 3027: A hand

you mete out
תְּפַלֵּֽסֽוּן׃ (tə·p̄al·lê·sūn)
Verb - Piel - Imperfect - second person masculine plural | Paragogic nun
Strong's 6424: To roll flat, prepare, to revolve, weigh

violence
חֲמַ֥ס (ḥă·mas)
Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 2555: Violence, wrong, by meton, unjust gain

on the earth.
בָּאָ֡רֶץ (bā·’ā·reṣ)
Preposition-b, Article | Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 776: Earth, land


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OT Poetry: Psalm 58:2 No in your heart you plot injustice (Psalm Ps Psa.)
Psalm 58:1
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