John Gill Commentary Psalms 140:11

"An evil speaker shall not be established in the earth: Evil shall hunt the violent man to overthrow him." — Psalms 140:11 (ASV)

Let not an evil speaker be established in the earth
One that sets his mouth against the heavens, and speaks evil of God; of his being, perfections, purposes, and providences: whose tongue walks through the earth, and speaks evil of all men, even of dignities; and especially of the saints of the most High, and of the Gospel and ways of Christ. Or, "a man of tongue" ^F17 ; that uses his tongue in an ill way, in detractions and slanders ^F18 ; in blaspheming God, his name and tabernacle, and those that dwell therein, as antichrist, (Revelation 13:5) ; a man that calumniates with a triple tongue, so the Targum; like a serpent, whose tongue seems to be so sometimes. Kimchi applies this to Doeg, and Jarchi to Esau. The request is, that such an one might not be established in the earth; in the land of the living, as the Targum; might not increase and flourish in worldly substance, or be continued in his posterity; but be rooted out of the earth, and he and his be no more; see (Psalms 3:4Psalms 3:5) ;

evil shall hunt the violent man to overthrow [him] ;
or "to impulsions" ^F19 : to drive him from evil to evil, as Kimchi. The sense is, that the evil of punishment shall hunt him, as a beast of prey is hunted; it shall closely pursue him and overtake him, and seize on him, and thrust him down to utter ruin and destruction. The Targum is,

``the injurious wicked man, let the angel of death hunt, and drive into hell.'' Of the violent man, see (Psalms 140:1Psalms 140:4) ; he who purposed to overthrow David, he was persuaded would be overthrown himself. This clause teaches us how to understand the rest; for though they are delivered out as wishes and imprecations, yet are prophetic, and are strongly expressive of the certainty of the things imprecated.

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FOOTNOTES:

• F17: (Nwvl vya) "vir linguae", Pagninus, Montanus, Cocceius, Gejerus, Michaelis.
• F18: So the word "tongue" is used in Cicero, "Si linguas minus facila possimus", Epist. l. 9. 2.
• F19: (tphdml) "ad impulsiones", Montanus.