Psalm 12:6-7

Psalm 12:6-7 (ESV) reads:

6 The words of the Lord are pure words, like silver refined in a furnace on the ground, purified seven times.
7 You, O Lord, will keep them; you will guard us from this generation forever.

 

Verbal Plenary Preservation (VPP) claims that every word of the original scriptures has been perfectly preserved through history, typically applied to a specific textual tradition (e.g., Masoretic Text, Textus Receptus). Some use Psalm 12:6-7 to support VPP, interpreting "them" (v.7) as referring to God's "pure words" (v.6). However, this interpretation is highly unlikely for exegetical, grammatical, and contextual reasons:

 

Key Reasons Psalm 12:6-7 Does Not Support VPP:

1. Context: The Psalmist's Immediate Concern is Divine Protection, Not Scripture Preservation:

o   The entire psalm (v. 1-8) laments the prevalence of lies, flattery, and oppression by the wicked ("the godly one is gone," v.1).

o   The psalmist cries for God's intervention to protect the vulnerable poor and needy (v. 5).

o   God responds orally (v. 5): "I will now arise... I will place him in the safety for which he longs." This is a promise of action and protection.

o   Verses 6-7 flow from this: God's spoken promise (v.5) is utterly reliable (v.6), and He will protect His people (v.7).

2. The Antecedent of "Them" (v.7) is Likely the "Afflicted" or "Needy" (v.5), Not "Words" (v.6):

o   Grammatical Proximity: The closest plural noun before "them" (אֹתָם, 'otham) in verse 7 is the "poor" (עֲנִיִּים, 'aniyyim) and "needy" (אֶבְיוֹנִים, 'evyonim) in verse 5. "Words" (אִמְרוֹת, 'imroth) in verse 6 is grammatically feminine plural, while "them" in verse 7 is masculine plural. While Hebrew pronouns don't always match gender perfectly, the masculine plural "them" aligns better with the masculine plural "poor/needy."

o   Logical Flow:

§  Verse 5: God promises action: "I will protect... I will place him [the needy] in safety."

§  Verse 6: Why can we trust this promise? Because God's words (specifically, this promise) are pure and reliable.

§  Verse 7: Therefore, God will keep/protect them (the poor/needy mentioned in v.5, the object of His promise) from this wicked generation forever. The shift to "us" at the end of v.7 confirms the focus is on people being guarded.

o   Parallelism: Hebrew poetry often uses parallelism. Verse 7a ("You will keep them") parallels verse 7b ("You will guard us"). "Them" and "us" refer to the same group – the faithful poor/needy whom God promises to protect.

3. The "Words" (v.6) Refer Primarily to God's Oral Promise in Verse 5:

o   The "words of the Lord" (אִמְרוֹת יְהוָה, 'imroth YHWH) in verse 6 are best understood as the specific, just-spoken divine promise of protection in verse 5. The psalmist is marveling at the purity and trustworthiness of this particular promise made in response to the crisis. It's not a general doctrinal statement about the written Scriptures.

4. Genre and Purpose:

o   Psalms are poetic, worshipful, and often situational. Psalm 12 is a lament expressing trust in God's faithfulness to protect His people in the face of rampant deceit. It is not a theological treatise on the doctrine of Scripture preservation. Interpreting it as such forces an anachronistic meaning onto the text.

5. Lack of Connection to Written Scripture:

o   The psalm nowhere mentions written texts, manuscripts, or the transmission of scripture. The context is entirely about God's spoken promise and His action to protect His people from social oppression.

Scholarly Consensus:

• Robert Alter: Translates v.7 as: "You, O LORD, will guard them, / You protect him from this breed forever." (Note: singular "him" referring to the needy individual representing the group).
• Craigie & Tate (Word Biblical Commentary): "The promise of protection (v 5) is reliable because it is God's word (v 6), and therefore God will protect his people (v 7)."
• Dahood (Anchor Yale Bible): Explicitly states that "them" in v.7 refers to the "needy" of v.6 (in his translation/commentary structure).
• ESV Study Bible Note: "The 'words' of the Lord (v. 6) are his promises to protect the poor and needy (v. 5)... The 'them' in v. 7 refers to the poor and needy, whom the Lord will keep safe."

Conclusion:

While Psalm 12:6 beautifully affirms the absolute purity and reliability of God's words (specifically His promise of protection in this context), verse 7 declares God's commitment to protect His vulnerable people ("them"/"us") based on that reliable promise. It is not making a statement about the providential preservation of the written text of Scripture through centuries of copying and transmission. Using these verses to support Verbal Plenary Preservation involves:

1. Ignoring the immediate context (lament over oppression, promise of protection).

2. Misidentifying the antecedent of "them."

3. Imposing a later doctrinal concern onto an ancient text focused on God's faithfulness to rescue His people.

4. Confusing God's spoken promise with the written scriptures.

Therefore, Psalm 12:6-7 provides a powerful testimony to God's trustworthy character and His commitment to protect the faithful, but it is not a valid proof text for the doctrine of Verbal Plenary Preservation of Scripture.

Deuteronomy 4:2

Do not add to what I command you and do not subtract from it, but keep the commands of the Lord your God that I give you. 

Revelation 22:18-19

18 I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this scroll: If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to that person the plagues described in this scroll. 19 And if anyone takes words away from this scroll of prophecy, God will take away from that person any share in the tree of life and in the Holy City, which are described in this scroll.

Deuteronomy 18:17-22 

“Then the LORD said to me, ‘What they have said is right. I will raise up a prophet like you from among their fellow Israelites. I will put my words in his mouth, and he will tell the people everything I command him. I will personally deal with anyone who will not listen to the messages the prophet proclaims on my behalf. But any prophet who falsely claims to speak in my name or who speaks in the name of another god must die.’ “But you may wonder, ‘How will we know whether or not a prophecy is from the LORD?’ If the prophet speaks in the LORD’s name but his prediction does not happen or come true, you will know that the LORD did not give that message. That prophet has spoken without my authority and need not be feared.

Proverbs 30:5

Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him.