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PSALM 109

STROPHE DIVISIONS OF MODERN TRANSLATIONS

NASB NKJV NRSV TEV NJB
Vengeance Invoked Upon Adversaries
   MT Intro
For the choir director. A Psalm of David		 Plea for Judgment of False Accusers Prayer for Deliverance From Personal Enemies
(A Lament)		 The Complaint of Someone in Trouble An Imprecation
109:1-5 109:1-5 109:1-5 109:1-5 109:1-3
        109:4-5
109:6-13 109:6-13 109:6-19 109:6-15 109:6-7
        109:8-9
        109:10-11
        109:12-13
109:14-20 109:14-20     109:14-15
      109:16-19 109:16-17
        109:18-19
    109:20-25 109:20-25 109:20-21
109:21-25 109:21-25      
        109:22-23
        109:24-25
109:26-29 109:26-29 109:26-31 109:26-29 109:26-27
        109:28-29
109:30-31 109:30-31   109:30-31 109:30-31

READING CYCLE THREE (see "Bible Interpretation Seminar")

FOLLOWING THE ORIGINAL AUTHOR'S INTENT AT PARAGRAPH LEVEL

This is a study guide commentary, which means that you are responsible for your own interpretation of the Bible. Each of us must walk in the light we have. You, the Bible, and the Holy Spirit are priority in interpretation. You must not relinquish this to a commentator.

Read the chapter in one sitting. Identify the subjects (reading cycle #3). Compare your subject divisions with the five translations above. Paragraphing is not inspired, but it is the key to following the original author's intent, which is the heart of interpretation. Every paragraph has one and only one subject.

CONTEXTUAL INSIGHTS

  1. The psalmist feels that he has been unfairly treated by those he loved (first strophe, Ps. 109:1-5).
    1. their words
      1. wicked, Ps. 109:2
      2. deceitful, Ps. 109:2
      3. lying, Ps. 109:2
      4. words of hatred, Ps. 109:3
      5. accuse, Ps. 109:4
    2. their acts
      1. fought against me without cause, Ps. 109:3
      2. repaid evil for good, Ps. 109:5
      3. repaid hatred for love, Ps. 109:5
    3. this may reflect a court scene where the psalmist is falsely accused (cf. Ps. 109:6-7)

  2. He prays a series of judgments (JUSSIVES) on his adversaries (second and third strophe, Ps. 109:6-13, 14-20).
    1. let an accuser stand at his right hand, Ps. 109:6 ‒ BDB 763, KB 840, Qal IMPERFECT used in a JUSSIVE sense
    2. let him come forth guilty, Ps. 109:7 ‒ BDB 422, KB 425, Qal IMPERFECT used in a JUSSIVE sense
    3. let his prayer become sin, Ps. 109:7 ‒ BDB 224, KB 243, Qal IMPERFECT used in a JUSSIVE sense
    4. let his days be few, Ps. 109:8 ‒ same form as #3
    5. let another take his office, Ps. 109:8 ‒ BDB 542, KB 534, Qal IMPERFECT used in a JUSSIVE sense
    6. let his children be fatherless, Ps. 109:9 ‒ same as #3
    7. let his wife be a widow, Ps. 109:9 ‒ same as #3
    8. let his children wander about, Ps. 109:10 ‒ this is an INFINITIVE ABSOLUTE and an IMPERFECT VERB from the same root (BDB 631, KB 681), which was a grammatical way to show intensity
      1. beg ‒ BDB 981, KB 1371, Piel PERFECT
      2. seek sustenance ‒ BDB 205, KB 233, Qal PERFECT
        The NASB translates the PERFECTS of Ps. 109:10 as JUSSIVES (i.e., "let. . .").
    9. let the creditor seize all he has, Ps. 109:11 ‒ BDB 669, KB 723, Piel IMPERFECT used in a JUSSIVE sense
    10. let strangers plunder the product of his labor, Ps. 109:11 ‒ BDB 102, KB 117, Qal IMPERFECT used in a JUSSIVE sense
    11. let there be none to extend lovingkindness to him, Ps. 109:12 ‒ BDB 224, KB 243, Qal JUSSIVE
    12. let there not be any to be gracious to his fatherless children, Ps. 109:12 ‒ same as #11
    13. let his posterity be cut off, Ps. 109:13 ‒ same as #11
    14. let their name be blotted out, Ps. 109:13 ‒ BDB 562, KB 567, Niphal JUSSIVE
    15. let the iniquity of his father be remembered, Ps. 109:14 - BDB 269, KB 269, Niphal IMPERFECT used in a JUSSIVE sense
    16. do not let the sin of his mother be blotted out, Ps. 109:14 ‒ BDB 562, KB 567, Niphal JUSSIVE
    17. let them be before the Lord continually, Ps. 109:15 ‒ same as #3
    18. let the Lord cut off their memory, Ps. 109:15 ‒ BDB 503, KB 500, Hiphil JUSSIVE
    19. let it be to him as a garment (i.e., cursing), Ps. 109:19 ‒ same as #11
    20. NASB, NKJV, NJB translate Ps. 109:20a as another JUSSIVE but it is a Qal PARTICIPLE

  3. Psalm 109:16-18 lists the reasons why YHWH should judge him.
    1. he did not remember to show lovingkindness, Ps. 109:16
    2. he persecuted the afflicted and needy man, Ps. 109:16
    3. he loved cursing, Ps. 109:17
    4. he clothed himself in cursing as a garment, Ps. 109:18

  4. In Psalm 109:21-25 the psalmist describes his need and asks for help (note the contrasting CONJUNCTION, "but for You, O God").
    1. deal kindly with me ‒ BDB 793, KB 889, Qal IMPERATIVE
    2. deliver me ‒ BDB 664, KB 717, Hiphil IMPERATIVE

      He bases his prayers on

      1. YHWH's name sake, Ps. 109:21
      2. YHWH's lovingkindness, Ps. 6:4; 44:26; 09:21,26; 119:149
      3. his need
         (1) I am afflicted and needy
         (2) my heart is wounded
         (3) I am passing like a shadow
         (4) I am shaken off like the locust
         (5) my knees are weak from fasting
         (6) my flesh has grown lean
         (7) I have become a reproach

  5. In Ps. 109:26-29 the psalmist continues his prayer and expresses his desire for YHWH's judgment on his adversaries.
    1. help me ‒ BDB 740, KB 810, Qal IMPERATIVE
    2. save me according to Your lovingkindness ‒ BDB 446, KB 448, Hiphil IMPERATIVE, cf. Ps. 109:21
    3. he prays for YHWH to
      1. let them know their judgment is from Him ‒ BDB 393, KB 390, Qal IMPERFECT used in a JUSSIVE sense
      2. let them curse, but do not bless ‒ BDB 886, KB 1103, Piel IMPERFECT used in a JUSSIVE sense, which draws a reaction from YHWH (i.e., not to bless)
      3. let them be ashamed ‒ BDB 101, KB 116, Qal IMPERFECT used in a JUSSIVE sense (NKJV, NRSV), as there was a contrasting statement in Ps. 109:28a, so too, in 109:28c
      4. let my accusers be clothed with dishonor ‒ BDB 527, KB 519, Qal IMPERFECT used in a JUSSIVE sense (NASB, NKJV, NRSV)
      5. let them cover themselves with their own shame ‒ BDB 741, KB 813, Qal IMPERFECT used in a JUSSIVE sense (NASB, NKJV, NRSV)

WORD AND PHRASE STUDY

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 109:1-5
 1O God of my praise,
 Do not be silent!
 2For they have opened the wicked and deceitful mouth against me;
 They have spoken against me with a lying tongue.
 3They have also surrounded me with words of hatred,
 And fought against me without cause.
 4In return for my love they act as my accusers;
 But I am in prayer.
 5Thus they have repaid me evil for good
 And hatred for my love.

109:1 "O God of my praise" This phrase is found only here and in Deut. 10:21, but the concept is recurrent (i.e., Psalm 146-148). The LXX translates this phrase as "O God do not pass over my praise in silence."

The title/name, "God," is Eloah, which is the SINGULAR for of Elohim.

SPECIAL TOPIC: NAMES FOR DEITY, C.

▣ "Do not be silent" This is a Hebrew idiom for YHWH to hear and respond to the prayer of a faithful follower (cf. Ps. 28:1; 35:22; 38:12; 83:1). The VERB (BDB 361 II, KB 357, Qal IMPERFECT) is used in a JUSSIVE sense.

109:2-3 There is power in words both for blessing and for hurting. Our words reveal our hearts! See SPECIAL TOPIC: HUMAN SPEECH.

The AB (p. 100) sees these verses as imagery from vocabulary of animal attacks.

  1. mouth of attacking animals (cf. Ps. 22:13; Lam. 3:46-47)
  2. "speaking" (BDB 180) in sense of "pursuing"
  3. "surrounding" like a pack of animals

109:4-5 Being attacked is painful but being attacked by those you trusted and befriended is doubly painful (cf. Ps. 35:12; 38:20).

109:4b
NASB  "But I am in prayer"
NKJV  "But I myself to prayer"
NRSV  "even while I make prayer for them"
REB  "though I have done nothing wrong"
NJB  "all I can do is pray!"
TEV, Peshitta  "and have prayed for them"
LXX  "but I, I would pray"
JPSOA  "and I must stand judgment"

The MT's meaning is uncertain, as you can tell from the variety of English translations. Literally, the Hebrew is "and I a prayer."

109:5a "they have repaid me evil for good" We live in a fallen and unfair world. This is not the world God intended it to be! The psalmist's sense of his friends'/family's hatred surprised him (cf. Ps. 35:12; 38:20; Jer. 18:20). This was also Jesus' experience!

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 109:6-13
 6Appoint a wicked man over him,
 And let an accuser stand at his right hand.
 7When he is judged, let him come forth guilty,
 And let his prayer become sin.
 8Let his days be few;
 Let another take his office.
 9Let his children be fatherless
 And his wife a widow.
 10Let his children wander about and beg;
 And let them seek sustenance far from their ruined homes.
 11Let the creditor seize all that he has,
 And let strangers plunder the product of his labor.
 12Let there be none to extend lovingkindness to him,
 Nor any to be gracious to his fatherless children.
 13Let his posterity be cut off;
 In a following generation let their name be blotted out.

109:6-20 These two strophes sound so harsh to modern people. The psalmist is simply asking for the covenant curses (cf. Leviticus 26; Deuteronomy 27-30) on faithless Israelites to become a reality to his enemies. He feels he is on YHWH's side; to attack him is to attack YHWH.

The Jewish Study Bible (p. 1407) says this is the longest cursing section in the Psalter. It is so vivid and graphic that some commentators think it reflects what the enemies were saying against the psalmist (i.e., Jerome Bible commentary, NJB, and NIV footnote). However, this cannot be proven from the MT. The only evidence would be the SINGULAR form used in Ps. 109:6-19, which is probably a collective SINGULAR.

109:6 "an accuser" This is the Hebrew term (BDB 966, cf. Ps. 109:20,29) that came to be a title for personified evil, Satan.

SPECIAL TOPIC: SATAN

109:8 "office" It is uncertain from the context what this word (BDB 824) means. It can refer to "stored provisions," cf. Isa. 15:7. The attacker had a place of prominence and power. This phrase (along with Ps. 69:25 from the LXX) is used in Acts 1:20 as referring to Judas Iscariot. Acts used the word "office" as relating to an election for Judas' replacement as an Apostle.

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 109:14-20
 14Let the iniquity of his fathers be remembered before the Lord,
 And do not let the sin of his mother be blotted out.
 15Let them be before the Lord continually,
 That He may cut off their memory from the earth;
 16Because he did not remember to show lovingkindness,
 But persecuted the afflicted and needy man,
 And the despondent in heart, to put them to death.
 17He also loved cursing, so it came to him;
 And he did not delight in blessing, so it was far from him.
 18But he clothed himself with cursing as with his garment,
 And it entered into his body like water
 And like oil into his bones.
 19Let it be to him as a garment with which he covers himself,
 And for a belt with which he constantly girds himself.
 20Let this be the reward of my accusers from the Lord,
 And of those who speak evil against my soul.

109:14-15 This may be an allusion to the two books (i.e., the book of deeds and the book of life) which symbolize God's memory.

SPECIAL TOPIC: THE TWO BOOKS OF GOD

109:14 This verse reflects the words of Exod. 20:5 and Deut. 5:9-10 (also note Jer. 32:18). The lifestyle and priorities of parents often affect the children.

109:17-19 The curses referred to prayers for God to punish. The psalmist is asking for his persecutor's prayer for vengeance to be turned back on themselves. In the OT if one is found to be a false witness in court, he bears the punishment of the one falsely accused.

109:20 This is a summary conclusion to Ps. 109:6-19. It could go with

  1. 109:6-19 (i.e., NASB, NKJV)
  2. the next strophe (cf. NRSV, TEV, NJB)

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 109:21-25
 21But You, O God, the Lord, deal kindly with me for Your name's sake;
 Because Your lovingkindness is good, deliver me;
 22For I am afflicted and needy,
 And my heart is wounded within me.
 23I am passing like a shadow when it lengthens;
 I am shaken off like the locust.
 24My knees are weak from fasting,
 And my flesh has grown lean, without fatness.
 25I also have become a reproach to them;
 When they see me, they wag their head.

109:21-25 See full note at Contextual Insights, D.

109:21 "O God, the Lord" Literally this is YHWH Adoni.

SPECIAL TOPIC: NAMES FOR DEITY, D.

SPECIAL TOPIC: LORD (Adon and Kurios)

In verse 26, another double name/title for Deity appears, "YHWH Eloah." Many of these combinations do not carry specific meaning but are poetic variety.

▣ "for Your name's sake" This is a recurrent theme (cf. Ps. 23:3; 25:11; 31:3; 79:9; 106:8). The name represents the person.

SPECIAL TOPIC: "THE NAME" of YHWH

▣ "lovingkindness" See SPECIAL TOPIC: LOVINGKINDNESS

109:22b
NASB, NKJV  "my heart is wounded"
NRSV, JPSOA  "my heart is pierced"
REB  "my heart. . .is distraught"
NJB  "my wounds go right to the heart"
LXX, Peshitta  "my heart is troubled"

The MT has the VERB "stricken" (BDB 319 I, KB 320, Qal PERFECT). This VERB appears only here in the Qal stem. Because of this, some suggest an emendation to "tremble" (BDB 296 I).

  1. pierce ‒ חלל
  2. tremble ‒ חול (cf. Ps. 55:5)

109:23a The imagery of the transitoriness of a shadow is also used in Job 14:2; Ps. 102:11. Shadow is used in two senses.

  1. transitoriness ‒ here
  2. protection and care ‒ see SPECIAL TOPIC: SHADOW AS A METAPHOR FOR PROTECTION AND CARE

109:24 This verse can be interpreted in two ways (see UBS Handbook, p. 944).

  1. the psalmist has been voluntarily fasting
  2. the psalmist has had no
    1. good food
    2. olive oil for anointing

109:25 "they wag their head" This was a physical gesture of contempt (cf. 2 Kgs. 19:21; Job 16:4; Ps. 22:7; Isa. 37:22; Jer. 18:16; 48:27; Lam. 2:15; Matt. 27:39; Mark 15:29).

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 109:26-29
 26Help me, O Lord my God;
 Save me according to Your lovingkindness.
 27And let them know that this is Your hand;
 You, Lord, have done it.
 28Let them curse, but You bless;
 When they arise, they shall be ashamed,
 But Your servant shall be glad.
 29Let my accusers be clothed with dishonor,
 And let them cover themselves with their own shame as with a robe.

109:26-29 This is a typical OT role reversal motif. The psalmist wants to be vindicated by YHWH in the presence of his enemies (cf. Ps. 23:5). This reflects a court scene.

109:28 "Your servant" The NOUN "servant" (BDB 713) can be used of

  1. a slave
  2. subjects of a king
  3. worshipers (cf. Deut. 32:36,43)
  4. Levite singers (cf. Ps. 113:1; 134:1; 135:1)
  5. Israel (cf. Isa. 41:8-9)
  6. BDB 714, #6, suggests the usage here is simply a polite address to God (cf. Ps. 19:11,13; 27:9; 31:16; 35:27; 69:17; 143:2)
  7. NASB Study Bible (p. 856) sees it as a reference to the Davidic Messiah (cf. Ps. 78:20; Isa. 42:1)
  8. special title for leaders
    1. Abraham ‒ Gen. 26:24
    2. Isaac ‒ Gen. 24:14
    3. Jacob ‒ Ezek. 28:25; 37:25
    4. Moses ‒ Num. 12:7; Deut. 34:5
    5. Joshua ‒ Josh. 24:29 (after his death)
    6. David ‒ 2 Sam. 3:18; 7:5,8,26

▣ "ashamed" See SPECIAL TOPIC: SHAME

NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 109:30-31
 30With my mouth I will give thanks abundantly to the Lord;
 And in the midst of many I will praise Him.
 31For He stands at the right hand of the needy,
 To save him from those who judge his soul.

109:30-31 The psalmist praises YHWH for His faithfulness and justice.

  1. I will give thanks abundantly to the Lord ‒ BDB 392, KB 389, Hiphil IMPERFECT used in a COHORTATIVE sense
  2. I will praise Him - BDB 237, KB 248, Piel IMPERFECT used in a COHORTATIVE sense

Notice the different uses of the VOICE.

  1. the wicked, vv. 2-3,17,20
  2. the righteous, vv. 1,30

109:30 This reflects temple worship.

109:31 "For He stands at the right hand of the needy" This is in direct contrast to the wicked accuser of Ps. 109:6. This same phrase is used of Satan in Zech. 3:1.

YHWH is the defender of the needy, poor, socially outcast, and powerless!

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

This is a study guide commentary, which means that you are responsible for your own interpretation of the Bible. Each of us must walk in the light we have. You, the Bible, and the Holy Spirit are priority in interpretation. You must not relinquish this to a commentator.

These discussion questions are provided to help you think through the major issues of this section of the book. They are meant to be thought-provoking, not definitive.

  1. What does God's silence imply?
  2. List the actions of the wicked.
  3. Why do many commentators think the enemies were close friends?
  4. How does one explain the desire for violence against another person?
  5. How is Ps. 109:14 related to the concept of the book of life?

 

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