Psalm 12:2

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

Psalm 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.

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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.

Psalm 12:2 In-Context

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.