What are the imprecatory psalms?

The imprecatory psalms are a group of psalms in the Book of Psalms that contain prayers for God’s judgment on enemies. The word “imprecatory” comes from the Latin “imprecor” meaning “to invoke evil upon.” These psalms express deep anguish and anger, calling on God to bring severe judgment and curses on enemies who are perceived as evil, defiant to God, or oppressors of the people of God.

Some of the key imprecatory psalms include:

• Psalm 35 – Plea for deliverance from enemies who repay good with evil
• Psalm 55 – Prayer for the destruction of a treacherous friend
• Psalm 58 – Prayer for the punishment of unjust judges
• Psalm 59 – Prayer for deliverance from bloodthirsty enemies
• Psalm 69 – Plea for deliverance from relentless enemies
• Psalm 79 – Prayer for judgment on the enemies who destroyed Jerusalem
• Psalm 109 – Prayer for judgment on a false accuser
• Psalm 137 – Prayer for vengeance on the conquerors of Jerusalem
• Psalm 139 – Prayer for judgment on the wicked
• Psalm 140 – Prayer for protection from evil men

There are around 30 imprecatory psalms depending on which psalms scholars classify as imprecatory. The imprecatory psalms express anger, reproach, and calls for God’s judgment against enemies of God’s people. This includes nations like Babylon and Edom who conquered and destroyed Jerusalem and the temple. It also includes personal enemies like Doeg who betrayed David (Psalm 52), or false accusers who attacked the psalmist (Psalm 109).

Some key characteristics of the imprecatory psalms:

• They call down curses, woes, and divine retribution on enemies of God’s people.
• They ask God to destroy the wicked and defend the righteous.
• They remind God of His promises to judge the wicked.
• They describe the evil deeds of the psalmist’s enemies.
• They appeal to God’s justice and righteousness in punishing evil.
• They contain prophetic pronouncements of judgment.

There are different views on how these psalms relate to Christians today:

• Literal judgment – God still judges unrepentant sinners today as He did in biblical times.
• Historical record – These psalms record authentic prayers offered in ancient times but do not reflect Christian ethics today.
• Prophetic pronouncements – These psalms pronounce God’s judgment, but believers today should pray for mercy.
• Spiritual warfare – These psalms depict metaphorical battles against spiritual forces of evil.
• Justice and vindication – The psalms invoke just punishment for crimes; justice should still be sought today.
• Surrender vengeance – Christians should forgive enemies and surrender vengeance to God.

There are good arguments on both sides of how Christians should interpret these difficult psalms. Some key considerations include:

• These psalms came out of historical circumstances of warfare, violence, tyranny, and urgent need for God’s justice.
• The psalmists had limited knowledge of the afterlife and final judgment.
• Jesus emphasized love, forgiveness, and non-retaliation instead of vengeance.
• Paul the apostle also stressed blessing persecutors and not taking revenge.
• The psalms depict Gods’ just punishment of unrepentant evil and rescue of the oppressed.
• Christians can rely on God’s final judgment instead of seeking personal vengeance.
• The psalms can orient our hearts toward justice without making us judgmental.
• Honest prayer includes voicing anger and pain along with praise and thanks.
• Jesus felt real anguish and prayed passionately, as modeled in the psalms.

The imprecatory psalms remind believers to pray for justice, to cling to God in times of distress, to trust God with vengeance instead of taking matters into our own hands, and to seek the salvation of our enemies. As Christians, we can learn much from the depth of raw emotions, trust in God’s righteousness, and zeal for justice expressed by the psalmist, while also seeking to pray and live according to Jesus’ emphasis on grace, forgiveness, and love of enemies.

Here is a more detailed look at some of the major imprecatory psalms:

Psalm 35

Psalm 35 is one of the most eloquent imprecatory psalms. The psalmist (presumably David) passionately calls down curses and calamities on his enemies. He feels besieged by “those who repay my good with evil” and “malicious witnesses” who accuse him falsely (Psalm 35:11-12). He asks God to “contend” with his enemies, “fight against those who fight against me,” and put them to “shame and dishonor” (Psalm 35:1, 4). He seeks both their destruction and his own deliverance: “may their way be dark and slippery…may ruin overtake them…rescue me…then my soul shall rejoice” (Psalm 35:6, 9-10). The psalm reflects how the psalmist clung to God’s salvation when evil forces conspired against him.

Psalm 55

Psalm 55 offers one of the most heart-wrenching imprecatory pleas. David feels betrayed by his best friend (presumably Ahithophel who abandoned him for Absolom, 2 Samuel 17:1-23). He laments: “if an enemy were insulting me, I could endure it…but it is you…my companion, my familiar friend” (Psalm 55:12-13). He prays for the just punishment of this intimate betrayer: “Let death steal over them; let them go down to Sheol alive” and “cast him into the pit of destruction” (Psalm 55:15, 23). He finds hope in casting his burden on the Lord, who will sustain the righteous but “will engulf the bloodthirsty and deceitful” (Psalm 55:9, 23).

Psalm 58

Psalm 58 targets unjust judges who oppress the righteous poor. The psalmist accuses them of injustice and violence: “Do you indeed decree what is right…No, in your hearts you devise wrongs” (Psalm 58:1-2). He prays for God to break their teeth, make them melt away, and sweep them away like water (Psalm 58:6-7). He seeks vindication and rejoices anticipating the righteous will bathe “their feet in the blood of the wicked” (Psalm 58:10). Imprecations against unjust powerful oppressors are a common theme in psalms crying for social justice.

Psalm 59

Psalm 59 mirrors the intensity of Psalm 35 in its pleas for deliverance and curses against violent enemies seeking the psalmist’s life. He feels beset by a gang of ruthless killers prowling around the city (Psalm 59:2,6). The psalmist prays “consume them in wrath” and make them “howl like dogs and prowl around the city” as outcasts (Psalm 59:13-14). Yet he waits confidently for God’s strength and sings praise: “You, O my strength…God shows me steadfast love” (Psalm 59: 9,16-17). God’s certain retribution sustains hope when evildoers seem triumphant.

Psalm 69

Psalm 69 powerfully conveys deep anguish coupled with imprecations against persistent enemies. David feels as though he is “sinking in deep mire” and “floodwaters” overwhelm him (Psalm 69:1,14-15). He pleads for deliverance and asks God to vindicate him before his accusers: “Answer me…set me free…do not hide your face from your servant” (Psalm 69:16-17). He calls for his enemies’ downfall: “may their camp be desolation” and “may their names be blotted out” (Psalm 69:25, 28). Yet he praises God as helper of the oppressed and will “praise the name of God” in song (Psalm 69:30, 34).

Psalm 109

Psalm 109 exemplifies an individual lament with harsh imprecations against a personal enemy. The psalmist feels under constant attack by “a wicked, deceitful tongue” and “evil” that slanders him (Psalm 109:2). He curses his enemy with far-reaching inter-generational punishments: “May his children be fatherless…May his posterity be cut off” (Psalm 109:9, 13). While extreme, his desperate plea reflects a longing for God’s reprimand against unjust accusations. The psalm ends in praise of God’s promise: “For he stands at the right hand of the needy” (Psalm 109:31).

Psalm 137

Psalm 137 voices the corporate trauma of Babylonian captivity. The psalmist cries “remember, O Lord” the destruction of Jerusalem by “the Edomites” who taunted “tear it down to its foundations!” (Psalm 137:7). The later verses curse Babylon: “blessed shall he be who repays you…who seizes your infants and dashes them against the rocks” (Psalm 137:8-9). While disturbing, this reflects desperate pleas for God’s justice and vindication against the ruthless empire that slaughtered Israelites. It echoes the prophets’ predictions of Babylon’s coming downfall for its atrocities.

Psalm 139

Psalm 139 takes a prophetic tone in pronouncing curses. After praising God’s omniscience and omnipresence, the psalmist declares “Oh that you would slay the wicked” and he “hates them with perfect hatred” (Psalm 139:19, 22). He calls on God to “see if there be any grievous way in me” and is confident in God’s just judgments against the rebellious nations: “I hate them with perfect hatred; I count them my enemies” (Psalm 139:23-24). This psalm expresses zeal for God’s holiness and coming universal judgment.

Psalm 140

Psalm 140 provides refuge in God’s deliverance from evil schemers. The psalmist feels trapped by the “snares” and “cords” of the wicked whose tongues spew venom (Psalm 140:3, 5). He prays for God to guard him against “the man of violence” and to turn back their evil plans against him (Psalm 140:1, 4). He trusts God will vindicate the poor, casting the wicked into their own fire (Psalm 140:10, 12). The psalm reveals how dependence on God for justice freed the oppressed to love enemies.

While the language of the imprecatory psalms can seem harsh, they give voice to human pain and longing for justice. They offer brutally honest prayers to a God whom the psalmists trusted would ultimately vanquish evil and oppression. Christians today can still appreciate the honesty and hope of the psalmists while seeking to temper personal vengeance with Christ’s radical teachings on forgiveness, mercy, and love of enemies.