📖 Psalms — Chapter 52 (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 52:1 Why Rboastest thou thyself in mischief, O mighty man? the goodness of God endureth continually.
Psalms 52:2 The tongue deviseth mischiefs; Rlike a sharp razor, working deceitfully.
Psalms 52:3 Thou Rlovest evil more than good; and lying rather than to speak righteousness. Selah.
Psalms 52:4 Thou lovest all Rdevouring words, TO thou deceitful tongue.
Psalms 52:5 RGod shall likewise Tdestroy thee for ever, he shall take thee away, and pluck thee out of thy dwelling place, and root thee out of the land of the living. Selah.
Psalms 52:6 The Rrighteous also shall see, and fear, and shall laugh at him:
Psalms 52:7 Lo, this is the man that Rmade not God his strength; but trusted in the abundance of his riches, and strengthened himself in his Twickedness.
Psalms 52:8 But I am Rlike a green olive tree in the house of God: I trust in the mercy of God for ever and ever.
Psalms 52:9 I will Rpraise thee for ever, because thou hast done it: and I will wait on thy name; for it is good before thy saints.
📚 Study This Chapter
📖 What We’re Reading
Psalms 52:1–4 — The destructive boasting tongue
🌱 What These Verses Teach Us
The speaker confronts a powerful person who boasts in harm and uses words like a sharp razor. Loving evil and lying is contrasted with God's continually enduring goodness. The psalm treats deceitful speech as genuine harm, challenging the assumption that verbal manipulation is harmless or merely skillful.
Key Truth: God's goodness exposes the evil of destructive speech.
Check What You Remember
1. What endures continually? (Psalms 52:1)
Find it in Psalms 52:1 (KJV).
2. What sharp tool pictures the tongue? (Psalms 52:2)
Find it in Psalms 52:2 (KJV).
3. What does the person love rather than speaking righteousness? (Psalms 52:3)
Find it in Psalms 52:3 (KJV).
📖 What We’re Reading
Psalms 52:5–7 — False security is uprooted
🌱 What These Verses Teach Us
Judgment is portrayed as being removed and uprooted from the land of the living. The observers recognize that the fallen person relied on riches and wickedness rather than God. The warning places wealth and power under moral accountability, and the prayer leaves judgment in God's hands.
Key Truth: Riches cannot make wickedness secure.
Check What You Remember
1. From what land is the person rooted out? (Psalms 52:5)
Find it in Psalms 52:5 (KJV).
2. Whom did he not make his strength? (Psalms 52:7)
Find it in Psalms 52:7 (KJV).
3. In what abundance did he trust? (Psalms 52:7)
Find it in Psalms 52:7 (KJV).
📖 What We’re Reading
Psalms 52:8–9 — Mercy, rooted life, and praise
🌱 What These Verses Teach Us
In contrast to the uprooted boaster, the speaker likens himself to a green olive tree in God's house. He trusts enduring mercy, praises what God has done, and waits upon God's good name. The rooted tree image places confidence in divine care rather than destructive success.
Key Truth: Trust in God's mercy produces rooted hope.
Check What You Remember
1. What tree pictures the speaker? (Psalms 52:8)
Find it in Psalms 52:8 (KJV).
2. In what does he trust? (Psalms 52:8)
Find it in Psalms 52:8 (KJV).
3. What will he do forever? (Psalms 52:9)
Find it in Psalms 52:9 (KJV).
Related Scripture (KJV)
Jeremiah 9:24 — True boasting centers on knowing the Lord's lovingkindness and justice.
This related passage is selected for its connection with this chapter. It is separate from the chapter text.
Reflect and Apply
How can you replace impressive but harmful speech with truthful words rooted in trust in God's mercy?
Advanced Questions and Answers
Study this chapter’s wording, patterns, contrasts, and meaning in greater depth.
1. What contrast undercuts boasting in harm?
2. How does the speech comparison expose moral choice?
3. What reveals the failed basis of the fallen person’s security?
4. How do uprooting and the olive tree contrast?
5. How does the ending join completed action and ongoing waiting?
Notes
Write what you want to remember, questions to explore, or Scriptures to look up later. Your saved notes are private to your account.
Loading your notes…
Chapter Navigation