Psalm 139:20 - Printer Friendly

ESV: They speak against you with malicious intent; your enemies take your name in vain.

NIV: They speak of you with evil intent; your adversaries misuse your name.

NASB: For they speak against You wickedly, And Your enemies take Your name in vain.

CSB: who invoke you deceitfully. Your enemies swear by you falsely.

NLT: They blaspheme you; your enemies misuse your name.

KJV: For they speak against thee wickedly, and thine enemies take thy name in vain.

NKJV: For they speak against You wickedly; Your enemies take Your name in vain.

In this verse David levels two charges against the wicked, whom he asks God to slay (Psalm 139:19). David does not vow to kill evil persons himself. Nor does he ask God to make him an executioner. Rather, David brings his heartache to God, and leaves the results in the Lord's hands. David is also fully aware that his own heart is fallible (Psalm 139:23–24).

First, these evil ones speak against God with malicious intent. They purposely insult God. Psalm 73:9 also accuses the wicked of such an offense against God. There Asaph wrote, "They set their mouths against the heavens, and their tongue struts through the earth." Jude 1:15 describes apostates as ungodly sinners that have spoken harsh things against the Lord. Jude calls them "grumblers, malcontents, following their own sinful desires" (Jude 1:16). He also calls them "loud-mouthed boasters".

Second, David levels the charge that the wicked take God's name in vain (Psalm 139:20). Only those entirely deaf, it seems, can escape hearing God's name taken in vain on a daily basis. His name is profaned on TV, in the workplace, in movies, in the marketplace, at sports venues—virtually everywhere. Such language, whether intentional or thoughtless, violates the moral principle to "not take the name of the LORD your God in vain" (Exodus 20:7; Luke 6:46; Philippians 2:9–10). The statement of this concept in the ten commandments vows "for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes his name in vain" (Exodus 20:7).

Psalm 139:17–24 emphasizes God's justice. Prior sections of this psalm bore witness to God's omniscience (Psalm 139:1–6), His omnipresence (Psalm 139:7–12), and His omnipotence (Psalm 139:13–16). David rejoices in God's thoughts and nearness, but despises the wicked around him. He longs for God to slay them. He sees God's enemies as his own enemies, but is acutely aware of the possibility that sin dwells in him. Therefore, he asks God to search him and lead him in the way everlasting.

In this psalm David marvels at God's amazing characteristics. God knows everything about him: where he goes, all David's thoughts and everything about his conduct. The Lord knows what David will say even before David says it. There is no place David can go that God isn't already present. David marvels at God's creative work in the womb. He is thankful for God's innumerable thoughts for him and for God's presence day and night. Finally, David's thoughts turn to the wicked. He considers them God's enemies and his, and longs for God to slay them. David is disgusted by evil people because they rail against God and take His name in vain. He asks God to search his heart to see if any sin is there, and he asks God to lead him in the way everlasting.

This psalm of David lies in the fifth division of Psalms, Psalms 107—150. It discloses information about God's omniscience: He knows everything. It explains His omnipresence: that He is everywhere. It declares His omnipotence: He formed every part of human beings. It also describes His holiness: He judges the wicked and searches the heart. These attributes reflect common themes across both the Old and New Testaments.

The book of Psalms is composed of individual songs, hymns, or poems, each of which is a ''Psalm'' in and of itself. These works contain a wide variety of themes. Some Psalms focus on praising and worshipping God. Others cry out in anguish over the pain of life. Still other Psalms look forward to the coming of the Messiah. While some Psalms are related, each has its own historical and biblical context.