Psalms 12:3

Christian Standard Bible ®

May the Lord cut off all flattering lipsand the tongue that speaks boastfully.

Parallel Translations

Hebrew Names Version
May the LORD cut off all flattering lips, And the tongue that boasts,

King James Version
The Lord shall cut off all flattering lips, and the tongue that speaketh proud things:

English Standard Version
May the Lord cut off all flattering lips, the tongue that makes great boasts,

New Century Version
The Lord will stop those flattering lips and cut off those bragging tongues.

New English Translation
May the Lord cut off all flattering lips, and the tongue that boasts!

Amplified Bible
May the LORD cut off all flattering lips, The tongue that speaks great things [in boasting];

New American Standard Bible
May the LORD cut off all flattering lips, The tongue that speaks great things;

World English Bible
May Yahweh cut off all flattering lips, And the tongue that boasts,

Geneva Bible (1587)
The Lorde cut off all flattering lippes, and the tongue that speaketh proude things:

Legacy Standard Bible
May Yahweh cut off all flattering lips,The tongue that speaks great things;

Berean Standard Bible
May the LORD cut off all flattering lips, and the tongue that speaks proud things.

Contemporary English Version
Won't you chop off all flattering tongues that brag so loudly?

Complete Jewish Bible
They all tell lies to each other, flattering with their lips, but speaking from divided hearts.

Darby Translation
Jehovah will cut off all flattering lips, the tongue that speaketh proud things,

Easy-to-Read Version
The Lord should cut off their lying lips and cut out their bragging tongues.

George Lamsa Translation
The LORD shall destroy all flattering lips and tongues that speak proud things.

Good News Translation
Silence those flattering tongues, O Lord ! Close those boastful mouths that say,

Lexham English Bible
May Yahweh cut off all flattering lips, the tongue speaking great boasts—

Literal Translation
Jehovah shall cut off all with flattering lips and the tongue that speaks great things;

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
O that the LORDE wolde rote out all disceatfull lippes, ad the tonge that speaketh proude thinges.

American Standard Version
Jehovah will cut off all flattering lips, The tongue that speaketh great things;

Bible in Basic English
The smooth lips and the tongue of pride will be cut off by the Lord.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
They speak falsehood every one with his neighbour; with flattering lip, and with a double heart, do they speak.

King James Version (1611)
The Lord shall cut off all flattering lips, and the tongue that speaketh proud things.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
God wyll cut away all flatteryng lippes: [and] the tongue that speaketh great thinges.

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
Let the Lord destroy all the deceitful lips, and the tongue that speaks great words:

English Revised Version
The LORD shall cut off all flattering lips, the tongue that speaketh great things:

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
The Lord destrie alle gileful lippis; and the greet spekynge tunge.

Update Bible Version
Yahweh will cut off all flattering lips, The tongue that speaks great things;

Webster's Bible Translation
The LORD shall cut off all flattering lips, [and] the tongue that speaketh proud things:

New King James Version
May the LORD cut off all flattering lips, And the tongue that speaks proud things,

New Living Translation
May the Lord cut off their flattering lips and silence their boastful tongues.

New Life Bible
May the Lord cut off all lips of false respect, and the tongue that speaks of great things.

New Revised Standard
May the Lord cut off all flattering lips, the tongue that makes great boasts,

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
May Yahweh cut off All the lips that utter smooth things, - the tongue that speaketh swelling words;

Douay-Rheims Bible
(11-4) May the Lord destroy all deceitful lips, and the tongue that speaketh proud things.

Revised Standard Version
May the LORD cut off all flattering lips, the tongue that makes great boasts,

Young's Literal Translation
Jehovah doth cut off all lips of flattery, A tongue speaking great things,

THE MESSAGE
Slice their lips off their faces! Pull The braggart tongues from their mouths! I'm tired of hearing, "We can talk anyone into anything! Our lips manage the world."

New American Standard Bible (1995)
May the Lord cut off all flattering lips, The tongue that speaks great things;

Contextual Overview

¹Help, Lord, for no faithful one remains;the loyal have disappeared from the human race. ²They lie to one another;they speak with flattering lips and deceptive hearts. ³May the Lord cut off all flattering lipsand the tongue that speaks boastfully.⁴They say, “Through our tongues we have power;our lips are our own—who can be our master?” ⁵“Because of the devastation of the needyand the groaning of the poor,I will now rise up,” says the Lord.“I will provide safety for the one who longs for it.” ⁶The words of the Lord are pure words,like silver refined in an earthen furnace,purified seven times. ⁷You, Lord, will guard us;you will protect us from this generation forever. ⁸The wicked prowl all around,and what is worthless is exalted by the human race.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

cut: Job 32:22

tongue: Psalms 17:10, Psalms 73:8, Psalms 73:9, Exodus 15:9, 1 Samuel 2:3, 1 Samuel 17:43, 1 Samuel 17:44, 2 Kings 19:23, 2 Kings 19:24, Isaiah 10:10, Ezekiel 28:2, Ezekiel 28:9, Ezekiel 29:3, Daniel 4:30, Daniel 4:31, Daniel 7:8, Daniel 7:25, Malachi 3:13, 2 Peter 2:18, Jude 1:16, Revelation 13:5

proud: Heb. great, Proverbs 18:21

Reciprocal: Job 17:5 - He that Psalms 5:9 - they Psalms 31:18 - the lying Psalms 36:3 - The words Psalms 36:11 - foot Psalms 50:19 - tongue Psalms 94:23 - cut them Psalms 140:11 - an evil speaker Proverbs 12:5 - counsels Proverbs 14:3 - the mouth Jeremiah 9:4 - ye heed Jeremiah 23:36 - for every Jeremiah 43:2 - all the Matthew 2:8 - that Acts 24:2 - Seeing Romans 3:13 - with their 1 Thessalonians 2:5 - used

Cross-References

Genesis 18:18
Abraham is to become a great and powerful nation, and all the nations of the earth will be blessed through him.

Genesis 27:29
May peoples serve youand nations bow in worship to you.Be master over your relatives;may your mother’s sons bow in worship to you.Those who curse you will be cursed,and those who bless you will be blessed.

Genesis 28:14
Your offspring will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out toward the west, the east, the north, and the south. All the peoples on earth will be blessed through you and your offspring.

Genesis 30:27
But Laban said to him, “If I have found favor with you, stay. I have learned by divination that the Lord has blessed me because of you.”

Genesis 30:30
For you had very little before I came, but now your wealth has increased. The Lord has blessed you because of me. And now, when will I also do something for my own family?”

Genesis 39:5
From the time that he put him in charge of his household and of all that he owned, the Lord blessed the Egyptian’s house because of Joseph. The Lord’s blessing was on all that he owned, in his house and in his fields.

Exodus 23:22
But if you will carefully obey him and do everything I say, then I will be an enemy to your enemies and a foe to your foes.

Numbers 24:9
He crouches, he lies down like a lionor a lioness—who dares to rouse him?Those who bless you will be blessed,and those who curse you will be cursed.

Psalms 72:17
May his name endure forever;as long as the sun shines,may his fame increase.May all nations be blessed by himand call him blessed.

Matthew 25:40
“And the King will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

Gill's Notes on the Bible

The Lord shall cut off all flattering lips,.... This is either a prophecy or a prayer, as Aben Ezra and Kimchi observe; that God either would or should cut off such who used flattery with their lips, by inflicting some judgment in this life, or everlasting punishment hereafter; by taking them away by death "out of the world", as the Targum paraphrases it; or by casting them into hell, where all liars and deceitful persons will have their portion; see Job 32:21;

[and] the tongue that speaketh proud things, or "great things" f, as the little horn, Daniel 7:20; and the beast, or Romish antichrist, who is designed by both, Revelation 13:5; and which will be accomplished when Christ shall destroy him with the breath of his mouth, and the brightness of his coming; and indeed every tongue that riseth up against God, Christ, and his people, will be condemned; when ungodly sinners will be convinced of all their hard speeches, Isaiah 54:17 Judges 1:15. Perhaps some regard may be had to the tongue of Doeg the Edomite; see Psalms 52:3.

f גדלות "magna", Pagninus, Montanus, Vatablus, Piscator, Gejerus, Michaelis; "grandia", Cocceius.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

The Lord shall cut off - This might be rendered, “May the Lord cut off,” implying a wish on the part of the psalmist that it might occur. But probably the common rendering is the correct one. It is the statement of a solemn truth, designed for warning, that all such persons would be punished.

All flattering lips - The meaning is, that he will cut off all “persons” who use flattery; that is, he will cut them off from the favors which he will show to his own people, or will punish them. The word used here is the common one to denote disowning or excommunicating, and derives its meaning from the act of separating offenders from a community. See Genesis 17:14; Leviticus 17:10; Leviticus 18:29; Leviticus 20:3, Leviticus 20:6; et soepe.

And the tongue that speaketh proud things - That boasts, or is self-confident. For an example of this, see Isaiah 28:15; and compare the notes at that passage. It was this disposition to falsehood, flattery, and boasting, which constituted the fact stated in Psalms 12:1, that “godly” and “faithful” men - men on whom reliance might be placed, whose word might be trusted, and whose promised aid in the cause of truth might be depended on - had seemed to “fail” among men. That is, no such men could be found.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Psalms 12:3. Proud things — גדלות gedoloth, great things; great swelling words, both in their promises and in their commendations.