📖 Psalms — Chapter 12 (KJV)
Read the complete King James Version chapter below, then explore the passage sections, check what you remember, and keep your private study notes.
Scripture source: Project Gutenberg KJV, ebook 10.
Psalms 12:1 RTHelp, LORD; for the godly man ceaseth; for the faithful fail from among the children of men.
Psalms 12:2 They speak vanity every one with his neighbour: with Rflattering lips and with Ta double heart do they speak.
Psalms 12:3 The LORD shall Rcut off all flattering lips, and the tongue that speaketh Tproud things:
Psalms 12:4 Who have said, RWith our tongue will we prevail; our lips Tare our own: who is lord over us?
Psalms 12:5 For the Roppression of the poor, for the sighing of the needy, now will I arise, saith the LORD; I will set him in safety from him that Tpuffeth at him.
Psalms 12:6 The words of the LORD are pure words: Ras silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times.
Psalms 12:7 Thou shalt keep them, O LORD, thou shalt preserve Tthem from this generation for ever.
Psalms 12:8 The Rwicked walk on every side, when the vilest Tmen are exalted.
📚 Study This Chapter
📖 What We’re Reading
Psalms 12:1–2 — A plea amid unfaithful speech
🌱 What These Verses Teach Us
The speaker cries for help when faithfulness seems to disappear. Flattering lips and divided hearts make words unreliable. The lament identifies speech as a serious moral concern: dishonesty damages community even when it sounds pleasant, agreeable, or confident on the surface.
Key Truth: Faithfulness requires truth in both words and heart.
Check What You Remember
1. To whom does the speaker cry for help? (Psalms 12:1)
Find it in Psalms 12:1 (KJV).
2. What kind of lips are described? (Psalms 12:2)
Find it in Psalms 12:2 (KJV).
3. What kind of heart accompanies their speech? (Psalms 12:2)
Find it in Psalms 12:2 (KJV).
📖 What We’re Reading
Psalms 12:3–5 — God answers arrogant oppression
🌱 What These Verses Teach Us
Those who boast that their lips have no master are confronted by God's promised action. The sighing of the needy and oppression of the poor move the Lord to arise for their safety. Human arrogance is answered by a God who hears the people it dismisses.
Key Truth: God hears the sighing of the needy.
Check What You Remember
1. What does the proud tongue speak? (Psalms 12:3)
Find it in Psalms 12:3 (KJV).
2. Who asks who is lord over them? (Psalms 12:4)
Find it in Psalms 12:4 (KJV).
3. For whose oppression will God arise? (Psalms 12:5)
Find it in Psalms 12:5 (KJV).
📖 What We’re Reading
Psalms 12:6–8 — Pure words amid a corrupt generation
🌱 What These Verses Teach Us
The Lord's words are compared with silver purified seven times. Their reliability contrasts with the surrounding deceptive speech. The psalm trusts God's keeping and preservation while acknowledging that wickedness still walks about when vile people are honored. Hope does not require denying the troubled setting.
Key Truth: God's words are pure and trustworthy.
Check What You Remember
1. What metal pictures the Lord's words? (Psalms 12:6)
Find it in Psalms 12:6 (KJV).
2. How many times is it purified? (Psalms 12:6)
Find it in Psalms 12:6 (KJV).
3. Who are exalted as wickedness spreads? (Psalms 12:8)
Find it in Psalms 12:8 (KJV).
Related Scripture (KJV)
Proverbs 30:5 — Every word of God is pure.
This related passage is selected for its connection with this chapter. It is separate from the chapter text.
Reflect and Apply
How can you make your speech more faithful in a setting where flattery and dishonesty are common?
Advanced Questions and Answers
Study this chapter’s wording, patterns, contrasts, and meaning in greater depth.
1. What social condition prompts the opening cry for help?
2. What assumption underlies the boast about tongue and lips?
3. What need accompanies the LORD’s declaration that he will arise?
4. How does purified silver contrast with the earlier lips?
5. What does the final verse connect with widespread wickedness?
Notes
Write what you want to remember, questions to explore, or Scriptures to look up later. Your saved notes are private to your account.
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