Psalm 120:3
New International Version
What will he do to you, and what more besides, you deceitful tongue?

New Living Translation
O deceptive tongue, what will God do to you? How will he increase your punishment?

English Standard Version
What shall be given to you, and what more shall be done to you, you deceitful tongue?

Berean Standard Bible
What will He do to you, and what will be added to you, O deceitful tongue?

King James Bible
What shall be given unto thee? or what shall be done unto thee, thou false tongue?

New King James Version
What shall be given to you, Or what shall be done to you, You false tongue?

New American Standard Bible
What will He give to you, and what more will He do to you, You deceitful tongue?

NASB 1995
What shall be given to you, and what more shall be done to you, You deceitful tongue?

NASB 1977
What shall be given to you, and what more shall be done to you, You deceitful tongue?

Legacy Standard Bible
What shall He give to you, and what shall He add to you, O deceitful tongue?

Amplified Bible
What shall be given to you, and what more shall be done to you, You deceitful tongue?—

Christian Standard Bible
What will he give you, and what will he do to you, you deceitful tongue?

Holman Christian Standard Bible
What will He give you, and what will He do to you, you deceitful tongue?

American Standard Version
What shall be given unto thee, and what shall be done more unto thee, Thou deceitful tongue?

Contemporary English Version
What punishment is fitting for you deceitful liars?

English Revised Version
What shall be given unto thee, and what shall be done more unto thee, thou deceitful tongue?

GOD'S WORD® Translation
You deceitful tongue, what can the LORD give you? What more can he do for you?

Good News Translation
You liars, what will God do to you? How will he punish you?

International Standard Version
What will be given to you, and what will be done to you, you treacherous tongue?

Majority Standard Bible
What will He do to you, and what will be added to you, O deceitful tongue?

NET Bible
How will he severely punish you, you deceptive talker?

New Heart English Bible
What will be given to you, and what will be done more to you, you deceitful tongue?

Webster's Bible Translation
What shall be given to thee? or what shall be done to thee, thou false tongue?

World English Bible
What will be given to you, and what will be done more to you, you deceitful tongue?
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
What does He give to you? And what does He add to you? O deceitful tongue!

Young's Literal Translation
What doth He give to thee? And what doth He add to thee? O deceitful tongue!

Smith's Literal Translation
What shall be given to thee? and what shall be added to thee, thou tongue of deceit?
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
What shall be given to thee, or what shall be added to thee, to a deceitful tongue.

Catholic Public Domain Version
What will be given to you, or what will be added to you, for a deceitful tongue?:

New American Bible
What will he inflict on you, O treacherous tongue, and what more besides?

New Revised Standard Version
What shall be given to you? And what more shall be done to you, you deceitful tongue?
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
What shall be given to you? or what shall be added to you, you deceitful tongues?

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
What will we give to you and what will we add to you, deceitful tongue?
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
What shall be given unto thee, and what shall be done more unto thee, Thou deceitful tongue?

Brenton Septuagint Translation
What should be given to thee, and what should be added to thee, for thy crafty tongue?

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
In My Distress I Cried to the LORD
2Deliver my soul, O LORD, from lying lips and a deceitful tongue. 3What will He do to you, and what will be added to you, O deceitful tongue? 4Sharp arrows will come from the warrior, with burning coals of the broom tree!…

Cross References
James 3:6
The tongue also is a fire, a world of wickedness among the parts of the body. It pollutes the whole person, sets the course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.

Proverbs 12:18
Speaking rashly is like a piercing sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.

Proverbs 18:21
Life and death are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit.

James 3:8
but no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.

Proverbs 26:18-19
Like a madman shooting firebrands and deadly arrows, / so is the man who deceives his neighbor and says, “I was only joking!”

Matthew 12:36-37
But I tell you that men will give an account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken. / For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.”

Proverbs 10:31-32
The mouth of the righteous brings forth wisdom, but a perverse tongue will be cut out. / The lips of the righteous know what is fitting, but the mouth of the wicked is perverse.

Ephesians 4:29
Let no unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building up the one in need and bringing grace to those who listen.

Proverbs 15:4
A soothing tongue is a tree of life, but a perverse tongue crushes the spirit.

1 Peter 3:10
For, “Whoever would love life and see good days must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from deceitful speech.

Proverbs 21:23
He who guards his mouth and tongue keeps his soul from distress.

Colossians 3:8
But now you must put aside all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips.

Proverbs 6:16-19
There are six things that the LORD hates, seven that are detestable to Him: / haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, / a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that run swiftly to evil, ...

Romans 3:13-14
“Their throats are open graves; their tongues practice deceit.” “The venom of vipers is on their lips.” / “Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness.”

Proverbs 11:9
With his mouth the ungodly man destroys his neighbor, but through knowledge the righteous are rescued.


Treasury of Scripture

What shall be given to you? or what shall be done to you, you false tongue?

what shall, etc.

Job 27:8
For what is the hope of the hypocrite, though he hath gained, when God taketh away his soul?

Matthew 16:26
For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?

Romans 6:21
What fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed? for the end of those things is death.

done.

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Psalm 120
1. David prays against Doeg
3. Reproves his tongue
5. Complains of his necessary conversation with the wicked














What will He do to you
This phrase opens with a rhetorical question that invites reflection on divine justice. The Hebrew root for "do" is "עָשָׂה" (asah), which means to make or to act. In the context of the Psalms, this often refers to God's actions in response to human behavior. The psalmist is pondering the consequences that God, in His righteousness, will bring upon those who engage in deceit. This reflects a deep trust in God's moral governance and His ability to address wrongs.

and what more besides
The phrase "what more besides" suggests an intensification of the inquiry into the consequences awaiting the deceitful. It implies that the repercussions are not only certain but also potentially severe and multifaceted. The Hebrew word "יֹתֵר" (yoter) can be translated as "more" or "exceedingly," indicating that the psalmist is emphasizing the seriousness of deceit and the comprehensive nature of divine retribution. This serves as a warning to the deceitful, underscoring the gravity of their actions.

O deceitful tongue
The term "deceitful tongue" is central to the verse, highlighting the specific sin being addressed. The Hebrew word for "deceitful" is "רְמִיָּה" (remiyah), which conveys treachery or falsehood. The "tongue" symbolizes speech and communication, which in biblical literature often reflects the heart's condition. This phrase calls to mind the destructive power of words and the moral responsibility to use speech truthfully. In the broader scriptural context, the tongue is frequently associated with both blessing and cursing, as seen in James 3:5-10, where the tongue is described as a small member that can cause great harm. The psalmist's lament over deceitful speech reflects a longing for integrity and truthfulness, aligning with the biblical call to speak truth in love (Ephesians 4:15).

(3) What shall . . .?--Literally, What will he give to thee, and what will he add to thee, deceitful tongue? where it is better, as in the Authorised Version, to take the subject as indefinite, and so render by the passive. Thus we get in substance the following question: "What more can be added to thee (i.e., in the way of epithet), besides lying and false, thou deceitful tongue?" the answer is given by suggesting the usual metaphors of malicious speech, "the warrior's sharpened arrows" (Jeremiah 9:8; Psalm 57:4); "fire" (James 3:6). Only here both images are elaborated. For the Hebrew word give with the sense of comparison, see 1Samuel 1:16, "Count (Heb., give) not thine handmaid for a daughter of Belial." Gesenius compares the use of the Greek ???????, instead of ????????. So, too, the word "add" has a similar sense (1Kings 10:7; see margin).

Verse 3. - What shall be given unto thee? rather, what shall he (i.e. God) give to thee? Or, in other words - What punishment will God inflict on thee for thy false speaking? Or what shall be done unto thee? literally, or what shall he add to thee? Compare the common phrase, "God do so unto me, and more also" (1 Samuel 3:17; 1 Samuel 14:44). Thou false tongue. The "false tongue" is apostrophized, as if it were a living person.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
What
מַה־ (mah-)
Interrogative
Strong's 4100: What?, what!, indefinitely what

will He do to you,
יִּתֵּ֣ן (yit·tên)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 5414: To give, put, set

and what
וּמַה־ (ū·mah-)
Conjunctive waw | Interrogative
Strong's 4100: What?, what!, indefinitely what

will be added
יֹּסִ֥יף (yō·sîp̄)
Verb - Hifil - Imperfect - third person masculine singular
Strong's 3254: To add, augment

to you,
לָ֗ךְ (lāḵ)
Preposition | second person feminine singular
Strong's Hebrew

O deceitful
רְמִיָּֽה׃ (rə·mî·yāh)
Noun - feminine singular
Strong's 7423: Remissness, treachery

tongue?
לָשׁ֥וֹן (lā·šō·wn)
Noun - common singular
Strong's 3956: The tongue


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OT Poetry: Psalm 120:3 What will be given to you (Psalm Ps Psa.)
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