Bible Strands
Psalms 64:3
who sharpen their tongues like swords and aim their bitter words like arrows,
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The psalmist speaks to God, requesting concealment from a scheming mob just before detailing their method of verbal ambush.
The words — The verb שָׁנְנוּ (sha.ne.Nu) literally means "they sharpen," and the noun דָּבָר (da.Var) means "a word," directly linking weapon maintenance to speech preparation.
The thread — This weaponized speech motif appears in Psalms 57:4, which describes men's teeth as spears and arrows, and in Jeremiah 9:3, which compares bent tongues to drawn bows.
Why it lands — The text states that hostile words require deliberate preparation and can strike suddenly, requiring the reader to seek divine concealment rather than relying on human countermeasures.
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
Who whet their tongue like a sword, and bend their bows to shoot their arrows, even bitter words:
Cross-references
- 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.
- Psalms 58:7 May they vanish like water that runs off; when they draw the bow, may their arrows be blunted.
- 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.
- 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.
- Psalms 11:2 For behold, the wicked bend their bows. They set their arrow on the string to shoot from the shadows at the upright in heart.
- Proverbs 12:18 Speaking rashly is like a piercing sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.
- Isaiah 54:17 No weapon formed against you shall prosper, and you will refute every tongue that accuses you. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their vindication is from Me,” declares the LORD.
- Proverbs 30:14 there is a generation whose teeth are swords and whose jaws are knives, devouring the oppressed from the earth and the needy from among men.