ASV
Psalms 109
1[For the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David]. Hold not thy peace, O God of my praise;
2For the mouth of the wicked and the mouth of deceit have they opened against me: They have spoken unto me with a lying tongue.
3They have compassed me about also with words of hatred, And fought against me without a cause.
4For my love they are my adversaries: But I [give myself unto] prayer.
5And they have rewarded me evil for good, And hatred for my love.
6Set thou a wicked man over him; And let an adversary stand at his right hand.
7When he is judged, let him come forth guilty; And let his prayer be turned into sin.
8Let his days be few; [And] let another take his office.
9Let his children be fatherless, And his wife a widow.
10Let his children be vagabonds, and beg; And let them seek [their bread] out of their desolate places.
11Let the extortioner catch all that he hath; And let strangers make spoil of his labor.
12Let there be none to extend kindness unto him; Neither let there be any to have pity on his fatherless children.
13Let his posterity be cut off; In the generation following let their name be blotted out.
14Let the iniquity of his fathers be remembered with Jehovah; And let not the sin of his mother be blotted out.
15Let them be before Jehovah continually, That he may cut off the memory of them from the earth;
16Because he remembered not to show kindness, But persecuted the poor and needy man, And the broken in heart, to slay [them] .
17Yea, he loved cursing, and it came unto him; And he delighted not in blessing, and it was far from him.
18He clothed himself also with cursing as with his garment, And it came into his inward parts like water, And like oil into his bones.
19Let it be unto him as the raiment wherewith he covereth himself, And for the girdle wherewith he is girded continually.
20This is the reward of mine adversaries from Jehovah, And of them that speak evil against my soul.
21But deal thou with me, O Jehovah the Lord, for thy name's sake: Because thy lovingkindness is good, deliver thou me;
22For I am poor and needy, And my heart is wounded within me.
23I am gone like the shadow when it declineth: I am tossed up and down as the locust.
24My knees are weak through fasting; And my flesh faileth of fatness.
25I am become also a reproach unto them: When they see me, they shake their head.
26Help me, O Jehovah my God; Oh save me according to thy lovingkindness:
27That they may know that this is thy hand; [That] thou, Jehovah, hast done it.
28Let them curse, but bless thou: When they arise, they shall be put to shame, But thy servant shall rejoice.
29Let mine adversaries be clothed with dishonor, And let them cover themselves with their own shame as with a robe.
30I will give great thanks unto Jehovah with my mouth; Yea, I will praise him among the multitude.
31For he will stand at the right hand of the needy, To save him from them that judge his soul.
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Afflictions and Adversities: Prayer In Psalm 109:1–31
For the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. O God of my praise, be not silent. / For wicked and deceitful mouths open against me; they speak against me with lying tongues. / They surround me with hateful words and attack me without cause.
Afflictions and Adversities: Unclassified Scriptures Relating To Psalm 109:22–24
For I am poor and needy; my heart is wounded within me. / I am fading away like a lengthening shadow; I am shaken off like a locust. / My knees are weak from fasting, and my body grows lean and gaunt.
Beggars: The Children of the Wicked Psalm 109:10
May his children wander as beggars, seeking sustenance far from their ruined homes.
Being Falsely Accused Psalm 109:2
For wicked and deceitful mouths open against me; they speak against me with lying tongues.
Believing Lies Psalm 109:2–4
For wicked and deceitful mouths open against me; they speak against me with lying tongues. / They surround me with hateful words and attack me without cause. / In return for my love they accuse me, but I am a man of prayer.
Character of the Wicked: Persecuting Psalm 109:16
For he never thought to show kindness, but pursued the poor and needy and brokenhearted, even to their death.
Children: Frequently Bore the Curse of Parents Psalm 109:9, 10
May his children be fatherless and his wife a widow. / May his children wander as beggars, seeking sustenance far from their ruined homes.
David: King of Israel: Probably Writes Psalms Eleven at This Period of his Life Psalm 109:1
For the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. O God of my praise, be not silent.
Enemy: The Wickedness of David's Psalm 109:2–5
For wicked and deceitful mouths open against me; they speak against me with lying tongues. / They surround me with hateful words and attack me without cause. / In return for my love they accuse me, but I am a man of prayer.
Evil for Good: General Scriptures Concerning Psalm 109:5
They repay me evil for good, and hatred for my love.
Extortion: General Scriptures Concerning Psalm 109:11
May the creditor seize all he owns, and strangers plunder the fruits of his labor.
Falsehood: General Scriptures Concerning Psalm 109:2
For wicked and deceitful mouths open against me; they speak against me with lying tongues.
Fasting in Prayer for Himself and his Adversaries Psalm 109:4, 24
In return for my love they accuse me, but I am a man of prayer. / My knees are weak from fasting, and my body grows lean and gaunt.
Fasting of Saints Exemplified: David Psalm 109:24
My knees are weak from fasting, and my body grows lean and gaunt.
Free Speech Psalm 109:28
Though they curse, You will bless. When they rise up, they will be put to shame, but Your servant will rejoice.
Head: Derision Expressed by Shaking Psalm 109:25
I am an object of scorn to my accusers; when they see me, they shake their heads.
Ingratitude: David's Companions to David Psalm 109:4, 5
In return for my love they accuse me, but I am a man of prayer. / They repay me evil for good, and hatred for my love.
Ingratitude: Often Exhibited: To Benefactors Psalm 109:5
They repay me evil for good, and hatred for my love.
Ingratitude: should be Met With: Prayers Psalm 109:4
In return for my love they accuse me, but I am a man of prayer.
Jesus, the Christ: Death of Psalm 109:25
I am an object of scorn to my accusers; when they see me, they shake their heads.
Jesus, the Christ: Prophecies Concerning Psalm 109:25
I am an object of scorn to my accusers; when they see me, they shake their heads.
Judas (Jude): Surnamed |Iscariot|: Prophecies Concerning Psalm 109:8
May his days be few; may another take his position.
Malice: General Scriptures Concerning Psalm 109:2–5, 16–18
For wicked and deceitful mouths open against me; they speak against me with lying tongues. / They surround me with hateful words and attack me without cause. / In return for my love they accuse me, but I am a man of prayer.
Not Being Offended Psalm 109:4
In return for my love they accuse me, but I am a man of prayer.
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Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
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Psalms 109:1-5 Verses 1-5
It is the unspeakable comfort of all believers, that whoever is against them, God is for them; and to him they may apply as to one pleased to concern himself for them. David's enemies laughed at him for his devotion, but they could not laugh him out of it.
Psalms 109:6-20 Verses 6-20
The Lord Jesus may speak here as a Judge, denouncing sentence on some of his enemies, to warn others. When men reject the salvation of Christ, even their prayers are numbered among their sins. See what hurries some to shameful deaths, and brings the families and estates of others to ruin; makes them and theirs despicable and hateful, and brings poverty, shame, and misery upon their posterity: it is sin, that mischievous, destructive thing. And what will be the effect of the sentence, "Go, ye cursed," upon the bodies and souls of the wicked! How it will affect the senses of the body, and the powers of the soul, with pain, anguish, horror, and despair! Think on these things, sinners, tremble and repent.
Psalms 109:21-31 Verses 21-31
The psalmist takes God's comforts to himself, but in a very humble manner. He was troubled in mind. His body was wasted, and almost worn away. But it is better to have leanness in the body, while the soul prospers and is in health, than to have leanness in the soul, while the body is feasted. He was ridiculed and reproached by his enemies. But if God bless us, we need not care who curses us; for how can they curse whom God has not cursed; nay, whom he has blessed? He pleads God's glory, and the honour of his name. Save me, not according to my merit, for I pretend to none, but according to thy-mercy. He concludes with the joy of faith, in assurance that his present conflicts would end in triumphs. Let all that suffer according to the will of God, commit the keeping of their souls to him. Jesus, unjustly put to death, and now risen again, is an Advocate and Intercessor for his people, ever ready to appear on their behalf against a corrupt world, and the great accuser.