Great fear has taken hold of the author. He dreams of escaping, if only he could fly. Again he calls upon the Lord. This verse is another prayer (following Psalm 55:1–2): Lord, destroy them, split their tongue. Destruction is the end result.
This can be achieved by silencing the enemy. When their tongue is broken, the threatening language stops and they lose their power (see Psalm 55:3: injustice due to their anger). We can also recognize something of the Babylonian confusion of language here: working together is no longer possible, even between enemies who band together (Genesis 11:1–32). And so, the attack is broken up. How the enemies use their tongue can be seen in Psalm 55:21: His speech is smooth as butter…his words were softer than oil, yet they were drawn swords.
Listen to the power of the Lord, in Exodus 15:12–19, You stretched out your right hand; the earth swallowed them…Pharaoh with his chariots.
By God’s command, any enemy can be destroyed.
9 Destroy, O Lord, divide their tongues; for I see violence and strife in the city.