Psalm 5:6 - Printer Friendly

ESV: You destroy those who speak lies; the LORD abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful man.

NIV: you destroy those who tell lies. The bloodthirsty and deceitful you, LORD, detest.

NASB: You destroy those who speak lies; The Lord loathes the person of bloodshed and deceit.

CSB: You destroy those who tell lies; the Lord abhors violent and treacherous people.

NLT: You will destroy those who tell lies. The Lord detests murderers and deceivers.

KJV: Thou shalt destroy them that speak leasing: the LORD will abhor the bloody and deceitful man.

NKJV: You shall destroy those who speak falsehood; The Lord abhors the bloodthirsty and deceitful man.

God destroys liars and abhors the man who spills an innocent person's blood. He also abhors the deceitful person.

In the time of Noah, the human race pursued evil and entertained evil thoughts. God was so outraged by the evil that He destroyed all human life, except the lives of Noah and his family. Genesis 6:5 says, "The LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually…So the LORD said, 'I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land'" (Genesis 6:5, 7). In His anger, the Lord sent a massive flood to sweep away all life from the earth.

David was confident that the Lord would destroy his deceitful and bloodthirsty enemies. Only those who accept Christ can be identified by His goodness, rather than by their own sin (John 3:16–18; 1 Corinthians 6:9–11). Someday, every unrepentant deceitful, bloodthirsty person will face a sentence of eternal punishment (Revelation 20:10–15).

Psalm 5:4–6 expresses David's confidence in God's abhorrence of the wicked. No doubt, he had Absalom and the other rebels in mind (2 Samuel 15:13–14). The passage echoes the sentiments of Psalm 37:7–15 and Psalm 24:3–6. Proverbs 6:16–19 lists six things the Lord hates. Among these are lying, murder, bearing false witness, and sowing discord among brothers. Absalom and his men were guilty of all these sins that the Lord hates. Revelation 19 and 20 foretell how the Lord will judge the wicked. Psalm 1:5 states that the wicked will not stand before God.

Psalm 5 begins with David's urgent prayer for the Lord to heed his groaning and cry. He addresses the Lord as his King and his God, and indicates that he prays in the morning and watches for an answer. He recognizes that God takes no pleasure in the wicked but destroys evil, lying, bloodthirsty, or deceitful men. He anticipates that the God who loves him will allow him to enter the tabernacle, where he will offer reverential worship. He prays for the Lord's leading so that he will escape his enemies, whom he identifies as devoid of truth and violent. He prays further that the Lord will cause those rebels to bear the consequences of their transgressions. The psalm closes with an appeal to the righteous to sing for joy as they take refuge in the Lord, and David asks the Lord to bless and protect the righteous.

Like Psalm 4, this psalm is connected to Psalm 3. Psalm 3 refers to David's rising up in the morning, whereas Psalm 4 refers to his nighttime sleep. This psalm is addressed to the choirmaster. Like Psalms 3 and 4, Psalm 5 was composed by David in the wilderness, when Absalom's forces sought to destroy him (see 2 Samuel 15—18). This is one of the ''imprecatory psalms,'' so called because they pray for God to destroy the wicked. The imprecatory psalms are Psalms 5, 12, 35, 37, 58, 59, 69, 79, 83, 108, 139, and 140. These psalms urge God to judge those who oppose God and His people. Imprecations are also found elsewhere in the Bible, such as in passages like Jeremiah 11:18–20,15:15, 17:18, 18:19–23, 20:11–12; 1 Corinthians 16:22, and Revelation 6:10.

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.

Accessed 5/4/2024 7:51:59 AM