Psalm 69:26 - Printer Friendly

ESV: For they persecute him whom you have struck down, and they recount the pain of those you have wounded.

NIV: For they persecute those you wound and talk about the pain of those you hurt.

NASB: For they have persecuted him whom You Yourself struck, And they tell of the pain of those whom You have wounded.

CSB: For they persecute the one you struck and talk about the pain of those you wounded.

NLT: To the one you have punished, they add insult to injury; they add to the pain of those you have hurt.

KJV: For they persecute him whom thou hast smitten; and they talk to the grief of those whom thou hast wounded.

NKJV: For they persecute the ones You have struck, And talk of the grief of those You have wounded.

Psalm 69:22–29 shifts from an emphasis on David's experiences to his hopes for the Lord's response. He calls on God to bring darkness, disaster, and punishment on those who have persecuted the psalmist. Even further, he calls on the Lord to end these enemies' lives and ensure they are not included in eternal life. This section makes Psalm 69 one of the "imprecatory" psalms which directly ask for God to bring harm to an enemy.

David opens with a passionate plea for God's rescue. He feels as if he is drowning among enemies and liars. These opponents hate David for his loyalty to the Lord. They even hate him for faithfully continuing to practice his faith. David wants more than to be rescued, however. He calls on God to bring brutal justice to these enemies, including seeing them die with no hope of eternity. David closes the psalm on a more positive note: planning to worship God. This means he fully expects God's long-awaited answer to come in the form of rescue.

David gives no explicit event as the inspiration for his writing. This psalm has messianic overtones, and it is frequently quoted in the New Testament (John 2:17; 15:25; Romans 11:9–10; Acts 1:20). It is also an imprecatory psalm: a call for God to severely punish His enemies. The words of this psalm may have been set to the same musical tune as psalm 45. Similar psalms include 35, 40, and 109.

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.

Accessed 11/22/2024 4:11:39 PM