The Meaning of Psalms 58:10 Explained

Psalms 58:10

KJV: The righteous shall rejoice when he seeth the vengeance: he shall wash his feet in the blood of the wicked.

YLT: The righteous rejoiceth that he hath seen vengeance, His steps he washeth in the blood of the wicked.

Darby: The righteous shall rejoice when he seeth the vengeance; he shall wash his footsteps in the blood of the wicked:

ASV: The righteous shall rejoice when he seeth the vengeance: He shall wash his feet in the blood of the wicked;

KJV Reverse Interlinear

The righteous  shall rejoice  when he seeth  the vengeance:  he shall wash  his feet  in the blood  of the wicked. 

What does Psalms 58:10 Mean?

Verse Meaning

When God judges crooked rulers by cutting them off, the upright will rejoice. David described their rejoicing in terms of a military victory in which the victors bathed their feet in the blood of their vanquished foes. This description is hyperbolic and symbolizes joy in victory.

Context Summary

Psalms 58:1-11 - "there Is A God That Judgeth"
This psalm is launched against wicked rulers. It may have been occasioned by the attitude of Abner and others of Saul's party, who accounted David as a rebel and outlaw and urged vindictive measures against him.
Their sin, Psalms 58:1-6
Poison is literally "burning heat." Such is the effect of venomous words, into which the malice of the great serpent is infused. Evil men, capable of such speech, resemble the snake tribe, which will respond only to the shrillest notes. Hot speech to man and deaf ears to God go together.
Their doom, Psalms 58:6-9
For let them read they shall, Psalms 58:7. The imperative and predictive future are in Hebrew expressed by similar words. Note the remarkable comparisons-the lion's broken jaw-tooth, the ebbing tide, the snail scorched by intense heat, the untimely birth, the quickly-expiring fire, the cyclone! Sin inevitably brings penalty, and herein is God's moral government vindicated.
The contrast, Psalms 58:10-11
As the weary traveler is refreshed when his feet are washed, so the saints are glad to see God's vindication of the righteous. There is a wide difference between the gratification of personal vengeance, and a consuming zeal to uphold God's character. [source]

Chapter Summary: Psalms 58

1  David reproves wicked judges
3  describes the nature of the wicked
6  devotes them to God's judgments
10  whereat the righteous shall rejoice

What do the individual words in Psalms 58:10 mean?

shall rejoice the righteous when he sees the vengeance his feet He shall wash in the blood of the wicked
יִשְׂמַ֣ח צַ֭דִּיק כִּי־ חָזָ֣ה נָקָ֑ם פְּעָמָ֥יו יִ֝רְחַ֗ץ בְּדַ֣ם הָרָשָֽׁע

יִשְׂמַ֣ח  shall  rejoice 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: שָׂמַח  
Sense: to rejoice, be glad.
צַ֭דִּיק  the  righteous 
Parse: Adjective, masculine singular
Root: צַדִּיק  
Sense: just, lawful, righteous.
חָזָ֣ה  he  sees 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person masculine singular
Root: חָזָה  
Sense: to see, perceive, look, behold, prophesy, provide.
נָקָ֑ם  the  vengeance 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: נָקָם  
Sense: vengeance.
פְּעָמָ֥יו  his  feet 
Parse: Noun, feminine plural construct, third person masculine singular
Root: פַּעַם  
Sense: stroke, beat, foot, step, anvil, occurrence.
יִ֝רְחַ֗ץ  He  shall  wash 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: רָחַץ  
Sense: to wash, wash off, wash away, bathe.
בְּדַ֣ם  in  the  blood 
Parse: Preposition-b, Noun, masculine singular construct
Root: דָּם  
Sense: blood.
הָרָשָֽׁע  of  the  wicked 
Parse: Article, Adjective, masculine singular
Root: רָשָׁע  
Sense: wicked, criminal.