Psalms 12 (DBY)

Chapter Text

12:1 {To the chief Musician. Upon Sheminith. A Psalm of David.} Save, Jehovah, for the godly man is gone; for the faithful have failed from among the children of men.

12:2 They speak falsehood every one with his neighbour: [with] flattering lip, with a double heart, do they speak.

12:3 Jehovah will cut off all flattering lips, the tongue that speaketh proud things,

12:4 Who have said, With our tongue will we prevail, our lips are our own: who [is] lord over us?

12:5 Because of the oppression of the afflicted, because of the sighing of the needy, now will I arise, saith Jehovah, I will set [him] in safety, at whom they puff.

12:6 The words of Jehovah are pure words, silver tried in the furnace of earth, purified seven times.

12:7 Thou, Jehovah, wilt keep them, thou wilt preserve them from this generation for ever.

12:8 The wicked walk about on every side, when vileness is exalted among the children of men.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "faith", "chief", "musician", "upon", "sheminith", "psalm", "david", and "save". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "faith" and "chief", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The local DBY text gives this verse as the immediate unit, so "faith" and "chief" carries the first interpretive weight. In The LORD as Shepherd, the local focus is trust, covenant mercy, guidance, and worship.

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