Psalms — Chapter 109

Loading ESV text...

1Hold not thy peace, O God of my praise;

2For the mouth of the wicked and the mouth of the deceitful are opened against me: they have spoken against me with a lying tongue.

3They compassed me about also with words of hatred; and fought against me without a cause.

4For my love they are my adversaries: but I give myself unto prayer.

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

6Set thou a wicked man over him: and let Satan stand at his right hand.

7When he shall be judged, let him be condemned: and let his prayer become sin.

8Let his days be few; and let another take his office.

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

10Let his children be continually vagabonds, and beg: let them seek their bread also out of their desolate places.

11Let the extortioner catch all that he hath; and let the strangers spoil his labour.

12Let there be none to extend mercy unto him: neither let there be any to favour his fatherless children.

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

14Let the iniquity of his fathers be remembered with the LORD; and let not the sin of his mother be blotted out.

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

16Because that he remembered not to shew mercy, but persecuted the poor and needy man, that he might even slay the broken in heart.

17As he loved cursing, so let it come unto him: as he delighted not in blessing, so let it be far from him.

18As he clothed himself with cursing like as with his garment, so let it come into his bowels like water, and like oil into his bones.

19Let it be unto him as the garment which covereth him, and for a girdle wherewith he is girded continually.

20Let this be the reward of mine adversaries from the LORD, and of them that speak evil against my soul.

21But do thou for me, O GOD the Lord, for thy name’s sake: because thy mercy is good, deliver thou me.

22For I am poor and needy, and my heart is wounded within me.

23I am gone like the shadow when it declineth: I am tossed up and down as the locust.

24My knees are weak through fasting; and my flesh faileth of fatness.

25I became also a reproach unto them: when they looked upon me they shaked their heads.

26Help me, O LORD my God: O save me according to thy mercy:

27That they may know that this is thy hand; that thou, LORD, hast done it.

28Let them curse, but bless thou: when they arise, let them be ashamed; but let thy servant rejoice.

29Let mine adversaries be clothed with shame, and let them cover themselves with their own confusion, as with a mantle.

30I will greatly praise the LORD with my mouth; yea, I will praise him among the multitude.

31For he shall stand at the right hand of the poor, to save him from those that condemn his soul.

1Hold not thy peace, O God of my praise;

2For the mouth of the wicked and the mouth of deceit have they opened against me: They have spoken unto me with a lying tongue.

3They have compassed me about also with words of hatred, And fought against me without a cause.

4For my love they are my adversaries: But I [give myself unto] prayer.

5And they have rewarded me evil for good, And hatred for my love.

6Set thou a wicked man over him; And let an adversary stand at his right hand.

7When he is judged, let him come forth guilty; And let his prayer be turned into sin.

8Let his days be few; [And] let another take his office.

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

10Let his children be vagabonds, and beg; And let them seek [their bread] out of their desolate places.

11Let the extortioner catch all that he hath; And let strangers make spoil of his labor.

12Let there be none to extend kindness unto him; Neither let there be any 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 with Jehovah; And let not the sin of his mother be blotted out.

15Let them be before Jehovah continually, That he may cut off the memory of them from the earth;

16Because he remembered not to show kindness, But persecuted the poor and needy man, And the broken in heart, to slay [them].

17Yea, he loved cursing, and it came unto him; And he delighted not in blessing, and it was far from him.

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

19Let it be unto him as the raiment wherewith he covereth himself, And for the girdle wherewith he is girded continually.

20This is the reward of mine adversaries from Jehovah, And of them that speak evil against my soul.

21But deal thou with me, O Jehovah the Lord, for thy name`s sake: Because thy lovingkindness is good, deliver thou me;

22For I am poor and needy, And my heart is wounded within me.

23I am gone like the shadow when it declineth: I am tossed up and down as the locust.

24My knees are weak through fasting; And my flesh faileth of fatness.

25I am become also a reproach unto them: When they see me, they shake their head.

26Help me, O Jehovah my God; Oh save me according to thy lovingkindness:

27That they may know that this is thy hand; [That] thou, Jehovah, hast done it.

28Let them curse, but bless thou: When they arise, they shall be put to shame, But thy servant shall rejoice.

29Let mine adversaries be clothed with dishonor, And let them cover themselves with their own shame as with a robe.

30I will give great thanks unto Jehovah with my mouth; Yea, I will praise him among the multitude.

31For he will stand at the right hand of the needy, To save him from them that judge his soul. Psalm 110 A Psalm of David.

1For the music director, a psalm of David. O God whom I praise, do not ignore me.

2For they say cruel and deceptive things to me; they lie to me.

3They surround me and say hateful things; they attack me for no reason.

4They repay my love with accusations, but I continue to pray.

5They repay me evil for good and hate for love.

6Appoint an evil man to testify against him. May an accuser stand at his right side.

7When he is judged, he will be found guilty. Then his prayer will be regarded as sinful.

8May his days be few. May another take his job.

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

10May his children roam around begging, asking for handouts as they leave their ruined home.

11May the creditor seize all he owns. May strangers loot his property.

12May no one show him kindness. May no one have compassion on his fatherless children.

13May his descendants be cut off. May the memory of them be wiped out by the time the next generation arrives.

14May his ancestors’ sins be remembered by the Lord. May his mother’s sin not be forgotten.

15May the Lord be constantly aware of them and cut off the memory of his children from the earth.

16For he never bothered to show kindness; he harassed the oppressed and needy and killed the disheartened.

17He loved to curse others, so those curses have come upon him. He had no desire to bless anyone, so he has experienced no blessings.

18He made cursing a way of life, so curses poured into his stomach like water and seeped into his bones like oil.

19May a curse attach itself to him, like a garment one puts on, or a belt one wears continually.

20May the Lord repay my accusers in this way, those who say evil things about me.

21O Sovereign Lord, intervene on my behalf for the sake of your reputation. Because your loyal love is good, deliver me.

22For I am oppressed and needy, and my heart beats violently within me.

23I am fading away like a shadow at the end of the day; I am shaken off like a locust.

24I am so starved my knees shake; I have turned into skin and bones.

25I am disdained by them. When they see me, they shake their heads.

26Help me, O Lord my God. Because you are faithful to me, deliver me.

27Then they will realize this is your work and that you, Lord, have accomplished it.

28They curse, but you will bless. When they attack, they will be humiliated, but your servant will rejoice.

29My accusers will be covered with shame and draped in humiliation as if it were a robe.

30I will thank the Lord profusely. In the middle of a crowd I will praise him,

31because he stands at the right hand of the needy to deliver him from those who threaten his life.

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 Yahweh. Don’t let the sin of his mother be blotted out.

15Let them be before Yahweh 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 Yahweh, of those who speak evil against my soul.

21But deal with me, Yahweh 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, Yahweh, my God. Save me according to your loving kindness;

27that they may know that this is your hand; that you, Yahweh, 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 Yahweh 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.

Summary
Authorship & Background
Map & Geography
Videos
Reflection

Summary

An imprecatory lament — David, repaying love with hatred by his enemies, calls down detailed curses upon his chief accuser; yet he is poor and needy and trusts God to stand at his right hand and save him.

Authorship & Background

Author: Multiple authors — primarily David (73 psalms attributed), plus Asaph (12), Sons of Korah (11), Solomon (2), Moses (1), Heman (1), Ethan (1), and anonymous. The Psalter was compiled over approximately 1000 years and served as Israel's hymnal and prayer book. The book is divided into five 'books' (1-41, 42-72, 73-89, 90-106, 107-150), paralleling the five books of Moses. Key themes: worship, lament, praise, trust, kingship, creation, wisdom, Messianic prophecy, and the full range of human emotion brought before God.
Classification: Imprecatory Psalm / Individual Lament Attributed Author: David (superscription: "To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David") Key Themes: Unjust accusation, betrayal by those loved, calling on God for justice, imprecation against the wicked, vindication of the innocent, God as defender of the needy
Historical Context: Psalm 109 is one of the strongest imprecatory (cursing) psalms in the Psalter — the intensity of its language (vv.6-20) has troubled readers for centuries. David has been betrayed by someone he loved and treated with kindness (vv.4-5), who has now turned against him with lies and hatred. The imprecations are not personal revenge but appeals to God as Judge. Verse 8 is quoted in Acts 1:20 regarding Judas Iscariot's office being taken by another — connecting David's betrayer to Christ's betrayer. Some scholars argue vv.6-19 quote what David's enemies say against HIM (rather than what David says against them), though the traditional reading takes these as David's imprecations.
Structure:
  • Appeal to God (v.1)
  • Description of the Betrayal (vv.2-5)
  • Imprecations Against the Betrayer (vv.6-20)
  • Personal Plea for Help (vv.21-25)
  • Prayer for Vindication (vv.26-29)
  • Vow of Praise (vv.30-31)

Map & Geography

  • No specific geographic locations are referenced in this chapter.

Reflection

  • 1. "But I — prayer" (v.4). When betrayed, when slandered, when people return evil for your good — become prayer. Don't retaliate. Don't gossip. Don't scheme. Pray. Let your whole response be prayer.
  • 2. Imprecations are for God's justice, not our revenge. David doesn't take vengeance himself — he asks God to judge. There is a place for asking God to deal with injustice, especially against those who prey on the vulnerable (v.16).
  • 3. God stands at the right hand of the poor (v.31). Whatever human accusers may do, God positions Himself as advocate for the needy. If you are poor, broken, and condemned by others, God is standing at YOUR right hand.
  • 4. Betrayal by those you love is the deepest wound (vv.4-5). Evil from enemies is expected. Evil from those you loved — that cuts to the bone. David's experience points toward Christ's experience with Judas.
  • 5. The psalm ends with praise, not cursing (v.30). Despite the intensity of the imprecations, David resolves to PRAISE God "among the multitude." Faith looks past the present injustice to future vindication.