A student wrote:


Dr. Reese,
I have heard/read Dr. G and Dr. R say that Psalms 12:7 in the Hebrew texts means a preservation of the word of God, but then I have seen where non-KJB believers say that it does not. For example.

“The Hebrew of the verse allows the pronoun to be first person plural (us) or first person masculine singular (him) but not third person plural (them).”

I know some say that verse 7 is referring back to verse 5 rather than verse 6. When you have time could you give me a brief exposition of the 8 verses in the passage and what it means in “the original Hebrew text”? (Alexandrian lingo)

Thank you very much. –EHC


Psalms 12:
[1] Help, LORD; for the godly man ceaseth; for the faithful fail from among the children of men.
[2] They speak vanity every one with his neighbour: with flattering lips and with a double heart do they speak.
[3] The LORD shall cut off all flattering lips, and the tongue that speaketh proud things:
[4] Who have said, With our tongue will we prevail; our lips are our own: who is lord over us?
[5] For the oppression of the poor, for the sighing of the needy, now will I arise, saith the LORD; I will set him in safety from him that puffeth at him.
[6] The words of the LORD are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times.
[7] Thou shalt keep them, O LORD, thou shalt preserve them from this generation for ever.
[8] The wicked walk on every side, when the vilest men are exalted.

Answer

Dear EHC: Here are my final remarks on Psalm 12. If you received an earlier one, replace it with this.

Psalm 12:7 does refer to the words of God: all of God’s words from Genesis 1:1 through Revelation 22:21.
The critics of a present inspired Bible that can be held in your hand must attempt to deny any passage that states such an infallible authority exists. They do not believe inspiration went past the original; all modern scholars hold that only the originals were inspired, but that any preservation was left entirely in the hands of human instrumentality. This is a humanistic attitude toward the word of God and treats His Book as any other book. This provides the “need” for these Bible scholars to decide which Hebrew and Greek MSS and readings are accurate. None of them believe an exact copy of the inspired words of God is in existence anywhere. They are still searching for the truth.

In an attempt to appear scholarly, many who profess to believe the King James Bible meet the critics halfway. They claim that only the originals were inspired, citing the supposed present tense error of the KJB in 2 Timothy 3:16 “is given” and correcting it to the past tense (“all scripture was given by inspiration”), and that certain OT texts (Hebrew Massoretic Text) and Greek MSS were superintended by God’s providence to keep His words. They call the superintendence “Preservation”. In this way, they are able to say inspiration was confined to the originals but that God superintended His word so that in the Hebrew Massoretic text and the Greek Majority Text, we have the preserved (but not inspired) words of God in Hebrew and Greek. This allows Biblical scholars to determine the correct translation of the merely “preserved” Hebrew and Greek words. Of course, this means the King James translation as all translations, are susceptible to error. This allows the “Bible believing scholar” to determine the translation since “the KJB did miss the correct translation in a few places.”

Their problem is this: In hundreds of places throughout the OT and the NT text in your hand, the King James Bible claims to be the very word of God. There is no biblical statement or example of any person in the KJB text that even hints that all translations are subject to error. Every preacher in the KJB, including Jesus, believed the Bible in his hand and did not mention “a translation” of any kind.
if the KJB is not God’s inspired words, the King James Bible in English, it is the greatest fraud ever in the history of mankind. In treating the Bible as any other book or even as only the preserved word of God, the “scholars” conveniently justify their offices and deluded men provide them with a livelihood. To admit that God’s word is the KJB so that we have all of His inspired words today, would put 99% of all higher critics along with the KJB “scholars” out of their easy chairs onto the street.
This is why you will find modernist and professing KJB “believers” critics of Psalm 12 that claim the Hebrew can not support the third person “them” but will support the first person masculine singular “He”. They think they have it all sewed up. However, God put fox traps in the Book for every critic with a heresy. The Bible critic can’t see these because of their spiritual blindness. Unless a man approaches the King James Bible with childlike trust, believing it is God’s word, it remains a closed Book. Attack the word of God and it reveals your sin. Once the critics learn from a real KJB believer where the trap is, if they don’t repent of their sin, they won’t ever really spiritually see or receive it, but with a head (not heart) knowledge, they simply adjust their position to go around it.

One trap for the “Hebrew expert” here in vss 6-7 is that although there are a plural number of “words of the Lord”, it is also true that all of these words are bound into a singular unit and also called, “the word of the Lord” or “the word of God.”

For example:

“3 And it came to pass the same night, that the word of God came to Nathan, saying,…( then follows the covenant promises to David–many “words of The Lord” in several verses to vs 15)….
15 According to all these words, and according to all this vision, so did Nathan speak unto David.” (‭1 Chronicles‬ ‭17‬:‭3, 15‬ KJB).

“After these things the word of the Lord came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward.” (‭Genesis‬ ‭15‬:‭1‬ KJB).


The Bible is: “the word of God” “the words of God” “the words of the Lord” “the word of the Lord”, plural yet also singular!

Not only that, the words of the Lord are called “scripture” (an emphasis on the writing of the words) and are designated with Personality: “HE”.
HE speaks (before we can read) and HE raises men up and shows HIS power in them for a designed purpose. HE has mercy on those with childlike faith and HE hardens the reprobate’s heart. A foolish man can not see that the Bible is a present living, life giving Book with Personality because his sin blinds his heart and mind.

“17 For the scripture saith unto Pharaoh, Even for this same purpose have I raised thee up, that I might shew my power in thee, and that my name might be declared throughout all the earth.
18 Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth.” (‭Romans‬ ‭9‬:‭17-18‬ KJB).


(This, no doubt, had to be Moses’ words, who knew both Hebrew and Egyptian, translated into the Egyptian language to Pharaoh, who did not know Hebrew–a translation that was called “scripture”).

“The Hebrew” who was consulted by the critics on Psalm 12 did not know enough Bible to be qualified as an authority on the words of the Lord.

Like all interpretation of Bible verses, verse 7 must not be studied apart from the context of Psalm 12. A major theme of the Psalm is “words of the Lord” versus the words from the lips, mouths, tongues and words of vanity from wicked men.

As far as vs 7 being a reference to preserving God’s people, I have always wondered since hearing that argument, why does the Psalm refer (vs1) to the godly man ceasing and the faithful failing–if vs 7 means God PRESERVES THEM FROM CEASING AND FAILING?

And, why would a critic allow that God could keep a man but think that something is wrong with God keeping His words? How does God save, bring about a new birth, and keep a man, apart from the ever present living word of God?

“23 Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.
24 For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away:
25 But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you.” (‭1 Peter‬ ‭1‬:‭23-25‬ KJB)