Break their teeth, O God, in their mouth: break out the great teeth of the young lions, O LORD.
-Petition rounded on the foregoing description of the malignity of the foe; confident anticipation of the answer (Psalms 58:9-10).
Verse 6. Break their teeth, O God. The Hebrew order brings God into prominence as the Psalmist's only resource against the "sons of men" (Psalms 58:1). 'GOD break their teeth!' Image from ravenous lions, which tear their prey with their teeth (cf. Psalms 3:7).
Break out the great teeth - `the eye-teeth,' which in lions are most formidable; the tusks.
Verse 7. Let them melt away as waters which run continually - Hebrew, '(which) flow away for themselves.' The words 'for themselves' are ironical. This is all that they shall gain for themselves-namely, that they shall flow away.
(When) he bendeth (his bow to shoot) his arrows, let them be as cut in pieces - i:e., let arrows which the enemy aims be as if they were cut, headless, and pointless (cf. Psalms 37:15).
Verse 8. As a snail which melteth, let (every, one of them) pass away. Gesenius takes it, 'As a snail which passes, away into melting'-`which walks dissolution:' which, moistening the way. with its secretion, the further it goes the more it melts away, until it is utterly consumed; but the parallelism, and the balance of the corresponding first and second clauses favour the English version.
(Like) the untimely birth (an abortion) of a woman, (that) they may not see the sun - literally, the wicked die an untimely death. Job 3:16 is before the Psalmist's mind.
Confident anticipation of the answer to his Prayer: