Introduction to Psalm 140
Psalm 140 text: 'deliver me, Lord, from evil people'
Psalm 140 is a Davidic supplication for liberation from verbal and physical enemies. It opens with the formula: chaltzeni YHWH me-adam ra me-ish chamasim tintzereni — "deliver me, O Lord, from evil people; keep me from violent people" (Ps 140:2). The term adam ra (evil person) and ish chamasim (person of violence, intensive plural) designate the archetypal enemy of psalmic spirituality: one who systematically works evil against the righteous. The verb chalatz (to deliver, to draw out, to save) is technical in the psalmic theology of divine liberation (cf. Ps 6:5, 18:20, 34:8, 50:15).
Ps 140 belongs to the final group of Davidic psalms in the canonical collection (Ps 138-145), all attributed to David. The context is the persecution of the righteous by the wicked who use both material weapons (vv. 4-5: shenenu leshonam — "they sharpen their tongue," with a military metaphor) and poisonous words (chamat akhshuv — "viper's venom"). The structure of the psalm alternates description of danger and supplication, with selah marking the musical transitions in liturgical performance. The Midrash Tehillim 140 connects the Davidic supplication for liberation from the violence of the "evil person" (adam ra) — identified with Esau — to the custody of the Torah: "your desire is that I preserve you? Keep the Torah" (Prov 4:13). Ps 140 thus becomes the scriptural foundation of a theology of divine protection rooted in obedience to the Word.
| Verse (MT) | Key Hebrew term | Theological meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Ps 140:2 | chaltzeni YHWH me-adam ra (חַלְּצֵנִי יְהוָה מֵאָדָם רָע) | Deliver me, Lord, from evil people |
| Ps 140:4 | shenenu leshonam ke-mo nachash (שָׁנֲנוּ לְשׁוֹנָם כְּמוֹ־נָחָשׁ) | They sharpen their tongue like a serpent |
| Ps 140:8 | YHWH Adonai oz yeshu'ati (יְהוָה אֲדֹנָי עֹז יְשׁוּעָתִי) | YHWH, Adonai, the strength of my salvation |
| Ps 140:13 | yada'ti ki-ya'aseh YHWH din ani (יָדַעְתִּי כִּי־יַעֲשֶׂה יְהוָה דִּין עָנִי) | I know that YHWH will maintain the cause of the afflicted |
| Ps 140:14 | yeshvu yesharim et-panekha (יֵשְׁבוּ יְשָׁרִים אֶת־פָּנֶיךָ) | The righteous will dwell in your presence |
Psalm 140 commentary: 'they sharpen their tongue like a serpent' and the theology of the word
Verse 4 contains one of the most drastic metaphors in the Psalter on the destructive word: shanenu leshonam ke-mo nachash chamat akhshuv tachat sefatemo selah — "they sharpen their tongue like a serpent, viper's venom under their lips, selah" (Ps 140:4). Three images converge: (1) the tongue as a sharpened sword (verb shanan, the same used for sharpening weapons); (2) the tongue as a venomous serpent; (3) the venom (chamah) of the viper (akhshuv) under the lips. The word of the wicked is not neutral but a weapon of destruction and poison of death.
Paul cites exactly Ps 140:4 in Rom 3:13, in a chain of OT citations on universal sinfulness: ios aspidon hypo ta cheile auton — "the venom of asps is under their lips." The Pauline citation takes up the LXX of Ps 140:4 and inserts it into his florilegium on the fallen condition of humanity (Rom 3:10-18), together with Ps 14, 5:10, 36:2, 10:7, and Isa 59:7-8. The Midrash Tehillim 140 illuminates the context: the supplication for liberation from the "evil person" becomes a paradigm of radical dependence on divine protection — whoever abandons themselves to verbal violence places themselves outside the logic of the Torah, which is "life" (Prov 4:13). The Tannaitic tradition knows lashon ha-ra (evil speech) as one of the gravest sins, and Ps 140:4 is a classic scriptural foundation of this theology.
Psalm 140 explanation: 'I know that YHWH will maintain the cause of the afflicted' and the final trust
The final part of the psalm (vv. 13-14) contains the declaration of trust that closes the supplication: yada'ti ki-ya'aseh YHWH din ani mishpat evyonim, akh tzaddiqim yodu li-shmekha yeshvu yesharim et-panekha — "I know that YHWH will maintain the cause of the afflicted, justice for the needy; surely the righteous shall give thanks to your name, the upright shall dwell in your presence" (Ps 140:13-14). The verb yada'ti (I know) introduces a certainty based on the experience of faith: the psalmist knows that God does justice, even before seeing it.
The terms ani (humble, poor) and evyon (needy) designate the preferred recipients of divine justice. The biblical theology of the preferential option for the poor finds here one of its clearest formulations: YHWH is not neutral between the oppressor and the oppressed. Verse 14 closes with an eschatological perspective: yeshvu yesharim et-panekha (the upright will dwell in your presence). The term yashar (upright, straight) designates the person of integrity, and et-panekha (before your face, in your presence) designates the ultimate beatitude: standing before the face of God. The Midrash Tehillim 140 connects liberation from the wicked to the promise of divine presence: whoever keeps the Torah "the Torah will be their life" (Prov 4:13), and whoever sings before the Lord receives salvation (Ps 32:7). Ps 140:14 is a classic scriptural foundation of this theology of beatitude as the vision of God.