Psalms 12:4

_WHO HAVE SAID, WITH OUR TONGUE WILL WE PREVAIL; OUR LIPS ARE OUR OWN: WHO IS LORD OVER US?_ Our lips are our own - literally, are with us; i:e., are ever at hand to effect what we please. WHO IS LORD OVER US? - who is there to prevent our doing what we please? By our lips we can do what we will....

This the Psalmist confirms more fully in the following verse: _Who have said, we will be strengthened by our tongues _Those must be possessed of great authority who think that, in the very falsehood to which they are addicted, they have enough of strength to accomplish their purposes, and to protect themselves. It is the utmost height of wickedness for persons to break out into such presumption, that they scruple not to overthrow all law and equity by their arrogant and boasting language; for, in doing this, it is just as if they openly declared war against God himself. Some read, _we will strengthen our tongues. _This reading is passable, in so far as the sense is concerned, but it scarcely agrees with the rules of grammar, because the letter ל, _lamed, _is added. Moreover, the sense which is more suitable is this: that the wicked persons spoken of being armed with their tongues, go bey...

Verse Psalms 12:4. _OUR LIPS_ ARE _OUR OWN_] Many think, because they have the faculty of speaking, that therefore they may speak what they please. Old MS. - The qwilk sayd, our toung we sal wyrchip, our lippes er of us, qwas our Lorde? Tha Ypocrites worchepes thair toung; for thai hee tham self janglyng and settes in thaire pouste to do mykil thyng and grete: and thai rose tham that thair lippes that es thair facund and thair wyls er of tham self, nought of God, ne of haly menes lare; for thi that say _qua es our Lord_? that es, qwat es he to qwas rewle and conversacioun we sal be undir lout? and confourme us til? Als so to say, That es none....

WHO HAVE SAID - Who habitually say. This does not mean that they had formally and openly said this - for none would be likely to do so - but that they had practically and really said this by their conduct. They acted as if it were the real principle on which they framed their lives, that they might use their tongues as they pleased. WITH OUR TONGUE - literally, “as to,” or “in respect to our tongue;” that is, by our tongue. It was by the tongue that they expected to accomplish their purposes. It was not by direct power, or by violence, but by the power of speech. WILL WE PREVAIL - literally, “We will do mightily;” that is, they would accomplish their purposes. They relied on the power of speech - on their ability in influencing others; in deceiving others; in persuading others to fall in with their plans. Our lips are ou

EXPOSITION ANOTHER Davidical psalm, both according to the title and to the general opinion of critics; said (like Psalms 6:1.) to be "upon Sheminith"—an expression of uncertain meaning. It consists of a complaint (Psalms 12:1, Psalms 12:2), a menace (Psalms 12:3, Psalms 12:4), and a promise (Psalms 12:5). Metrically, it seems to divide itself into four stanzas—the first, second, and fourth, of four lines each; the third, of six lines. There is nothing

WHO HAVE SAID, WITH OUR TONGUE WILL WE PREVAIL,.... Either through the eloquence of them, or the outward force and power with which they are backed. The sense is, as we say, so shall it be; our words are laws, and shall be obeyed, there is no standing against them; our edicts and decrees shall everywhere be regarded: or "we will make one to prevail", or "have the dominion" g; meaning antichrist, the man of sin; for all this is true of the tongues of the antichristian party, and of their laws, edicts, and decrees and which have obtained everywhere, and by which the wicked one has been established in his tyrannical power and authority; OUR LIPS [ARE] OUR OWN, or "with us" h: we will say what we please, and make what laws and decrees we think fit, and impose them upon men; and so change times and laws without control, Daniel 7:25; WHO [IS] LORD OVER US? whic

Psalms 12:1. _Help, LORD; for the godly man ceaseth; for the faithful fail from among the children of men._ One might have thought that David still lived among us, his cry is so timely, so exactly true to the position of affairs today. What a prayer he offers! Driven away from confidence in men, he cries, «Help, Lord! Thou mighty One, put forth thy power! Thou faithful One, display thy truth! ‘Help, Lord; for the godly man ceaseth; for the faithful fail from among the children of men.'» Psalms 12:2. _They speak vanity every one with his neighbour: with flattering lips and with a double heart do they speak._ They speak vanity; there is nothing in it. It is all froth, no reality; vain speech about vain subjects, having no real spiritual power to help the man that heareth: «

Psalms 12 _ 1. The arrogance of the wicked in the last days (Psalms 12:1)_ 2. Then Jehovah will act and deliver His people (Psalms 12:5) Psalms 12:1. It is the time of departure from the Lord; the godly and faithful have ceased. It is a mass of corruption, lying lips, flattering lips, proud lips. They reject the Lord. “Who is lord over us?” Psalms 12:5. Then faith sees the coming intervention. The Lord will speak. “Now will I arise, saith Jehovah, I will set him in safety whom they would puff.” Jehovah will keep His people in these coming dark

XII. A PRAYER OF FAITHFUL JEWS AGAINST THE ARROGANT TONGUE OF THE UNGODLY. Psalms 12:1_._ The godly man ceaseth (see Psalms 4:1). The wicked acknowledge no responsibility for their words: they say, To our tongues we give might, _i.e._ free rein. Psalms 12:5. Yahweh declares His intention of rising in defence of the poor and needy. Here the author quotes (unless the identity of the words be mere coincidence) Isaiah 33:10. He relies on a Divine promise there given, to which he now (Psalms 12:5_ b_) appeals. Well may he rely on the

WITH OUR TONGUE WILL WE PREVAIL. Thanks to our tongue, we will prevail....