The Meaning of Psalms 12:8 Explained

Psalms 12:8

KJV: The wicked walk on every side, when the vilest men are exalted.

YLT: Around the wicked walk continually, According as vileness is exalted by sons of men!

Darby: The wicked walk about on every side, when vileness is exalted among the children of men.

ASV: The wicked walk on every side, When vileness is exalted among the sons of men.

Discover Psalms 12:8

CONTEXT: What is the Context of Psalms 12:8?

MEANING: What does Psalms 12:8 Mean?

WORDS: What do the individual words in Psalms 12:8 mean?

RELATIONS: What do the major concepts mean in Psalms 12:8?

KJV Reverse Interlinear

The wicked  walk  on every side,  when the vilest  men  are exalted. 

What does Psalms 12:8 Mean?

Verse Meaning

When people pursue lives of vanity and vile conduct, verbal deception abounds, but God will preserve the godly. "The sons of men," repeated from Psalm 12:1 and so an inclusio for this Psalm , stresses the mortality of the wicked (cf. Isaiah 2:22). David did not resolve the problem of evil, but he recognized that evil is under the full sovereignty of Yahweh who will care for His children.
"Vileness ("cheapness") is promoted and exalted in the media: immorality, brutality, murder, lies, drunkenness, nudity, the love of money, the abuse of authority. The things that God condemns are now a means of universal entertainment, and the entertainment industry gives awards to the people who produce these things. People boast about things they ought to be ashamed of ( Philippians 3:18-19)." [1]
Some believers live and work in environments very similar to the one David pictured in this psalm. This psalm should be a comfort when they feel that speaking the truth is futile. God will preserve those who purpose to follow Him when they must live in atmospheres polluted by deceit and corrupt speech. Though no one else"s word may be reliable, His is.
"The church is always one generation short of extinction, so we must be faithful to win the lost and teach the believers, or vileness will conquer the land." [2]

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 12:8 mean?

On every side the wicked prowl when is exalted Vileness among the sons of men
סָבִ֗יב רְשָׁעִ֥ים יִתְהַלָּכ֑וּן כְּרֻ֥ם זֻ֝לּ֗וּת לִבְנֵ֥י אָדָֽם

סָבִ֗יב  On  every  side 
Parse: Adverb
Root: מוּסָב 
Sense: places round about, circuit, round about adv.
רְשָׁעִ֥ים  the  wicked 
Parse: Adjective, masculine plural
Root: רָשָׁע  
Sense: wicked, criminal.
יִתְהַלָּכ֑וּן  prowl 
Parse: Verb, Hitpael, Imperfect, third person masculine plural, Paragogic nun
Root: הָלַךְ  
Sense: to go, walk, come.
כְּרֻ֥ם  when  is  exalted 
Parse: Preposition-k, Verb, Qal, Infinitive construct
Root: יָרוּם 
Sense: to rise, rise up, be high, be lofty, be exalted.
זֻ֝לּ֗וּת  Vileness 
Parse: Noun, feminine singular
Root: זֻלּוּת  
Sense: vileness, worthlessness.
לִבְנֵ֥י  among  the  sons 
Parse: Preposition-l, Noun, masculine plural construct
Root: בֵּן 
Sense: son, grandson, child, member of a group.
אָדָֽם  of  men 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: אָדָם 
Sense: man, mankind.

What are the major concepts related to Psalms 12:8?

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Similar Scriptures for Psalms 12:8

Proverbs 29:12 [2]
Psalms 55:10-11 [2]
Daniel 11:21 [2]
Job 30:8 [2]
Mark 14:63-65 [2]
Isaiah 32:4-6 [2]
Esther 3:6-15 [2]
Hosea 5:11 [2]
Micah 6:16 [2]
1 Samuel 18:17-18 [1]
Judges 9:18-57 [1]
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