Psalms 139:4 (DRB)

Passage

They have sharpened their tongues like a serpent: the venom of asps is under their lips.

Nearby Context

Psalms 139:2 Deliver me, O Lord, from the evil man: rescue me from the unjust man.

Psalms 139:3 Who have devised iniquities in their hearts: all the day long they designed battles.

Psalms 139:4 They have sharpened their tongues like a serpent: the venom of asps is under their lips.

Psalms 139:5 Keep me, O Lord, from the hand of the wicked: and from unjust men deliver me. Who have proposed to supplant my steps:

Psalms 139:6 The proud have hidden a net for me. And they have stretched out cords for a snare: they have laid for me a stumblingblock by the wayside.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "sharpened", "tongues", "like", "serpent", "venom", "asps", "under", and "lips". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "sharpened" and "tongues", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 3's "Who have devised iniquities in their hearts..." into verse 5's "Keep me O Lord from the hand...", so "sharpened" and "tongues" 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 "sharpened" and "tongues" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.