Psalms 55:21 (ASV)

Passage

His mouth was smooth as butter, But his heart was war: His words were softer than oil, Yet were they drawn swords.

Nearby Context

Psalms 55:19 God will hear, and answer them, Even he that abideth of old, Selah [The men] who have no changes, And who fear not God.

Psalms 55:20 He hath put forth his hands against such as were at peace with him: He hath profaned his covenant.

Psalms 55:21 His mouth was smooth as butter, But his heart was war: His words were softer than oil, Yet were they drawn swords.

Psalms 55:22 Cast thy burden upon Jehovah, and he will sustain thee: He will never suffer the righteous to be moved.

Psalms 55:23 But thou, O God, wilt bring them down into the pit of destruction: Bloodthirsty and deceitful men shall not live out half their days; But I will trust in thee. Psalm 56 For the Chief Musician; set to Jonath elem rehokim. [A Psalm] of David. Michtam: when the Philistines took him in Gath.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "mouth", "smooth", "butter", "heart", "words", "softer", "than", and "drawn". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "mouth" and "smooth", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 20's "He hath put forth his hands against..." into verse 22's "Cast thy burden upon Jehovah and he...", so "mouth" and "smooth" belong inside that flow. In Psalms context, the local focus is worship, trust, the LORD's kingship, and covenant mercy.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "mouth" and "smooth" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.