Psalms 109 Study Notes: A Plea Against Lying Accusers
David, slandered and repaid with hatred for his love, asks God not to stay silent. A long string of curses follows against a man charged with hounding the poor, words Peter later applies to Judas. David then asks rescue on the basis of God's own name and ends vowing public praise to the LORD who defends the needy.
General
To whom does Peter apply 109:8 in Acts?
Answer: Judas, who betrayed Jesus
One of the requests in this section is that the man's life be short and that someone else take over his office (109:8). After Jesus' ascension, Peter told the believers that God's Spirit had spoken through David about Judas, who led the men who seized Jesus, and that this prophecy must come to pass (Acts 1:16). Peter then quoted Psalm 69:25 and Psalm 109:8, and on that basis the disciples chose someone to fill Judas's place among the apostles (Acts 1:20). The New Testament therefore reads this psalm's words against a treacherous betrayer as fulfilled in the one who betrayed the Messiah.
- Psalm 109:8 (BSB)“May his days be few; may another take his position.”One of the requests is that the man's days be short and his office pass to someone else.
- Acts 1:16 (BSB)““Brothers, the Scripture had to be fulfilled that the Holy Spirit foretold through the mouth of David concerning Judas, who became a guide for those who arrested Jesus.”Peter says the Holy Spirit spoke through David about Judas, and that this Scripture had to be fulfilled.
- Acts 1:20 (BSB)““For it is written in the book of Psalms: ‘May his place be deserted; let there be no one to dwell in it,’ and, ‘May another take his position.’”Peter quotes Psalm 69:25 and Psalm 109:8 as the basis for choosing Judas's replacement.
- Psalm 69:25 (BSB)“May their place be deserted; let there be no one to dwell in their tents.”The other psalm verse Peter cites in the same speech.
Theological
To whom does Peter apply 109:8 in Acts 1?
Answer: Judas, who betrayed Jesus
109:8 asks that the man's days be few and his office pass to another. Peter declares that the Spirit spoke through David concerning Judas and that the prophecy must come to pass (Acts 1:16), then cites Psalm 69:25 and Psalm 109:8 together as warrant for filling Judas's apostolic office (Acts 1:20). Apostolic interpretation thus reads the psalm's judgment on a treacherous enemy as fulfilled in the betrayer of Christ, and affirms the Spirit's authorship of David's words.
- Psalm 109:8 (BSB)“May his days be few; may another take his position.”One of the requests is that the man's days be short and his office pass to someone else.
- Acts 1:16 (BSB)““Brothers, the Scripture had to be fulfilled that the Holy Spirit foretold through the mouth of David concerning Judas, who became a guide for those who arrested Jesus.”Peter says the Holy Spirit spoke through David about Judas, and that this Scripture had to be fulfilled.
- Acts 1:20 (BSB)““For it is written in the book of Psalms: ‘May his place be deserted; let there be no one to dwell in it,’ and, ‘May another take his position.’”Peter quotes Psalm 69:25 and Psalm 109:8 as the basis for choosing Judas's replacement.
- Psalm 69:25 (BSB)“May their place be deserted; let there be no one to dwell in their tents.”The other psalm verse Peter cites in the same speech.
General
According to 109:4, how does David respond when his enemies accuse him in return for his love?
Answer: He gives himself to prayer
David says his enemies accuse him in return for the love he showed them, but he himself is devoted to prayer (109:4). They return harm for his kindness and hatred for his love (109:5). David's answer to betrayal is not to strike back but to turn to God. He voices the same pain of kindness repaid with harm in Psalm 35:12. Jesus taught His followers to love their enemies and to pray for people who mistreat them (Matthew 5:44), and when He Himself was insulted, He did not strike back but committed His cause to God, the one who judges justly (1 Peter 2:23).
- Psalm 109:4-5 (BSB)“In return for my love they accuse me, but I am a man of prayer. They repay me evil for good, and hatred for my love.”David's enemies answer his love with accusation, while he gives himself to prayer.
- Psalm 35:12 (BSB)“They repay me evil for good, to the bereavement of my soul.”David elsewhere laments enemies who repaid his good with evil.
- Matthew 5:44 (BSB)“But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,”Jesus calls His followers to love their enemies and pray for their persecutors.
- 1 Peter 2:23 (BSB)“When they heaped abuse on Him, He did not retaliate; when He suffered, He made no threats, but entrusted Himself to Him who judges justly.”When Jesus was abused, He did not retaliate but entrusted Himself to God, who judges justly.
Theological
What response to his accusers does David describe in 109:4?
Answer: He gives himself to prayer
Repaid with accusation for his love and with evil for good (109:4-5), David describes himself as given over to prayer. The injury is aggravated by ingratitude, as in Psalm 35:12, yet his recourse is to God, not to retaliation. The pattern finds its fullest expression in Christ, who commanded love and prayer for enemies (Matthew 5:44) and who, under abuse, refused to strike back and committed His cause to the righteous Judge (1 Peter 2:23).
- Psalm 109:4-5 (BSB)“In return for my love they accuse me, but I am a man of prayer. They repay me evil for good, and hatred for my love.”David's enemies answer his love with accusation, while he gives himself to prayer.
- Psalm 35:12 (BSB)“They repay me evil for good, to the bereavement of my soul.”David elsewhere laments enemies who repaid his good with evil.
- Matthew 5:44 (BSB)“But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,”Jesus calls His followers to love their enemies and pray for their persecutors.
- 1 Peter 2:23 (BSB)“When they heaped abuse on Him, He did not retaliate; when He suffered, He made no threats, but entrusted Himself to Him who judges justly.”When Jesus was abused, He did not retaliate but entrusted Himself to God, who judges justly.
General
On what does David base his appeal for help in 109:21?
Answer: On God's own name and His goodness
With the words But You, David turns from his accusers to God (109:21). Addressing Him as Lord, he asks God to treat him kindly because of His own name, and to rescue him because His loving devotion (His loyal, covenant-keeping love) is good. David does not point to his own record; he rests his case on who God is. The same kind of appeal appears when David asks forgiveness because of God's name (Psalm 25:11) and when he says the LORD guides him in right paths because of His name (Psalm 23:3). Through Ezekiel, God says He acts to save not because of Israel but because of His holy name (Ezekiel 36:22). God's rescue flows from His own character, not from human merit.
- Psalm 109:21 (BSB)“But You, O GOD, the Lord, deal kindly with me for the sake of Your name; deliver me by the goodness of Your loving devotion.”David turns from his enemies to God, basing his plea on God's name and loving devotion.
- Psalm 25:11 (BSB)“For the sake of Your name, O LORD, forgive my iniquity, for it is great.”David asks for forgiveness for the sake of God's name.
- Ezekiel 36:22 (BSB)“Therefore tell the house of Israel that this is what the Lord GOD says: It is not for your sake that I will act, O house of Israel, but for My holy name, which you profaned among the nations to which you went.”God says He acts not for Israel's sake but for His holy name.
- Psalm 23:3 (BSB)“He restores my soul; He guides me in the paths of righteousness for the sake of His name.”The LORD guides His sheep for the sake of His name.
Theological
On what ground does David plead in 109:21?
Answer: On God's own name and His goodness
The adversative But You (109:21) turns the psalm from imprecation to petition. Addressing God as Lord, David asks Him to deal with him for His name's sake and to deliver him because His loving devotion is good. The plea rests entirely on God's character and covenant faithfulness, not on David's merit, in the same way that Psalm 25:11 seeks pardon for His name's sake, Psalm 23:3 grounds the Shepherd's guidance in His name, and Ezekiel 36:22 declares that God saves on account of His holy name. Grace, not desert, is the ground of deliverance.
- Psalm 109:21 (BSB)“But You, O GOD, the Lord, deal kindly with me for the sake of Your name; deliver me by the goodness of Your loving devotion.”David turns from his enemies to God, basing his plea on God's name and loving devotion.
- Psalm 25:11 (BSB)“For the sake of Your name, O LORD, forgive my iniquity, for it is great.”David asks for forgiveness for the sake of God's name.
- Ezekiel 36:22 (BSB)“Therefore tell the house of Israel that this is what the Lord GOD says: It is not for your sake that I will act, O house of Israel, but for My holy name, which you profaned among the nations to which you went.”God says He acts not for Israel's sake but for His holy name.
- Psalm 23:3 (BSB)“He restores my soul; He guides me in the paths of righteousness for the sake of His name.”The LORD guides His sheep for the sake of His name.
General
What best summarizes the long section of requests against one man in 109:6-15?
Answer: That God would judge the man, his family, and his name
The long middle section asks God for sweeping judgment on one man. The requests begin in a courtroom, asking that an accuser stand against him and that he be found guilty when tried (109:6-7), and they reach out to his life, his position, his family, his property, and finally the memory of his name (109:8-15). The shift from the many accusers of 109:2-5 to a single man in 109:6-19 is read in two ways: as David's own prayer against one particular enemy, or as David quoting the curses his accusers speak against him. Either way, the words are strong. They are addressed to God rather than carried out by human hands, and the psalm as a whole appeals to God's justice against the persistent, cruel wickedness of David's accusers (109:2-5, 20). Scripture teaches that vengeance belongs to God (Deuteronomy 32:35; Romans 12:19). Jesus also calls His followers to love and pray for their enemies (Matthew 5:44). Christians have understood the relationship between these prayers and that command in different ways.
- Psalm 109:6-7 (BSB)“Set over him a wicked man; let an accuser stand at his right hand. When he is tried, let him be found guilty, and may his prayer be regarded as sin.”The central section begins by asking that the man face a hostile accuser and be found guilty when tried.
- Psalm 109:13 (BSB)“May his descendants be cut off; may their name be blotted out from the next generation.”The requests extend to the man's line and name being cut off.
- Romans 12:19 (BSB)“Do not avenge yourselves, beloved, but leave room for God’s wrath. For it is written: “Vengeance is Mine; I will repay, says the Lord.””Paul tells believers not to avenge themselves but to leave room for God's wrath.
- Deuteronomy 32:35 (BSB)“Vengeance is Mine; I will repay. In due time their foot will slip; for their day of disaster is near, and their doom is coming quickly.””God declares that vengeance and repayment belong to Him.
- Matthew 5:44 (BSB)“But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,”Jesus commands His followers to love their enemies and pray for their persecutors.
Theological
Which statement best summarizes the imprecations against one man in 109:6-15?
Answer: That God would judge the man, his family, and his name
The imprecatory section (109:6-15) asks God for comprehensive judgment on a single adversary: condemnation in the court where he stands accused (109:6-7), and then judgment extending to his life, office, household, possessions, and posterity until his name is blotted out (109:8-15). The shift from the plural accusers of 109:2-5 to a single adversary in 109:6-19 is read in two ways: as David's own imprecation against one particular enemy, or as David quoting the curses his accusers pronounce against him. These words are addressed to God as Judge rather than executed by human hands, and the psalm as a whole appeals to divine justice against the persistent, cruel wickedness of David's accusers (109:2-5, 20), in keeping with the principle that vengeance belongs to the LORD (Deuteronomy 32:35; Romans 12:19). Alongside them stands Jesus' command to love and pray for enemies (Matthew 5:44); Christians have related the two in differing ways.
- Psalm 109:6-7 (BSB)“Set over him a wicked man; let an accuser stand at his right hand. When he is tried, let him be found guilty, and may his prayer be regarded as sin.”The central section begins by asking that the man face a hostile accuser and be found guilty when tried.
- Psalm 109:13 (BSB)“May his descendants be cut off; may their name be blotted out from the next generation.”The requests extend to the man's line and name being cut off.
- Romans 12:19 (BSB)“Do not avenge yourselves, beloved, but leave room for God’s wrath. For it is written: “Vengeance is Mine; I will repay, says the Lord.””Paul tells believers not to avenge themselves but to leave room for God's wrath.
- Deuteronomy 32:35 (BSB)“Vengeance is Mine; I will repay. In due time their foot will slip; for their day of disaster is near, and their doom is coming quickly.””God declares that vengeance and repayment belong to Him.
- Matthew 5:44 (BSB)“But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,”Jesus commands His followers to love their enemies and pray for their persecutors.
General
What prompts David's prayer at the start of Psalm 109?
Answer: Deceitful foes are slandering him unjustly
Psalm 109 is a psalm of David for the choirmaster, the leader of worship music. David addresses God as the one he praises and begs Him not to stay silent (109:1). The reason is that wicked and deceitful people are speaking against him with lies, hemming him in with words of hatred and attacking him for no reason (109:2-3). His trouble is not war or famine but slander and false accusation. David voices the same complaint of unprovoked attack in Psalm 35:7, and Jesus later said the hatred He received without reason fulfilled what was written in the Law (John 15:25).
- Psalm 109:1-3 (BSB)“For the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. O God of my praise, be not silent. For wicked and deceitful mouths open against me; they speak against me with lying tongues. They surround me with hateful words and attack me without cause.”David asks God not to stay silent, because lying enemies have surrounded him with hateful words.
- Psalm 35:7 (BSB)“For without cause they laid their net for me; without reason they dug a pit for my soul.”In another psalm David likewise complains of enemies who attacked him without cause.
- John 15:25 (BSB)“But this is to fulfill what is written in their Law: ‘They hated Me without reason.’”Jesus says that the hatred He received without reason fulfilled what is written.
Theological
What occasions the lament with which Psalm 109 opens?
Answer: Deceitful foes are slandering him unjustly
Addressing the God of his praise, David pleads that He not remain silent (109:1), because wicked, deceitful speakers assail him with lies and encircle him with hateful words, attacking him without cause (109:2-3). The affliction is verbal and judicial, false accusation rather than military threat. Psalm 35:7 voices the same complaint of gratuitous hostility, and Jesus identifies the causeless hatred directed at Him as the fulfillment of what is written (John 15:25).
- Psalm 109:1-3 (BSB)“For the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. O God of my praise, be not silent. For wicked and deceitful mouths open against me; they speak against me with lying tongues. They surround me with hateful words and attack me without cause.”David asks God not to stay silent, because lying enemies have surrounded him with hateful words.
- Psalm 35:7 (BSB)“For without cause they laid their net for me; without reason they dug a pit for my soul.”In another psalm David likewise complains of enemies who attacked him without cause.
- John 15:25 (BSB)“But this is to fulfill what is written in their Law: ‘They hated Me without reason.’”Jesus says that the hatred He received without reason fulfilled what is written.
General
How does David describe himself in 109:22-24?
Answer: As a weak, needy man wasting away
David calls himself poor and in need, with a wounded heart (109:22). He is fading like an evening shadow that stretches out before dark, and brushed off like an insect flicked away (109:23). Going without food has left his legs shaky and his body thin (109:24). These images show a man with no strength of his own left. The same confession, that he is poor and in need and depends on God as his helper, appears in Psalm 40:17, and another suffering psalmist uses the image of lengthening shadows for a life fading away (Psalm 102:11). David's weakness is the very reason he looks to God.
- Psalm 109:22-24 (BSB)“For I am poor and needy; my heart is wounded within me. I am fading away like a lengthening shadow; I am shaken off like a locust. My knees are weak from fasting, and my body grows lean and gaunt.”David describes his weakness and suffering in a series of images.
- Psalm 40:17 (BSB)“But I am poor and needy; may the Lord think of me. You are my helper and deliverer; O my God, do not delay.”In another psalm David likewise calls himself poor and needy and asks God to help him.
- Psalm 102:11 (BSB)“My days are like lengthening shadows, and I wither away like grass.”Another afflicted psalmist compares his days to lengthening shadows.
Theological
What self-portrait does David offer in 109:22-24?
Answer: As a weak, needy man wasting away
David presents himself as poor and needy, inwardly wounded (109:22), fading like an evening shadow and flicked away like an insect (109:23), his legs shaky from going without food and his body wasted (109:24). The portrait is one of utter creaturely helplessness, which becomes the ground of his appeal, as in Psalm 40:17. Psalm 102:11 uses the same shadow image for a life ebbing away.
- Psalm 109:22-24 (BSB)“For I am poor and needy; my heart is wounded within me. I am fading away like a lengthening shadow; I am shaken off like a locust. My knees are weak from fasting, and my body grows lean and gaunt.”David describes his weakness and suffering in a series of images.
- Psalm 40:17 (BSB)“But I am poor and needy; may the Lord think of me. You are my helper and deliverer; O my God, do not delay.”In another psalm David likewise calls himself poor and needy and asks God to help him.
- Psalm 102:11 (BSB)“My days are like lengthening shadows, and I wither away like grass.”Another afflicted psalmist compares his days to lengthening shadows.
General
What reason do 109:16-17 give for the curses called down on the man?
Answer: The man had hounded the helpless and loved to curse
The verses state their own reason for the requests: they charge that the man never cared to show kindness; instead he hunted down the poor, the needy, and the crushed in spirit, to the point of killing them (109:16). He loved cursing and would have nothing to do with blessing, so the requests ask that the curse he loved come back on him and the blessing he rejected stay far away, even soaking into him like water and oil (109:17-18). The judgment requested matches the man's own conduct, and 109:20 asks the LORD to repay the psalmist's accusers in this way. Proverbs says that oppressing the poor insults the God who made them (Proverbs 14:31), and elsewhere Scripture teaches that evil returns on the head of the one who plans it (Psalm 7:15-16) and that a person reaps what he sows (Galatians 6:7).
- Psalm 109:16-18 (BSB)“For he never thought to show kindness, but pursued the poor and needy and brokenhearted, even to their death. The cursing that he loved, may it fall on him; the blessing in which he refused to delight, may it be far from him. The cursing that he wore like a coat, may it soak into his body like water, and into his bones like oil.”The psalm gives the reason for the requests: the wicked man's own cruelty and love of cursing.
- Proverbs 14:31 (BSB)“Whoever oppresses the poor taunts their Maker, but whoever is kind to the needy honors Him.”Oppressing the poor insults their Maker.
- Psalm 7:15-16 (BSB)“He has dug a hole and hollowed it out; he has fallen into a pit of his own making. His trouble recoils on himself, and his violence falls on his own head.”David says the evil a wicked man plans comes back on his own head.
- Galatians 6:7 (BSB)“Do not be deceived: God is not to be mocked. Whatever a man sows, he will reap in return.”Paul warns that a man reaps what he sows.
Theological
What ground do 109:16-17 give for the curses pronounced on the man?
Answer: The man had hounded the helpless and loved to curse
The imprecations are grounded in the charge brought against the adversary: he never cared to act with mercy but persecuted the poor, needy, and crushed in spirit to the point of death (109:16), and he loved cursing while refusing blessing (109:17). The requested judgment thus mirrors the offense, the curse he cherished returning upon him and saturating him like water and oil (109:18), and 109:20 names this the LORD's repayment of the accusers. Oppression of the poor is an affront to their Maker (Proverbs 14:31), and the principle that evil recoils on its author runs from Psalm 7:15-16 to Galatians 6:7.
- Psalm 109:16-18 (BSB)“For he never thought to show kindness, but pursued the poor and needy and brokenhearted, even to their death. The cursing that he loved, may it fall on him; the blessing in which he refused to delight, may it be far from him. The cursing that he wore like a coat, may it soak into his body like water, and into his bones like oil.”The psalm gives the reason for the requests: the wicked man's own cruelty and love of cursing.
- Proverbs 14:31 (BSB)“Whoever oppresses the poor taunts their Maker, but whoever is kind to the needy honors Him.”Oppressing the poor insults their Maker.
- Psalm 7:15-16 (BSB)“He has dug a hole and hollowed it out; he has fallen into a pit of his own making. His trouble recoils on himself, and his violence falls on his own head.”David says the evil a wicked man plans comes back on his own head.
- Galatians 6:7 (BSB)“Do not be deceived: God is not to be mocked. Whatever a man sows, he will reap in return.”Paul warns that a man reaps what he sows.
General
True or False: In 109:25 David says his accusers shake their heads at him in scorn.
Answer: True
This is true. David says his accusers treat him with contempt, and at the sight of him they wag their heads (109:25), a gesture of mockery and contempt. The same gesture appears in Psalm 22, where the sufferer's mockers jeer and wag their heads (Psalm 22:7). The Gospels record that the people passing by Jesus on the cross abused Him and shook their heads at Him (Matthew 27:39). The righteous sufferer mocked by his enemies is a pattern that reaches its deepest point in the suffering of Christ.
- Psalm 109:25 (BSB)“I am an object of scorn to my accusers; when they see me, they shake their heads.”David's accusers treat him with contempt and shake their heads at him.
- Psalm 22:7 (BSB)“All who see me mock me; they sneer and shake their heads:”In Psalm 22 the sufferer is mocked by those who sneer and shake their heads.
- Matthew 27:39 (BSB)“And those who passed by heaped abuse on Him, shaking their heads”Those passing by the cross abused Jesus, shaking their heads.
Theological
True or False: 109:25 describes David's accusers shaking their heads at him in contempt.
Answer: True
This is true. 109:25 describes David as an object of reproach whose accusers shake their heads when they see him, a conventional gesture of derision. The same gesture marks the mockery of the sufferer in Psalm 22:7 and recurs at the cross, where passersby reviled Jesus, shaking their heads (Matthew 27:39). The righteous sufferer derided by enemies is a pattern that finds its climax in the passion of Christ.
- Psalm 109:25 (BSB)“I am an object of scorn to my accusers; when they see me, they shake their heads.”David's accusers treat him with contempt and shake their heads at him.
- Psalm 22:7 (BSB)“All who see me mock me; they sneer and shake their heads:”In Psalm 22 the sufferer is mocked by those who sneer and shake their heads.
- Matthew 27:39 (BSB)“And those who passed by heaped abuse on Him, shaking their heads”Those passing by the cross abused Jesus, shaking their heads.
General
What does David trust will happen to his enemies' curses in 109:28?
Answer: They will be undone by God's blessing on him
David asks God to help and save him in keeping with His loving devotion, so clearly that his enemies will know it was God's hand at work (109:26-27). Then he states his confidence: they may curse, but God will pronounce blessing; if they attack they will end in disgrace while God's servant rejoices (109:28). He also prays that his accusers be covered in disgrace (109:29). Their words cannot overrule God. When Shimei cursed David during Absalom's revolt, David likewise hoped the LORD would repay him with good for that cursing (2 Samuel 16:11-12). Balaam admitted he could not curse those God had not cursed (Numbers 23:8), and Proverbs says a curse without cause finds no place to settle (Proverbs 26:2).
- Psalm 109:26-28 (BSB)“Help me, O LORD my God; save me according to Your loving devotion. Let them know that this is Your hand, that You, O LORD, have done it. Though they curse, You will bless. When they rise up, they will be put to shame, but Your servant will rejoice.”David asks God to save him so openly that his enemies will know God did it, and he trusts God's blessing to outweigh their curses.
- 2 Samuel 16:11-12 (BSB)“Then David said to Abishai and to all his servants, “Behold, my own son, my own flesh and blood, seeks my life. How much more, then, this Benjamite! Leave him alone and let him curse me, for the LORD has told him so. Perhaps the LORD will see my affliction and repay me with good for the cursing I receive today.””When Shimei cursed him, David hoped the LORD would repay him with good for the cursing.
- Numbers 23:8 (BSB)“How can I curse those whom God has not cursed? How can I denounce those whom the LORD has not denounced?”Balaam admits he cannot curse those whom God has not cursed.
- Proverbs 26:2 (BSB)“Like a fluttering sparrow or darting swallow, an undeserved curse does not come to rest.”An undeserved curse does not come to rest.
Theological
What confidence does David express in 109:28 concerning his enemies' curses?
Answer: They will be undone by God's blessing on him
David prays for deliverance according to God's loving devotion, so manifest that the enemies will recognize the LORD's hand (109:26-27), and then asserts that their curses cannot prevail: they curse, but God blesses; they rise and are shamed, while His servant rejoices (109:28). He asks that his accusers be covered in disgrace (109:29). God's blessing overrides every human curse. David expressed the same hope under Shimei's cursing (2 Samuel 16:11-12), Balaam confessed he could not curse whom God had not cursed (Numbers 23:8), and Proverbs 26:2 declares that an undeserved curse finds no resting place.
- Psalm 109:26-28 (BSB)“Help me, O LORD my God; save me according to Your loving devotion. Let them know that this is Your hand, that You, O LORD, have done it. Though they curse, You will bless. When they rise up, they will be put to shame, but Your servant will rejoice.”David asks God to save him so openly that his enemies will know God did it, and he trusts God's blessing to outweigh their curses.
- 2 Samuel 16:11-12 (BSB)“Then David said to Abishai and to all his servants, “Behold, my own son, my own flesh and blood, seeks my life. How much more, then, this Benjamite! Leave him alone and let him curse me, for the LORD has told him so. Perhaps the LORD will see my affliction and repay me with good for the cursing I receive today.””When Shimei cursed him, David hoped the LORD would repay him with good for the cursing.
- Numbers 23:8 (BSB)“How can I curse those whom God has not cursed? How can I denounce those whom the LORD has not denounced?”Balaam admits he cannot curse those whom God has not cursed.
- Proverbs 26:2 (BSB)“Like a fluttering sparrow or darting swallow, an undeserved curse does not come to rest.”An undeserved curse does not come to rest.
General
Who takes His place at the needy one's right hand in 109:31?
Answer: The LORD, who stands there to save him
The psalm uses a courtroom picture twice. Near its start, the requests ask that an accuser take his place at the man's right side (109:6), the place where a prosecutor stood, much as Satan takes that place beside the high priest as his accuser in Zechariah's vision (Zechariah 3:1). At the very end, David praises the LORD because He takes His place at the needy one's right side to rescue him from those who would condemn him (109:31). The LORD Himself is the defender of the helpless. David takes the same comfort in Psalm 16:8. Paul says that no charge can stand against God's chosen people, because God is the one who justifies (declares them righteous) and Christ is at God's right hand interceding for them (Romans 8:33-34).
- Psalm 109:6 (BSB)“Set over him a wicked man; let an accuser stand at his right hand.”An accuser is asked to stand at the man's right hand, the place of a prosecutor in court.
- Psalm 109:31 (BSB)“For He stands at the right hand of the needy one, to save him from the condemners of his soul.”The psalm ends with the LORD standing at the right hand of the needy to save him.
- Zechariah 3:1 (BSB)“Then the angel showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the LORD, with Satan standing at his right hand to accuse him.”In Zechariah's vision, Satan stands at the high priest's right hand to accuse him.
- Romans 8:33-34 (BSB)“Who will bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is there to condemn us? For Christ Jesus, who died, and more than that was raised to life, is at the right hand of God—and He is interceding for us.”No charge can stand against God's elect, because God justifies and Christ intercedes for them.
- Psalm 16:8 (BSB)“I have set the LORD always before me. Because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.”David is not shaken because the LORD is at his right hand.
Theological
In the closing courtroom picture of 109:31, who occupies the place at the needy one's right hand?
Answer: The LORD, who stands there to save him
The psalm frames its courtroom imagery with two figures standing at a man's right side. In 109:6 the requests ask that an accuser take up the prosecutor's place beside the man (compare Zechariah 3:1). In 109:31 the LORD Himself takes that place beside the needy, rescuing him from those who condemn his soul. The divine Advocate displaces every accuser. Psalm 16:8 expresses the same security, and Romans 8:33-34 applies it to the elect: no charge can stand, because God justifies and the risen Christ intercedes from the place of honor beside God.
- Psalm 109:6 (BSB)“Set over him a wicked man; let an accuser stand at his right hand.”An accuser is asked to stand at the man's right hand, the place of a prosecutor in court.
- Psalm 109:31 (BSB)“For He stands at the right hand of the needy one, to save him from the condemners of his soul.”The psalm ends with the LORD standing at the right hand of the needy to save him.
- Zechariah 3:1 (BSB)“Then the angel showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the LORD, with Satan standing at his right hand to accuse him.”In Zechariah's vision, Satan stands at the high priest's right hand to accuse him.
- Romans 8:33-34 (BSB)“Who will bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is there to condemn us? For Christ Jesus, who died, and more than that was raised to life, is at the right hand of God—and He is interceding for us.”No charge can stand against God's elect, because God justifies and Christ intercedes for them.
- Psalm 16:8 (BSB)“I have set the LORD always before me. Because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.”David is not shaken because the LORD is at his right hand.
General
True or False: Psalm 109 ends with David vowing to thank the LORD publicly before many people.
Answer: True
This is true. Although much of the psalm is complaint and a plea for judgment, it ends in praise. David vows to thank the LORD greatly with his mouth and to praise Him in front of many people (109:30), because the LORD stands beside the needy and rescues him from those who would condemn him (109:31). The movement from lament to confident thanks is common in the psalms: David makes a similar vow in Psalm 35:18, and the sufferer of Psalm 22 promises to praise God in the assembly (Psalm 22:22). For Christians, the one who stands up for the needy is seen most fully in Christ, who lives forever to plead for all who approach God by way of Him (Hebrews 7:25).
- Psalm 109:30-31 (BSB)“With my mouth I will thank the LORD profusely; I will praise Him in the presence of many. For He stands at the right hand of the needy one, to save him from the condemners of his soul.”The psalm ends with a vow of public thanks and the reason for it.
- Psalm 35:18 (BSB)“Then I will give You thanks in the great assembly; I will praise You among many people.”David likewise vows to thank God in the great assembly among many people.
- Psalm 22:22 (BSB)“I will proclaim Your name to my brothers; I will praise You in the assembly.”The sufferer of Psalm 22 vows to praise God in the assembly after his rescue.
- Hebrews 7:25 (BSB)“Therefore He is able to save completely those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to intercede for them.”Christ is able to save completely, since He always lives to intercede for His people.
Theological
True or False: Psalm 109 closes with a vow to give the LORD public thanks before a large gathering.
Answer: True
This is true. The lament and imprecation resolve in a vow of public thanksgiving: David will praise the LORD aloud before a large gathering (109:30), grounded in the LORD's taking His stand beside the needy to rescue him from those who condemn his soul (109:31). The movement from lament to thanksgiving parallels Psalm 35:18 and Psalm 22:22. Christians have seen this defender of the needy most fully in Christ, who saves completely because He lives forever to plead for His people (Hebrews 7:25).
- Psalm 109:30-31 (BSB)“With my mouth I will thank the LORD profusely; I will praise Him in the presence of many. For He stands at the right hand of the needy one, to save him from the condemners of his soul.”The psalm ends with a vow of public thanks and the reason for it.
- Psalm 35:18 (BSB)“Then I will give You thanks in the great assembly; I will praise You among many people.”David likewise vows to thank God in the great assembly among many people.
- Psalm 22:22 (BSB)“I will proclaim Your name to my brothers; I will praise You in the assembly.”The sufferer of Psalm 22 vows to praise God in the assembly after his rescue.
- Hebrews 7:25 (BSB)“Therefore He is able to save completely those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to intercede for them.”Christ is able to save completely, since He always lives to intercede for His people.