Psalm 12:1 - Printer Friendly

ESV: To the choirmaster: according to The Sheminith. A Psalm of David. Save, O LORD, for the godly one is gone; for the faithful have vanished from among the children of man.

NIV: For the director of music. According to sheminith. A psalm of David. Help, LORD, for no one is faithful anymore; those who are loyal have vanished from the human race.

NASB: Help, Lord, for the godly person has come to an end, For the faithful have disappeared from the sons of mankind.

CSB: Help, Lord, for no faithful one remains; the loyal have disappeared from the human race.

NLT: Help, O Lord, for the godly are fast disappearing! The faithful have vanished from the earth!

KJV: {To the chief Musician upon Sheminith, A Psalm of David.} Help, LORD; for the godly man ceaseth; for the faithful fail from among the children of men.

NKJV: {To the Chief Musician. On an eight-stringed harp. A Psalm of David.} Help, Lord, for the godly man ceases! For the faithful disappear from among the sons of men.

David prays for deliverance from an evil culture. He laments the decline of faithful believers. As with many statements in Psalms and Proverbs, this presents a natural human perspective. From David's point of view, it seems there are no good people left.

Scripture presents several instances of God's followers suffering when they felt alone in a godless culture. Lot made a very bad choice: to move near, then into, Sodom (Genesis 13:10–13). There, his soul was grieved by the decadence of those who surrounded him. Peter states, "for as that righteous man lived among [the wicked people of Sodom] day after day, he was tormenting his righteous soul over their lawless deeds that he saw and heard" (2 Peter 2:8). Writing to the Philippian believers, Paul describes the culture of Philippi as "crooked and twisted," contrasting the wickedness of the culture with the righteous testimony of the believers (Philippians 2:15). He describes godly people as shining lights in the world (Matthew 5:16).

Many years after David, the prophet Elijah decried the faithlessness of the people of Israel. He also mourned as if he was the only God-honoring person left in the land (1 Kings 18:22; 19:10).

The term used in this Psalm's introduction, sheminith, is often left untranslated. It is apparently related to the Hebrew word for "eight" or "eighth." This instruction might refer to an eight-stringed instrument or some other musical requirement.

Psalm 12:1–4 is a prayer of deliverance from proud, evil people who spread lies. David sees a perilous decline of righteous individuals. From his perspective, it seems as if the entire world has turned to evil. The wicked employ lies, flattery, and hypocrisy. They assume their actions won't result in consequences. Therefore, David prays for the Lord to put an end to such wicked people.

In this short song, David mourns for what he sees as an entirely corrupt, evil culture. The people around him seem entirely filled with lies, flattery, and deception. These arrogant smooth-talkers think the power of their words will achieve whatever they desire. In contrast to the evil words the wicked employ, are the Lord's words. They are as pure and precious as silver refined seven times over in a furnace. David is confident that the Lord will protect His people from the harm their wicked contemporaries are inflicting. David concludes the psalm with a description of the widespread evil committed by the wicked. It is everywhere, and it is highly praised throughout the land.

This psalm reveals a basic contrast between the words of deceitful, flattering evildoers and the pure, reliable words of God. David laments the speech and behavior of a proud, deceitful culture. This brings to mind similar complaints from the Old Testament (Habakkuk 1:2–4; Psalm 22). He also expresses assurance that the Lord will protect him and all the righteous from their wicked contemporaries (Psalm 3:3).

The book of Psalms is composed of individual songs, hymns, or poems, each of which is a ''Psalm'' in and of itself. These works contain a wide variety of themes. Some Psalms focus on praising and worshipping God. Others cry out in anguish over the pain of life. Still other Psalms look forward to the coming of the Messiah. While some Psalms are related, each has its own historical and biblical context.