John Calvin Commentary Psalms 58:6

"Break their teeth, O God, in their mouth: Break out the great teeth of the young lions, O Jehovah." — Psalms 58:6 (ASV)

Break their teeth, O God! in their mouth. From this part of the psalm, he assumes the language of imprecation and implores the vengeance of God, whose unique prerogative it is to repel oppression and vindicate injured innocence. It is necessary, however, that we consider the manner in which this is done.

He does not claim the judgment or patronage of God for his cause until he had first asserted his integrity and stated his complaint against the malicious conduct of his enemies, for God can never be expected to take up a cause that is unworthy of defense. In the verse before us, he prays that God would crush the wicked and restrain the violence of their rage.

By their teeth, he implies that they resembled wild beasts in their desire to rend and destroy the victims of their oppression. This is shown more clearly in the latter part of the verse, where he likens them to lions. The comparison denotes the fury with which they were bent on his destruction.

In the next verse, and in the several succeeding verses, he pursues the same purpose, employing a variety of apt comparisons. He prays that God would make them flow away like waters, that is, swiftly. The expression indicates the greatness of his faith. His enemies were before his eyes in all the array of their numbers and resources; he saw that their power was deeply rooted and firmly established; the whole nation was against him and seemed to rise up before him like a hopeless and formidable barrier of rocky mountains.

Praying that this solid and immense opposition should melt down and disappear demonstrated considerable courage. Such an outcome could only appear credible to one who had learned to exalt the power of God above all intervening obstacles.

In the comparison that immediately follows, he prays that his adversaries' attempts would be frustrated, meaning that when they bent their bows, their arrows would fall powerless, as if broken.

Driven as they were by relentless cruelty, he requests that God would thwart their undertakings. In this, we are again called to admire his unshaken courage, which allowed him to see the formidable preparations of his enemies as completely at God's disposal, and their entire power as lying at His feet.

Let his example in this regard be considered.

Let us not cease to pray, even after the arrows of our enemies have been fitted to the string and destruction might seem inevitable.