What does Psalms Chapter 11 say, and which statements belong to its speaker?

Atlas of Saints · Chapter summary

The speaker requests salvation and describes deceitful speech and proud tongues. The psalm reports the Lord’s promise to arise for the needy and compares His words with refined silver. It expresses preservation and says wicked people walk around while children of men are multiplied.

Chapter breakdown

The Latin incipit is Salvum me fac. The separate heading describes a call for help against the wicked. The inscription is unto the end, for the octave, for David. The prayer asks salvation because there is no saint and truths are decayed among men. They speak vain things to neighbors with deceitful lips and a double heart. The speaker wishes destruction of deceitful lips and proud tongues saying they will magnify the tongue, their lips are their own and asking who is Lord over them.

In the psalmist’s speech, the psalm reports the Lord saying He will now arise because of needy misery and poor groans, set him in safety and deal confidently in his regard. His words are pure as silver tried in fire, purged from earth and refined seven times. The speaker says the Lord will preserve them and keep them from this generation forever. Wicked men walk around and, according to His highness, He multiplied children of men; the verse does not say He multiplied depravity. The promises remain the psalm's declarations without a recorded civic intervention.

The story inside

Opening: The speaker requests salvation and describes deceitful speech and proud tongues. Development: The psalm reports the Lord’s promise to arise for the needy and compares His words with refined silver. Conclusion: It expresses preservation and says wicked people walk around while children of men are multiplied.

Lessons worth keeping

1
The speaker requests salvation and describes deceitful speech and proud tongues.
2
The psalm reports the Lord’s promise to arise for the needy and compares His words with refined silver.
3
It expresses preservation and says wicked people walk around while children of men are multiplied.

Test your recall

Which images and requests does the speaker use, and what does the chapter leave unresolved?

Source edition and notes

Douay–Rheims, revised by Richard Challoner (1749–1752). Project Gutenberg no. 1581. Locators refer to lines in the admitted pg1581.txt edition. Source notes may include Challoner commentary.

Lines 58337–58341
11:2. Save me, O Lord, for there is now no saint: truths are decayed from among the children of men. 11:3. They have spoken vain things, every one to his neighbour: with deceitful lips, and with a double heart have they spoken.
Lines 58343–58347
11:4. May the Lord destroy all deceitful lips, and the tongue that speaketh proud things. 11:5. Who have said: We will magnify our tongue: our lips are our own: who is Lord over us?
Lines 58349–58354
11:6. By reason of the misery of the needy, and the groans of the poor, now will I arise, saith the Lord. I will set him in safety: I will deal confidently in his regard. 11:7. The words of the Lord are pure words: as silver tried by the fire, purged from the earth, refined seven times.
Lines 58356–58360
11:8. Thou, O Lord, wilt preserve us: and keep us from this generation for ever. 11:9. The wicked walk round about: according to thy highness, thou hast multiplied the children of men.