Are we truly born wicked?

[Nancy]

Hi, Nancy, and thanks! I think you are misunderstanding me a bit. I was just saying that in context it seems the Psalmist is addressing someone truly wicked - a Hitler, perhaps - and saying hyperbolically "You're so wicked you were estranged in the womb."

Oh, yes I see that now, thank you for the clarification!

 

[Big Boy Johnson]

even though our flesh does hinder us.

Ever notice what the New Testament says about how we over come that?

 

[Bob Estey]

Psalm 58:3—The wicked are estranged from the womb; they go astray as soon as they be born, speaking lies. (King James)

Is this an accurate translation? Surely, when we are born we must be amoral, like all mammals, and tabula rasa. Although we too are born self-centered, covetous, and willfully violent, how can we be judged wicked until we have been taught right vs wrong?

We are made in God’s image, so that (unlike other animals) He can communicate to us His commandments: specifically, to love Him and our neighbors. Thus, our parents (and any in charge of our upbringing) must teach us to be caring and sharing, gentle and kind (the rudiments of Love Thy Neighbor).

I think we are born without knowledge. We learn and we make choices. Some people's choices are better than others. Some learn from their mistakes, while others do well for a while and then slough off (Ezekiel 33:17-20).