1 <To the chief music-maker. Of David. A Psalm.> God of my praise, let my prayer be answered;
2 For the mouth of the sinner is open against me in deceit: his tongue has said false things against me.
3 Words of hate are round about me; they have made war against me without cause.
4 For my love they give me back hate; but I have given myself to prayer.
5 They have put on me evil for good; hate in exchange for my love.
6 Put an evil man over him; and let one be placed at his right hand to say evil of him.
7 When he is judged, let the decision go against him; and may his prayer become sin.
8 Let his life be short; let another take his position of authority.
9 Let his children have no father, and his wife be made a widow.
10 Let his children be wanderers, looking to others for their food; let them be sent away from the company of their friends.
11 Let his creditor take all his goods; and let others have the profit of his work.
12 Let no man have pity on him, or give help to his children when he is dead.
13 Let his seed be cut off; in the coming generation let their name go out of memory.
14 Let the Lord keep in mind the wrongdoing of his fathers; and may the sin of his mother have no forgiveness.
15 Let them be ever before the eyes of the Lord, so that the memory of them may be cut off from the earth.
16 Because he had no mercy, but was cruel to the low and the poor, designing the death of the broken-hearted.
17 As he took pleasure in cursing, so let it come on him; and as he had no delight in blessing, let it be far from him.
18 He put on cursing like a robe, and it has come into his body like water, and into his bones like oil.
19 Let it be to him as a robe which he puts on, let it be like a band which is round him at all times.
20 Let this be the reward given to my haters from the Lord, and to those who say evil of my soul.
21 But, O Lord God, give me your help, because of your name; take me out of danger, because your mercy is good.
22 For I am poor and in need, and my heart is wounded in me.
23 I am gone like the shade when it is stretched out: I am forced out of my place like a locust.
24 My knees are feeble for need of food; there is no fat on my bones.
25 As for me, they make sport of me; shaking their heads when they see me.
26 Give me help, O Lord my God; in your mercy be my saviour;
27 So that they may see that it is the work of your hand; that you, Lord, have done it.
28 They may give curses but you give blessing; when they come up against me, put them to shame; but let your servant be glad.
29 Let my haters be clothed with shame, covering themselves with shame as with a robe.
30 I will give the Lord great praise with my mouth; yes, I will give praise to him among all the people.
31 For he is ever at the right hand of the poor, to take him out of the hands of those who go after his soul.
Worthy.Bible » Commentaries » Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible » Commentary on Psalms 109
Commentary on Psalms 109 Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
PSALM 109
Ps 109:1-31. The writer complains of his virulent enemies, on whom he imprecates God's righteous punishment, and to a prayer for a divine interposition in his behalf appends the expression of his confidence and a promise of his praises. This Psalm is remarkable for the number and severity of its imprecations. Its evident typical character (compare Ps 109:8) justifies the explanation of these already given, that as the language of David respecting his own enemies, or those of Christ, it has respect not to the penitent, but to the impenitent and implacable foes of good men, and of God and His cause, whose inevitable fate is thus indicated by inspired authority.
1. God of my praise—its object, thus recognizing God as a certain helper. Be not silent (compare Ps 17:13; 28:1).
2. For the mouth … opened—or, "They have opened a wicked mouth"
against me—literally, "with me," that is, Their intercourse is lying, or, they slander me to my face (Mt 26:59).
3. (Compare Ps 35:7; 69:4).
4, 5. They return evil for good (compare Ps 27:12; Pr 17:13).
I give myself unto prayer—or literally, "I (am) prayer," or, "as for me, prayer," that is, it is my resource for comfort in distress.
6. over him—one of his enemies prominent in malignity (Ps 55:12).
let Satan stand—as an accuser, whose place was the right hand of the accused (Zec 3:1, 2).
7. The condemnation is aggravated when prayer for relief is treated as a sin.
8. The opposite blessing is long life (Ps 91:16; Pr 3:2). The last clause is quoted as to Judas by Peter (Ac 1:20).
office—literally, "charge," Septuagint, and Peter, "oversight" [1Pe 5:2].
9, 10. Let his family share the punishment, his children be as wandering beggars to prowl in their desolate homes, a greedy and relentless creditor grasp his substance, his labor, or the fruit of it, enure to strangers and not his heirs, and his unprotected, fatherless children fall in want, so that his posterity shall utterly fail.
13. posterity—literally, "end," as in Ps 37:38, or, what comes after; that is, reward, or success, or its expectation, of which posterity was to a Jew a prominent part.
14, 15. Let the iniquity of his fathers be remembered, &c.—Added to the terrible overthrow following his own sin, let there be the imputation of his parents' guilt, that it may now come before God, for His meting out its full consequences, in cutting off the memory of them (that is, the parents) from the earth (Ps 34:16).
16. Let God remember guilt, because he (the wicked) did not remember mercy.
poor and needy … broken in heart—that is, pious sufferer (Ps 34:18; 35:10; 40:17).
17-19. Let his loved sin, cursing, come upon him in punishment (Ps 35:8), thoroughly fill him as water and oil, permeating to every part of his system (compare Nu 5:22-27), and become a garment and a girdle for a perpetual dress.
20. Let this … reward—or, "wages," pay for labor, the fruit of the enemy's wickedness.
from the Lord—as His judicial act.
21, 22. do … for me—that is, kindness.
wounded—literally, "pierced" (Ps 69:16, 29).
23. like the shadow—(Compare Ps 102:11).
tossed up and down—or, "driven" (Ex 10:19).
24, 25. Taunts and reproaches aggravate his afflicted and feeble state (Ps 22:6, 7).
26, 27. Let my deliverance glorify Thee (compare Ps 59:13).
28-31. In confidence that God's blessing would come on him, and confusion and shame on his enemies (Ps 73:13), he ceases to regard their curses, and anticipates a season of joyful and public thanksgiving; for God is near to protect (Ps 16:8; 34:6) the poor from all unrighteous judges who may condemn him.