Psalm 140:3
New International Version
They make their tongues as sharp as a serpent’s; the poison of vipers is on their lips.

New Living Translation
Their tongues sting like a snake; the venom of a viper drips from their lips. Interlude

English Standard Version
They make their tongue sharp as a serpent’s, and under their lips is the venom of asps. Selah

Berean Standard Bible
They sharpen their tongues like snakes; the venom of vipers is on their lips. Selah

King James Bible
They have sharpened their tongues like a serpent; adders' poison is under their lips. Selah.

New King James Version
They sharpen their tongues like a serpent; The poison of asps is under their lips. Selah

New American Standard Bible
They sharpen their tongues like a snake; The venom of a viper is under their lips. Selah

NASB 1995
They sharpen their tongues as a serpent; Poison of a viper is under their lips. Selah.

NASB 1977
They sharpen their tongues as a serpent; Poison of a viper is under their lips. Selah.

Legacy Standard Bible
They sharpen their tongues as a serpent; Poison of an asp is under their lips. Selah.

Amplified Bible
They sharpen their tongues like a serpent’s; Poison of a viper is under their lips. Selah.

Christian Standard Bible
They make their tongues as sharp as a snake’s bite; viper’s venom is under their lips. Selah

Holman Christian Standard Bible
They make their tongues as sharp as a snake’s bite; viper’s venom is under their lips. Selah

American Standard Version
They have sharpened their tongue like a serpent; Adders' poison is under their lips. [Selah

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
Who have sharpened their tongues like a snake and the venom of an asp is under their lips.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
They have sharpened their tongue as the tongue of a serpent; the poison of asps is under their lips. Pause.

Contemporary English Version
Their words bite deep like the poisonous fangs of a snake.

Douay-Rheims Bible
They have sharpened their tongues like a serpent: the venom of saps is under their lips.

English Revised Version
They have sharpened their tongue like a serpent; adders' poison is under their lips. Selah

GOD'S WORD® Translation
They make their tongues as sharp as a snake's [fang]. Their lips hide the venom of poisonous snakes. [Selah]

Good News Translation
Their tongues are like deadly snakes; their words are like a cobra's poison.

International Standard Version
They sharpen their tongues like a serpent; the venom of vipers is on their lips. Interlude

JPS Tanakh 1917
They have sharpened their tongue like a serpent; Vipers' venom is under their lips. Selah

Literal Standard Version
They sharpened their tongue as a serpent, | Poison of a viper [is] under their lips. Selah.

Majority Standard Bible
They sharpen their tongues like snakes; the venom of vipers is on their lips. Selah

New American Bible
Who sharpen their tongue like a serpent, venom of asps upon their lips. Selah

NET Bible
Their tongues wound like a serpent; a viper's venom is behind their lips. (Selah)

New Revised Standard Version
They make their tongue sharp as a snake’s, and under their lips is the venom of vipers. Selah

New Heart English Bible
They have sharpened their tongues like a serpent. Viper's poison is under their lips. Selah.

Webster's Bible Translation
They have sharpened their tongues like a serpent; adder's poison is under their lips. Selah.

World English Bible
They have sharpened their tongues like a serpent. Viper’s poison is under their lips. Selah.

Young's Literal Translation
They sharpened their tongue as a serpent, Poison of an adder is under their lips. Selah.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Rescue Me, O LORD, From Evil Men
2who devise evil in their hearts and stir up war all day long. 3They sharpen their tongues like snakes; the venom of vipers is on their lips. Selah 4Guard me, O LORD, from the hands of the wicked. Keep me safe from men of violence who scheme to make me stumble.…

Cross References
Romans 3:13
"Their throats are open graves; their tongues practice deceit." "The venom of vipers is on their lips."

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

Psalm 10:7
His mouth is full of cursing, deceit, and violence; trouble and malice are under his tongue.

Psalm 57:4
My soul is among the lions; I lie down with ravenous beasts--with men whose teeth are spears and arrows, whose tongues are sharp swords.

Psalm 58:4
Their venom is like the venom of a snake, like a cobra that shuts its ears,

Psalm 64:3
who sharpen their tongues like swords and aim their bitter words like arrows,

Lamentations 3:62
the slander and murmuring of my assailants against me all day long.


Treasury of Scripture

They have sharpened their tongues like a serpent; adders' poison is under their lips. Selah.

sharpened

Psalm 52:2,3
Thy tongue deviseth mischiefs; like a sharp rasor, working deceitfully…

Psalm 57:4
My soul is among lions: and I lie even among them that are set on fire, even the sons of men, whose teeth are spears and arrows, and their tongue a sharp sword.

Psalm 59:7
Behold, they belch out with their mouth: swords are in their lips: for who, say they, doth hear?

like a serpent

Genesis 3:13
And the LORD God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat.

Proverbs 23:32
At the last it biteth like a serpent, and stingeth like an adder.

Matthew 12:34
O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.

adders

Psalm 58:4
Their poison is like the poison of a serpent: they are like the deaf adder that stoppeth her ear;

Romans 3:13,14
Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips: …

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Adder Adders Adder's Lips Poison Selah Serpent Serpent's Sharp Sharpen Sharpened Snake Snakes Tongue Tongues Venom Viper Vipers Viper's
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Adder Adders Adder's Lips Poison Selah Serpent Serpent's Sharp Sharpen Sharpened Snake Snakes Tongue Tongues Venom Viper Vipers Viper's
Psalm 140
1. David prays to be delivered from Saul and Doeg
8. He prays against them
12. He comforts himself by confidence in God














(3) Comp. Psalm 64:3; Psalm 58:4; Psalm 52:2; Psalm 10:7.

Adders.--The Hebrew word is peculiar to this place, and is explained by Gesenius to be a compound of two words, to represent "that which rolls itself up and lies in ambush." "Besides the cobra and the cerastes, several other species of venomous snakes are common in Syria, and we may apply the name, either generically or specifically, to the vipers. Two species, Vipera ammodytes and Vipera euphratica, we found to be very common. The former of these was known to Linnaeus as inhabiting Palestine. They are plainlycoloured serpents, with broad flat heads and suddenly-contracting tails" (Tristram, Nat. Hist. of the Bible, p. 275). The LXX. and Vulg. read "asp." (Comp. Romans 3:13.) . . .

Verse 3. - They have sharpened their tongues like a serpent (comp. Psalm 52:2; Psalm 57:4; Psalm 59:7; Psalm 64:3). Adders' poison is under their lips (comp. Psalm 58:4; Romans 3:15). The meaning is that their tongues inflict wounds which are as painful as poisoned wounds. The pause-sign, "selah," marks off the first stanza.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
They make their tongues
לְשׁוֹנָם֮ (lə·šō·w·nām)
Noun - common singular construct | third person masculine plural
Strong's 3956: The tongue

as sharp
שָֽׁנֲנ֣וּ (šā·nă·nū)
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person common plural
Strong's 8150: To point, to pierce, to inculcate

as
כְּֽמוֹ־ (kə·mōw-)
Preposition
Strong's 3644: Like, as, when

serpents;
נָ֫חָ֥שׁ (nā·ḥāš)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 5175: A serpent

the venom
חֲמַ֥ת (ḥă·maṯ)
Noun - feminine singular construct
Strong's 2534: Heat, anger, poison

of vipers
עַכְשׁ֑וּב (‘aḵ·šūḇ)
Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 5919: Asp, viper

is on
תַּ֖חַת (ta·ḥaṯ)
Preposition
Strong's 8478: The bottom, below, in lieu of

their lips.
שְׂפָתֵ֣ימוֹ (śə·p̄ā·ṯê·mōw)
Noun - fdc | third person masculine plural
Strong's 8193: The lip, language, a margin

Selah
סֶֽלָה׃ (se·lāh)
Interjection
Strong's 5542: Suspension, pause


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OT Poetry: Psalm 140:3 They have sharpened their tongues like (Psalm Ps Psa.)
Psalm 140:2
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