Their poison is like the poison of a serpent: they are like the deaf adder that stoppeth her ear;

PSALMS 58:4KJV
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Psalms 58:4 (KJV)

What does Psalms 58:4 mean?

Psalms 58:4 uses the image of poisonous snakes to describe people whose words or actions are deeply harmful, saying they are like a serpent whose venom is deadly and like a deaf adder that refuses to listen. The verse paints a picture of people who are not only dangerous but also stubbornly unresponsive to warnings or correction.

In this psalm, David is speaking about corrupt leaders or judges who act unjustly. He compares their harmful influence to the poison of snakes, emphasizing both the danger they pose and their refusal to heed advice or change their ways. The verse highlights how their hearts are closed off, making them unreachable and persistent in wrongdoing.

The Hebrew behind Psalms 58:4

  • The word for "poison" is חֵמָה (chemah), which often means "wrath" or "venom." Here, it emphasizes the destructive and toxic nature of the people David is describing.
  • "Serpent" is נָחָשׁ (nachash), a general term for snake, evoking the ancient symbol of danger and deceit.
  • "Deaf" is חֵרֵשׁ (cheresh), meaning unable or unwilling to hear, stressing that these people are deliberately ignoring any attempt to reach them.
  • "Adder" is פֶּתֶן (peten), a specific kind of venomous snake, often thought of as especially dangerous and hard to charm.
  • "Stoppeth" is אָטַם (atham), meaning to plug up or close, which gives the image of the snake intentionally blocking its ears, refusing to listen.

Why Psalms 58:4 matters

  • This verse clears up that the comparison is not just about being dangerous, but also about being willfully deaf to correction or reason, deepening the sense of hopelessness in reaching such people.
  • The imagery connects to the wider passage, where David is lamenting the injustice and corruption of those in power, showing that their evil is both active (harmful) and passive (unresponsive).
  • Understanding the specific words for "poison," "deaf," and "adder" highlights the deliberate and stubborn nature of the people described, not just their harmfulness but their refusal to change.

Where else these words appear

“adder” Hebrew H6620 · used in 6 verses

  • Deuteronomy 32:33 Their wine is the poison of dragons, and the cruel venom of asps.
  • Job 20:14 Yet his meat in his bowels is turned, it is the gall of asps within him.
  • Psalms 91:13 Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder: the young lion and the dragon shalt thou trample under feet.

“stoppeth” Hebrew H331 · used in 8 verses

  • 1 Kings 6:4 And for the house he made windows of narrow lights.
  • Proverbs 21:13 Whoso stoppeth his ears at the cry of the poor, he also shall cry himself, but shall not be heard.
  • Ezekiel 40:16 And there were narrow windows to the little chambers, and to their posts within the gate round about, and likewise to the arches: and windows were round about inward: and upon each post were palm trees.

“deaf” Hebrew H2795 · used in 9 verses

  • Exodus 4:11 And the LORD said unto him, Who hath made man's mouth? or who maketh the dumb, or deaf, or the seeing, or the blind? have not I the LORD?
  • Psalms 38:13 But I, as a deaf man, heard not; and I was as a dumb man that openeth not his mouth.
  • Isaiah 42:18 Hear, ye deaf; and look, ye blind, that ye may see.

“like” Hebrew H1823 · used in 22 verses

  • Genesis 1:26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
  • Ezekiel 1:5 Also out of the midst thereof came the likeness of four living creatures. And this was their appearance; they had the likeness of a man.
  • Ezekiel 8:2 Then I beheld, and lo a likeness as the appearance of fire: from the appearance of his loins even downward, fire; and from his loins even upward, as the appearance of brightness, as the colour of amber.