Bibliotheca Sacra 138 (1981) 35-45
Copyright © 1981 by
A Fresh Look at the
Imprecatory Psalms
J.
Carl Laney
Included in the Psalter are various psalms
containing
appeals for God to pour out His wrath on the
psalmist's enemies.
These
psalms are commonly classified "imprecatory psalms" for
the imprecation forms a chief element in the psalm.
These psalms
have been problematic for Bible teachers and
preachers because
of the difficulty in reconciling them with
Christian thought.
Barnes
comments on this problem.
. . . perhaps there is
no part of the Bible that gives more perplexity
and pain to its readers
than this; perhaps nothing that constitutes a
more plausible objection to
the belief that the psalms are the
productions of inspired men than
the spirit of revenge which they
sometimes seem to breathe and the
spirit of cherished malice and
implacableness which the writers seem
to manifest.1
The
purposes of this article are to define an "imprecation," iden-
tify the imprecatory psalms,
pinpoint the problem that interpre-
ters have with such psalms, recount
proposed solutions to the
difficulty, and present a suggested solution to
this problem.
The Definition of Imprecation
An "imprecation" is an invocation of
judgment, calamity, or
curse uttered against one's enemies, or the enemies
of God. The
morning prayer of Moses was an imprecation that
the enemies of
Yahweh,
who were Moses' enemies as well, would be scattered and
flee from His presence (Num. 10:35). The Song of
Deborah
35
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and Barak concludes with
an imprecation that Yahweh's ene-
mies might perish (Judg. 5:31). Jeremiah the prophet used
repeated imprecations against his enemies (Jer. 11:20; 15:15;
17:18;
18:21-23; 20:12). Such imprecations are not limited to
the Old Testament, but are found in the New
Testament as well
(Rev. 6:9-10). Other portions of the
New Testament are consid-
ered by some to contain
imprecations (Acts 13:10-11; 23:3; 1
Cor. 16:22; Gal. 1:8-9; 5:12; 2 Tim. 4:14), but
while these verses
contain a curse element, they do not have a
specific prayer to the
Lord
that the judgment would be carried out.2 Imprecations from
the Psalms, however, are quoted in the New
Testament (Acts
1:20;
Pss. 69:25; 109:8). Crucial to the definition of an impreca-
tion is that it (a) must be
an invocation--a prayer or address to
God,
and (b) must contain a request that one's enemies or the
enemies of Yahweh be judged and justly punished.
The Identification of the Imprecatory Psalms
While many imprecations are in the Book of
Psalms,3 it is
evident that in some psalms the imprecations
form the chief
element. These "imprecatory psalms"
have been said to contain
"expressions calling for divine judgment to fall upon the
Psalmist's
enemy,"4 which would involve not only the enemy's
personal destruction but also the overthrow of
his family and the
crushing of all hope for his future. Leupold states that the term
"imprecatory psalms" is used to designate "those
psalms in
which the writer prays that God may afflict the
evildoer and
punish him according to his just deserts."5
that these psalms constitute "a reply to the
national enemies"
and a call to God "to exercise retribution.”6
In the imprecatory
psalms the imprecation, instead of being a minor
element, is
greatly multiplied until it becomes a major
element or leading
feature. An imprecatory psalm, then, is one in
which the impre-
cation is a major element or
leading feature of the psalm.
Although opinion varies as to the
number and identity of the
imprecatory psalms, at least these nine may be
included, based
on the preceding definition: Psalms 7; 35; 58; 59;
69; 83; 109;
137; and 139. A reading of these
psalms reveals that the impreca-
tory element is a leading
feature of each psalm and is crucial to
the psalmist's argument. All these imprecatory
psalms are David-
ic except for Psalm 83,
which is attributed to Asaph, and Psalm
137, which is exilic.
A Fresh Look at the
Imprecatory Psalms 37
The Problem with the Imprecatory Psalms
The basic problem with the imprecatory psalms is
an ethical
one. Vos asks, "How
can it be right to wish or pray for the
destruction or doom of others as is done in the
Imprecatory
Psalms? . . . Is it right for a Christian to use the Imprecatory
Psalms
in the worship of God, and if so, in what sense can he
make the Psalms his own?"7 Beardslee also calls attention to
the ethical problem of these psalms.
In our private reading we can scarcely
understand why they should
find a place in a book
otherwise so universally fitted to stimulate
devotional life. In the public
service of the church they are passed in
silence by the preacher as
having in them nothing calculated to
educate and elevate the moral
character of the people.8
The
problem with the imprecatory psalms, or more correctly, the
interpreter's problem with them, is
how an apparent spirit of
vengeance can be reconciled with the precepts of
the New
Testament
and Jesus' command to "love your enemies, and pray
for those who persecute you" (Matt. 5:44). Essentially three prob-
lems are confronted: (1) How
can the presence of these impreca-
tions in the Hebrew hymnal be
explained? (2) Do they have
application to the life and worship of Christians?
(3) Can these
heart cries for vengeance and retribution be as
inspired as the
other portions of the Book of Psalms which magnify
and elevate
God's character? Evangelicals must
answer the second and third
questions in the affirmative, and then begin to
deal with the
first question--the ethical or moral problem of the
psalms of
imprecation.
The Unsatisfactory Solutions
Many possible solutions to the problem of the
imprecatory
psalms have been formulated. A brief review and
evaluation of
some major suggestions is necessary before setting
forth a fresh
approach to dealing with the ethical problem.9
THE
IMPRECATIONS BY DAVID'S ENEMIES
It has been suggested that the imprecations in
Psalm 109:6-
20
are not the utterance of David against his enemies, but are the
fierce cursing of David's enemies against David
himself.10 To
adhere to this solution one must insert the participle
rmexo
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("saying ) at the end of verse 5 so that the imprecation would
appear to be sourced in the mouths of David's
persecutors. Justi-
fication for this solution is
based on the insertion of an implied
participle in Psalm 2:2 in the Authorized Version
to explain the
quotation in 2:3 which obviously must be
attributed to the
psalmist's enemies.
However, this proposed solution is very
strained. The transi-
tion from verse 5 to verse 6
in Psalm 109 does not give any
intimation that the words pass from David's prayer
to an impre-
cation by his enemies, and the
alleged "quotation" (vv. 6-20) is far
longer than the single verse of Psalm 2. Also this
solution would
certainly
not work in Psalms 7; 35; 58; 59; 69; 83; 137; or 139,
where the imprecation is against a plurality of the
psalmist's
enemies. This view must therefore be rejected as
an inadequate
explanation.
THE
EXPRESSION OF DAVID'S OWN SENTIMENTS
A second solution offered is that in these
imprecations David
is uttering the sentiments of his own heart and
not those of the
Holy Spirit. This view is taken by Kittel who considers the impre-
catory psalms to have
originated from mean-spirited individuals
who thought only of conquest and revenge. The
presence of these
psalms in the Hebrew Psalter witnesses to the fact
that at one
time they were accredited to God.11 The
suggestion is made
that if David had been a better man, he would not
have uttered
such perverse thoughts. This view, however,
overlooks the biblical
record of David's character as a man who did not
indulge in a
spirit of personal revenge (1 Sam. 24:1-7; 26:5). Also
the New
Testament
reveals that David wrote the psalms under the person-
al and direct inspiration of the Holy Spirit
("who by the Holy
Spirit,
through the mouth of our father David Thy servant, didst
say . . ." [Acts 4:251, and "men moved by
the Holy Spirit spoke
from
God" [2 Peter 1:21]). To dissect a psalm or any portion of
Scripture
into inspired and uninspired sections is a fundamental
error, and therefore an unacceptable solution to the
problem of
the imprecatory psalms.
THE
INFERIOR PRINCIPLE OF SPIRITUAL LIFE IN THE OLD TESTAMENT
Still another view offered is that the inspiring
principle
underlying the spiritual life of the Old Testament
differs from that
of the New.12 It is suggested that
since David lived prior to
the full light of the truth about spirituality, as
developed in the
A Fresh Look at the
Imprecatory Psalms 39
New
Testament, broad ethical teaching and practice should not
be expected from him. However, while those in the
present dis-
pensation of grace do enjoy the
benefits and spiritual life pro-
vided by the teachings of Jesus, the Mosaic covenant
did provide
David with adequate guidelines for ethical
conduct.
Hatred for
one's neighbors is forbidden in the Old Testament, as
is
vengeance (Deut. 32:35), while love is commanded
(Lev. 19:17-
18).
This solution to the problem of the imprecatory psalms
is
inadequate because it underestimates the Old
Testament's provi-
sion of ethical guidelines.
Christians do enjoy the benefits of
progressive revelation, but that progress is not
from error to
truth; instead, it is a progression from incomplete
revelation to a
more full and complete revelation or divine
disclosure.
THE
IMPRECATIONS AGAINST DAVID'S SPIRITUAL FOES
It has also been suggested that the imprecatory
psalms are
the psalmist's spiritual
antagonists rather than human person-
ages. According to this view evil spiritual
influences are personi-
fied as evil men. Mowinckel suggests that the imprecations in
these psalms are curses uttered in the name of God
who is a sure
defense against the powers of darkness and is
able to defy and
overthrow the hosts of evil which stir themselves
up against His
servants.13 This solution
introduces an unfortunate subjectivity
and indefiniteness to the meaning of the biblical
language. How
is one to determine when to make the transition
from a literal to a
spiritual interpretation of a particular passage?
Also if the
psalmist's enemies are evil principles and forces
of darkness, it is
strange that their families should be mentioned
in Psalm 109.
Many
of the psalms were written in a time of oppression from
enemies like Doeg the Edomite (Ps. 52:1; 1 Sam. 21:7) and
Shimei (2 Sam. 16:5-8), and it is therefore difficult
to believe that
David
would have had nonphysical enemies in mind.
THE
IMPRECATIONS ARE PROPHETIC
Another proposed solution to the problem is that
the impre-
catory psalms are to be
understood as prophetic. The psalmist
was not only a poet, but was also a prophet
declaring what would
happen to the ungodly. This is one of the solutions
offered by
Barnes,
and was held by Augustine, Calvin, and Spurgeon.14
This
view throws the responsibility for the imprecation on God,
and thus relieves the psalmist from the charge of
speaking out of
a spirit of bitterness or revenge. It is pointed
out by advocates of
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this view that the imprecations are quoted in the
New Testament
(Pss. 69:25 and 109:8
in Acts 1:20; and Ps. 69:22-23 in
11:9-10), and that therefore all the
imprecations are prophetic.
Against
this view is the fact that the imperfect form of the verb is
sometimes preceded by an imperative, in which case
the imper-
fect form is translated as a
jussive (Ps. 69:25-26).15 The impreca-
tion in such a case is not a
simple declaration of what will
happen, but is a wish or prayer that it may happen. In
Psalm 137
the imprecation involves the third person in such a
way as to
show that the speaker is not simply uttering the
divine will as a
prophet, but is expressing his own feeling as a
man. Psalm
137:8-9
is an expression of the personal satisfaction the psalmist
will feel when judgment overtakes the wrongdoers.
THE
HUMANITY OF THE PSALMIST
A recent view of Psalm 137 is that it simply
expresses the full
humanity of the psalmist who loved
passionately. According to Bright,
the psalmist is "God's wholly
committed man, yet a man who is estranged from
God's spirit."16
Bright
asserts that the psalm must not be read and received as
God's
Word for today in and of itself, but that it must be read in
light of the gospel. The psalmist expresses a
conclusion which is
"unworthy and sub-Christian," but he records the
frustration of
the whole man who must be confronted by Christ. The
psalmist's
thoughts are not approved, but are understood to
be an expres-
sion of humanity's need for
Christ. While Bright deals only with
Psalm
137, presumably he would also apply this principle of
interpretation to the other
imprecatory psalms. While this view
does offer an application of these psalms to
Christians, it does
not adequately explain the inspiration of Psalm 137
and the
reason for its inclusion in the Psalter. This view
appears to deny
the divine authorship of the imprecatory psalms in
an arbitrary
attempt to distinguish between that which is the
expression of
humanity and that which is the expression of the
Spirit. Such a
dichotomy fails to grasp the unity of the divine
and human
authors of Scripture (cf. Acts 4:25).
Steps toward a Satisfactory Solution
Having investigated several unsatisfactory
solutions to the
ethical problem of the imprecatory psalms,
several factors toward
a satisfactory solution may now be considered.
A Fresh Look at the
Imprecatory Psalms 41
THE
PURPOSES OF THE IMPRECATIONS
An awareness of the ethical and revelational purposes of the
imprecatory judgments will enable one to understand
better the
imprecatory psalms. Six purposes are evident.
1. One major purpose of the judgments against
evildoers is
to establish the righteous. As God judges the
wicked, He is also
invoked to establish the righteous (Ps. 7:8-9).
A concern for
righteousness and the righteous is
foundational to the impreca-
tion found in Psalm 7:6-11.
2. A second purpose of the imprecatory judgments
is that
God
may be praised when the psalmist is delivered (Pss.
7:17:
35:18,
28). Closely related to this is the anticipation of rejoicing
when the psalmist sees the vindication taking place
(58:10).
3. A third purpose in requesting judgment
against the wick-
ed is that men will see the reward of the
righteous and recognize
that it is God who judges the earth (58:11). Both
the righteous
and the wicked will know that God is concerned with
justice and
that He executes judgment on the earth.
4. The imprecatory judgments are also designed
to demon-
strate to everyone that God is
sovereign. David prayed that his
enemies would be destroyed so that men from the
ends of the
earth may know that God rules in Jacob (59:13).
5. A fifth purpose of the imprecatory judgments
is to prevent
the wicked from enjoying the same blessings as the righteous.
David
prays that those who persist in wickedness may be blotted
out of the book of life (the register of the
living), that is, may be
judged by physical death (69:28).
6. A sixth purpose of the imprecatory judgments
is to cause
the wicked to seek the Lord. Asaph
prays that God would judge
and humiliate His enemies so that they would seek
His name and
acknowledge Him as the sovereign God (83:16-18).
These purposes of the imprecations give a divine
perspective
to the seemingly human cries for judgment. It
would appear that
the high ethical and revelational
purposes of the imprecatory
psalms clear them of the charge of being sourced in
the bitter
spirit of a bloodthirsty, carnal man.
THE
COVENANTAL BASIS FOR A CURSE ON
The fundamental ground on which one may justify
the im-
precations in the Psalms is the
covenantal basis for a curse on
ised blessing on those who
blessed Abraham's posterity, and
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cursing (rraxA) on those who would
curse (ll.eq;). Abraham's
posterity. Because of the unconditional nature of
the covenant,
its promises and provisions remain in force
throughout
existence as a nation. Balaam is an example of one
who received
judgment for cursing
Balaam
was unable to curse
ment because of his attack
on
itual life of the nation
(31:8). All the Midianites except for the
little ones and the virgin girls were slain because of
their part in
the attack against the spiritual life of
who had cursed were cursed!
On the basis of the unconditional Abrahamic covenant,
David
had a perfect right, as the representative of the nation, to
pray that God would effect what He had promised--cursing
on
those who cursed or attacked
threat to the well-being of
imprecatory psalms are appeals for Yahweh to carry
out His
judgment against those who would curse the nation--judgment
in accordance with the provisions of the Abrahamic covenant.
THE
ATTITUDE OF THE IMPRECATOR
The attitude of the psalmist is a key
consideration in seeking
to interpret and appreciate the imprecatory
psalms. While the
psalmist might appear to be a bloodthirsty and
vindictive
avenger, a closer examination demonstrates that
this is not the
case. Four significant points must be taken into
consideration.
1. It is significant that David never prayed
that he may be
permitted to take vengeance on his enemies, but
always that God
would become his avenger. David's prayer was always
that
Yahweh
would rise against his adversaries (Pss. 7:6; 35:1;
58:6;
59:5)
and overthrow, smite, and destroy as the psalmist's own
Avenger. The power and right to avenge belonged
to God (Deut.
32:35),
and David, realizing that a crisis had come, simply re-
quested that God use judgmental retribution for
His own glory
and for the deliverance of His servant.
2. It is also important to distinguish between
"vindication"
and "vindictiveness." The psalmist's
passion was for justice, and
the imprecatory psalms are not sourced in personal
vindictive-
ness or bitter malice that seeks revenge. David was
capable of
generosity under personal attack (2 Sam. 16:11;
19:16-23), yet
no ruler was more deeply stirred to anger by
unscrupulous ac-
A Fresh Look at the
Imprecatory Psalms 43
tions even when they appeared
to favor his cause. What David
pleaded for in his imprecations was that justice
be done and that
right be vindicated. He simply asked for the
judgmental interven-
tion which any victim of
injustice deserved. David's concern was
for vindication—justice--a concern which also the
New
Testament
upholds (e.g. Luke 18:1-8).
3. David's concept of kingship sheds
considerable light on
the attitude of the imprecator. The king of
man (Deut. 17:15), sitting on an earthly throne as
God's
representative. David had great
respect for the anointed king and
refused to stretch forth his hand against
Yahweh's anointed (1
Sam. 24:10: 26:11). To have done so would
have been not only
treason but also utter sacrilege and disregard
for the theocratic
office. When the office of king was conferred on
David, he then
regarded himself and everything that concerned
him in light of
his official relationship to God and the theocratic
government. As
the representative of God to the people, an attack
on the king--
the theocratic official--differed in no wav from an
attack on
Yahweh!
David saw attacks against him as attacks on the name of
Yahweh. He thus prayed for the destruction of
the wicked, not out
of personal revenge, but out of his zeal for God
and His kingdom.
4. It is also helpful to see that the
imprecations in the Book of
Psalms
reflect an Old Testament saint's abhorrence of sin and
evil. Those against whom the imprecations were
directed were
not the private enemies of David, but those who opposed
God and
His cause. Divine judgment was called down on those
who were
the very incarnation of wickedness. David's heart
was sensitive to
sin (Pss. 51:3, 9;
139:23-24), and out of his abhorrence for sin
and evil he appealed to God for justice and the
execution of
judgment on the wicked.
Conclusion
The imprecatory psalms present to the Bible
student the
problem of reconciling the apparent spirit of
vengeance with the
precepts of the New Testament and the teachings
of Jesus. The
key to solving this ethical problem is to
understand that the
imprecations are grounded in the Abrahamic covenant (Gen.
12:1-3),
in which God promised to curse those who cursed
Abraham's descendants. The psalmist, then,
merely appealed for
God to fulfill His covenant promise to
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note that the imprecations were motivated by a
desire to promote
righteousness (Ps. 7:6-11), to
demonstrate God's sovereignty
(58:11;
59:13), to cause the wicked to seek the Lord (83:16-18),
and to provide an opportunity for the righteous to
praise God
(7:17;
35:18, 28). Therefore out of zeal for God and abhorrence of
sin the psalmist called on God to punish the wicked
and to
vindicate His righteousness.
In light of the fact that the Abrahamic covenant reflects God's
promise to Abraham and his descendants, it would
be in-
appropriate for a church-age believer to call down
God's judg-
ment on the wicked. One can
appreciate the Old Testament
setting of the imprecatory psalms and teach and
preach from
them. However, like the ceremonial dietary laws of
the Old
Testament,
the imprecations in the Psalms should not be applied
to church-age saints. This is clear from Paul's
exhortation in
Romans
12:14, "Bless those who persecute you; bless and curse
not." Paul admonished the Romans, "Never
take your own re-
venge, beloved, but leave
room for the wrath of God, for it is
written, ‘Vengeance is Mine, I will repay, says
the Lord’” (12:19).
Paul's
words in 2 Timothy 4:14 indicate that he practiced what
he preached. Rather than calling down divine wrath
on Alexan-
der the coppersmith, Paul
simply stated, "The Lord will repay
him according to his deeds." And John makes it
clear that God in
the future will judge the wicked for their sin
(Rev. 20:11-15).
Notes
1
Albert Barnes, Notes, Critical,
Explanatory, and Practical on the Book of
Psalms, 3 vols. (London:
Blackie & Son, 1868), 1: xxv-xxvi.
2
The cry of the martyred tribulation saints in Revelation 6:10 for God's
vengeance, while similar to the psalmist's
imprecations, is not applicable to the
church age.
3
Psalms 5:10; 6:10: 9 9; 10:2, 15: 17:13a; 28:4;
31:17b-18; 40:14-15: 55:9,
15;
68:1-2: 70:2-3; 71:13; 79:6, 10, 12: 94:1: 97:7: 104:35; 129:5-6: 140:9-11;
141:10;
143:12.
4
J. W. Beardslee, "The Imprecatory Element in the
Psalms," Presbyterian and
Reformed Review 8 (1897), p. 491.
5
H. C. Leupold, The Psalms (Grand
Rapids: Baker Book House. 1969), p. 18.
6
Roland K. Harrison, Introduction to the
Old Testament (
Wm.
B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1969), p. 997.
7
Johannes G. Vos, "The Ethical Problem of the
Imprecatory Psalms,"
8
Beardslee, "The Imprecatory Element in the
Psalms," p. 491.
9
For an overview of other solutions that have been proposed see Roy B. Zuck,
"The
Problem of the Imprecatory Psalms" (Th.M.
thesis, Dallas Theological
Seminary,
1957), pp. 45-58.
10
Beardslee, "The Imprecatory Element in the
Psalms," pp. 491-92.
A Fresh Look at the
Imprecatory Psalms 45
11 G. Kittel. The Scientific Study of the Old Testament.
p. 143. quoted in G. S.
Gunn,
God in the Psalms (Edinburgh: Saint
Andrew Press, 1965), p. 102.
12 Beardslee. "The Imprecatory
Element in the Psalms," p. 496.
13 Sigmund Mowinckel. The Psalms in
Thomas.
2 vols. (New York: Abingdon Press, 1962), 1:44-52.
14 Barnes. The Book of Psalms. 1: xxx.
15
E. Kautzsch, ed., Gesenius' Hebrew Grammar, trans. A. E. Cowley, 2d En-
glish ed. (Oxford: At the
Clarendon Press. 1910), p. 322.
16 John Bright. The Authority of the Old Testament (
1967),
p. 238.
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