Bible Strands
Psalms 140:3
They sharpen their tongues like snakes; the venom of vipers is on their lips. Selah
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The psalmist addresses the LORD, describing the deliberate malice of his enemies who "devise evil in their hearts and stir up war all day long" (Psalms 140:2) while requesting deliverance from their violent schemes (Psalms 140:4).
The words — The Hebrew verb שָֽנֲנ֣וּ (sha.na.Nu) means "they sharpen," depicting how the enemies prepare their tongues (לְשׁוֹנָ/ם֮, le.sho.Na/m) for harm. The noun חֲמַ֥ת (cha.Mat) translates to "venom," which the text locates directly under their lips (שְׂפָתֵ֣י/מוֹ, se.fa.Tei./mov).
The thread — This specific phrase appears in Psalms 58:4 to characterize the persistent corruption of the wicked, and is quoted directly in Romans 3:13 to establish universal human depravity. The broader serpent-deception motif also surfaces in 2 Corinthians 11:3.
Why it lands — The text requires the reader to acknowledge that coordinated verbal attacks are intentional weapons that human defense cannot neutralize. It directs the reader to depend exclusively on divine protection rather than engaging in retaliatory speech.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
They have sharpened their tongues like a serpent; adders’ poison is under their lips. Selah.
Cross-references
- Psalms 58:4 Their venom is like the venom of a snake, like a cobra that shuts its ears,
- Romans 3:13 “Their throats are open graves; their tongues practice deceit.” “The venom of vipers is on their lips.”
- 2 Corinthians 11:3 I am afraid, however, that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning, your minds may be led astray from your simple and pure devotion to Christ.
- Proverbs 23:32 In the end it bites like a snake and stings like a viper.
- Psalms 57:4 My soul is among the lions; I lie down with ravenous beasts—with men whose teeth are spears and arrows, whose tongues are sharp swords.
- Isaiah 59:3 For your hands are stained with blood, and your fingers with iniquity; your lips have spoken lies, and your tongue mutters injustice.
- Jeremiah 9:3 “They bend their tongues like bows; lies prevail over truth in the land. For they proceed from evil to evil, and they do not take Me into account,” declares the LORD.
- Jeremiah 9:5 Each one betrays his friend; no one tells the truth. They have taught their tongues to lie; they wear themselves out committing iniquity.
- Matthew 12:34 You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks.
- James 3:6 The tongue also is a fire, a world of wickedness among the parts of the body. It pollutes the whole person, sets the course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.