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Tyndale Open Bible Dictionary

IMPRECATORY PSALMS*

Psalms that contain curses (imprecations, maledictions) against enemies. These elements do not make up an entire psalm, but verses of this nature appear in approximately 20 psalms (e.g., Pss 5, 17, 28, 35, 40, 55, 59, 70, 71, 74, 79, 80, 94, 109, 129, 137, 139, 140). A number of other psalms express the same ideas as future or accomplished acts of the Lord. Usually these expressions are couched in the form of a prayer or a wish. They voice the desire that evil may come upon an enemy as judgment or retribution.

To the casual reader, such statements may appear to be at variance with much of the rest of Scripture, especially with the teaching of Jesus. The clear injunction of Leviticus 19:17-18 states, “Do not nurse hatred in your heart for any of your relatives. Confront your neighbors directly so you will not be held guilty for their crimes. Never seek revenge or bear a grudge against anyone, but love your neighbor as yourself” (NLT). Jesus expanded the concept of neighbor to include even the despised Samaritan (Lk 10:29-37). In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus declared, “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” (Mt 5:44, rsv; cf. vv 38-48). This is in harmony with the teaching of the OT, which instructs one to feed a hungry enemy and give water to a thirsty one (Prv 25:21-22; cf. Rom 12:20).

Psalm 109 is often singled out as contradicting Jesus’ teachings, for it has the greatest imprecatory content, and its statements are stronger than other psalms of this character. Some have suggested that the maledictions of this psalm are unworthy of Scripture and are expressions of wicked human emotions that should not be included in the Bible. However, it needs to be seen that this psalm has been regarded as both prophetic and messianic. This was the view of Chrysostom, Jerome, Augustine, and others. This was also the interpretation of Horne, who in his commentary translates the imperfect tenses of this psalm as futures, not the subjunctives of our English versions. He took his cue for this prophetic interpretation from Peter’s quotation of verse 8 upon the occasion of choosing a successor for Judas (Acts 1:20). The psalm can then fit the experiences of the life and passion of Jesus, which changes its tenor completely and in large measure removes it from being imprecatory and makes it predictive.

Another passage that has been abhorrent to many occurs in Psalm 137:8-9, which speaks of the joy of those who dash Babylonian children on a rock. Horne took this as predictive of what took place when the armies of the Medes and Persians conquered the city of Babylon in 539 BC.

If one predicates that the expressions in the psalms are curses or desires for retribution, they are not out of keeping with the rest of Scripture. The prayer of Jeremiah for vengeance on his persecutors (Jer 11:20) received direct affirmative response from the Lord (vv 21-23). The plea of the righteous for justice and vindication will be answered speedily (Lk 18:1-8). In Revelation those who had been slain for the Word of God and for their testimony cry out, “O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long will it be before you judge the people who belong to this world for what they have done to us?” (Rv 6:10, NLT), and they were heard. David, to whom Psalm 109 is attributed, was given victory and vengeance over his enemies, as he realized that those who were his enemies were also the enemies of God. Evidently the enemies against whom the psalmist prayed had reached the place where they should receive judgment, and the imprecations of the writer coincided with the judgment of God.