Psalm 35:24 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Vindicate me, O LORD, my God, according to your righteousness, and let them not rejoice over me!

NIV: Vindicate me in your righteousness, LORD my God; do not let them gloat over me.

NASB: Judge me, Lord my God, according to Your righteousness, And do not let them rejoice over me.

CSB: Vindicate me, Lord my God, in keeping with your righteousness, and do not let them rejoice over me.

NLT: Declare me not guilty, O Lord my God, for you give justice. Don’t let my enemies laugh about me in my troubles.

KJV: Judge me, O LORD my God, according to thy righteousness; and let them not rejoice over me.

NKJV: Vindicate me, O Lord my God, according to Your righteousness; And let them not rejoice over me.

David is keenly aware that his enemies would celebrate if he were disgraced (Psalm 35:11–16). Therefore, he prays again, asking his Lord and God (Psalm 35:23) to "vindicate" him. The Hebrew word here simply refers to judgment. It is clear, though, that David is asking God to judge in his favor. To vindicate is "to justify, prove correct, absolve from blame." David is praying that the Lord would make it clear, to all, that these accusations are false. Earlier references in the same psalm referred to literal battle (Psalm 35:1–10). Part of the "vindication" David seeks is worldly victory, as a sign that God is with him.

The context for this intervention is God's righteous character. Because the Lord is righteous—true, moral, and good—He will not allow the wicked to go unpunished (Proverbs 11:21; Numbers 14:18). Nor will he let His people suffer disgrace without it being avenged (Deuteronomy 32:35). One day, the Lord will descend from heaven with His mighty angels and execute eternal destruction on the wicked. At that time, He will be glorified in His people (2 Thessalonians 1:5–10).

Unbelievers nailed Jesus to a cross, but God vindicated Him by raising Him from the dead to sit at His right hand in glory (Acts 5:30–31). When He comes to earth again, Christ will wear a crown and brandish a sword used to utterly defeat His enemies (Revelation 19:11–16). God is too righteous to allow the wicked to rejoice over His wrongfully maligned people—they may think they are "getting away with it," for now, but their fate is only delayed (2 Peter 3:4, 10).

Psalm 35:19–28 is the last of three phases of this psalm, each expressing variations of the same basic themes. David pleads with the Lord for vindication. He prays for deliverance from his enemies, asking God to put them to shame. The psalm concludes with a call for those who support David to rejoice, and to worship God. David promises to constantly praise and honor the Lord.

This is one of the "imprecatory psalms," which call on God to immediately judge or destroy His enemies. David echoes the same ideas in three phases. Each segment includes a plea for rescue, a request for God to conquer David's foes, and a promise to praise the Lord. David makes a point of noting that his enemies have no good reason for their hatred, since he was kind to them. With faith, David looks ahead, trusting he will have the opportunity to worship the Lord for His rescue and vindication.

David pleads with the Lord to destroy his enemies and vindicate him. As such, Psalm 35 is labeled an "imprecatory psalm." Other examples include psalms 5, 69, 109, and 140. This song might have been written when King Saul was seeking David's life (1 Samuel 19:1–2), or when Absalom was spreading rebellion in Israel (2 Samuel 15:13–14). David' notes three basic ideas in this psalm: vindication, defeat of enemies, and praise of God. Each is repeated in a series of three variations.

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.