Section 190 of 271109:6–20Psalms

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King James VersionPsalms 109:6–20

Set thou a wicked man over him: and let Satan stand at his right hand.

When he shall be judged, let him be condemned: and let his prayer become sin.

Let his days be few; and let another take his office.

Let his children be fatherless, and his wife a widow.

Let his children be continually vagabonds, and beg: let them seek their bread also out of their desolate places.

Let the extortioner catch all that he hath; and let the strangers spoil his labour.

Let there be none to extend mercy unto him: neither let there be any to favour his fatherless children.

Let his posterity be cut off; and in the generation following let their name be blotted out.

Let the iniquity of his fathers be remembered with the LORD; and let not the sin of his mother be blotted out.

Let them be before the LORD continually, that he may cut off the memory of them from the earth.

Because that he remembered not to shew mercy, but persecuted the poor and needy man, that he might even slay the broken in heart.

As he loved cursing, so let it come unto him: as he delighted not in blessing, so let it be far from him.

As he clothed himself with cursing like as with his garment, so let it come into his bowels like water, and like oil into his bones.

Let it be unto him as the garment which covereth him, and for a girdle wherewith he is girded continually.

Let this be the reward of mine adversaries from the LORD, and of them that speak evil against my soul.

Italic words were supplied in the English translation for clarity.

Scripture text: King James Version, Standardized 1769 text. Public domain in the United States.About this Bible text

Psalms 109:6–20

Betrayal, accusation, and extended curse: The extended curse and its disputed voice

The voice of the long curse is disputed, and the dispute belongs on the page

Set thou a wicked man over him: and let Satan stand at his right hand. When he shall be judged, let him be condemned: and let his prayer become sin. Let his days be few; and let another take his office. Let his children be fatherless, and his wife a widow.

The poem shifts from they to him. Some readers hear the psalmist now asking God to ruin the accuser, down to children, name, and memory. Other readers hear the psalmist quoting the accusers' own curse, the charge-sheet they want imposed on him. Hebrew does not mark quotation with our punctuation. Both hearings have been held by serious readers. Neither hearing is a small matter.

The curse is total, and that totality is part of what must be faced

The lines ask for a blighted posterity, seized labor, extortion, a name cut off, no mercy to fatherless children, and iniquity remembered before the LORD. Let this be the reward of mine adversaries from the LORD, and of them that speak evil against my soul, can mean either 'this is what they deserve' or 'this is the wage they wished on me; let it return.'

Do not tidy the poem. If this is the speaker's own imprecation, it is still prayer handed to God, not a license to enact the ruin. If this is the enemies' speech, the psalm is showing how murderous accusation sounds. In both cases the next stanza will show a poor body asking for steadfast help.

This is not a revenge script and not a children's policy

A congregation may read the violence aloud as a record of what betrayal makes people want, or as a plea that God—not the wounded person—judge. What the unit will not bear is use as a charm against a rival, a warrant to harm a family, or a piety that smiles on the death of children because a verse once asked for it.

How this should shape us

Do not pray these lines as a technique against a coworker, a former spouse, or a public enemy. If the curse is yours, put it in God's hands and do not act it out. If the curse is theirs, tell the truth about how destructive speech works. Either way, keep the poor speaker of the next stanza in view.

Teach it back

Explain Psalms 109:6–20 in your own words. Name the poetic voice and movement, trace its place in Psalm 109 and Book V, identify one exact source control or uncertainty, and reject one use the passage does not authorize.

Explain the section in your own words

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Go deeper

The explanation above is meant to stand on its own. Open these notes only if you want language, history, disagreements, or source locations.

Where careful interpreters disagreeThe strongest options and their difficulties

Where do responsible readings differ?

Best judgment: The curse section has disputed speaker proposals and severe consequences; it must not be prayed as a weapon against named people or used to sanctify abuse.

How certain? probable

Research trail and exact locationsThe source record behind this section

King James (Authorized) Version — eng-kjv2006

Supports: Exact displayed KJV wording, verse order, paragraph metadata, supplied-word markup, and complete thought-unit coverage.

Psalms 109:6–20, pinned eng-kjv2006 USFM-derived repository corpus

Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible: Psalms

Supports: Masoretic Hebrew wording and morphology checked at the exact unit without treating morphology as a complete apparatus or interpretation.

Open Scriptures MorphHB v2.2, commit 6a5db284c715c18b239422e57bb89684e6a19f00, wlc/Ps.xml, OSIS 109:6–20

NET Bible Notes: Psalms 1-150

Supports: Verse-level controls for poetic syntax, imagery, older KJV language, textual issues, headings, and alternatives in Psalms 109:6–20.

Official NET Bible Psalm 109 HTML, translator, textual, and study notes attached to Psalms 109:6–20

Psalms course: summary, outline, background, introductory issues, theological themes, and Bible in the world

Supports: Five-book, genre, poetic, historical, theological, liturgical, communal, and reception synthesis with visible limits.

Enter the Bible Psalms course, Introductory Issues: individual and communal lament, from lament to praise, and Bible in the World; applied to Psalms 109:6–20

A New English Translation of the Septuagint: Psalms

Supports: Ancient Greek wording, numbering, division, and superscription evidence where it materially clarifies translation or reception.

NETS Psalms, Pietersma introduction pp. 542–543 and exact Greek translation headed Ps 109 for Psalms 109:6–20

An Overview of the Study of Imprecatory Psalms: Reformed and Evangelical Approaches to the Interpretation of Imprecatory Psalms

Supports: Major historical, literary, covenantal, ethical, and reception approaches to curses and enemy language.

Simango and Krüger, 'An Overview of the Study of Imprecatory Psalms,' OTE 29.3 (2016), pp. 581–600, complete approach survey; applied to Psalms 109:6–20

Embracing the Psalter's imprecatory words in the 21st century

Supports: Imprecation retained as difficult prayer and communal speech without converting violent wishes into commands or erasing Jewish reception.

deClaissé-Walford, 'Embracing the Psalter's imprecatory words,' Acta Theologica Suppl. 32 (2021), pp. 275–292, especially literary, liturgical, trauma, and ethical proposal; applied to Psalms 109:6–20

Preventing Suicide: A Resource for Media Professionals, Update 2023

Supports: Communication safeguards against romanticizing, sensationalizing, diagnosing, blaming, or simplifying despair, isolation, death wishes, and severe loss; not exegesis.

WHO, Preventing Suicide: A Resource for Media Professionals, Update 2023, quick guide p. xiii and dos and don'ts pp. 11–16; applied only to modern safety-aware presentation of Psalms 109:6–20

Sources for This Section

These records identify the source, the claim it supports, and the exact location used. A source remains evidence to evaluate; it does not replace the biblical text.

Biblical text

King James (Authorized) Version — eng-kjv2006

eBible.org and CrossWire Bible Society

USFM archive eng-kjv2006_usfm.zip; source files dated 2026-08-19; downloaded 2026-08-24; archive SHA-256 aec1b3b26c622fd3d963d2bbac963016b9513246ffbfa20da00bb100372ea007; normalized corpus SHA-256 09aef51d90488aa7b9722b3fd9a93f4b25f6bf2064c5fd798fb39673c300ddf2.

Supports: Exact displayed KJV wording, verse order, paragraph metadata, supplied-word markup, and complete thought-unit coverage.

Exact location: Psalms 109:6–20, pinned eng-kjv2006 USFM-derived repository corpus

Open source ↗

hebrew text and morphology

Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible: Psalms

Open Scriptures

Open Scriptures, release 2.2

Supports: Masoretic Hebrew wording and morphology checked at the exact unit without treating morphology as a complete apparatus or interpretation.

Exact location: Open Scriptures MorphHB v2.2, commit 6a5db284c715c18b239422e57bb89684e6a19f00, wlc/Ps.xml, OSIS 109:6–20

Open the fixed Hebrew Psalms file ↗

translation and translator notes

NET Bible Notes: Psalms 1-150

Biblical Studies Press

Biblical Studies Press, current official online edition

Supports: Verse-level controls for poetic syntax, imagery, older KJV language, textual issues, headings, and alternatives in Psalms 109:6–20.

Exact location: Official NET Bible Psalm 109 HTML, translator, textual, and study notes attached to Psalms 109:6–20

Open the official NET Psalms notes ↗

modern scholarly book course

Psalms course: summary, outline, background, introductory issues, theological themes, and Bible in the world

Fred Gaiser; revised by Nicholas Schaser

Enter the Bible, Luther Seminary, revised May 2024

Supports: Five-book, genre, poetic, historical, theological, liturgical, communal, and reception synthesis with visible limits.

Exact location: Enter the Bible Psalms course, Introductory Issues: individual and communal lament, from lament to praise, and Bible in the World; applied to Psalms 109:6–20

Open the Enter the Bible Psalms course ↗

ancient greek text translation and introduction

A New English Translation of the Septuagint: Psalms

Albert Pietersma

International Organization for Septuagint and Cognate Studies; Oxford University Press, 2009

Supports: Ancient Greek wording, numbering, division, and superscription evidence where it materially clarifies translation or reception.

Exact location: NETS Psalms, Pietersma introduction pp. 542–543 and exact Greek translation headed Ps 109 for Psalms 109:6–20

Open NETS Psalms ↗

peer reviewed open access research overview

An Overview of the Study of Imprecatory Psalms: Reformed and Evangelical Approaches to the Interpretation of Imprecatory Psalms

Daniel Simango and P. Paul Krüger

Old Testament Essays 29.3, 2016

Supports: Major historical, literary, covenantal, ethical, and reception approaches to curses and enemy language.

Exact location: Simango and Krüger, 'An Overview of the Study of Imprecatory Psalms,' OTE 29.3 (2016), pp. 581–600, complete approach survey; applied to Psalms 109:6–20

Open the imprecatory-psalm overview ↗

peer reviewed open access literary and ethical study

Embracing the Psalter's imprecatory words in the 21st century

Nancy L. deClaissé-Walford

Acta Theologica Supplementum 32, 2021

Supports: Imprecation retained as difficult prayer and communal speech without converting violent wishes into commands or erasing Jewish reception.

Exact location: deClaissé-Walford, 'Embracing the Psalter's imprecatory words,' Acta Theologica Suppl. 32 (2021), pp. 275–292, especially literary, liturgical, trauma, and ethical proposal; applied to Psalms 109:6–20

Open deClaissé-Walford on imprecation ↗

public health communication guidance

Preventing Suicide: A Resource for Media Professionals, Update 2023

World Health Organization

World Health Organization, 2023

Supports: Communication safeguards against romanticizing, sensationalizing, diagnosing, blaming, or simplifying despair, isolation, death wishes, and severe loss; not exegesis.

Exact location: WHO, Preventing Suicide: A Resource for Media Professionals, Update 2023, quick guide p. xiii and dos and don'ts pp. 11–16; applied only to modern safety-aware presentation of Psalms 109:6–20

Open the WHO communication guide ↗