John Gill Commentary Psalms 140:3

"They have sharpened their tongue like a serpent; Adders` poison is under their lips. Selah" — Psalms 140:3 (ASV)

They have sharpened their tongues like a serpent
Which Kimchi says it does before it bites. Aristotle ^F9 observes, that the tip or extreme point of a serpent's tongue is as small as a hair, and so exceeding sharp and piercing. Arama interprets this of the sharpness and cunning of the serpent; and particularly the serpent that deceived Eve, and spoke cunningly to her. "For God knoweth" and may design the calumnies and detractions, which were sharp as a razor; as swords, and spears, and arrows, and as the tongue of a serpent, (Psalms 57:4) (64:3) ; and the subtlety of false teachers, and deceitful workers; and the sharp and cutting words of wicked men against Christ and his people, (Jude 1:15) ;

adder's poison is under their lips ;
which may signify the malignity of sin in wicked men, which comes from the old serpent the devil; is latent in men; very infectious, like poison, and deadly and incurable, but by the grace of God, and blood of Christ: and may describe particularly the mischief of the tongue, which is a little member, as the asp is a little creature; but very mischievous, full of deadly poison, which lurks in it, lies under it, and which spitting out, it stupifies and kills insensibly; as do the calumnies of wicked men, and the doctrines of false teachers; see (Romans 3:13) .

The Targum is,

``the poison of the spider;'' though it is said ^F11 the spider is not venomous. Selah; on this word, (See Gill on Psalms 3:2).

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FOOTNOTES:

• F9: Hist. Animal. l. 2. c. 17.
• F11: Philosoph. Transact. abridged, vol. 2. p. 800. & vol. 5. par. 1. p. 24.