The psalm opens with a cry that the faithful are disappearing and that public life is saturated with flattery, lies, and proud speech. Against that corruption the LORD speaks for the oppressed, and his flawless words become the ground for confidence that he will preserve his people even while wickedness still moves freely in a degraded world.
Psalm 12 sharpens one of the Psalter's recurring concerns: speech is never morally neutral. It contrasts manipulative human words with the purity of God's own promise, teaching that when truth decays in society, refuge is found not in rhetoric but in the tested word of the LORD.
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F1or the choirmaster. According to Sheminith. A Psalm of David. 2They lie to one another; 3May the LORD cut off all flattering lips 4They say, “With our tongues we will prevail.
5“For the cause of the oppressed 6The words of the LORD are flawless, 7You, O LORD, will keep us; 8The wicked wander freely,
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