Psalms 5:9

5:9 For ¹  they do not speak the truth; ² 

their stomachs are like the place of destruction, ³ 

their throats like an open grave, ⁴ 

their tongues like a steep slope leading into it. ⁵ 

Psalms 12:2-3

12:2 People lie to one another; ⁶ 

they flatter and deceive. ⁷ 

12:3 May the Lord cut off ⁸  all flattering lips,

and the tongue that boasts! ⁹ 

Psalms 55:21

55:21 His words are as smooth as butter, ¹⁰ 

but he harbors animosity in his heart. ¹¹ 

His words seem softer than oil,

but they are really like sharp swords. ¹² 

Psalms 58:3

58:3 The wicked turn aside from birth; ¹³ 

liars go astray as soon as they are born. ¹⁴ 

Psalms 140:3

140:3 Their tongues wound like a serpent; ¹⁵ 

a viper’s ¹⁶  venom is behind ¹⁷  their lips. (Selah)

Psalms 140:1

Psalm 140 ¹⁸ 

For the music director; a psalm of David.

140:1 O Lord, rescue me from wicked men! ¹⁹ 

Protect me from violent men, ²⁰ 

Psalms 18:21

18:21 For I have obeyed the Lord’s commands; ²¹ 

I have not rebelled against my God. ²² 

Psalms 19:6-7

19:6 It emerges from the distant horizon, ²³ 

and goes from one end of the sky to the other; ²⁴ 

nothing can escape ²⁵  its heat.

19:7 The law of the Lord is perfect

and preserves one’s life. ²⁶ 

The rules set down by the Lord ²⁷  are reliable ²⁸ 

and impart wisdom to the inexperienced. ²⁹ 

Psalms 26:1

Psalm 26 ³⁰ 

By David.

26:1 Vindicate me, O Lord,

for I have integrity, ³¹ 

and I trust in the Lord without wavering.

Matthew 22:15-18

Paying Taxes to Caesar

22:15 Then the Pharisees ³²  went out and planned together to entrap him with his own words. ³³  22:16 They sent to him their disciples along with the Herodians, ³⁴  saying, “Teacher, we know that you are truthful, and teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. ³⁵  You do not court anyone’s favor because you show no partiality. ³⁶  22:17 Tell us then, what do you think? Is it right ³⁷  to pay taxes ³⁸  to Caesar ³⁹  or not?”

22:18 But Jesus realized their evil intentions and said, “Hypocrites! Why are you testing me?

Matthew 22:35

22:35 And one of them, an expert in religious law, ⁴⁰  asked him a question to test ⁴¹  him:

[5:9]  ¹ tn Or “certainly.”

[5:9]  ² tn Heb “for there is not in his mouth truthfulness.” The singular pronoun (“his”) probably refers back to the “man of bloodshed and deceit” mentioned in v. 6. The singular is collective or representative, as the plural in the next line indicates, and so has been translated “they.”

[5:9]  ³ tn Heb “their inward part[s] [is] destruction.” For a discussion of the extended metaphor in v. 9b, see the note on the word “it” at the end of the verse.

[5:9]  ⁴ tn Heb “their throat is an open grave.” For a discussion of the extended metaphor in v. 9b, see the note on the word “it” at the end of the verse. The metaphor is suggested by the physical resemblance of the human throat to a deeply dug grave; both are dark chasms.

[5:9]  ⁵ tn Heb “they make smooth their tongue.” Flattering, deceitful words are in view. See Ps 12:2. The psalmist’s deceitful enemies are compared to the realm of death/Sheol in v. 9b. Sheol was envisioned as a dark region within the earth, the entrance to which was the grave with its steep slopes (cf. Ps 88:4-6). The enemies’ victims are pictured here as slipping down a steep slope (the enemies’ tongues) and falling into an open grave (their throat) that terminates in destruction in the inner recesses of Sheol (their stomach). The enemies’ קרב (“inward part”) refers here to their thoughts and motives, which are destructive in their intent. The throat is where these destructive thoughts are transformed into words, and their tongue is what they use to speak the deceitful words that lead their innocent victims to their demise.

[12:2]  ⁶ tn Heb “falsehood they speak, a man with his neighbor.” The imperfect verb forms in v. 2 describe what is typical in the psalmist’s experience.

[12:2]  ⁷ tn Heb “[with] a lip of smoothness, with a heart and a heart they speak.” Speaking a “smooth” word refers to deceptive flattery (cf. Ps 5:9; 55:21; Prov 2:16; 5:3; 7:5, 21; 26:28; 28:23; Isa 30:10). “Heart” here refers to their mind, from which their motives and intentions originate. The repetition of the noun indicates diversity (see GKC 396 §123.f, IBHS 116 §7.2.3c, and Deut 25:13, where the phrase “weight and a weight” refers to two different measuring weights). These people have two different types of “hearts.” Their flattering words seem to express kind motives and intentions, but this outward display does not really reflect their true motives. Their real “heart” is filled with evil thoughts and destructive intentions. The “heart” that is seemingly displayed through their words is far different from the real “heart” they keep disguised. (For the idea see Ps 28:3.) In 1 Chr 12:33 the phrase “without a heart and a heart” means “undivided loyalty.”

[12:3]  ⁸ tn The verb form is a jussive, indicating that the statement is imprecatory (“May the Lord cut off”), not indicative (“The Lord will cut off”; see also Ps 109:15 and Mal 2:12). The psalmist appeals to God to destroy the wicked, rather than simply stating his confidence that he will. In this way he seeks to activate divine judgment by appealing to God’s just character. For an example of the power of such a curse, see Judg 9:7-57.

[12:3]  ⁹ tn Heb “a tongue speaking great [things].”

[55:21]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “the butter-like [words] of his mouth are smooth.” The noun מַחְמָאֹת (makhma’ot, “butter-like [words]”) occurs only here. Many prefer to emend the form to מֵחֶמְאָה (mekhem’ah, from [i.e., “than”] butter”), cf. NEB, NRSV “smoother than butter.” However, in this case “his mouth” does not agree in number with the plural verb חָלְקוּ (kholqu, “they are smooth”). Therefore some further propose an emendation of פִּיו (piv, “his mouth”) to פָּנָיו (panayv, “his face”). In any case, the point seems to that the psalmist’s former friend spoke kindly to him and gave the outward indications of friendship.

[55:21]  ¹¹ tn Heb “and war [is in] his heart.”

[55:21]  ¹² tn Heb “his words are softer than oil, but they are drawn swords.”

[58:3]  ¹³ tn Heb “from the womb.”

[58:3]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “speakers of a lie go astray from the womb.”

[140:3]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “they sharpen their tongue like a serpent.” Ps 64:3 reads, “they sharpen their tongues like sword.” Perhaps Ps 140:3 uses a mixed metaphor, the point being that “they sharpen their tongues [like a sword],” as it were, so that when they speak, their words wound like a serpent’s bite. Another option is that the language refers to the pointed or forked nature of a serpent’s tongue, which is viewed metaphorically as “sharpened.”

[140:3]  ¹⁶ tn The Hebrew term is used only here in the OT.

[140:3]  ¹⁷ tn Heb “under.”

[140:1]  ¹⁸ sn Psalm 140. The psalmist asks God to deliver him from his deadly enemies, calls judgment down upon them, and affirms his confidence in God’s justice.

[140:1]  ¹⁹ tn Heb “from a wicked man.” The Hebrew uses the singular in a representative or collective sense (note the plural verbs in v. 2).

[140:1]  ²⁰ tn Heb “a man of violent acts.” The Hebrew uses the singular in a representative or collective sense (note the plural verbs in v. 2).

[18:21]  ²¹ tn Heb “for I have kept the ways of the Lord.” The phrase “ways of the Lord” refers here to the “conduct required” by the Lord. In Ps 25 the Lord’s “ways” are associated with his covenantal demands (see vv. 4, 9-10). See also Ps 119:3 (cf. vv. 1, 4), as well as Deut 8:6; 10:12; 11:22; 19:9; 26:17; 28:9; 30:16.

[18:21]  ²² tn Heb “I have not acted wickedly from my God.” The statement is elliptical; the idea is, “I have not acted wickedly and, in so doing, departed from my God.”

[19:6]  ²³ tn Heb “from the end of the heavens [is] its going forth.”

[19:6]  ²⁴ tn Heb “and its circuit [is] to their ends.”

[19:6]  ²⁵ tn Heb “is hidden from.”

[19:7]  ²⁶ tn Heb “[it] restores life.” Elsewhere the Hiphil of שׁוּב (shuv, “return”) when used with נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh, “life”) as object, means to “rescue or preserve one’s life” (Job 33:30; Ps 35:17) or to “revive one’s strength” (emotionally or physically; cf. Ruth 4:15; Lam 1:11, 16, 19). Here the point seems to be that the law preserves the life of the one who studies it by making known God’s will. Those who know God’s will know how to please him and can avoid offending him. See v. 11a.

[19:7]  ²⁷ tn Traditionally, “the testimony of the Lord.” The noun עֵדוּת (’edut) refers here to the demands of God’s covenant law.

[19:7]  ²⁸ tn God’s covenant contains a clear, reliable witness to his moral character and demands.

[19:7]  ²⁹ tn Or “the [morally] naive,” that is, the one who is young and still in the process of learning right from wrong and distinguishing wisdom from folly.

[26:1]  ³⁰ sn Psalm 26. The author invites the Lord to test his integrity, asserts his innocence and declares his loyalty to God.

[26:1]  ³¹ tn Heb “for I in my integrity walk.”

[22:15]  ³² sn See the note on Pharisees in 3:7.

[22:15]  ³³ tn Grk “trap him in word.”

[22:16]  ³⁴ sn The Herodians are mentioned in the NT only once in Matt (22:16 = Mark 12:13) and twice in Mark (3:6; 12:13; some mss also read “Herodians” instead of “Herod” in Mark 8:15). It is generally assumed that as a group the Herodians were Jewish supporters of the Herodian dynasty (or of Herod Antipas in particular). In every instance they are linked with the Pharisees. This probably reflects agreement regarding political objectives (nationalism as opposed to submission to the yoke of Roman oppression) rather than philosophy or religious beliefs.

[22:16]  ³⁵ sn Teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. Very few comments are as deceitful as this one; they did not really believe this at all. The question of the Pharisees and Herodians was specifically designed to trap Jesus.

[22:16]  ³⁶ tn Grk “And it is not a concern to you about anyone because you do not see the face of men.”

[22:17]  ³⁷ tn Or “lawful,” that is, in accordance with God’s divine law. On the syntax of ἔξεστιν (exestin) with an infinitive and accusative, see BDF §409.3.

[22:17]  ³⁸ tn According to L&N 57.180 the term κῆνσος (khnso") was borrowed from Latin and referred to a poll tax, a tax paid by each adult male to the Roman government.

[22:17]  ³⁹ tn Or “to the emperor” (“Caesar” is a title for the Roman emperor).

[22:35]  ⁴⁰ tn Traditionally, “a lawyer.” This was an expert in the interpretation of the Mosaic law.

[22:35]  ⁴¹ tn Grk “testing.” The participle, however, is telic in force.