The Meaning of Psalms 58:3 Explained

Psalms 58:3

KJV: The wicked are estranged from the womb: they go astray as soon as they be born, speaking lies.

YLT: The wicked have been estranged from the womb, They have erred from the belly, speaking lies.

Darby: The wicked go astray from the womb; they err as soon as they are born, speaking lies.

ASV: The wicked are estranged from the womb: They go astray as soon as they are born, speaking lies.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

The wicked  are estranged  from the womb:  they go astray  as soon as they be born,  speaking  lies. 

What does Psalms 58:3 Mean?

Context Summary

Psalms 58:1-11 - "there Is A God That Judgeth"
This psalm is launched against wicked rulers. It may have been occasioned by the attitude of Abner and others of Saul's party, who accounted David as a rebel and outlaw and urged vindictive measures against him.
Their sin, Psalms 58:1-6
Poison is literally "burning heat." Such is the effect of venomous words, into which the malice of the great serpent is infused. Evil men, capable of such speech, resemble the snake tribe, which will respond only to the shrillest notes. Hot speech to man and deaf ears to God go together.
Their doom, Psalms 58:6-9
For let them read they shall, Psalms 58:7. The imperative and predictive future are in Hebrew expressed by similar words. Note the remarkable comparisons-the lion's broken jaw-tooth, the ebbing tide, the snail scorched by intense heat, the untimely birth, the quickly-expiring fire, the cyclone! Sin inevitably brings penalty, and herein is God's moral government vindicated.
The contrast, Psalms 58:10-11
As the weary traveler is refreshed when his feet are washed, so the saints are glad to see God's vindication of the righteous. There is a wide difference between the gratification of personal vengeance, and a consuming zeal to uphold God's character. [source]

Chapter Summary: Psalms 58

1  David reproves wicked judges
3  describes the nature of the wicked
6  devotes them to God's judgments
10  whereat the righteous shall rejoice

What do the individual words in Psalms 58:3 mean?

Are estranged the wicked from the womb they go astray as soon as they are born speaking lies
זֹ֣רוּ רְשָׁעִ֣ים מֵרָ֑חֶם תָּע֥וּ מִ֝בֶּ֗טֶן דֹּבְרֵ֥י כָזָֽב

זֹ֣רוּ  Are  estranged 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person common plural
Root: זוּר 
Sense: to be strange, be a stranger.
רְשָׁעִ֣ים  the  wicked 
Parse: Adjective, masculine plural
Root: רָשָׁע  
Sense: wicked, criminal.
מֵרָ֑חֶם  from  the  womb 
Parse: Preposition-m, Noun, masculine singular
Root: רֶחֶם  
Sense: womb.
תָּע֥וּ  they  go  astray 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Perfect, third person common plural
Root: תָּעָה  
Sense: to err, wander, go astray, stagger.
מִ֝בֶּ֗טֶן  as  soon  as  they  are  born 
Parse: Preposition-m, Noun, feminine singular
Root: בֶּטֶן  
Sense: belly, womb, body.
דֹּבְרֵ֥י  speaking 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Participle, masculine plural construct
Root: דָּבַר 
Sense: to speak, declare, converse, command, promise, warn, threaten, sing.
כָזָֽב  lies 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: כָּזָב  
Sense: a lie, untruth, falsehood, deceptive thing.