Psalms 12:2

2 All of them lie to one another; they deceive each other with flattery.

Psalms 12:2 Meaning and Commentary

Psalms 12:2

They speak vanity everyone with his neighbour
That which is false and a lie, either doctrinal or practical; what was not according to the word of God, and was vain and empty, frothy, filthy, and corrupt; and which no godly and faithful man would do. And this being done in common, by the generality of men, one with another, shows the degeneracy of the age, and supports the complaint before made. They speak even

[with] flattering lips;
as Cain did to Abel, Joab to Amasa, the Herodians to Christ, Judas to his Master, false teachers to those that are simple, hypocrites to God himself, when they draw nigh to him only with their lips, and all formal professors to the churches of Christ, when they profess themselves to be what they are not. And this is a further proof of the justness of the above complaint;

[and] with a double heart do they speak:
or "with an heart and an heart" F4; such are double minded men, who say one thing, and mean another; their words are not to be depended upon; there is no faithfulness in them. The Chinese F5 reckon a man of "two hearts", as they call him, a very wicked man, and none more remote from honesty.


FOOTNOTES:

F4 (blw blb) "in corde & corde", V. L. Pagninus, Montanus, Gejerus.
F5 Martin. Sinic. Hist. p. 144. a heart having (dicomuyon nohma) , a double meaning, as Pittacus says, Laert. in Vit. Pittac. l. 1. p. 53.

Psalms 12:2 In-Context

1 Help us, Lord! There is not a good person left; honest people can no longer be found.
2 All of them lie to one another; they deceive each other with flattery.
3 Silence those flattering tongues, O Lord! Close those boastful mouths that say,
4 "With our words we get what we want. We will say what we wish, and no one can stop us."
5 "But now I will come," says the Lord, "because the needy are oppressed and the persecuted groan in pain. I will give them the security they long for."
Scripture taken from the Good News Translation - Second Edition, Copyright 1992 by American Bible Society. Used by Permission.