BackgroundThe most extended imprecatory psalm in the Psalter, with David under sustained verbal assault from a former associate. The fierce curses of vv6-19 are read by some commentators as David's own and by others as quoted speech (the enemies' curses against him), a reading worth weighing.
Psalm 109: The Hardest Curse in the Psalter
For the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.
By Bea Zalel
Psalm 109
For the choirmaster. A Psalm of David.
- O God of my praise, be not silent.
- For wicked and deceitful mouths open against me; they speak against me with lying tongues.
- They surround me with hateful words and attack me without cause.
- In return for my love they accuse me, but I am a man of prayer.
- They repay me evil for good, and hatred for my love.
- Set over him a wicked man; let an accuser stand at his right hand.
- When he is tried, let him be found guilty, and may his prayer be regarded as sin.
- May his days be few; may another take his position.
- May his children be fatherless and his wife a widow.
- May his children wander as beggars, seeking sustenance far from their ruined homes.
- May the creditor seize all he owns, and strangers plunder the fruits of his labor.
- May there be no one to extend kindness to him, and no one to favor his fatherless children.
- May his descendants be cut off; may their name be blotted out from the next generation.
- May the iniquity of his fathers be remembered before the LORD, and the sin of his mother never be blotted out.
- May their sins always remain before the LORD, that He may cut off their memory from the earth.
- For he never thought to show kindness, but pursued the poor and needy and brokenhearted, even to their death.
- The cursing that he loved, may it fall on him; the blessing in which he refused to delight, may it be far from him.
- The cursing that he wore like a coat, may it soak into his body like water, and into his bones like oil.
- May it be like a robe wrapped about him, like a belt tied forever around him.
- May this be the LORD's reward to my accusers, to those who speak evil against me.
- But You, O GOD, the Lord, deal kindly with me for the sake of Your name; deliver me by the goodness of Your loving devotion.
- For I am poor and needy; my heart is wounded within me.
- I am fading away like a lengthening shadow; I am shaken off like a locust.
- My knees are weak from fasting, and my body grows lean and gaunt.
- I am an object of scorn to my accusers; when they see me, they shake their heads.
- Help me, O LORD my God; save me according to Your loving devotion.
- Let them know that this is Your hand, that You, O LORD, have done it.
- Though they curse, You will bless. When they rise up, they will be put to shame, but Your servant will rejoice.
- May my accusers be clothed with disgrace; may they wear their shame like a robe.
- With my mouth I will thank the LORD profusely; I will praise Him in the presence of many.
- For He stands at the right hand of the needy one, to save him from the condemners of his soul.
Theme
Psalm 109 is the psalm pastors most often skip. It is also the one Acts 1:20 quotes when the apostles select a replacement for Judas. That tension is the point. Imprecatory psalms exist because real betrayal happens. The biblical answer is not to suppress the rage but to bring it before God in fixed liturgical form, where it can be held, examined, ultimately surrendered. The accusation in vv1-5 is specific. Lying mouths have surrounded the speaker, returning evil for good and hatred for love. This is not a stranger's enmity. It is the betrayal of a friend who once benefited from David's kindness. The psalmist finds that he is praying even while his accusers attack (v4 in Hebrew reads literally "but I, prayer").
Verses 6-19 are the difficulty. May his days be few, may another take his office, may his children be fatherless and his wife a widow, may no one extend kindness to him. Two readings are defensible and both have ancient support. The traditional reading takes these verses as David's own imprecation, prayed against an unrepentant enemy and offered to the only Judge who can render true verdicts. The alternative, advanced by commentators including Kirkpatrick and more recently noted in the NIV footnote tradition, treats vv6-19 as a quotation of the enemies' curses against David, with v20 ("may this be the LORD's reward to my accusers") returning the curses to their authors. Hebrew lacks quotation marks, so the case rests on the abrupt singular voice in vv6-19 inside a plural-enemy context. Both readings preserve the moral seriousness of the psalm.
Acts 1:20 cites v8 ("may another take his office") as Peter applies the psalm to Judas. That citation is crucial for Christian readers because it shows that the New Testament does not soften imprecatory language. It directs it. The curse falls on the betrayer of the Anointed One. The apostles read David's experience as a typological pattern fulfilled in Jesus. The psalm closes (vv21-31) not with vengeance but with renewed petition, the speaker praising God in the great congregation while remaining poor and needy. The honest grief of the betrayed becomes worship without first becoming pretty.
Discussion questions
- What is the historical and liturgical purpose of the imprecatory psalms within Israel's worship?
- Verses 6-19 admit two readings: David's own curse, alternatively the enemies' curses quoted back. What evidence in the Hebrew text supports each? Which do you find more persuasive?
- Acts 1:20 applies v8 to Judas. How does Peter's use of the psalm shape a Christian reading of imprecation?
- Verse 4 in Hebrew reads literally, "but I, prayer." What does that compressed phrase reveal about the speaker's posture under attack?
- The accusation in v5 is that evil has been returned for good. How does that specific shape of betrayal differ from generic conflict?
- Where in your own life have you experienced betrayal by someone you had previously helped? What did you do with the resulting anger?
- How does the practice of bringing rage into liturgical form (rather than venting privately or suppressing it) function pastorally?
- Compare this psalm with Romans 12:19 ("vengeance is mine, says the Lord"). Are they in tension? In agreement? Does Romans presume the psalm?
- Verse 31 closes with God standing at the right hand of the needy. Where else in Scripture does that posture appear? What does it promise?
- If you had to teach this psalm to a small group, what guardrails would you put in place so it functioned as worship rather than as fuel for personal vendetta?
Read this psalm in another translation
The inline text above is the Berean Standard Bible (BSB). Open in a new tab to compare with a modern licensed translation: