Psalm 58, the third miktam of David out of five in a row, addresses human misrule and injustice. He may have written this before he was king-while on the run from Saul, as in the preceding psalm and the one that follows. However, even while king, David could not completely control every judge under his authority and certainly not the rulers of enemy lands outside his empire.

In verse 1, the NKJV calls the offenders "silent ones," a valid translation, because they remain silent when it comes to saying what needs to be said and rendering appropriate judgment. Verse 2 appears to say that those being addressed commit evil and violence themselves. Yet it may mean that by failing in justice, they promote these things in society.

The beginning of verse 3 says, "The wicked are estranged from the womb..." This is an odd turn of phrase in English but is clearly explained by the next line, an example of Hebrew poetry's repetition: "...they go astray as soon as they are born"-that is, they are drawn away from God early in life.

In positions of judgment and leadership, the wicked are dangerous--compared to a cobra that can't be mesmerized by a snake charmer (verses 4-5). David further compares them to ravenous lions and urgently calls on God to break their fangs-that is, their power to hurt people (verse 6). He also asks that they be swept away as running water and that their "arrows," or means of dealing out destruction, be rendered useless (verse 7). In verse 8, when David asks that they melt away like a snail and that they are not brought to term like a stillborn child, it is not clear if he means the wicked themselves or their arrows of verse 8. Either way, the point is to neutralize the grave threat they pose.

In verse 9, the added italicized words "the burning" before "thorns" gives the correct sense here, as is made clear by other verses: "Twigs from wild thornbushes were used as fuel for quick heat (see Psalm 118:12; Ecclesiastes 7:6)" (Zondervan NIV Study Bible, note on Psalm 58:9). The meaning of the verse is that God's judgment will come suddenly on the wicked.

In its note on verse 10, The Expositor's Bible Commentary states: "The joy of the righteous comes to full expression when they see evidences of God's justice. It is not so much the case that they are bloodthirsty [as might appear here at first glance] but rather that they delight in justice. The reign of terror must come to an end! Isaiah portrays the Lord as the Divine Warrior coming with red garments, stained by the blood of his enemies (Isaiah 63:1-6). Here the godly join in the victory march, as they too have been granted victory. The imagery of feet in blood portrays the victory (cf. Isaiah 63:1-6; Revelation 14:19-20; Revelation 19:13-14), rather than the gruesome picture of people relishing the death of the wicked. The godly share together with the Lord in his triumph over evil."

The injustice of human misrule will at last be overturned and righted when God brings His true and righteous judgment (Psalm 58:11). The message will be clear: righteousness pays; wickedness doesn't.