“The LORD shall cut off all flattering lips, and the tongue that speaketh proud things:”
My Notes
What Does Psalms 12:3 Mean?
"The LORD shall cut off all flattering lips, and the tongue that speaketh proud things." God's judgment targets speech: flattering lips and proud tongues. The divine response isn't against actions alone but against the words that enable, justify, and perpetuate wickedness. The weapon God dismantles is the mouth.
The "flattering lips" (siftei chalaqot — smooth/slippery lips) describe speech designed to manipulate: flattery isn't honest praise. It's calculated smoothness — words designed to make the listener compliant, vulnerable, or deceived. The lips are slippery because the intention is slippery. The words slide past your defenses because they're designed to.
The "tongue that speaketh proud things" (gedolot — great things, boastful things) describes speech that inflates the speaker: the proud tongue claims more than reality supports. It speaks 'great things' — big promises, big claims, big self-assessments — that serve the speaker's ego rather than the truth. God cuts off both: the lips that flatter others and the tongue that exalts self.
Reflection Questions
- 1.What flattery are you absorbing without questioning the motive behind it?
- 2.What 'proud things' are you speaking that inflate your self-image beyond reality?
- 3.How does God judging speech specifically teach about the power of words?
- 4.What's the difference between genuine praise and flattering lips — and can you tell them apart in real time?
Devotional
God will cut off the smooth lips and the proud tongue. The divine judgment targets the mouth — not just what people do, but what they say. The flattery that manipulates and the pride that boasts are both scheduled for removal. God's scissors cut the words, not just the actions.
The 'flattering lips' are dangerous precisely because they feel good: smooth words slide in without resistance. You don't defend against flattery the way you defend against insults. The smooth lips bypass your discernment because they're telling you what you want to hear. The manipulation works because it doesn't feel like manipulation. It feels like compliment.
The 'tongue that speaketh proud things' is the other weapon: where flattery inflates the listener, proud speech inflates the speaker. The proud tongue claims authority, achievement, and greatness beyond reality. It speaks 'great things' — not because they're true but because saying them makes the speaker feel great. The words serve the ego, not the truth.
God cuts off both: the flattery that deceives others and the pride that deceives the self. The judgment on speech acknowledges that words aren't harmless — they shape reality, redirect allegiance, and build false worlds. The flattering lip creates a false relationship. The proud tongue creates a false self. Both need divine cutting.
What flattery are you absorbing without discernment — and what proud things are you speaking without accountability?
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
The Lord shall cut off all flattering lips,.... This is either a prophecy or a prayer, as Aben Ezra and Kimchi observe;…
The Lord shall cut off - This might be rendered, “May the Lord cut off,” implying a wish on the part of the psalmist…
This psalm furnishes us with good thoughts for bad times, in which, though the prudent will keep silent (Amo 5:13)…
The prayer for help passes into a prayer for the excision of these false-hearted braggarts. Cp. Psa 5:10.
Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture