What is the meaning of Psalm 58:3? The wicked – Scripture paints the “wicked” as anyone who lives in rebellion against God. Psalm 1:6 says, “For the LORD watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.” – Romans 3:10–12 echoes the point: “There is no one righteous, not even one… all have turned away.” – In other words, the verse is not limited to a special subset of villains; it describes every person outside of God’s saving grace. Are estranged – “Estranged” speaks of broken fellowship. Isaiah 59:2 states, “Your iniquities have built barriers between you and your God.” – Ephesians 2:12 shows the relational distance: “You were separate from Christ… without hope and without God in the world.” – The separation is real, not imagined, and it reaches every level—mind, will, and affection. From the womb – The timing is immediate. Psalm 51:5 confesses, “Surely I was brought forth in iniquity; I was sinful when my mother conceived me.” – Job 14:4 asks, “Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? No one!” We inherit a sinful nature before our first breath. – The phrase rules out the idea that people start innocent and become sinful only by environment; the estrangement is innate. The liars – David highlights lying because deceit is a hallmark of the sinful heart. Psalm 52:4: “You love every harmful word, O you deceitful tongue!” – Jesus traces lying to its dark source in John 8:44: “When he lies, he speaks his native tongue, because he is a liar and the father of lies.” – Dishonest speech isn’t a minor flaw; it signals a deeper allegiance away from God’s truth. Go astray – Isaiah 53:6 uses the same imagery: “We all like sheep have gone astray; each one has turned to his own way.” – Romans 3:12 adds, “There is no one who does good, not even one.” – The verb stresses active wandering, not passive drifting. Sin is willful misdirection. From birth – Genesis 8:21 notes, “The inclination of man’s heart is evil from his youth.” – Ephesians 2:3 clarifies, “We were by nature children of wrath, just like the rest.” – The second time marker (“from birth”) reinforces total depravity: the bent toward sin is early, universal, and persistent. summary Psalm 58:3 teaches that humanity’s problem is not merely bad choices but a deep-seated sin nature present from conception. We are born separated from God, naturally inclined to deceit and wandering away from His ways. Only God’s gracious intervention—ultimately fulfilled in Christ’s saving work—can reverse that estrangement, bring truth to our tongues, and set our feet on the path of righteousness. |
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