Psalms 81:12
So I gave them up unto their own hearts' lust: and they walked in their own counsels.
Original Language Analysis
וָֽ֭אֲשַׁלְּחֵהוּ
So I gave them up
H7971
וָֽ֭אֲשַׁלְּחֵהוּ
So I gave them up
Strong's:
H7971
Word #:
1 of 5
to send away, for, or out (in a great variety of applications)
לִבָּ֑ם
unto their own hearts
H3820
לִבָּ֑ם
unto their own hearts
Strong's:
H3820
Word #:
3 of 5
the heart; also used (figuratively) very widely for the feelings, the will and even the intellect; likewise for the center of anything
Cross References
Jeremiah 7:24But they hearkened not, nor inclined their ear, but walked in the counsels and in the imagination of their evil heart, and went backward, and not forward.Romans 1:24Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves:Isaiah 30:1Woe to the rebellious children, saith the LORD, that take counsel, but not of me; and that cover with a covering, but not of my spirit, that they may add sin to sin:Acts 7:42Then God turned, and gave them up to worship the host of heaven; as it is written in the book of the prophets, O ye house of Israel, have ye offered to me slain beasts and sacrifices by the space of forty years in the wilderness?Acts 14:16Who in times past suffered all nations to walk in their own ways.Job 8:4If thy children have sinned against him, and he have cast them away for their transgression;Genesis 6:3And the LORD said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years.
Historical Context
Israel's judges period illustrates this cycle: rebellion → oppression → cry for help → deliverance → peace → rebellion (Judges 2:11-19). God's judicial abandonment appears in Israel's defeat (Judges 2:14), exile (2 Kings 17:18-23), and ultimate rejection of Messiah. Yet even judgment served redemptive purposes, preparing for the faithful remnant and new covenant.
Questions for Reflection
- What does it mean for God to 'give people up' to their lusts, and how is this both justice and mercy?
- How do you discern between God's permissive will (allowing consequences) and His directive will (commanding obedience)?
- What warning does this verse give about persistently rejecting God's correction and counsel in favor of self-designed religion?
Analysis & Commentary
So I gave them up unto their own hearts' lust (וָאֲשַׁלְּחֵהוּ בִּשְׁרִירוּת לִבָּם)—Ashallechu ('I sent them away, released them') describes judicial abandonment. Bishrerut libbam (in the stubbornness/imagination of their heart) appears in Jeremiah 7:24 and 23:17 as covenant curse. And they walked in their own counsels (yelechu be-moʿatsothem)—choosing self-designed wisdom over divine instruction.
This is God's most terrifying judgment: giving rebels what they demand. Romans 1:24, 26, 28 repeats this pattern: 'God gave them up' to uncleanness, vile affections, and reprobate minds. When people persistently reject God's gracious rule, He eventually grants their request for autonomy—which leads to destruction. The path of self-will always ends in slavery, not freedom.