L P 1. Decrease of the godly and faithful.
Q r 2. Man's word.
s 3,4. The speakers. "Cut off."
R 5-. The oppression of the humble.
R -5. Deliverance from the oppression.
Q r 6. Yahaveh's words.
s 7. The hearers. "Preserved".
P 8. Increase of the lawless and vile.
Psalm 12)
1 Save, LORD (Yahaveh); for the gracious man is no more (Cp. Isa. 57:1. Mic. 7:2);
for the faithful (put for faithful men) fail from among the sons of men.
2 They speak (man's words contrasted with Yahaveh's word. Cp. v.6) vanity every one with his neighbor:
with flattering lips and with a deceitful heart (cp. 1 Chron. 12:33) do they speak.
3 The LORD shall cut off all flattering lips, and
the tongue that speaks proud things: (Quoted in Jas. 3:5.)
4 Who have said, "Thanks to our tongues, we will prevail;
our lips are our own: who is lord over us?"
5 For the oppression of the wretched (see Prov. 6:11),
for the sighing of the needy, now will I arise, let Yahaveh say.
I will set him in safety let him [the oppressed] despise it [the oppression].
6 The spoken words ( or sayings and utterances. Cp. 119:38) of the LORD are pure words:
as silver tried (i.e. pure silver) in a crucible (put a full stop after this word) to (or pertaining to [referring to the "words"]) earth (Heb. 'erez, [the earth], not 'adāmāth [the ground]: i.e. "words for, or pertaining to the earth", but purified 7 times: i.e. with spiritual perfection. Some are used with a higher meaning; some in a different sense. Verse 6 is an alternation.),
Purified seven times. (The verb is singular, agreeing with silver. Cp. "u" and "u".
r t The words of Yahaveh are pure words.
u As silver tried in a crucible:
t [Words] pertaining to the earth:
u Purified seven times.)
7 You shall keep them, O LORD,
You shall preserve him (i.e. the godly. Pl. reference to "the faithful" of v.1. "Him" refers to the man of grace [v.1]) from this generation for ever.
8 The lawless walk on every side, when the vilest men (i.e. the sons of Adam, as in v.1) are exalted.