Psalm 94:4

Psalm 94:4, in plain English

These wicked people don't hide their contempt; they openly mock, boast, and show their arrogance without shame.

Why it's here

This describes a specific kind of wickedness—the shameless kind. These aren't secret sinners; they're people who publicly flaunt their rebellion, their words full of contempt and pride, wearing their arrogance like a badge.

Who's speaking

The psalmist, describing what he's witnessing.

Where it sits in the story

Throughout the psalms and prophets, open arrogance against God is treated as particularly dangerous because it influences others and normalizes rebellion. This is the opposite of the fear of the Lord that Scripture calls us to.

The scholarly reading

The wicked are characterized by their unbridled speech and boastful declarations, which constitute a form of rebellion against God.

Language and setting

Ancient Near Eastern wisdom understood speech as a vehicle of power and identity; what one speaks reveals and enacts one's allegiance. The phrase 'arrogant words' (דִּבְרֵי־עֹלַת, divrei-olat) literally means 'words of iniquity,' suggesting that their speech itself is transgressive. The 'workers of iniquity' (פֹּעֲלֵי־אָוֶן, po'alei-aven) are not merely occasional sinners but those whose entire enterprise is built on wrongdoing—what medieval commentators like David Kimchi called עוֹבְדֵי־עוֹן, those whose work is sin.

Voice

The psalmist's voice, now describing the concrete behavior that prompted the lament.

Significance

This anticipates the New Testament's teaching on speech as revealing the state of the heart (Matthew 12:34-35), where Jesus emphasizes that 'out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.'

2Rise up, O Judge of the earth; render a reward to the proud.

3How long will the wicked, O LORD, how long will the wicked exult?

4They pour out arrogant words; all workers of iniquity boast.

5They crush Your people, O LORD; they oppress Your heritage.

6They kill the widow and the foreigner; they murder the fatherless.

Read all of Psalm 94 — How long will the wicked triumph? God hears every boast, sees every injustice. The one who made the ear — can He not hear?