Single lesson
Psalm 64: The Hurtful Tongue
Psalms 64:1–10
Psalm 64 is a prayer-poem where the speaker asks God for protection from enemies whose main weapon is harmful speech. Children can learn how the psalm uses strong word pictures and how it moves from fear to trust and praise.
Before you teach
In Psalms 64:1–10, the speaker talks directly to God about danger from wicked people. The poem describes secret plots, cruel words and hidden traps, then turns to God’s action, people noticing his work, and the joy of the righteous who take refuge in him.
Students will identify the speaker, the main images of speech and attack, and the poem’s movement from complaint to God’s judgement to praise.
Welcome: Words Can Hurt
5 minBegin by introducing Psalm 64 as a prayer spoken to God. Explain that the speaker is in trouble and asks God to hear his voice and preserve his life from fear. Tell the group that this psalm especially focuses on the damage done by evil words and secret plotting.
Psalms 64:1, Psalms 64:2
Read the Poem: Listen for the Images
7 minRead Psalms 64:1–10 aloud slowly. Ask children to listen for word pictures. Explain that the tongue is compared to a sword and words are compared to arrows. The enemies hide, plan secretly and act suddenly, so the poem presents speech as a dangerous weapon.
Psalms 64:3, Psalms 64:4, Psalms 64:5, Psalms 64:6
Discuss the Movement: From Fear to God’s Answer
6 minShow how the poem changes direction at ‘But God’. The enemies aim arrows of deadly words, but God shoots at them and they are suddenly struck down. Their own tongues ruin them. Help children notice that the psalm does not end with fear. It turns to God’s action.
Psalms 64:3, Psalms 64:7, Psalms 64:8
Make and Respond: Illustrated Prayer or Image Card
8 minInvite each child to make a simple card with two parts. On one side, draw one image from the psalm such as a tongue like a sword, words like arrows, or refuge in God. On the other side, write a short prayer asking God for help to speak rightly and trust him.
Psalms 64:3, Psalms 64:10
Closing: What People Learn About God
4 minFinish by reading the last two verses again. Explain that people respond to God’s work by thinking carefully about what he has done. The righteous are glad in Yahweh, take refuge in him and praise him. Close by summarising the whole psalm from prayer, to danger, to trust.
Psalms 64:9, Psalms 64:10
Questions to explore
What does the speaker ask God to do at the start of the psalm?
Look at the first prayer words and notice both requests: God is asked to hear and to preserve the speaker’s life from fear.
Psalms 64:1
Which pictures show that words can be used like weapons?
Find the comparison between the tongue and a sword, and between deadly words and arrows.
Psalms 64:3
How does the ending differ from the beginning?
At first the speaker fears enemies, but at the end the righteous are glad, take refuge in Yahweh and praise him.
Psalms 64:1, Psalms 64:10
Make, think or respond
Psalm 64 Image and Prayer Card
What you’ll need
- paper or card
- pencils or crayons
- markers
- Bible
Try it together
- Fold a piece of paper in half.
- On the front, draw one image from Psalm 64 such as arrows, a hidden snare, or people taking refuge in God.
- Inside, write a short prayer asking God for help when words are cruel and for a heart that trusts him.
- If time allows, read the verse that matches the drawing and share why you chose it.
This activity helps children notice the psalm’s images and respond to its movement from trouble to trust and praise.
Adapt for your group
- For younger children, offer three image choices from the psalm and let them copy a short prayer starter such as ‘God, hear my voice’ or ‘I take refuge in you’.
- For older children, ask them to divide the psalm into three parts: the request for help, the description of the wicked, and the response to God’s action.
An optional closing prayer
‘God, hear our voices when we are troubled. Help us notice the power of words, trust in you as our refuge, and praise you with upright hearts.’
Read the Bible passage World English Bible Classic
Psalms 64
1 Hear my voice, God, in my complaint. Preserve my life from fear of the enemy.
2 Hide me from the conspiracy of the wicked, from the noisy crowd of the ones doing evil;
3 who sharpen their tongue like a sword, and aim their arrows, deadly words,
4 to shoot innocent men from ambushes. They shoot at him suddenly and fearlessly.
5 They encourage themselves in evil plans. They talk about laying snares secretly. They say, “Who will see them?”
6 They plot injustice, saying, “We have made a perfect plan!” Surely man’s mind and heart are cunning.
7 But God will shoot at them. They will be suddenly struck down with an arrow.
8 Their own tongues shall ruin them. All who see them will shake their heads.
9 All mankind shall be afraid. They shall declare the work of God, and shall wisely ponder what he has done.
10 The righteous shall be glad in Yahweh, and shall take refuge in him. All the upright in heart shall praise him!
World English Bible Classic. Public domain.