Psalm 12

1 Save me, O Lord; for the godly man has failed; for truth is diminished from among the children of men.

2 Every one has spoken vanity to his neighbour: their lips are deceitful, they have spoken with a double heart.

3 Let the Lord destroy all the deceitful lips, and the tongue that speaks great words:

4 who have said, We will magnify our tongue; our lips are our own: who is Lord of us?

5 Because of the misery of the poor, and because of the sighing of the needy, now will I arise, saith the Lord, I will set them in safety; I will speak to them thereof openly.

6 The oracles of the Lord are pure oracles; as silver tried in the fire, proved in a furnace of earth, purified seven times.

7 Thou, O Lord, shalt keep us, and shalt preserve us, from this generation, and for ever.

8 The ungodly walk around: according to thy greatness thou has greatly exalted the sons of men.

Psalm 12 Meaning and Commentary

To the chief Musician upon Sheminith, a Psalm of David. The word "sheminith" is used in the title of Psalm 6:1, and signifies "eighth"; and intends either the eighth note, to which the psalm was sung, or rather the harp of eight chords, to which it was set, as the Targum and Jarchi interpret it. Some Jewish writers {y} understand it of the times of the Messiah; and the Syriac version entitles the psalm, "an accusation of the wicked, and a prophecy concerning the coming of the Messiah:" and the Arabic version says, it is concerning the end of the world, which shall be in the eighth day; and concerning the coming of the Messiah: but Arnobius interprets it of the Lord's day.

{y} Sepher Lekach Shechachah apud Caphtor, fol. 64. 1. & Ceseph Misnah in Maimon. Hilch. Teshuvah, c. 9.