Psalms 109
Big idea: The hardest psalm in the book to pray. Fifteen verses ask for a man's office to be taken, his children orphaned, his wife widowed, his name blotted out. But two things frame it. First, the grievance: in return for my love, they are my adversaries — but I am in prayer. He is not repaying hatred with hatred; he is handing it over. Second, the man praying is not powerful. I am poor and needy; my heart is wounded within me; I fade away like an evening shadow. This is a curse from the bottom, not from the bench. And Peter quotes verse 8 of Judas.
Psalm 109 asks God to stand at the right hand of the needy. Psalm 110 has someone else sitting at his own right hand.
109:1–5 — In return for my love, they are my adversaries
The opening is short and it establishes the grievance precisely: this is not an attack but a betrayal, and the currency is words. They have opened a mouth of deceit, surrounded him with words of hatred, spoken with a lying tongue. And the middle of verse 4 carries the psalm's one flash of dignity — 'but I am in prayer', which is the only thing he does in reply.
1 For the Chief Musician. A Psalm by David. God of my praise, don’t remain silent, 2 for they have opened the mouth of the wicked and the mouth of deceit against me. They have spoken to me with a lying tongue. 3 They have also surrounded me with words of hatred, and fought against me without a cause. 4 In return for my love, they are my adversaries; but I am in prayer. 5 They have rewarded me evil for good, and hatred for my love.
109:6–20 — Let another take his office
The longest curse in the Bible, and it should be read with two things in view. First, the psalm is honest that this is what a wounded man wants — it does not dress it up. Second, many readers take verses 6–19 as the ENEMIES' curse being quoted back, since verse 20 calls it 'the reward of MY ADVERSARIES'. The Hebrew permits both, and the difficulty is not resolved by pretending it is mild.
6 Set a wicked man over him. Let an adversary stand at his right hand. 7 When he is judged, let him come out guilty. Let his prayer be turned into sin. 8 Let his days be few. Let another take his office. 9 Let his children be fatherless, and his wife a widow. 10 Let his children be wandering beggars. Let them be sought from their ruins. 11 Let the creditor seize all that he has. Let strangers plunder the fruit of his labor. 12 Let there be no one to extend kindness to him, neither let there be anyone to have pity on his fatherless children. 13 Let his posterity be cut off. In the generation following let their name be blotted out. 14 Let the iniquity of his fathers be remembered by Yahweh. Don’t let the sin of his mother be blotted out. 15 Let them be before Yahweh continually, that he may cut off their memory from the earth; 16 because he didn’t remember to show kindness, but persecuted the poor and needy man, the broken in heart, to kill them. 17 Yes, he loved cursing, and it came to him. He didn’t delight in blessing, and it was far from him. 18 He clothed himself also with cursing as with his garment. It came into his inward parts like water, like oil into his bones. 19 Let it be to him as the clothing with which he covers himself, for the belt that is always around him. 20 This is the reward of my adversaries from Yahweh, of those who speak evil against my soul.
109:21–31 — He will stand at the right hand of the needy
The psalm returns to the man himself, and he is in no state to threaten anyone: knees weak from fasting, a body without fat, fading like an evening shadow, shaken off like a locust. That physical collapse is the context for everything in the curse. And what he finally asks for is not their destruction but recognition — that they may KNOW this is your hand.
21 But deal with me, Yahweh the Lord, for your name’s sake, because your loving kindness is good, deliver me; 22 for I am poor and needy. My heart is wounded within me. 23 I fade away like an evening shadow. I am shaken off like a locust. 24 My knees are weak through fasting. My body is thin and lacks fat. 25 I have also become a reproach to them. When they see me, they shake their head. 26 Help me, Yahweh, my God. Save me according to your loving kindness; 27 that they may know that this is your hand; that you, Yahweh, have done it. 28 They may curse, but you bless. When they arise, they will be shamed, but your servant shall rejoice. 29 Let my adversaries be clothed with dishonor. Let them cover themselves with their own shame as with a robe. 30 I will give great thanks to Yahweh with my mouth. Yes, I will praise him among the multitude. 31 For he will stand at the right hand of the needy, to save him from those who judge his soul.
Scripture text: World English Bible (public domain).