Psalm 109:6

Psalm 109:6, in plain English

Here the psalmist begins to pray for justice against his enemies—he asks God to place a wicked person in authority over the accuser, someone who will prosecute him relentlessly.

Why it's here

Now you're entering the section where the tone shifts into what we call 'imprecatory prayer'—asking God to bring judgment on enemies. In the ancient Near East, this was how you appealed to the highest judge for vindication. By verses 6-19, the psalmist is essentially saying: 'God, let this person experience what I'm experiencing, but multiplied.'

Who's speaking

David, turning from lament to a cry for divine justice

Where it sits in the story

Imprecatory psalms troubled readers for centuries because they seem harsh. But they're actually part of the Bible's honest wrestling with injustice. They teach us that wrongdoing matters deeply to God, and that we can bring our anger about injustice directly to Him rather than taking vengeance ourselves.

The scholarly reading

The psalmist invokes a curse: may a wicked opponent be appointed over his accuser, with an adversary standing ready to prosecute him.

Language and setting

With verse 6, the psalm's tone shifts dramatically into what modern scholars call the imprecatory section—formal curses invoked through legal-liturgical language. The phrase 'hiphkad alav rasha' (set a wicked one over him) reflects judicial appointment language; this is not mere personal wish but invocation of divine judicial authority to install an accuser. The 'satan' (adversary at the right hand) references the legal prosecution role, not the demonic figure per se, though medieval and Reformation commentators debated this distinction.

Voice

The psalmist, now shifting from complaint to formal invocation of retributive justice.

Significance

These imprecatory psalms (6, 35, 69, 109, 137) troubled Christian interpreters throughout the tradition—from Augustine through Calvin to modern commentators like Derek Kidner. Some read them as prophetic condemnations of the wicked; others as rhetorical expressions of legitimate anger that Scripture permits; still others (following Tertullian) as types of Christ's judgment on His enemies. This remains one of the most challenging interpretive problems in biblical theology.

4In return for my love they accuse me, but I am a man of prayer.

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

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

7When he is tried, let him be found guilty, and may his prayer be regarded as sin.

8May his days be few; may another take his position.

Read all of Psalm 109 — David's most severe imprecatory psalm. The curses are shocking — but they come from a man who has handed vengeance to God instead of taking it himself.