Psalms 58:2 Meaning and Explanation
“Yea, in heart ye work wickedness; ye weigh the violence of your hands in the earth.”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →Their hearts harbor wickedness, and they deliberately calculate violence as part of their actions.
The Context of Psalms 58:2
The indictment deepens from hypocrisy to active, premeditated harm.
What Does Psalms 58:2 Mean?
The 'heart' in Hebrew thought is the center of will and intention. To work wickedness in the heart means their evil is not accidental but deliberate. The psalmist condemns not mere mistake but calculated malice.
'Weigh the violence of your hands' suggests they measure and distribute violence deliberately, as though apportioning it carefully among victims. The earth—their domain of authority—becomes the arena for their planned cruelty.
Psalms 58:2 in the Original Language
'Weigh' (Hebrew: peles, פָּלַס) means to balance or measure; here it conveys deliberate calculation of wrongdoing.
Frequently Asked Questions About Psalms 58:2
What does Psalms 58:2 mean?
Their hearts harbor wickedness, and they deliberately calculate violence as part of their actions.
What is the context of Psalms 58:2?
The indictment deepens from hypocrisy to active, premeditated harm.