Old Testament · Poetry

Psalm 109

The Prayer of the Wrongly Accused

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.

King James Version BSB KJV

Tap any verse number for what that verse means.

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.

Understand This

Psalm 109, explained

What Psalm 109 is saying

Psalm 109 is one of the most intense imprecatory psalms in the Psalter, containing an extended curse against a treacherous enemy who has repaid the psalmist's love with hatred and false accusations. The central imprecation (vv. 6–20) has generated significant scholarly debate about whether these are the psalmist's words or a quotation of the enemy's curses. The psalm closes with confident trust in God's vindication.

The background behind it

The psalm's courtroom language and detailed curses reflect ancient Near Eastern treaty-curse traditions. Acts 1:20 applies verse 8 to Judas Iscariot, giving the psalm messianic significance in Christian interpretation.

Themes running underneath

The psalm raises the theological problem of righteous anger: the psalmist has shown chesed to his enemies but received only treachery. The imprecations express not personal vendetta but an appeal to divine justice. The closing section reaffirms that God stands at the right hand of the needy—a deliberate contrast with the accuser standing at the enemy's right hand.

Why it still matters

This psalm legitimizes bringing raw anger and the desire for justice before God rather than taking revenge personally. It demonstrates that faith does not require suppressing the sense of injustice but redirecting it toward the divine Judge.

This is one chapter. BibleKey does all 1,189.

Tap any verse for its meaning, any word for its Hebrew or Greek root, and follow every cross-reference without losing your place.

Get BibleKey

All 150 chapters of Psalms · Every book of the Bible · Browse by topic

Scripture text: King James Version — public domain.