Psalms 109

Prayer for Vindication and Vengeance

¹God of my praise, don’t remain silent,

²for they have opened the mouth of the wicked and the mouth of deceit against me. They have spoken to me with a lying tongue.

³They have also surrounded me with words of hatred, and fought against me without a cause.

⁴In return for my love, they are my adversaries; but I am in prayer.

⁵They have rewarded me evil for good, and hatred for my love.

⁶Set a wicked man over him. Let an adversary stand at his right hand.

⁷When he is judged, let him come out guilty. Let his prayer be turned into sin.

⁸Let his days be few. Let another take his office.

⁹Let his children be fatherless, and his wife a widow.

¹⁰Let his children be wandering beggars. Let them be sought from their ruins.

¹¹Let the creditor seize all that he has. Let strangers plunder the fruit of his labor.

¹²Let there be no one to extend kindness to him, neither let there be anyone to have pity on his fatherless children.

¹³Let his posterity be cut off. In the generation following let their name be blotted out.

¹⁴Let the iniquity of his fathers be remembered by the LORD. Don’t let the sin of his mother be blotted out.

¹⁵Let them be before the LORD continually, that he may cut off their memory from the earth;

¹⁶because he didn’t remember to show kindness, but persecuted the poor and needy man, the broken in heart, to kill them.

¹⁷Yes, he loved cursing, and it came to him. He didn’t delight in blessing, and it was far from him.

¹⁸He clothed himself also with cursing as with his garment. It came into his inward parts like water, like oil into his bones.

¹⁹Let it be to him as the clothing with which he covers himself, for the belt that is always around him.

²⁰This is the reward of my adversaries from the LORD, of those who speak evil against my soul.

²¹But deal with me, GOD the Lord, for your name’s sake, because your loving kindness is good, deliver me;

²²for I am poor and needy. My heart is wounded within me.

²³I fade away like an evening shadow. I am shaken off like a locust.

²⁴My knees are weak through fasting. My body is thin and lacks fat.

²⁵I have also become a reproach to them. When they see me, they shake their head.

²⁶Help me, LORD, my God. Save me according to your loving kindness;

²⁷that they may know that this is your hand; that you, LORD, have done it.

²⁸They may curse, but you bless. When they arise, they will be shamed, but your servant shall rejoice.

²⁹Let my adversaries be clothed with dishonor. Let them cover themselves with their own shame as with a robe.

³⁰I will give great thanks to the LORD with my mouth. Yes, I will praise him among the multitude.

³¹For he will stand at the right hand of the needy, to save him from those who judge his soul.

Previous Psalms 108

Next Psalms 110

Psalm 109 is one of the most intense imprecatory psalms, where David cries out to God against enemies who have repaid his love with hatred and lies. The central portion contains harsh curses against his adversaries, asking God to bring judgment upon them and their families. Despite the severity of his words, David ultimately places his trust in God's justice and loving kindness, confident that the Lord will vindicate the righteous and defend the needy.

Context

This psalm stands among the harshest of the imprecatory psalms, reflecting the intense persecution David faced, possibly during Absalom's rebellion or other periods of betrayal.

Key Themes

Outline

1-5
Accusation Against Enemies David describes how his enemies have attacked him with lies and hatred despite his love for them.
6-20
Imprecatory Curses David calls down severe judgments upon his chief adversary, including loss of position, family destruction, and generational consequences.
21-25
Personal Plea for Help David appeals to God's character and describes his own desperate physical and emotional condition.
26-31
Confidence in God's Justice David requests deliverance and expresses faith that God will vindicate him and shame his enemies.

Prayer for Vindication and Vengeance

109:1–109:31

poetry prayer anguished

An imprecatory psalm where the psalmist calls for divine judgment and vengeance against enemies who have repaid good with evil, seeking God's vindication against false accusers.

theme_rarity

Psalm 109's twenty-eight consecutive verses of curses against enemies represent the longest sustained imprecatory passage in Scripture, exceeding even the harshest prophetic judgments.

Insight Rare Theme

Psalm 109's twenty-eight consecutive verses of curses against enemies represent the longest sustained imprecatory passage in Scripture, exceeding even the harshest prophetic judgments.