How do we explain the imprecatory psalms?
Question 1117
Among the psalms of praise, thanksgiving, and quiet trust, we encounter prayers that shock us with their intensity. These are the imprecatory psalms, prayers calling down curses on enemies, invoking divine vengeance in the most graphic terms. “Break the teeth in their mouths, O God!” (Psalm 58:6). “Let their children be fatherless and their wives widows!” (Psalm 109:9). “Happy shall he be who takes your little ones and dashes them against the rock!” (Psalm 137:9). How do we reconcile these cries for vengeance with Jesus’ command to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us?
Identifying the Imprecatory Psalms
The term “imprecatory” comes from the Latin imprecari, meaning to invoke or call down (usually evil or curse). While elements of imprecation appear throughout the Psalter, the major imprecatory psalms include Psalms 5, 10, 17, 35, 55, 58, 59, 69, 70, 79, 83, 109, 129, 137, and 140. These vary in intensity, but all contain prayers for God to act against the psalmist’s enemies.
The language is often vivid and visceral. Psalm 69:22-25 asks that enemies’ tables become traps, their eyes darkened, their backs bowed, and God’s indignation poured out on them. Psalm 109 contains one of the longest sustained curses in Scripture, asking that an adversary’s children wander and beg, that no one show him kindness, that his posterity be cut off. These are not mild requests.
Understanding the Context
Several factors help us understand these prayers:
Covenant relationship: The psalmists were members of God’s covenant people. Attacks on them were attacks on those God had chosen and protected. When David’s enemies were also God’s enemies, opposing the anointed king of Israel, the imprecations were prayers for God to defend His own honour and His covenant promises. The curses invoke covenant judgments on covenant-breakers.
Justice before the final judgment: The psalmists lived without clear revelation of a final judgment where all wrongs would be righted. Their only hope for justice was in this life. When they cried for God to act against the wicked, they were asking for what Christians await at Christ’s return. The imprecatory psalms express faith that God is just and will not let evil triumph forever.
Honest prayer: The Psalter includes the full range of human emotion because God invites us to bring our whole selves to Him in prayer. Anger at injustice is a legitimate human response. Rather than acting on that anger, the psalmists handed it to God. They did not take personal revenge but appealed to the divine Judge. “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord” (Romans 12:19; Deuteronomy 32:35). The imprecatory psalms embody exactly this principle: instead of retaliating, bring your anger to God and let Him handle it.
Prophetic declaration: Some imprecations function more as prophecy than prayer. When David curses Judas (using the words of Psalm 69 and 109, as applied in Acts 1:20), he speaks prophetically about what will happen to the traitor. These are not merely personal wishes but inspired declarations of divine judgment.
Jesus and the Imprecatory Psalms
Jesus quoted from imprecatory psalms and applied them to His own situation. John 15:25 cites Psalm 69:4 (“They hated me without a cause”). Psalm 69 is one of the strongest imprecatory psalms. Jesus did not repudiate it but saw Himself as its subject.
At the same time, Jesus taught love for enemies and prayed for His executioners, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34). Stephen likewise prayed for his murderers (Acts 7:60). How do we hold these together?
The key is distinguishing between personal retaliation and the prayer for divine justice. Jesus absorbed personal insults without retaliation (1 Peter 2:23). But He also pronounced woes on the unrepentant (Matthew 23) and will return in judgment against all who reject Him (Revelation 19). The same Lord who said “love your enemies” will say “depart from me, you cursed, into eternal fire” (Matthew 25:41). Love and justice are both part of God’s character, and prayer can rightly invoke both.
Praying the Imprecatory Psalms Today
How should Christians use these psalms in their own prayer and worship? Several considerations apply:
Against spiritual enemies: Ephesians 6:12 reminds us that our struggle is not against flesh and blood but against spiritual forces of wickedness. The imprecatory psalms can be prayed against Satan and demons without hesitation. When we ask God to crush the serpent’s head, we stand in ancient tradition.
For justice against evil: When we see oppression, persecution of Christians, or great evil in the world, we can ask God to act against the perpetrators. This is not incompatible with praying for their conversion. Both can coexist. We may pray simultaneously, “Lord, stop them, and if they will not repent, judge them. But if they will turn, save them.”
With awareness of our own sinfulness: Before we pray for God’s wrath on our personal enemies, we should remember that we too deserve wrath. The gospel teaches us that we were enemies of God who received mercy. This should temper personal vindictiveness while still allowing genuine prayer for justice.
Leaving room for God’s timing: The psalmists cried “How long, O LORD?” (Psalm 13:1). They knew that God’s timing was not theirs. We can bring our anger and longing for justice to God without demanding immediate action. He knows when and how to answer.
Conclusion
The imprecatory psalms are not embarrassments to be ignored or explained away but inspired Scripture that teaches us how to deal with anger, injustice, and evil. They channel violent emotion into prayer rather than action. They express confidence that God will judge righteously. They remind us that a day of reckoning is coming when all wrongs will be made right. And they model honesty with God, bringing our darkest feelings into His presence rather than hiding them. In a world full of injustice, these prayers express what every righteous heart feels: a longing for God to act, to vindicate the oppressed, and to bring the wicked to account.
“O LORD, God of vengeance, O God of vengeance, shine forth! Rise up, O judge of the earth; repay to the proud what they deserve!” Psalm 94:1-2
Bibliography
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- Goldingay, John. Psalms. 3 vols. Baker Commentary on the Old Testament Wisdom and Psalms. Grand Rapids: Baker, 2006-2008.
- Kaiser, Walter C. Jr. “The Imprecatory Psalms.” In Hard Sayings of the Old Testament, 93-99. Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 1988.
- Kidner, Derek. Psalms 1-72 and Psalms 73-150. Tyndale Old Testament Commentary. Leicester: Inter-Varsity Press, 1973, 1975.
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- Zenger, Erich. A God of Vengeance? Understanding the Psalms of Divine Wrath. Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 1996.