Psalms 11:3
They have spoken vain things every one to his neighbour: with deceitful lips, and with a double heart have they spoken.
Open Psalms 11:3 in the Motif Searcher, word by word across all five texts →Show on the spiral →The verse in its languages
- Vulgate (Clementine)
- Vana locuti sunt unusquisque ad proximum suum ; labia dolosa, in corde et corde locuti sunt.
- Septuagint (Swete)
- μάταια ἐλάλησεν ἕκαστος πρὸς τὸν πλησίον αὐτοῦ, χείλη δόλια ἐν καρδίᾳ καὶ ἐν καρδίᾳ ἐλάλησαν.
- Hebrew (WLC) shown from Psalms 12:3
- שָׁ֤וְא יְֽדַבְּרוּ֮ אִ֤ישׁ אֶת רֵ֫עֵ֥הוּ שְׂפַ֥ת חֲלָק֑וֹת בְּלֵ֖ב וָלֵ֣ב יְדַבֵּֽרוּ
Haydock's commentary
Deceitful. Hebrew, "flattering;" and of course not fee from deceit. (Berthier)
"That man I hate, e'en as the gates of hell,
Who thinks one thing, and will another tell." (Homer, Iliad I.)
None can have (Haydock) confidence in a liar, St. James i. 8. (Calmet)
From Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary, 1859, in the transcription made by Todd Easton and kept online by John Paul Wohlschied at johnblood.gitlab.io/haydock.
The Fathers on this verse
St Augustine Sermons on Selected Lessons of the New Testament, On the words of the Gospel of John vii. 6, etc., where Jesus said that He was not going up unto the feast, and notwithstanding went up
4. Now what the difference is between being deceived, and lying, I will briefly state. He is deceived who thinks what he says to be true, and therefore says it, because he thinks it true. Now if this which he that is deceived says, were true, he would not be deceived; if it were not only true, but he also knew it to be true, he would not lie. He is deceived then, in that it is false, and he thinks it true; but he only says it because he thinks it true. The error lies in human infirmity, not in the soundness of the conscience. But whosoever thinks it to be false, and asserts it as true, he lies. See, my Brethren, draw the distinction, ye who have been brought up in the Church, instructed in the Lord’s Scriptures, not uninformed, nor simple, nor ignorant men. …
St Augustine Expositions on the Book of Psalms, Psalm XII
3. “He hath talked vanity each man to his neighbour” ( ver. 2 ). By neighbour we must understand every man: for that there is no one with whom we should work evil; “and the love of our neighbour worketh no evil.” “Deceitful lips, with a heart and a heart they have spoken evil things.” The repetition, “with a heart and a heart,” signifies a double heart.
St John Chrysostom The Commentary and Homilies of St. John Chrysostom on Galatians and Ephesians, Ephesians 4:25-27
Having spoken of the “old man” generally, he next draws him also in detail; for this kind of teaching is more easily learned when we learn by particulars. And what saith he? “Wherefore, putting away falsehood.” What sort of falsehood? Idols does he mean? Surely not; not indeed but that they are falsehood also. However, he is not now speaking of them, because these persons had nothing to do with them; but he is speaking of that which passes between one man and another, meaning that which is deceitful and false. “Speak ye truth, each one,” saith he, “with his neighbor”; then what is more touching to the conscience still, “because we are members one of another.” Let no man deceive his neighbor. As the Psalmist says here and there; “With flattering lip and with a double heart do they speak.” ( Ps. xii. 2 .) For there is nothing, no, nothing so productive of enmity as deceit and guile.