Destroy, O Lord, and divide their tongues: for I have seen violence and strife in the city.
Destroy, O Lord - literally, devour, namely, the enemies; not, as the English version, their tongues; cf. "they," Psalms 55:10, and Psalms 55:15, "Let them go down quick (i:e., alive) into hell." The allusion is to Korah and his company. So Numbers 16:32, "The earth opened her mouth, and swallowed them up [the same Hebrew verb, baala` (H1104)], and their houses, and all the men that appertained unto Korah."
Divide their tongues - i:e., make them disunited among themselves who league together to destroy the righteous. The 'divided tongues' are the organs, of divided minds. The allusion is to Genesis 11:1, "The whole earth was of one language (Hebrew, lip) and of one speech" (Hebrew, words); Psalms 55:7, the Lord said, "Let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another's speech;" Psalms 55:9, "Therefore is the name of it called Babel; because the Lord did there confound the language of all the earth;" cf. also Genesis 10:25. Thus David means, Do again in behalf of thy cause against the wicked the same thing as in the days of old.
For I have seen violence and strife in the city - therefore there is need for thy 'destroying' judgments upon them. "The city" is an ideal one, to represent the world given up to the prince of this world. Cain built the first earthly city, (Genesis 4:1-26.) Contrast "the city of God" coming down from heaven (Revelation 21:10-11; Hebrews 11:10; Hebrews 11:16; Hebrews 12:22; Hebrews 13:14).