Stop their gloating and false talk

Psalm 35 is a plea for help against hostile opponents who pursue the speaker with accusation, ambush, and mockery. The psalm mixes requests for God to act with descriptions of what the enemies are doing and how unfair it is. Verses 19–21 land in the middle of this complaint: they focus on the enemies’ pleasure in the speaker’s distress and on their coordinated speech. The logic moves from a request (“don’t let them gloat”) to reasons (“they don’t speak peace; they plan deceit”) to a vivid snapshot of their taunting chant.

The passage fits a world where personal conflict often played out through public speech—accusations, rumor, and collective mockery could ruin someone socially even without physical violence. “Quiet in the land” suggests ordinary people trying to live without stirring trouble, yet still becoming targets for manipulative talk. The imagery of winking and shouting implies a group dynamic: enemies share signals and slogans to rally each other and to shame the victim. Psalm language does not pin this to one dated event; it voices a recognizable social experience in Israel’s community life.

Shared ground

These verses present a speaker under unjust hostility who asks God to stop opponents from enjoying his trouble (explicit: “don’t let them rejoice over me wrongly”). The enemies’ hostility is described as baseless (“without a cause”) and expressed through coordinated signals (“wink with the eye”) and public verbal attack (they “open their mouth wide,” chant “aha”, and claim “our eye has seen it”).

The passage portrays conflict that runs through speech: the opponents are not trying to reduce tension (“they don’t speak peace”) but are intentionally crafting deceptive talk against “those who are quiet in the land.” The verbal element is not incidental; it is the main way the opponents harm and rally one another.

Where interpretation differs

What the “wink with the eye” communicates. Some read it mainly as open mockery (a smug gesture meant to shame). Others think it implies secret coordination (a signal among conspirators). Both fit the immediate picture of shared, confident gloating.

Who “the quiet in the land” refers to. Some take it as the speaker describing himself as non-aggressive and peaceable. Others take it as a broader group—ordinary, non-threatening people—showing the enemies’ tactics target more than one person.

Whether “our eye has seen it” is true evidence or staged certainty. Some read the line as a claim to eyewitness proof used to justify gloating. Others hear it as a bluff: “we’ve seen it” as a slogan to make accusations sound settled.

Why the disagreement exists The phrases are brief and image-heavy, and the psalm does not supply narrative details about the case being argued. Because the enemies’ actions are described through gestures and slogans, readers must infer whether the emphasis is secrecy vs. shamelessness (“wink”) and whether the “quiet” label is singular (the speaker) or general (a class of people).

What this passage clearly contributes It gives a moral contrast between speech that pursues peace and speech that plans deception (explicit). It also frames unjust gloating as something the speaker brings to God for restraint (explicit request). Finally, it depicts how social harm can be driven by group dynamics—signals, chants, and claimed “seeing”—that create the impression of a settled verdict even when hostility is “without a cause” (explicit description plus careful inference about the social function of their chant).