The Meaning of Psalms 12:2 Explained

Psalms 12:2

KJV: They speak vanity every one with his neighbour: with flattering lips and with a double heart do they speak.

YLT: Vanity they speak each with his neighbour, Lip of flattery! With heart and heart they speak.

Darby: They speak falsehood every one with his neighbour: with flattering lip, with a double heart, do they speak.

ASV: They speak falsehood every one with his neighbor: With flattering lip, and with a double heart, do they speak.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

They speak  vanity  every one  with his neighbour:  [with] flattering  lips  [and] with a double  heart  do they speak. 

What does Psalms 12:2 Mean?

Context Summary

Psalms 12:1-8 - God Our Refuge And Defense
The first of these is a debate between fear and faith, and dates from Saul's persecutions. Timid friends, anxious for David's safety, urged him to flee to the mountains. Such counsels of expediency are frequently given to the servants of God, Nehemiah 6:1-19. Luther's diaries are full of such references. But unless our duty is performed, we must stand our ground; we "can do no other." We must remember that God's love is with us, and that He always exchanges glances of love with His suffering ones. Compare Psalms 11:7 with Exodus 3:7.
The opening words of the next psalm appeal for help in bad and evil days. See Micah 7:2. A double heart is literally "a heart and a heart," Psalms 12:2. Let us be true in act and speech, else we forfeit the Spirit of truth, Ephesians 4:25; Colossians 3:9. Our sighing will make God arise, Acts 7:56. We shall be helped and kept, Psalms 12:7 and Isaiah 54:17. [source]

Chapter Summary: Psalms 12

1  David, destitute of human comfort, craves help of God
3  He comforts himself with God's promises, and his judgments on the wicked

What do the individual words in Psalms 12:2 mean?

Idly they speak everyone with his neighbor [with] lips flattering with a double and [and] a [double] heart they speak
שָׁ֤וְא ׀ יְֽדַבְּרוּ֮ אִ֤ישׁ אֶת־ רֵ֫עֵ֥הוּ שְׂפַ֥ת חֲלָק֑וֹת בְּלֵ֖ב וָלֵ֣ב יְדַבֵּֽרוּ

שָׁ֤וְא ׀  Idly 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: שָׁוְא  
Sense: emptiness, vanity, falsehood.
יְֽדַבְּרוּ֮  they  speak 
Parse: Verb, Piel, Imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: דָּבַר 
Sense: to speak, declare, converse, command, promise, warn, threaten, sing.
אִ֤ישׁ  everyone 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: אִישׁ 
Sense: man.
רֵ֫עֵ֥הוּ  his  neighbor 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, third person masculine singular
Root: רֵעַ  
Sense: friend, companion, fellow, another person.
שְׂפַ֥ת  [with]  lips 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular construct
Root: שָׂפָה  
Sense: lip, language, speech, shore, bank, brink, brim, side, edge, border, binding.
חֲלָק֑וֹת  flattering 
Parse: Adjective, masculine plural
Root: חֶלְקָה 
Sense: portion, parcel.
בְּלֵ֖ב  with  a  double 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, masculine singular
Root: לֵב 
Sense: inner man, mind, will, heart, understanding.
וָלֵ֣ב  and  [and]  a  [double]  heart 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, masculine singular
Root: לֵב 
Sense: inner man, mind, will, heart, understanding.
יְדַבֵּֽרוּ  they  speak 
Parse: Verb, Piel, Imperfect, third person masculine plural
Root: דָּבַר 
Sense: to speak, declare, converse, command, promise, warn, threaten, sing.