Psalm 73:9
New International Version
Their mouths lay claim to heaven, and their tongues take possession of the earth.

New Living Translation
They boast against the very heavens, and their words strut throughout the earth.

English Standard Version
They set their mouths against the heavens, and their tongue struts through the earth.

Berean Standard Bible
They set their mouths against the heavens, and their tongues strut across the earth.

King James Bible
They set their mouth against the heavens, and their tongue walketh through the earth.

New King James Version
They set their mouth against the heavens, And their tongue walks through the earth.

New American Standard Bible
They have set their mouth against the heavens, And their tongue parades through the earth.

NASB 1995
They have set their mouth against the heavens, And their tongue parades through the earth.

NASB 1977
They have set their mouth against the heavens, And their tongue parades through the earth.

Legacy Standard Bible
They have set their mouth against the heavens, And their tongue goes through the earth.

Amplified Bible
They set their mouth against the heavens, And their tongue swaggers through the earth.

Christian Standard Bible
They set their mouths against heaven, and their tongues strut across the earth.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
They set their mouths against heaven, and their tongues strut across the earth.

American Standard Version
They have set their mouth in the heavens, And their tongue walketh through the earth.

Contemporary English Version
They dare to speak against God and to order others around.

English Revised Version
They have set their mouth in the heavens, and their tongue walketh through the earth.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
They verbally attack heaven, and they order people around on earth.

Good News Translation
They speak evil of God in heaven and give arrogant orders to everyone on earth,

International Standard Version
They choose to speak against heaven; while they talk about things on earth.

Majority Standard Bible
They set their mouths against the heavens, and their tongues strut across the earth.

NET Bible
They speak as if they rule in heaven, and lay claim to the earth.

New Heart English Bible
They have set their mouth in the heavens. Their tongue walks through the earth.

Webster's Bible Translation
They set their mouth against the heavens, and their tongue walketh through the earth.

World English Bible
They have set their mouth in the heavens. Their tongue walks through the earth.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
They have set their mouth in the heavens, "" And their tongue walks in the earth.

Young's Literal Translation
They have set in the heavens their mouth, And their tongue walketh in the earth.

Smith's Literal Translation
They set their mouth against the heavens, and their tongue will go in the earth.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
They have set their mouth against heaven: and their tongue hath passed through the earth.

Catholic Public Domain Version
They have set their mouth against heaven, and their tongue has traversed the earth.

New American Bible
They set their mouths against the heavens, their tongues roam the earth.

New Revised Standard Version
They set their mouths against heaven, and their tongues range over the earth.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
They have set their mouths in the sky, but their tongues drag in the dirt;

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
They set their mouths in the sky and their tongue walks in the dirt.
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
They have set their mouth against the heavens, And their tongue walketh through the earth.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
They have set their mouth against heaven, and their tongue has gone through upon the earth.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Endow the King with Your Justice
8They mock and speak with malice; with arrogance they threaten oppression. 9They set their mouths against the heavens, and their tongues strut across the earth. 10So their people return to this place and drink up waters in abundance.…

Cross References
Isaiah 37:23
Whom have you taunted and blasphemed? Against whom have you raised your voice and lifted your eyes in pride? Against the Holy One of Israel!

Daniel 7:25
He will speak out against the Most High and oppress the saints of the Most High, intending to change the appointed times and laws; and the saints will be given into his hand for a time, and times, and half a time.

Revelation 13:6
And the beast opened its mouth to speak blasphemies against God and to slander His name and His tabernacle—those who dwell in heaven.

Job 21:14-15
Yet they say to God: ‘Leave us alone! For we have no desire to know Your ways. / Who is the Almighty, that we should serve Him, and what would we gain if we pray to Him?’

Ezekiel 35:13
You boasted against Me with your mouth and multiplied your words against Me. I heard it Myself!

Jude 1:15-16
to execute judgment on everyone, and to convict all the ungodly of every ungodly act of wickedness and every harsh word spoken against Him by ungodly sinners.” / These men are discontented grumblers, following after their own lusts; their mouths spew arrogance; they flatter others for their own advantage.

2 Thessalonians 2:4
He will oppose and exalt himself above every so-called god or object of worship. So he will seat himself in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God.

Isaiah 14:13-14
You said in your heart: “I will ascend to the heavens; I will raise my throne above the stars of God. I will sit on the mount of assembly, in the far reaches of the north. / I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.”

Matthew 12:36-37
But I tell you that men will give an account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken. / For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.”

James 3:5-6
In the same way, the tongue is a small part of the body, but it boasts of great things. Consider how small a spark sets a great forest ablaze. / The tongue also is a fire, a world of wickedness among the parts of the body. It pollutes the whole person, sets the course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.

Isaiah 10:13-14
For he says: ‘By the strength of my hand I have done this, and by my wisdom, for I am clever. I have removed the boundaries of nations and plundered their treasures; like a mighty one I subdued their rulers. / My hand reached as into a nest to seize the wealth of the nations. Like one gathering abandoned eggs, I gathered all the earth. No wing fluttered, no beak opened or chirped.’”

Romans 1:30
slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant, and boastful. They invent new forms of evil; they disobey their parents.

2 Peter 2:18
With lofty but empty words, they appeal to the sensual passions of the flesh and entice those who are just escaping from others who live in error.

Isaiah 3:8
For Jerusalem has stumbled and Judah has fallen because they spoke and acted against the LORD, defying His glorious presence.

Jeremiah 48:26
“Make him drunk, because he has magnified himself against the LORD; so Moab will wallow in his own vomit, and he will also become a laughingstock.


Treasury of Scripture

They set their mouth against the heavens, and their tongue walks through the earth.

set

Exodus 5:2
And Pharaoh said, Who is the LORD, that I should obey his voice to let Israel go? I know not the LORD, neither will I let Israel go.

2 Chronicles 32:15
Now therefore let not Hezekiah deceive you, nor persuade you on this manner, neither yet believe him: for no god of any nation or kingdom was able to deliver his people out of mine hand, and out of the hand of my fathers: how much less shall your God deliver you out of mine hand?

Job 21:14
Therefore they say unto God, Depart from us; for we desire not the knowledge of thy ways.

tongue

Psalm 52:4
Thou lovest all devouring words, O thou deceitful tongue.

Luke 18:4
And he would not for a while: but afterward he said within himself, Though I fear not God, nor regard man;

James 3:6
And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell.

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Psalm 73
1. The prophet, prevailing in a temptation
2. Shows the occasion thereof, the prosperity of the wicked
13. The wound given thereby, diffidence
15. The victory over it, knowledge of God's purpose.














They set their mouths against the heavens
This phrase captures the audacity and arrogance of the wicked, who speak as if they have authority over divine matters. The Hebrew word for "set" (שׂוּם, sum) implies a deliberate and intentional action, suggesting that these individuals are not merely careless in their speech but purposefully blasphemous. The "mouths" symbolize the expression of their inner rebellion and pride. Historically, this reflects the attitude of those who challenge God's authority, reminiscent of the Tower of Babel, where humanity sought to reach the heavens through their own means. The "heavens" here represent God's domain, His sovereignty, and His divine order. By setting their mouths against the heavens, the wicked are essentially challenging God's rule and mocking His authority, a theme that resonates throughout Scripture as a warning against pride and self-exaltation.

and their tongues strut across the earth
The imagery of "tongues" that "strut" conveys a sense of boastfulness and arrogance. The Hebrew word for "strut" (הָלַךְ, halak) can mean to walk or to go about, but in this context, it suggests a swaggering, self-assured manner. This phrase paints a picture of the wicked as not only defiant towards God but also as those who carry their arrogance into the world, influencing others with their prideful speech. The "earth" signifies the realm of human existence, contrasting with the "heavens" mentioned earlier. This duality highlights the comprehensive nature of their rebellion—against both divine and earthly order. Historically, this reflects the behavior of those who, throughout biblical history, have led others astray with their persuasive yet ungodly rhetoric. It serves as a cautionary reminder of the power of words and the influence of those who speak against God's truth.

(9) They set.--The last clause is repeated here under a figure more defined:

"They have set their mouth in [not against] the heavens,

While their tongue walketh through the earth."

an image very expressive of a towering pride, vaunting itself to the skies, and trumpeting its own praises through the world.

Verse 9. - They set their mouth against the heavens. So Hupfeld and Canon Cook, who understand the expression of blasphemy; but most modern critics translate, "They have set their mouth in the heavens," and regard the meaning as nearly allied to that of the second clause of the preceding verse, "They speak as though they were inhabitants of the heavens." And their tongue walketh through the earth. Their tongue is always busily employed - boasting (ver. 3), lying, backbiting.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
They set
שַׁתּ֣וּ (šat·tū)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person common plural
Strong's 8371: To place, array, reflex, to lie

their mouths
פִּיהֶ֑ם (pî·hem)
Noun - masculine singular construct | third person masculine plural
Strong's 6310: The mouth, edge, portion, side, according to

against the heavens,
בַשָּׁמַ֣יִם (ḇaš·šā·ma·yim)
Preposition-b, Article | Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 8064: Heaven, sky

and their tongues
וּ֝לְשׁוֹנָ֗ם (ū·lə·šō·w·nām)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - common singular construct | third person masculine plural
Strong's 3956: The tongue

strut
תִּֽהֲלַ֥ךְ (ti·hă·laḵ)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person feminine singular
Strong's 1980: To go, come, walk

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


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OT Poetry: Psalm 73:9 They have set their mouth (Psalm Ps Psa.)
Psalm 73:8
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