For there is no faithfulness in their mouth; their inward part is very wickedness; their throat is an open sepulchre; they flatter with their tongue.
Psalm 5:9 exposes the wicked by their speech and by the heart behind it. David has prayed in the morning, asking the LORD to give ear to his words and consider his meditation (vv.1-3). He has confessed that God has no pleasure in wickedness, that evil shall not dwell with Him, and that He hates all workers of iniquity (vv.4-5). He has declared that he will come into God’s house in the multitude of His mercy and worship in fear (v.7). Then he prays, “Lead me, O LORD, in thy righteousness because of mine enemies; make thy way straight before my face” (v.8). Verse 9 gives the reason for this request. David’s enemies are dangerous because their mouths, inward parts, throats, and tongues are corrupt.
“For.” This word connects verse 9 to verse 8. David needs the LORD to lead him in righteousness because his enemies cannot be trusted. Their mouths are false, their inward part is wickedness, and their tongues flatter. A righteous man surrounded by deceitful men needs a straight way from God. He cannot safely follow their counsel, believe their promises, or measure his path by their words. Only Jehovah can make His way straight before him.
“There is no faithfulness in their mouth.” Faithfulness is truth, reliability, honesty, firmness, and dependability. These men have none of it in their mouth. Their speech cannot be trusted. They may promise, accuse, counsel, flatter, swear, explain, or praise, but faithfulness is absent. Their words are unstable because their hearts are false. David is not describing an occasional careless sentence, but a mouth without truth as its governing rule.
This is one of the frequent sins of the mouth in the Psalms. The wicked speak vanity with their neighbours, with flattering lips and a double heart (Psalm 12:2). They whet their tongue like a sword and shoot bitter words like arrows (Psalm 64:3). Their tongue is a sharp sword (Psalm 57:4). Against this, the righteous fear sinning with the tongue, keep the mouth with a bridle, and ask the LORD to set a watch before the mouth and keep the door of the lips (Psalm 39:1; 141:3). The difference is plain. The righteous bring words under God; the wicked put words into the service of sin.
“In their mouth.” David names the outward instrument. The mouth was made for God’s praise, truth, confession, prayer, instruction, thanksgiving, and blessing. But in the wicked it becomes an instrument of falsehood. Paul commands, “Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour” (Ephesians 4:25). The ninth commandment forbids bearing false witness (Exodus 20:16). God requires truth in speech because He is a God of truth. A mouth without faithfulness is rebellion against Him.
“Their inward part is very wickedness.” David does not stop with the mouth. He traces false speech to the inward man. The mouth is unfaithful because the inward part is wicked. Jesus taught the same rule: “out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh” (Matthew 12:34). He also said that out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, and blasphemies (Matthew 15:19). Psalm 5:9 agrees exactly. The mouth reveals what fills the inward part.
“Very wickedness” is strong language. David does not say their inward part is weak, confused, wounded, or imperfect only. It is very wickedness. This is deep corruption. The inward part is not a small chamber with a little disorder; it is the source from which the false mouth flows. Jeremiah wrote, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” (Jeremiah 17:9). Men may polish the lips, but God sees the inward part. Men may admire smooth speech, but God weighs the spirit.
This inward wickedness explains why religious language can still be corrupt. A man may speak respectfully, quote Scripture, flatter the righteous, praise God outwardly, and still have an inward part that is very wickedness. Judas said, “Hail, master,” and kissed the Lord while betraying Him (Matthew 26:48-49). The Pharisees drew nigh to God with their mouth and honoured Him with their lips, while their heart was far from Him (Matthew 15:7-9). God does not judge speech by sound only. He judges the inward part from which it rises.
“Their throat is an open sepulchre.” This is a dreadful figure. A sepulchre is a grave, a place of death and corruption. An open sepulchre gives forth what should be sealed away: uncleanness, stench, decay, and death. David says the throat of the wicked is like that. Their words are not living water, but the breath of a grave. The figure shows corruption within and defilement coming out. The throat is the passage by which the inward wickedness escapes into speech.
Paul quotes this language in Romans 3 when proving the universal guilt and corruption of man: “Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues they have used deceit” (Romans 3:13). Therefore Psalm 5:9 is not only a description of David’s enemies. It is also part of the Spirit’s larger testimony against fallen man. Human nature apart from grace is not neutral. The throat, tongue, lips, and mouth all bear witness against the sinner (Romans 3:10-18).
The image of an open sepulchre also exposes the danger of listening to the wicked. A grave is not a place to feed the soul. It is not a fountain of counsel. It is not a treasury of wisdom. Yet men often listen eagerly to wicked mouths because their words are bold, clever, entertaining, flattering, or useful to selfish desires. David teaches otherwise. If the throat is an open sepulchre, then the words coming out carry death. “Cease, my son, to hear the instruction that causeth to err from the words of knowledge” (Proverbs 19:27).
“They flatter with their tongue.” Flattery is false praise, smooth speech, and agreeable words used for advantage. It is not charity. It is not encouragement. It is not kindness. It is a trap. “A man that flattereth his neighbour spreadeth a net for his feet” (Proverbs 29:5). “A lying tongue hateth those that are afflicted by it; and a flattering mouth worketh ruin” (Proverbs 26:28). The wicked flatter because plain truth does not serve their purpose. They use pleasant words to hide a wicked inward part.
This is the striking order of the verse. Their mouth has no faithfulness. Their inward part is very wickedness. Their throat is an open sepulchre. Yet they flatter with their tongue. A man may speak sweetly while death is in his throat. He may sound gracious while wickedness is within. He may praise to gain trust, soothe suspicion, or prepare betrayal. Joab took Amasa by the beard to kiss him, but smote him under the fifth rib (2 Samuel 20:9-10). Judas kissed Christ while delivering Him to murderers (Matthew 26:48-49). Flattery is often the kiss before the wound.
This verse therefore teaches discernment. Do not judge a man’s words by smoothness only. Ask whether there is faithfulness in his mouth. Ask whether his speech agrees with truth. Ask whether his life shows an inward part ruled by God. Ask whether his praise is honest or useful to some secret aim. The righteous must not be governed by flattery, for flattery is one of the weapons of the wicked. Paul warned that by good words and fair speeches deceivers seduce the hearts of the simple (Romans 16:18).
The verse also searches every reader. Is there faithfulness in your mouth? Does your speech agree with truth before God? Do your words come from an inward part humbled by grace, or from hidden wickedness? Do you flatter where you should speak truth? Do you use pleasant words to gain advantage, avoid duty, or hide bitterness? The sin of the mouth is never small, because the mouth reveals the heart and stands before God’s judgment. Every idle word shall be brought into account (Matthew 12:36-37).
Jesus Christ is the perfect contrast to Psalm 5:9. There was absolute faithfulness in His mouth. He is the faithful and true witness (Revelation 3:14). No guile was found in His mouth (1 Peter 2:22). His inward part was never wickedness, for He was holy, harmless, undefiled, and separate from sinners (Hebrews 7:26). His throat was not an open sepulchre, but His words were spirit and life (John 6:63). He did not flatter men, for He testified truly, rebuked hypocrisy, warned of judgment, comforted the broken, and spoke exactly what the Father gave Him to speak (John 7:7; 12:49-50).
Psalm 5:9 therefore exposes the wicked from mouth to heart and from throat to tongue. Their speech lacks faithfulness, their inward part is wickedness, their throat is an open grave, and their tongue flatters. Let the righteous refuse such speech in themselves and beware of it in others. Let them pray as David prayed, worship in fear, ask to be led in righteousness, and trust the LORD who sees through every flattering tongue. The wicked mouth ends in judgment, but the righteous may rejoice in the God who blesses and defends those who love His name (vv.11-12).
For there is no faithfulness in their mouth; their inward part is very wickedness; their throat is an open sepulchre; they flatter with their tongue.
Psalm 5:9 exposes the wicked by their speech and by the heart behind it. David has prayed in the morning, asking the LORD to give ear to his words and consider his meditation (vv.1-3). He has confessed that God has no pleasure in wickedness, that evil shall not dwell with Him, and that He hates all workers of iniquity (vv.4-5). He has declared that he will come into God’s house in the multitude of His mercy and worship in fear (v.7). Then he prays, “Lead me, O LORD, in thy righteousness because of mine enemies; make thy way straight before my face” (v.8). Verse 9 gives the reason for this request. David’s enemies are dangerous because their mouths, inward parts, throats, and tongues are corrupt.
“For.” This word connects verse 9 to verse 8. David needs the LORD to lead him in righteousness because his enemies cannot be trusted. Their mouths are false, their inward part is wickedness, and their tongues flatter. A righteous man surrounded by deceitful men needs a straight way from God. He cannot safely follow their counsel, believe their promises, or measure his path by their words. Only Jehovah can make His way straight before him.
“There is no faithfulness in their mouth.” Faithfulness is truth, reliability, honesty, firmness, and dependability. These men have none of it in their mouth. Their speech cannot be trusted. They may promise, accuse, counsel, flatter, swear, explain, or praise, but faithfulness is absent. Their words are unstable because their hearts are false. David is not describing an occasional careless sentence, but a mouth without truth as its governing rule.
This is one of the frequent sins of the mouth in the Psalms. The wicked speak vanity with their neighbours, with flattering lips and a double heart (Psalm 12:2). They whet their tongue like a sword and shoot bitter words like arrows (Psalm 64:3). Their tongue is a sharp sword (Psalm 57:4). Against this, the righteous fear sinning with the tongue, keep the mouth with a bridle, and ask the LORD to set a watch before the mouth and keep the door of the lips (Psalm 39:1; 141:3). The difference is plain. The righteous bring words under God; the wicked put words into the service of sin.
“In their mouth.” David names the outward instrument. The mouth was made for God’s praise, truth, confession, prayer, instruction, thanksgiving, and blessing. But in the wicked it becomes an instrument of falsehood. Paul commands, “Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour” (Ephesians 4:25). The ninth commandment forbids bearing false witness (Exodus 20:16). God requires truth in speech because He is a God of truth. A mouth without faithfulness is rebellion against Him.
“Their inward part is very wickedness.” David does not stop with the mouth. He traces false speech to the inward man. The mouth is unfaithful because the inward part is wicked. Jesus taught the same rule: “out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh” (Matthew 12:34). He also said that out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, and blasphemies (Matthew 15:19). Psalm 5:9 agrees exactly. The mouth reveals what fills the inward part.
“Very wickedness” is strong language. David does not say their inward part is weak, confused, wounded, or imperfect only. It is very wickedness. This is deep corruption. The inward part is not a small chamber with a little disorder; it is the source from which the false mouth flows. Jeremiah wrote, “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” (Jeremiah 17:9). Men may polish the lips, but God sees the inward part. Men may admire smooth speech, but God weighs the spirit.
This inward wickedness explains why religious language can still be corrupt. A man may speak respectfully, quote Scripture, flatter the righteous, praise God outwardly, and still have an inward part that is very wickedness. Judas said, “Hail, master,” and kissed the Lord while betraying Him (Matthew 26:48-49). The Pharisees drew nigh to God with their mouth and honoured Him with their lips, while their heart was far from Him (Matthew 15:7-9). God does not judge speech by sound only. He judges the inward part from which it rises.
“Their throat is an open sepulchre.” This is a dreadful figure. A sepulchre is a grave, a place of death and corruption. An open sepulchre gives forth what should be sealed away: uncleanness, stench, decay, and death. David says the throat of the wicked is like that. Their words are not living water, but the breath of a grave. The figure shows corruption within and defilement coming out. The throat is the passage by which the inward wickedness escapes into speech.
Paul quotes this language in Romans 3 when proving the universal guilt and corruption of man: “Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues they have used deceit” (Romans 3:13). Therefore Psalm 5:9 is not only a description of David’s enemies. It is also part of the Spirit’s larger testimony against fallen man. Human nature apart from grace is not neutral. The throat, tongue, lips, and mouth all bear witness against the sinner (Romans 3:10-18).
The image of an open sepulchre also exposes the danger of listening to the wicked. A grave is not a place to feed the soul. It is not a fountain of counsel. It is not a treasury of wisdom. Yet men often listen eagerly to wicked mouths because their words are bold, clever, entertaining, flattering, or useful to selfish desires. David teaches otherwise. If the throat is an open sepulchre, then the words coming out carry death. “Cease, my son, to hear the instruction that causeth to err from the words of knowledge” (Proverbs 19:27).
“They flatter with their tongue.” Flattery is false praise, smooth speech, and agreeable words used for advantage. It is not charity. It is not encouragement. It is not kindness. It is a trap. “A man that flattereth his neighbour spreadeth a net for his feet” (Proverbs 29:5). “A lying tongue hateth those that are afflicted by it; and a flattering mouth worketh ruin” (Proverbs 26:28). The wicked flatter because plain truth does not serve their purpose. They use pleasant words to hide a wicked inward part.
This is the striking order of the verse. Their mouth has no faithfulness. Their inward part is very wickedness. Their throat is an open sepulchre. Yet they flatter with their tongue. A man may speak sweetly while death is in his throat. He may sound gracious while wickedness is within. He may praise to gain trust, soothe suspicion, or prepare betrayal. Joab took Amasa by the beard to kiss him, but smote him under the fifth rib (2 Samuel 20:9-10). Judas kissed Christ while delivering Him to murderers (Matthew 26:48-49). Flattery is often the kiss before the wound.
This verse therefore teaches discernment. Do not judge a man’s words by smoothness only. Ask whether there is faithfulness in his mouth. Ask whether his speech agrees with truth. Ask whether his life shows an inward part ruled by God. Ask whether his praise is honest or useful to some secret aim. The righteous must not be governed by flattery, for flattery is one of the weapons of the wicked. Paul warned that by good words and fair speeches deceivers seduce the hearts of the simple (Romans 16:18).
The verse also searches every reader. Is there faithfulness in your mouth? Does your speech agree with truth before God? Do your words come from an inward part humbled by grace, or from hidden wickedness? Do you flatter where you should speak truth? Do you use pleasant words to gain advantage, avoid duty, or hide bitterness? The sin of the mouth is never small, because the mouth reveals the heart and stands before God’s judgment. Every idle word shall be brought into account (Matthew 12:36-37).
Jesus Christ is the perfect contrast to Psalm 5:9. There was absolute faithfulness in His mouth. He is the faithful and true witness (Revelation 3:14). No guile was found in His mouth (1 Peter 2:22). His inward part was never wickedness, for He was holy, harmless, undefiled, and separate from sinners (Hebrews 7:26). His throat was not an open sepulchre, but His words were spirit and life (John 6:63). He did not flatter men, for He testified truly, rebuked hypocrisy, warned of judgment, comforted the broken, and spoke exactly what the Father gave Him to speak (John 7:7; 12:49-50).
Psalm 5:9 therefore exposes the wicked from mouth to heart and from throat to tongue. Their speech lacks faithfulness, their inward part is wickedness, their throat is an open grave, and their tongue flatters. Let the righteous refuse such speech in themselves and beware of it in others. Let them pray as David prayed, worship in fear, ask to be led in righteousness, and trust the LORD who sees through every flattering tongue. The wicked mouth ends in judgment, but the righteous may rejoice in the God who blesses and defends those who love His name (vv.11-12).