Psalms 73:8

8 They laugh at other people and speak of evil things; they are proud and make plans to oppress others.

Psalms 73:8 Meaning and Commentary

Psalms 73:8

They are corrupt
In themselves, in their principles, and in their practices, being shapen and conceived in sin, and born of the flesh; and are corrupters, or "corrupt" themselves, and their ways, and also others by their corrupt speech, evil communications, and bad examples: or "they consume away"; like smoke, or into it, as ( Psalms 37:20 ) or as wax melteth at the fire, ( Psalms 68:2 ) ( Zechariah 14:12 ) , where the same word is used as here: or "they cause to consume away" F15; "they melt or dissolve others"; they consume them, and waste their estates by their oppression and violence; they make their hearts to melt with their threatening and terrifying words; or they make them dissolute in their lives by keeping them company:

and speak wickedly concerning oppression;
they speak oppression and revolt, threaten with it, ( Isaiah 59:13 ) , and speak in vindication of it, and in a boasting glorying manner; so Arama; which is speaking wickedly concerning it:

they speak loftily:
proudly, arrogantly, in a haughty and imperious manner: or "from on high" F16; as if they were in heaven, and above all creatures, and even God himself; and as if what they said were oracles, and to be received as such, without any scruple and hesitation. Thus Pharaoh, Sennacherib, and Nebuchadnezzar spake, ( Exodus 5:2 ) ( Isaiah 36:20 ) ( Daniel 3:15 ) and the little horn, or antichrist, ( Daniel 7:20 ) ( 2 Thessalonians 2:4 ) ( Revelation 13:6 ) .


FOOTNOTES:

F15 (wqymy) "dissolutos reddunt", Vatablus; "reddent se dissolutos", Montanus; "faciunt tabescere", Cocceius, Gejerus, Michaelis.
F16 (Mwrmm) "a sublimi", Musculus, Tigurine version, Junius & Tremellius, Piscator; "ex alto", Cocceius, Gejerus, Michaelis.

Psalms 73:8 In-Context

6 And so they wear pride like a necklace and violence like a robe;
7 their hearts pour out evil, and their minds are busy with wicked schemes.
8 They laugh at other people and speak of evil things; they are proud and make plans to oppress others.
9 They speak evil of God in heaven and give arrogant orders to everyone on earth,
10 so that even God's people turn to them and eagerly believe whatever they say.
Scripture taken from the Good News Translation - Second Edition, Copyright 1992 by American Bible Society. Used by Permission.