Psalms 12:2

2 Everyone tells lies to his neighbors. With his lips he praises others, but he doesn't really mean it.

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, Lord! Those who do what is right are gone. Those who are faithful have disappeared from the earth.
2 Everyone tells lies to his neighbors. With his lips he praises others, but he doesn't really mean it.
3 May the LORD cut off all lips that don't mean what they say. May he cut out every tongue that brags.
4 They say, "We will win the battle with our tongues. Our lips belong to us. No one else is in charge of us."
5 The LORD says, "The weak are beaten down. Those who are in need groan. So I will stand up to help them. I will keep them safe from those who tell lies about them."
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