The psalmist vows to eliminate two specific types of people from his circle: the secret slanderer and the arrogant. Commentators describe secret slander as a destructive plague, like poisoning someone who cannot defend themselves. Pride is characterized by a "high look" and a "proud heart," which scholars explain means being puffed up, insatiable, and domineering. These vices are seen as fundamentally toxic to any godly community.