Psalms109
New American Standard
1 God of my praise, Do not be silent!
2 For they have opened a wicked and deceitful mouth against me; They have spoken against me with a lying tongue.
3 They have also surrounded me with words of hatred, And have fought against me without cause.
4 In return for my love they act as my accusers; But I am in prayer.
5 So they have repaid me evil for good, And hatred for my love.
6 Appoint a wicked person over him, And may an accuser stand at his right hand.
7 When he is judged, may he come out guilty, And may his prayer become sin.
8 May his days be few; May another take his office.
9 May his children be fatherless, And his wife a widow.
10 May his children wander about and beg; And may they seek sustenance far from their ruined homes.
11 May the creditor seize everything that he has, And may strangers plunder the product of his labor.
12 May there be none to extend kindness to him, Nor any to be gracious to his fatherless children.
13 May his descendants be eliminated; May their name be wiped out in a following generation.
14 May the guilt of his fathers be remembered before the Lord, And do not let the sin of his mother be wiped out.
15 May they be before the Lord continually, So that He may eliminate their memory from the earth;
16 Because he did not remember to show mercy, But persecuted the afflicted and needy person, And the despondent in heart, to put them to death.
17 He also loved cursing, so it came to him; And he did not delight in blessing, so it was far from him.
18 But he clothed himself with cursing as with his garment, And it entered his body like water, And like oil into his bones.
19 May it be to him as a garment with which he covers himself, And as a belt which he constantly wears around himself.
20 May this be the reward of my accusers from the Lord, And of those who speak evil against my soul.
21 But You, God, the Lord, deal kindly with me for the sake of Your name; Because Your mercy is good, rescue me;
22 For I am afflicted and needy, And my heart is wounded within me.
23 I am passing like a shadow when it lengthens; I am shaken off like the locust.
24 My knees are weak from fasting, And my flesh has grown lean, without fatness.
25 I also have become a disgrace to them; When they see me, they shake their head.
26 Help me, Lord my God; Save me according to Your mercy.
27 And may they know that this is Your hand; You, Lord, have done it.
28 They will curse, but You bless; When they arise, they will be ashamed, But Your servant will be glad.
29 May my accusers be clothed with dishonor, And may they cover themselves with their own shame as with a robe.
30 With my mouth I will give thanks abundantly to the Lord; And I will praise Him in the midst of many.
31 For He stands at the right hand of the needy, To save him from those who judge his soul.
Study
Psalms 109Public-domain commentary and original-language notes for Psalms 109. The full AI study guide (summary, themes, context) has its own page.
Chapter Summary
In this chapter: David complains of his enemies. (1–5). He prophesies their destruction. (6–20). Prayers and praises. (21–31).
vv1-5
It is the unspeakable comfort of all believers, that whoever is against them, God is for them; and to him they may apply as to one pleased to concern himself for them. David's enemies laughed at him for his devotion, but they could not laugh him out of it.
vv6-20
The Lord Jesus may speak here as a Judge, denouncing sentence on some of his enemies, to warn others. When men reject the salvation of Christ, even their prayers are numbered among their sins. See what hurries some to shameful deaths, and brings the families and estates of others to ruin; makes them and theirs despicable and hateful, and brings poverty, shame, and misery upon their posterity: it is sin, that mischievous, destructive thing. And what will be the effect of the sentence, “Go, ye cursed,” upon the bodies and souls of the wicked! How it will affect the senses of the body, and the powers of the soul, with pain, anguish, horror, and despair! Think on these things, sinners, tremble and repent.
vv21-31
The psalmist takes God's comforts to himself, but in a very humble manner. He was troubled in mind. His body was wasted, and almost worn away. But it is better to have leanness in the body, while the soul prospers and is in health, than to have leanness in the soul, while the body is feasted. He was ridiculed and reproached by his enemies. But if God bless us, we need not care who curses us; for how can they curse whom God has not cursed; nay, whom he has blessed? He pleads God's glory, and the honour of his name. Save me, not according to my merit, for I pretend to none, but according to thy-mercy. He concludes with the joy of faith, in assurance that his present conflicts would end in triumphs. Let all that suffer according to the will of God, commit the keeping of their souls to him. Jesus, unjustly put to death, and now risen again, is an Advocate and Intercessor for his people, ever ready to appear on their behalf against a corrupt world, and the great accuser.
Key Words
נָצַח: properly, to glitter from afar, i.e. to be eminent (as a superintendent, especially of the Temple services and its music); to be permanent
מִזְמוֹר: properly, instrumental music; by implication, a poem set to notes
דָּוִד: David, the youngest son of Jesse
אַל: not (the qualified negation, used as a deprecative); once (Job 24:25) as a noun, nothing
חָרַשׁ: to scratch, i.e. (by implication) to engrave, plough; hence (from the use of tools) to fabricate (of any material); figuratively, to devise (in a bad sense); hence (from the idea of secrecy) to be silent, to let alone; hence (by implication) to be deaf (as an accompaniment of dumbness)
אֱלֹהִים: gods in the ordinary sense; but specifically used (in the plural thus, especially with the article) of the supreme God; occasionally applied by way of deference to magistrates; and sometimes as a superlative
תְּהִלָּה: laudation; specifically (concretely) a hymn
כִּי: (by implication) very widely used as a relative conjunction or adverb (as below); often largely modified by other particles annexed
רָשָׁע: morally wrong; concretely, an (actively) bad person
מִרְמָה: fraud
Cross References
Psalms 109Directly cited by Peter as fulfilled in Judas Iscariot losing his apostolic office.
Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB
Satan standing at the right hand of the accused as the official adversary and accuser.
Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB
Jesus applies David's words ('hated me without a cause') directly to His own experience.
Supported by Matthew Poole, John Calvin, JFB
The proverb condemning those who reward evil for good, mirroring David's specific complaint.
Supported by JFB
Explicitly quotes the Greek equivalent of 'let another take his office' regarding Judas.
Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB
While adversaries attack, David prays; Christ perfectly typifies this by praying for His executioners.
Supported by Matthew Henry, Matthew Poole
Satan entering Judas, matching the judgment of letting Satan stand at his right hand.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Judas's violent death, where his bowels gushed out, matches the curse entering his bowels.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Parallels the Messianic suffering of being a reproach and having onlookers shake their heads.
Supported by JFB
David's recurring complaint of being rewarded evil for good, seeking refuge in prayer.
Supported by Matthew Poole
The proverbial parallel of a wicked man's prayer being treated as an abomination or sin.
Supported by Matthew Henry
David's practice of fasting and prayer in times of intense adversity and betrayal.
Supported by Matthew Poole
David's response to Shimei's cursing, trusting that the Lord will bless him instead.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Contrast: Satan stands at the wicked's right hand (v6), but God stands at David's.
Supported by JFB