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1O God whom I praise, do not ignore me![#tn Heb “do not be deaf.”]
2For they say cruel and deceptive things to me;
they lie to me.
3They surround me and say hateful things;[#tn Heb “and [with] words of hatred they surround me.”]
they attack me for no reason.
4They repay my love with accusations,[#tn Heb “in place of my love they oppose me.”]
but I continue to pray.
5They repay me evil for good,[#tn Heb “and they set upon me evil in place of good.”]
and hate for love.
6Appoint an evil man to testify against him![#sn In vv. 6-19 the psalmist calls on God to judge his enemies severely. Some attribute this curse-list to the psalmist’s enemies rather than the psalmist. In this case one should paraphrase v. 6: “They say about me, ‘Appoint an evil man, etc.’” Those supporting this line of interpretation point out that vv. 2-5 and 20 refer to the enemies’ attack on the psalmist being a verbal one. Furthermore in vv. 1-5, 20 the psalmist speaks of his enemies in the plural, while vv. 6-19 refer to an individual. This use of the singular in vv. 6-19 could be readily explained if this is the psalmist’s enemies’ curse on him. However, it is much more natural to understand vv. 6-19 as the psalmist’s prayer against his enemies. There is no introductory quotation formula in v. 6 to indicate that the psalmist is quoting anyone, and the statement “may the Lord repay my accusers in this way” in v. 20 most naturally appears to be a fitting conclusion to the prayer in vv. 6-19. But what about the use of the singular in vv. 6-19? Often in the psalms the psalmist will describe his enemies as a group, but then speak of them as an individual as well, as if viewing his adversaries collectively as one powerful foe. See, for example, Ps 7, where the psalmist uses both the plural (vv. 1, 6) and the singular (vv. 2, 4-5) in referring to enemies. Perhaps by using the singular in such cases, the psalmist wants to single out each enemy for individual attention, or perhaps he has one especially hostile enemy in mind who epitomizes the opposition of the whole group. This may well be the case in Ps 109. Perhaps we should understand the singular throughout vv. 6-19 in the sense of “each and every one.” For a lengthy and well-reasoned defense of the opposite view – that vv. 6-19 are a quotation of what the enemies said about the psalmist – see L. C. Allen, Psalms 101-150 (WBC), 72-73.; #tn Heb “appoint against him an evil [man].”]
May an accuser stand at his right side!
7When he is judged, he will be found guilty![#tn The prefixed verbal form could be taken as a jussive, but the use of the imperfect form in the following line suggests that v. 7 anticipates the outcome of the accusation envisioned in v. 6.; #tn Heb “he will go out [as] a criminal” (that is, guilty).]
Then his prayer will be regarded as sinful.
8May his days be few![#tn The prefixed verbal forms (except those with vav [ו] consecutive) in vv. 8-20 are taken as jussives of prayer. Note the distinct jussive forms used in vv. 12-13, 15, 19.]
May another take his job!
9May his children be fatherless,[#tn Or “sons.”]
and his wife a widow!
10May his children roam around begging,[#tn Or “sons.”]
asking for handouts as they leave their ruined home!
11May the creditor seize all he owns![#tn Heb “lay snares for” (see Ps 38:12).]
May strangers loot his property!
12May no one show him kindness![#tn Heb “may there not be for him one who extends loyal love.”]
May no one have compassion on his fatherless children!
13May his descendants be cut off![#tn Or “offspring.”; #sn On the expression cut off see Ps 37:28.]
May the memory of them be wiped out by the time the next generation arrives!
14May his ancestors’ sins be remembered by the Lord ![#tn Or “fathers’ sins.”]
May his mother’s sin not be forgotten!
15May the Lord be constantly aware of them,[#tn Heb “may they [that is, the sins mentioned in v. 14] be before the Lord continually.”]
and cut off the memory of his children from the earth!
16For he never bothered to show kindness;[#tn Heb “he did not remember to do loyal love.”]
he harassed the oppressed and needy,
and killed the disheartened.
17He loved to curse others, so those curses have come upon him.[#sn A curse in OT times consists of a formal appeal to God to bring judgment down upon another. Curses were sometimes justified (such as the one spoken by the psalmist here in vv. 6-19), but when they were not, the one pronouncing the curse was in danger of bringing the anticipated judgment down upon himself.; #tn Heb “and he loved a curse and it came [upon] him.” A reference to the evil man experiencing a curse seems premature here, for the psalmist is asking God to bring judgment on his enemies. For this reason some (cf. NIV, NRSV) prefer to repoint the vav (ו) on “it came” as conjunctive and translate the verb as a jussive of prayer (“may it come upon him!”). The prefixed form with vav consecutive in the next line is emended in the same way and translated, “may it be far from him.” However, the psalmist may be indicating that the evil man’s lifestyle has already begun to yield its destructive fruit.]
He had no desire to bless anyone, so he has experienced no blessings.
18He made cursing a way of life,[#tn Heb “he put on a curse as [if it were] his garment.”]
so curses poured into his stomach like water
and seeped into his bones like oil.
19May a curse attach itself to him, like a garment one puts on,[#tn Heb “may it be for him like a garment one puts on.”]
or a belt one wears continually!
20May the Lord repay my accusers in this way,[#tn Heb “[may] this [be] the repayment to my accusers from the Lord.”]
those who say evil things about me!
21O sovereign Lord ,
intervene on my behalf for the sake of your reputation!
Because your loyal love is good, deliver me!
22For I am oppressed and needy,
and my heart beats violently within me.
23I am fading away like a shadow at the end of the day;[#tn Heb “like a shadow when it is extended I go.” He is like a late afternoon shadow made by the descending sun that will soon be swallowed up by complete darkness. See Ps 102:11.]
I am shaken off like a locust.
24I am so starved my knees shake;[#tn Heb “my knees stagger from fasting.”]
I have turned into skin and bones.
25I am disdained by them.[#tn Heb “as for me, I am a reproach to them.”]
When they see me, they shake their heads.
26Help me, O Lord my God!
Because you are faithful to me, deliver me!
27Then they will realize this is your work,[#tn After the preceding imperative, the prefixed verbal form with vav (ו) conjunctive indicates purpose or result.; #tn Heb “that your hand [is] this.”]
and that you, Lord , have accomplished it.
28They curse, but you will bless.[#tn Another option is to translate the imperfect as a prayer/request (“may you bless”).]
When they attack, they will be humiliated,
but your servant will rejoice.
29My accusers will be covered with shame,[#tn Heb “clothed.” Another option is to translate the prefixed verbal forms in this line and the next as jussives (“may my accusers be covered with shame”).]
and draped in humiliation as if it were a robe.
30I will thank the Lord profusely,[#tn Heb “I will thank the Lord very much with my mouth.”]
in the middle of a crowd I will praise him,
31because he stands at the right hand of the needy,
to deliver him from those who threaten his life.