In verses 9-10 the psalmist describes his enemies and asks God to punish them. This section picks the subject up from verse 6, so it is necessary to make explicit the subject of the verbs, as Good News Translation, “my enemies,” has done. They are liars (line a); literally “there is no firmness (or, straightness) in their mouth.” The idea is more that of not being trustworthy or dependable than that of not being truthful. New English Bible “there is no trusting what they say”; New Jerusalem Bible “not a word from their lips can be trusted.” Line b is literally “their inward parts (are) destruction,” meaning that their desires, thoughts, and wishes are to destroy. Instead of “destruction” the Septuagint has “emptiness, vanity”; this seems to be the basis of New English Bible “they are nothing but wind.” The implied object of their destruction is not things but people. They are cruel and vindictive.
Continuing his use of concrete language, the psalmist speaks of their throat (line c) and their tongue (line d). Good News Translation has taken the two to refer to the same thing, that is, speech, and for greater effect has reversed lines c and d. “Their words are flattering and smooth” translates “they make smooth their tongues,” which is a picture of insincere, pious, unctuous flattery.
Before giving up the poetic images of mouth, heart, throat, and tongue, the translator should make certain that these are unsatisfactory, for whatever reason. In some languages it will be more natural to say, for example, “my enemies’ tongues do not speak the truth, in their livers they want to destroy people, their stomachs are full of deadly deceit, and they flatter people with their lips.”
The translator may follow the lead of Good News Translation and reverse lines c and d, in which case “flattering words” is instrumental and “deadly deceit” is a final consequence.
“Full of deadly deceit” translates the figure an open sepulchre, which means the constant threat of violence and death. Most English translations retain the metaphor “their throat is an open grave” (New Jerusalem Bible), but it is doubtful that this means anything to most readers. “Deadly deceit” may be recast in some languages as “to lead people to the grave by speaking deceitful words” or “they deceive people and cause them to die.”
This verse is cited in Romans 3.13.
Quoted with permission from Bratcher, Robert G. and Reyburn, William D. A Handbook on the Book of Psalms. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1991. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .