Psalm 59:12

Psalm 59:12, in plain English

Let their own words trap them, David says—their pride, their curses, and their lies should be the very thing that brings their downfall.

Why it's here

David is asking God to use a form of poetic justice: the words they spit out in arrogance and malice become the evidence against them and the means of their condemnation. It's a beautiful picture of how evil people often undo themselves through their own mouths.

Who's speaking

David, describing how he wants God to bring justice

Where it sits in the story

Jesus will later teach that 'out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks.' The psalms show us that God takes what we say seriously—our words matter because they reveal who we are.

The scholarly reading

The psalmist invokes a rhetorical principle: that the wicked should be ensnared by their own words and deceptions, their own arrogance and lies becoming their downfall.

Language and setting

The phrase 'by the sins of their mouths' (בְחַטַּאת־פִּיהֶם, bechatat-pihem) activates a principle found throughout Wisdom literature (Proverbs 10:19, 13:3)—that speech reveals character and carries consequences. The verb לָכַד (lakad, 'be trapped') suggests that words become snares, echoing the psalm's earlier concern with verbal violence (verse 7). The phrase 'trapped in their pride' (בְגָאוֹנָם, begaonam) is crucial: the wicked are ensnared not by external force but by their own moral corruption manifesting through speech. The final phrase 'curses and lies' (בִּקְלָלָה וּבַשֶּׁקֶר, biklalah u-basheqer) establishes that these utterances actively invoke judgment against themselves. Theodor Mommsen's analysis of 'curses' notes that in ancient Near Eastern practice, curses were performative—utterances with quasi-magical power to effect their own content.

Voice

The psalmist continues his address to God, articulating the mechanism by which divine justice operates.

Significance

This principle of self-judgment through speech anticipates Jesus's teaching in Matthew 12:34-37: 'Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks... by your words you will be justified and by your words you will be condemned.'

10My God of loving devotion will come to meet me; God will let me stare down my foes.

11Do not kill them, or my people will forget. Scatter them by Your power, and bring them down, O Lord, our shield.

12By the sins of their mouths and the words of their lips, let them be trapped in their pride, in the curses and lies they utter.

13Consume them in wrath; consume them till they are no more, so it may be known to the ends of the earth that God rules over Jacob.

14They return in the evening, snarling like dogs and prowling around the city.

Read all of Psalm 59 — Saul's men surround David's house. They prowl like dogs at night. David meets their menace with a song.