Psalm 109 is a
psalm
The Book of Psalms ( or ; he, תְּהִלִּים, , lit. "praises"), also known as the Psalms, or the Psalter, is the first book of the ("Writings"), the third section of the Tanakh, and a book of the Old Testament. The title is derived f ...
in the
Book of Psalms. In the slightly different numbering system used in the Greek
Septuagint
The Greek Old Testament, or Septuagint (, ; from the la, septuaginta, lit=seventy; often abbreviated ''70''; in Roman numerals, LXX), is the earliest extant Greek translation of books from the Hebrew Bible. It includes several books beyond ...
version of the Bible and in the Latin
Vulgate
The Vulgate (; also called (Bible in common tongue), ) is a late-4th-century Latin translation of the Bible.
The Vulgate is largely the work of Jerome who, in 382, had been commissioned by Pope Damasus I to revise the Gospels u ...
, this psalm is Psalm 108. It is attributed to
King David and noted for containing some of the most severe
curses in the Bible, such as
verses 12 and
13. It has traditionally been called the "Judas Psalm" or "Iscariot Psalm" for an interpretation relating
verse 8 to
Judas Iscariot
Judas Iscariot (; grc-x-biblical, Ἰούδας Ἰσκαριώτης; syc, ܝܗܘܕܐ ܣܟܪܝܘܛܐ; died AD) was a disciple and one of the original Twelve Apostles of Jesus Christ. According to all four canonical gospels, Judas betraye ...
's punishment as noted in the
New Testament
The New Testament grc, Ἡ Καινὴ Διαθήκη, transl. ; la, Novum Testamentum. (NT) is the second division of the Christian biblical canon. It discusses the teachings and person of Jesus, as well as events in first-century Chri ...
.
The psalm's Latin title is ''Deus, laudem'', from its opening words, ''Deus, laudem meam ne tacueris'' ("My God, whom I praise, do not remain silent" in the
New International Version).
Analysis
The
New Oxford Annotated Bible titles this psalm "Prayer for deliverance from enemies", as one of the
Imprecatory Psalms against deceitful foes. It starts with the psalmist's plea in verses 1–5, followed by an extensive imprecation (verses 6–19, concluded or summed up in verse 20). The renewed pleading at verse 21 is made with appeals on the grounds of
Yahweh
Yahweh *''Yahwe'', was the national god of ancient Israel and Judah. The origins of his worship reach at least to the early Iron Age, and likely to the Late Bronze Age if not somewhat earlier, and in the oldest biblical literature he poss ...
's steadfast love, the details of the psalmist's own misery, and the request for vengeance to the enemies, but the lament ends with the vow to offer praise, which is common in this type of psalm (verses 30–31). In verses 8–14 the curse by the psalmist 'extends through three generations': on the person (
verse 8), on the person's children (verses 9–
13), and on the person's parents (verse 14). The change from plural enemies (verses 2–5) to a singular individual (verses 6–19) parallels
Psalm 55
Psalm 55 is the 55th psalm of the Book of Psalms, beginning in English in the King James Version, "Give ear to my prayer, O God, and hide not thyself from my supplication". The Book of Psalms forms part of the ketuvim, the third section of the ...
.
In verse 4, there is evil given 'in return for my love'. The curses here are consistent with Proverbs 17:13, where "if evil is given for good then evil will not depart from their house". Returning evil for good is also seen in other psalms, often seen as portending Judas being an 'anti-friend' figure returning evil for good or even friendship, namely 41, 69 and here in 109.
Verses 2 and 30
There is an
inclusio near the opening and closing of the Psalm: in the opening, the Psalmist is facing the lies of accusers mouths while in the close his own mouth greatly praises God.
:''For the mouth of the wicked and the mouth of the deceitful are opened against me: they have spoken against me with a lying tongue.''
:''I will greatly praise the Lord with my mouth; yea, I will praise him among the multitude.''
Verse 8
:''Let his days be few; and let another take his office.''
The
Apostle Peter
An apostle (), in its literal sense, is an emissary, from Ancient Greek ἀπόστολος (''apóstolos''), literally "one who is sent off", from the verb ἀποστέλλειν (''apostéllein''), "to send off". The purpose of such sending ...
quoted verse 8 (''"Let another take his office"'') before the apostles elected the replacement for
Judas Iscariot
Judas Iscariot (; grc-x-biblical, Ἰούδας Ἰσκαριώτης; syc, ܝܗܘܕܐ ܣܟܪܝܘܛܐ; died AD) was a disciple and one of the original Twelve Apostles of Jesus Christ. According to all four canonical gospels, Judas betraye ...
in
Acts
The Acts of the Apostles ( grc-koi, Πράξεις Ἀποστόλων, ''Práxeis Apostólōn''; la, Actūs Apostolōrum) is the fifth book of the New Testament; it tells of the founding of the Christian Church and the spread of its message ...
, appointing
Matthias in his place.
Verse 12
:''Let there be none to extend mercy unto him: neither let there be any to favour his fatherless children.''
*"Let there be none to extend mercy unto him" or "Let him have none to continue lovingkindness to him as represented in his children"; nor "anyone have pity" on his orphaned children.
[ The phrase "to extend mercy" is translated from he, משך חסד, '' '', which can also mean "to draw out mercy" in the sense of "causing it to continue and last" (cf. ; )][Keil, Carl Friedrich; Delitzsch, Franz]
''Commentary on the Old Testament'' (1857–1878). Psalm 109
Accessed 24 February 2019.
Verse 13
:''Let his posterity be cut off; and in the generation following let their name be blotted out.''
*"Let his posterity be cut off": or "may his sons die childless" (cf. , ; ).
*"In the generation following their name be blotted out": or "in the next generation their name be removed from the registry of the citizens" (cf. ).[ The extinction of a family (name) was considered the most extreme calamity for the Israelites.][
]
Verse 31
:''For He shall stand at the right hand of the poor,
:''To save him from those who condemn him.''
The close of the psalm has God at the right hand of the poor man, in striking contrast with the opening of Psalm 110
Psalm 110 is the 110th psalm of the Book of Psalms, beginning in English in the King James Version: "The said unto my Lord". In Latin, it is known as Dixit Dominus ("The Lord Said"). It is considered both a royal psalm and a messianic psalm. ...
, where God calls a man to sit at his right hand, made forever like the priest king, Melchizedek
In the Bible, Melchizedek (, hbo, , malkī-ṣeḏeq, "king of righteousness" or "my king is righteousness"), also transliterated Melchisedech or Malki Tzedek, was the king of Salem and priest of (often translated as "most high God"). He is f ...
.
Uses
In Judaism
Psalm 109 is recited on the day of Parshat Zachor.
In political contexts
In the United States, verse 8, "May his days be few; may another take his place of leadership", has been used by a number of fundamentalist preachers who use the imprecatory psalm as an imprecatory prayer. Pastor Greg Dixon of the Indianapolis Baptist Temple had invoked it, which had been condemned by others. In 2009, the media reported more widely on its usage in reference to President Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the ...
, by those such as Pastor Wiley Drake. In January 2010, a Florida Sheriff's deputy was suspended for highlighting the passage in another deputy's bible and adding the note "The Obama Prayer" beside it. In January 2012, Kansas Speaker of the House Michael O'Neal
Michael O'Neal (born January 16, 1951) is an American lawyer and Republican politician from Hutchinson, Kansas. He served as the Speaker of the Kansas House of Representatives from 2009 to 2013.
Early life and education
O'Neal was adopted as ...
sent an email quoting verse 8 to his Republican colleagues that stated, "At last – I can honestly voice a Biblical prayer for our president! Look it up – it is word for word! Let us all bow our heads and pray. Brothers and Sisters, can I get an AMEN? AMEN!!!!!!" On June 10, 2016, Georgia
Georgia most commonly refers to:
* Georgia (country), a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia
* Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the Southeast United States
Georgia may also refer to:
Places
Historical states and entities
* Related to the ...
Senator David Perdue
David Alfred Perdue Jr. (; born December 10, 1949) is an American politician and business executive who served as a United States senator from Georgia from 2015 to 2021. A member of the Republican Party, Perdue was an unsuccessful candidate fo ...
quoted the verse, referencing Obama, at the Faith and Freedom Coalition's Road to Majority conference.
By the late summer of 2017, bumper stickers could be seen asking people to pray for US President Donald Trump
Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021.
Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of P ...
with the same attribution.
In modern literature
Psalm 109 was used by Thomas Hardy in his novel ''The Mayor of Casterbridge
''The Mayor of Casterbridge: The Life and Death of a Man of Character'' is an 1886 novel by the English author Thomas Hardy. One of Hardy's Wessex novels, it is set in a fictional rural England with Casterbridge standing in for Dorchester in ...
''. Michael Henchard, the protagonist of the novel, is drinking with the choir after practice when he sees his rival, Donald Farfrae, whom he hates. He later persuades the choir to sing Psalm 109. The choir master remarks of this psalm that, "Twasn't made for singing. We chose it once when the gypsy stole the parson's mare, thinking to please him, but parson were quite upset. Whatever Servant David were thinking about when he made a Psalm that nobody can sing without disgracing himself, I can't fathom."
Some verses of the same psalm figure prominently in M. R. James
Montague Rhodes James (1 August 1862 – 12 June 1936) was an English author, medievalist scholar and provost of King's College, Cambridge (1905–1918), and of Eton College (1918–1936). He was Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cambrid ...
's supernatural story " The Stalls of Barchester Cathedral" (1910), which recounts the guilt-ridden life and dismal death of Archdeacon John Haynes.[M. R. James, "The Stalls of Barchester Cathedral," in ''Collected Ghost Stories'', ed. Darryl Jones (Oxford UP, 2011), pp. 165–178.]
In Anglicanism
According to the 1662 Book of Common Prayer Psalms 108 and 109 are said or sung at Evensong on the 22nd day of every month.
See also
*Acts 1
Acts 1 is the first chapter of the Acts of the Apostles in the New Testament of the Christian Bible. The book containing this chapter is anonymous but early Christian tradition affirmed that Luke composed this book as well as the Gospel of Lu ...
References
Sources
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External links
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{{Psalms
109
Works attributed to David