Psalms 73:9

My Notes

What Does Psalms 73:9 Mean?

"They set their mouth against the heavens, and their tongue walketh through the earth." The wicked's SPEECH targets TWO directions: the MOUTH goes UP (against the heavens — against God's domain) and the TONGUE goes OUT (through the earth — across human territory). The pride covers the VERTICAL (challenging God) and the HORIZONTAL (dominating people). The speech has no boundary. The tongue walks everywhere.

The phrase "set their mouth against the heavens" (shattu vashamayim pihem — they set/place in the heavens their mouth) describes BLASPHEMOUS speech aimed UPWARD: the mouth is set AGAINST the heavens — literally placed IN the heavens, reaching up to challenge God's territory. The speech isn't whispered complaint. It's PUBLIC, DIRECTED, ELEVATED — aimed at the highest possible target. The wicked speak against GOD without fear.

The phrase "their tongue walketh through the earth" (ulshonnam tihlakh ba'aretz — their tongue walks/goes about in the earth) is a brilliantly PHYSICAL image: the tongue has LEGS. It WALKS. It traverses the earth — spreading, reaching, covering territory. The tongue doesn't stay in the mouth. It TRAVELS — spreading influence, gossip, control, intimidation across the landscape. The tongue is a walking entity, moving through society without restraint.

The TWO directions form TOTAL COVERAGE: the mouth attacks UPWARD (against God) and the tongue attacks OUTWARD (across the earth). No direction is exempt. No realm is safe. The wicked's speech covers heaven and earth — the divine and the human, the vertical and the horizontal. The speech is OMNI-DIRECTIONAL in its damage.

Reflection Questions

• 1.What tongue is walking through your world — spreading influence and domination?
• 2.What does the mouth aimed at HEAVEN and the tongue walking through EARTH teach about omni-directional destructive speech?
• 3.How does the IMAGE of a tongue with legs describe speech as an independent, traveling, boundary-ignoring force?
• 4.What damage is a walking tongue doing in your community that you've been tolerating?

Devotional

Mouth against HEAVEN. Tongue walking through the EARTH. The speech of the wicked covers both directions — up toward God and out across humanity. No realm is safe from the tongue. No direction is exempt from the mouth. The wicked speak against God AND dominate people with the same organ.

The 'MOUTH against the heavens' is UPWARD audacity: the wicked don't just ignore God. They speak AGAINST Him — setting their mouth IN the heavens, aiming their speech at the divine realm. The blasphemy isn't accidental. It's DIRECTED. The mouth is deliberately aimed at the highest possible target. The arrogance reaches as far up as it can.

The 'TONGUE walking through the earth' is OUTWARD domination: the tongue doesn't stay in the mouth. It TRAVELS — like a person walking through territory, covering ground, making its presence known everywhere. The influence of the wicked's speech spreads across the landscape. The gossip, the intimidation, the lies, the manipulation — the tongue WALKS, covering more ground than feet.

The IMAGE of a tongue with LEGS is unforgettable: a tongue that walks through the earth — independent, mobile, restless, covering territory. The tongue as an autonomous creature that roams the landscape doing damage. James will later say the tongue 'is a fire, a world of iniquity' (James 3:6). The walking tongue of Psalm 73 becomes the fire-tongue of James. The same organ. The same damage. Different metaphors.

What tongue is 'walking through' your world — spreading influence, covering territory, dominating the landscape?

Commentary

Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.

Cross References

Related passages throughout Scripture